Chapter 14: The Man Saw Her Naked
The thought, once it surfaced, seized Evelyn’s heart and made it impossible to breathe.
She could not gamble with Ethan’s life.
Ethan had become involved in this crisis only to help her. If he truly suffered a misfortune because of her, she would never forgive herself.
Evelyn jumped to her feet. The chair slid backward, letting out a jarring screech of friction.
She blindly grabbed the jacket draped over the chair back and rushed out of the studio without a second glance.
The cold night wind cut across her face like a knife, yet she felt no chill, only a tremor that seeped out from her bones.
A taxi conveniently pulled up to the curb, the driver leaning out to solicit a fare.
She did not hesitate, yanking the door open and sliding inside. “Hudson Street, quickly!”
The car door slammed shut behind her with a bang.
The instant she stated the address and urged the driver to hurry, a massive force slammed into her from the back seat.
A large, rough hand clamped down firmly over her mouth, while the other held her body like an iron vice.
“Mmph...!”
All screams and pleas for help were muffled in her throat.
She struggled desperately, elbowing backward, kicking her legs wildly, but the person in the back seat was astonishingly strong, pressing her down hard between the seats.
Cold plastic zip ties were quickly and brutally bound around her wrists and ankles. The more she struggled, the tighter they constricted, causing a sharp stinging pain against her skin.
A roll of wide industrial tape was torn open with a harsh crrrunch, and then forcefully sealed over her mouth.
The car did not head toward Hudson Street. Instead, it twisted and turned through the city before finally pulling into the underground garage of a lavish, high-end hotel.
She was dragged by two men, one on each side, through a staff passage into an elevator, and then pushed into a room reeking of perfume and alcohol.
The tape was violently ripped off. She gasped for air, looking at the two men before her in terror.
Before she could catch her breath, she was roughly shoved onto the carpet.
One man held up a phone, the camera aimed right at her.
The other man bore a striking resemblance to Ethan in build. Even the jacket and hairstyle were a deliberate imitation.
But the man was not Ethan.
His unfamiliar face held a sickening malice as he advanced toward her, step by step.
“Make sure the shot is clear,” the man said to his accomplice without looking back. “Get her face in, especially her expression.”
The man holding the phone chuckled.
The cold, emotionless red dot of the lens was fixed on Evelyn’s face.
The man disguised as Ethan leaned down, his rough fingers stroking her cheek. His touch felt like sandpaper against her skin.
“Don’t be afraid, my dear,” he whispered, his lewdness practically overflowing. “Your lover is here.”
The word “lover” was deliberately emphasized, filled with mockery.
The grating sound of fabric tearing rang out, and the plastic zip ties were forcefully ripped open.
The man’s weight pressed down on her, bringing a suffocating sense of oppression.
In the resulting video, Evelyn would be seen under a man who closely resembled Ethan. The footage would be edited, and the sound would be processed.
What would ultimately be presented to the outside world would be ironclad proof of her marital infidelity: the doctor she ran away with, caught having sex in a hotel room.
Damian would see it, the media would see it, and Professor Hays would see it too.
Other than Sienna, she could think of no one who would do this to her.
Evelyn’s fingernails dug deep into her palms until they pierced the skin and drew beads of blood.
The pain kept her last thread of consciousness intact.
She did not cry, not a single tear.
Crying was a weapon of the weak, and Sienna only wanted to see her break.
She would not give her the satisfaction.
...
In the adjacent room, a blonde woman knelt before Ryan, her head working diligently between his legs, attempting to please him with the most refined technique.
Exaggerated panting and moaning filled the expensive hotel suite like cheap background music.
Ryan leaned against the headboard, his gaze vacant, fixed on the crystal chandelier on the ceiling.
He felt nothing.
No excitement, no desire, only a frustrating emptiness.
The woman’s skilled tongue and warm mouth gave him less pleasure than a cheap male masturbator.
His thoughts drifted uncontrollably back to the heavy rain, and those stubborn, wet eyes.
Evelyn. The name circled in his mind, like a persistent thorn.
“Ah... hmm...” The woman beneath him increased the nasal quality of her moans, trying to pull his attention back. Her plump, silicone-enhanced breasts bobbed before his eyes.
Ryan’s brow furrowed into a deep frown. A nameless fire shot up from his gut.
He was about to tell the woman to leave when a faint, sharp sound, almost entirely obscured by the lewd noises, pierced his eardrum with the precision of a needle.
“Help, someone... please help me!”
It was her! The voice sounded exactly like hers!
Ryan violently pushed the woman away, his action devoid of any courtesy.
He snatched his trousers and pulled them on, not even bothering to fasten his belt, and charged straight for the door.
The doorknob rattled loudly, refusing to budge.
Ryan stepped back and, without hesitation, kicked the door hard.
BANG!
With a loud crash, the fragile lock instantly splintered. The door panel slammed against the wall, allowing him to see everything inside the room.
Evelyn was sprawled on the floor, her clothes ripped and torn. One man was pressing down on her, while the other held up a phone, the lens aimed at her humiliated face.
Rage instantly ignited Ryan’s blood.
He lunged forward.
The man holding the phone did not even have time to react before a sharp pain shot through his jaw, and he flew backward.
The phone was knocked out of his hand. Ryan stepped on it, and the screen and body disintegrated into fragments with a sharp crackle.
The man who was pinning Evelyn down scrambled up in terror and swung his fist, but Ryan easily parried the blow.
Ryan grabbed his wrist and twisted hard. The sound of bone displacement was jarringly loud in the silent room.
The man let out a shriek and collapsed to the floor.
The entire process took less than ten seconds.
Evelyn stared blankly at the man before her. It was him, the man who had given her a black umbrella in the rain.
Ryan adjusted his slightly messy collar, cast a condescending glance at the two unconscious “trash” on the floor, and spoke with an air of flippancy, as if he had only just dealt with two houseflies.
“It seems you are very good at getting yourself into trouble.” He extended his hand to her, but did not touch her. “Do not worry, I am not so low as to take advantage of the situation.”
He made a phone call, commanding his subordinate to come and clear the scene and bring a set of clean clothes for a beautiful lady.
After hanging up, Evelyn finally found her voice and offered a hoarse “Thank you.”