Chapter 9
Benjamin's eyes grew even darker, as if no light could penetrate them at all.
He looked down at Evelyn in his arms.
But before Benjamin could say anything, Evelyn looked coldly at Sophia.
"He's just an orphan raised by the Thomas family. As if he's worthy of my interest? And you—did I make dealing with the Brown family's bankruptcy seem too simple?"
So it really was love turning to hate.
Benjamin's eyes narrowed slightly as he scooped Evelyn up horizontally and turned to leave.
"Chase!"
"Mr. White." Chase shuddered, feeling an overwhelming chill.
"The leg."
His tone was cold and clear, devoid of any emotion, yet it froze the expressions on everyone's faces in the hospital room, even stopping the blood in their veins for an instant.
"You can't do this!"
Matthew's scream rang out behind them, but Benjamin's steps didn't pause for a moment as he carried Evelyn straight into the elevator.
He could clearly feel her trembling, his jaw tightening bit by bit.
"What, having regrets?"
Evelyn froze, lifting her head from his embrace. Her eyes were slightly red, with sorrow she hadn't yet suppressed.
Benjamin set her down and pressed her against the elevator wall, his thumb rubbing the corner of her eye.
"I was going to let him go, but you insisted on breaking his leg. This time, regretting it won't help."
Benjamin's warm breath sprayed on her face, his voice neither light nor heavy yet particularly oppressive, even carrying a kind of coldness.
Especially in the depths of his eyes—seemingly calm, yet harboring uncontrollable anger and coldness.
"No, I didn't..."
His kiss came down hard, turning and grinding, biting repeatedly, giving her no chance to speak.
Until she softly melted into his embrace, able only to let him kiss her.
His large hand gripped her neck, his lips rubbing against hers, his voice muffled and unclear.
"Didn't what? Sneaking out in the middle of the night to see him?"
Evelyn's fingers clutched his shirt, her brow furrowing slightly. She understood he had misunderstood her, but for a moment she didn't know how to explain.
Benjamin bit her lip, then straightened up, his fingers rubbing her somewhat swollen, red lips.
"If there's a next time, I won't just take his leg."
Beneath Benjamin's ice-cold threat lay his hidden heartache, and the restraint of never being able to say no to her.
This time, Benjamin didn't send Evelyn back to the Thomas Villa, but brought her to his own villa.
Her eyes suddenly widened, various sexual scenarios flashing through her mind.
Could Benjamin be so stimulated that he wanted to make their relationship real?
It wasn't that she couldn't, but with Preston's situation still unclear and Matthew and Sophia not yet dealt with, she really wasn't in the mood to have sex with Benjamin.
"Benjamin, isn't this moving too fast?"
Evelyn's delicate face showed obvious unease, and her lipstick, smudged from his kisses, gave her a ravaged beauty.
Her current appearance stimulated Benjamin's nerves and made the demon inside him clamor.
He gripped the back of her neck and pressed her against his chest, lowering his head to kiss her again.
A deep, heavy kiss, a domineering restraint that wouldn't let her leave. Evelyn's heart raced wildly.
But when his hand fell on her chest, scenes from her past life suddenly flashed through her mind—various disgusting men touching her...
"No!"
Her sharp, desperate cry rang out, tears flooding out.
Her scalding tears dripped onto Benjamin's hand, suppressing the desire surging in his eyes and transforming it into layers of anger spreading out.
"Being with me makes you this unwilling?"
Benjamin gripped the back of her neck, forcing her to look up.
The tears sliding down her small face seemed to fall on his heart, burning him until his breathing became irregular.
He suddenly threw her onto the sofa, but with such skillful force that she wouldn't actually get hurt.
"Whether you're willing or not to be with me, you can only be my, Benjamin's, fiancée. I will never let you go."
Dropping these words, he lifted his foot and headed upstairs.
With that heavy throw, Evelyn suddenly snapped back to reality.
He had already misunderstood her, and what just happened would only make the knot between them grow bigger. Would they walk the same path as in her previous life?
No, absolutely not!
"Benjamin!" She suddenly stood up and started to chase after Benjamin.
"His leg is already broken. Begging me now won't help."
Benjamin's icy words cut off everything she wanted to say.
Benjamin stood on the stairs, his back straight but radiating an indescribable coldness, mixed with threads of loneliness that made one's heart tremble.
"If you don't want all his limbs broken, stay here obediently."
"No, that's not what I want to say."
Realizing his displeasure, she hurried forward a few steps, wanting to catch up with him, but was pinned in place by his next words.
"Are you coming over now to continue what we started?"
Just now...
What flashed through her mind wasn't tender affection, but the despair and helplessness of being raped in her previous life. She couldn't help but tremble.
When she spoke again, her voice couldn't help but shake: "Would you mind hearing my explanation?"
He laughed softly, gave her no response, and went straight upstairs.
What followed was the loud sound of a door slamming.
Standing in the living room, Evelyn tried several times but couldn't make herself climb those stairs.
The memories in her mind were too terrifying. She really couldn't take that step and could only figure it out slowly.
Evelyn randomly found a guest room to sleep in.
She didn't expect that when she woke up the next day, she'd see a room decorated in cold colors.
The only bright color in the room was probably the gray-blue curtains—the ones she had chosen for Benjamin's bedroom. Was this his bedroom?
With some panic, she checked herself. She was still wearing her robe, and didn't feel anything else unusual.
So had he deliberately carried her here after she fell asleep?
Was that really necessary?
Too much had happened yesterday. Evelyn's head was still a bit fuzzy, and she couldn't quite figure out the reason.
Until, from the corner of her eye, she saw a phone screen constantly flashing. She turned to look and saw it was a call from 'Stella'.
Stella Hall was her best friend since childhood, but due to Sophia's brainwashing, plus Stella not supporting her relationship with Matthew, Evelyn had chosen to distance herself from Stella.
Thinking of her previous foolish behavior, she couldn't help feeling her nose sting. Her fingers pressed the answer button before her brain could catch up.
Before she could speak, Stella's urgent voice rang out.
"Evelyn, are you okay?"
"How's your grandfather?"
"You finally realized Matthew and Sophia were having an affair? But you shouldn't have hit him—after all, they're both single, while you have a fiancé."
"..."
A series of questions hit her, and only then did Evelyn realize that videos of her beating Matthew were all over the internet, with the reason being that her love had turned to hate.
This way, netizens almost unanimously sided with Matthew and Sophia, and she became the target of everyone's criticism.
"Stella, this isn't what the outside world is saying..."
"I know," Stella's voice came through. "Given how much you care about Matthew, you couldn't possibly compete with him for the inheritance."