Chapter 104: Last Card

Cattleya’s POV

"Oh, Cattleya, you are such a fool. How could you believe that I took your twins?" I heard Elise's voice echoing through the empty building.

I never thought I would find myself in another life-threatening situation.

My heart pounded in my chest, and then I took a deep breath, tried to steady myself, and looked up to see her. Elise stood at the bottom of the stairs, a vision in a crimson velvet dress, identical to the one I had worn on the night I chose revenge.

A chilling smile played on her lips. She looked like a predator, poised and ready to strike.

She turned around, a crowing glint in her eyes. "Do you like my gown? Oh, I almost forgot… it's quite identical to the one you wore the last time, but I think this one is better."

I stared at her, my gaze unwavering. Giving her the death stare wouldn't achieve anything. I needed to think, to find a way to escape this deadly game, or perhaps even fight for my life.

She walked towards me, stopping a few steps away. "But you're going to die today. How sad is it that you came here just to die?"

"I didn't come here to die, Elise. I came here to fight for my life, even after death..." I snapped, my voice low and dangerous.

She just laughed, a cold, mirthless sound that sent shivers down my spine. "That's why I'm pulling my last card. If I can't be happy for the rest of my life, neither can you."

And then I saw them. Figures emerging from the shadows, their faces obscured by the dim light.

They were Salvatore's men, their eyes gleaming with a cruel satisfaction. And to my astonishment, I saw Nikolai among them. But he was in a wheelchair, his body paralyzed and his face a mask of pain. Then he spoke raspy, "Cattleya, it's been a long time. You are still as beautiful as the day I first saw you..."

I stepped back while staring at him in disgust, "H-How...?"

Nikolai laughed softly, but he was absolutely in agony like he was living in hell because of his paralyzed body. "H-How? It doesn't matter how. What matters most to me is to see you in pain, agonizing pain, just like what Jaxon did to me... look at me, I'm suffering!"

I scoffed, "It's not enough, you should suffer more."

Then Elise glanced at one of her men, "Take her to the basement... and let's wait for my father's call before we can do anything crazy to her."

I tried to run away, but one of her hulking men seized me with an iron grip. "Oh, you smell so good. Too bad, we can't do anything wrong right now."

Elise laughed like a fucking crazy girl, "Boys, wait for tomorrow. And after that, she's all yours to enjoy."

I glared at Elise with so much disgust, "You're a woman, a mother. Do you think Dylan would be proud to know that you're his mother? I bet not."

She lunged forward, slapping me hard across the face in front of everyone. "You better shut your mouth. Don't try to manipulate me. I don't control my life now, and neither does my son. This is all because of you! My life is a mess! And you have to pay for what you did to me!"

I laughed bitterly, "I'm not paying you anything, not even my life..."

She burst out laughing, but her face quickly turned serious. "Yes, you are going to pay for it.... and everyone will know the time of your death."

They dragged me into the basement. I glanced at Nikolai, who looked like a fucking vegetable – only his eyes were moving. Then he whispered, 'I'll see you when I see you, Cattleya..."

Now, I understand that not everyone deserves to be a parent. They should be ashamed of what they are doing.

They pushed me down into an empty, cold basement. I slumped onto the floor, groaning in pain as I felt the sharp ache in my neck. Damn it, how could this ever end? Or is this my end? No, I'm not letting them win!

I looked around but saw nothing except the bare walls and a locked door.

Suddenly, I gasped. They had forgotten to confiscate my phone! "They're stupid..." I muttered to myself. I quickly copied the address and tried to send it to Vlad, Vianne, and finally, Jaxon. But to my dismay, there was no signal!

No fucking signal. How could I be saved?

The door slowly creaked open, and when I turned around, it was Elise, then gun-leveled at me. And she said, "I've been waiting for this my whole life..."

"Why don't you just do it?" I challenged her, "Or maybe you're scared?"

She blinked, taking a deep breath. "I wanted to play with my toy, just like a cat playing with a rat before killing it."

She continued, "There's no need to use your phone anyway. There's no signal coverage here, and even if they tried to save you, it's too late," she smirked. "My father is already talking to Jaxon, and you know what will happen in the end? Both of you and Jaxon will die together... isn't it fantastic?"

"Even if Jaxon knows everything, he didn't hurt you, Elise. Instead, he gave you a chance to be a better mother to your son, but what have you done? You turned your back on him once again. And now, there's no turning back. You're going to burn in hell," I said through gritted teeth.

She opened the door to let other people into the basement. And my eyes widened when they were holding a rope. "Tie her tightly..."

My eyes widened as one of them approached me, tightly gripping my wrists together before tying them behind my back.

Elise smiled creepily, "Look at you, you are so scared... I can feel it."

She then moved in closer, brandished the gun, and smacked it twice against my face. A trickle of blood fell to my lips. Looking up into her gaze, I gasped in agony. After that, she gave the man the rifle and then used an iron to strike me.

She just smacked me across my lower body, then my feet, then my upper body, and finally my head, and I screamed in pain.

My hand is bleeding while I cover my head.

As she watched the blood trickle down into the floor, she muttered under her breath, "Beautiful..."

She tried to strike me with the iron, but I rose slowly, dove, and kicked her repeatedly till she screamed for help.

One of her men grabbed me and pulled me away from her.

"What on earth are you doing?!" Elise shouted. "Are you just going to sit back and watch?!"

Then her gaze returned to me once more, and she smiled. She reached out, gripped my chin, and then said, "We are not done yet!"

The man who was holding me tightly shoved me against the wall. I gasped in pain, enduring the agony that shot through every part of my body.

Then they left, closing the door with a resounding clang. I tried to wiggle my wrists together, desperate to loosen the rope grip.

I cried hopelessly, muttering, "Damn it..."

A moment later, the door creaked open again, and they dragged me out of the basement. Even though blood streamed down my forehead, I felt numb, devoid of any real emotion.

Then suddenly, I gasped in terror. Jaxon stood a short distance away while a gun pointed at his own head.

Mr. Salvatore said, "I want you to choose again, Jaxon. Her or your pretty life you've had for these past three years?!"

I put my hand over my mouth and shook my head, crying,  "J—Jaxon... No… don’t—”

"Aww, look at her," Elise teased happily. "This is what happens when you try to take what's mine, Cattleya."

Jaxon muttered with a heavy breath, "Cattleya... I'm sorry... I'm sorry for everything..."

Then Elise shrieked, "Don't tell me you're choosing her!"

And the creepy Nikolai interrupted, "Elise, relax. Let the man think."

Jaxon threw a glance at Nikolai and scoffed mockingly, "Look at you, Nikolai. I have no words... no wonder why you sided with these losers...."

Nikolai coughed softly and spoke like he was in pain, "It's an honor to watch you die, Jaxon. Too bad, you let me live for a little longer..."

Mr. Salvatore shook his head. "Your family built this organization for you, Jaxon. You can't just throw it away for one woman, especially for a woman like her. You can do more, Jaxon. So, I'm asking you one more time... That slut or my daughter?!"

Jaxon stared at me with worry, longing in his eyes, as if he desperately wanted to protect me but couldn't. He sighed softly, his gaze flickering to Elise, who was anxiously awaiting his answer.

Elise's face twisted with worry. She looked utterly terrified as if she knew Jaxon could be unpredictable at times.

Then Jaxon let out a heavy sigh, "Forgive me, Catt..."

And at that moment, the building erupted in a hail of bullets and gunshots...