Chapter 41
Emily almost instantly rushed to her bag and pulled out her phone.
Her hands were shaking as she unlocked the screen and pressed the emergency call button.
But just then, the bathroom door suddenly opened.
James stood there naked except for a towel around his waist, looking at her with a half-smile. "Who are you planning to tip off?"
James was in no hurry to argue with her. He just stood there quietly, watching her.
Emily's breath caught. She saw him slowly walk over and stand in front of her, blocking the light.
At that moment, Emily felt like her heart had stopped. Her hand trembled, and the phone nearly slipped from her grasp.
She really hadn't expected James to double back and catch her red-handed. What should she do now?
Almost instinctively, Emily hid the phone behind her back, but before she could come up with a good excuse, James let out a mocking laugh and slowly walked toward her.
"I told you, don't try anything funny." He blocked the main ceiling light in the living room, casting Emily in a large shadow.
He was way too close—so close that Emily could smell the testosterone coming off James's body, making her chest tighten with anxiety.
"I wasn't trying anything funny." Emily forced out a smile, her spine rigid, her palm sweaty around the phone.
She forced herself to look up and meet James's half-smiling eyes. "I was just checking the time. Is that not allowed?"
James ignored her and said flatly, "Why do you think I felt so comfortable taking a shower? You don't actually think you can leave here, do you?"
He reached out and easily grabbed Emily's wrist, pulling her toward him with such force that Emily was caught completely off guard. The phone dropped onto the thick carpet with a thud.
"My phone!" Emily cried out and quickly bent down to pick it up, but James blocked her and snatched the phone into his own hand.
"What are you doing?" Emily's heart raced with anxiety. "Give me back my phone."
But James straightened up and held the phone high above his head, completely out of Emily's reach.
His gaze swept across Emily's frightened face a couple of times, then he suddenly smiled with a cruel, playful look.
"Emily, you look much more appetizing now than when you were all feisty earlier."
As he said this, James probably thought he looked pretty cool, but what he didn't know was that Emily was about to throw up from disgust.
"Give me back my phone!" Emily struggled to stand on her tiptoes but couldn't reach it. At the same time, James gripped her wrist even tighter—she couldn't shake him off at all.
In the struggle, Emily tripped over something, instantly losing her balance and falling backward out of control. But the pain she expected never came.
James extended his long arm and caught Emily firmly in his embrace. The position was extremely intimate, making Emily break out in goosebumps all over.
Time seemed to stop at that moment.
James was wearing only a towel; everything else was completely bare.
This sent shivers down Emily's spine. After being stunned for just a moment, she began to struggle violently.
"Let go of me! You bastard! Have you no shame?"
"Don't move." James tightened his arms, firmly restraining Emily against his chest. He lowered his head, his sleazy breath spraying onto Emily's sensitive neck.
"Emily, I know you don't like me. I've always known that very clearly. I also know you used to have some feelings for me, but I screwed up, and that's why you left me."
"Now I really regret it. I hope you can give me a chance to make it up to you. You know, we spent some really happy times together before. I don't believe you could be so heartless toward me."
His first few sentences seemed reasonable enough, but gradually they took a turn for the worse, and his eyes became increasingly inappropriate.
"Emily, no matter how much you hate me right now, in a little while, I'll definitely make you feel good. You'll definitely forgive me, and then you won't be angry with me anymore."
After saying this, he actually let go of her, not at all worried that Emily would run away.
Emily staggered back a few steps and barely managed to steady herself against the sofa, her stomach churning.
If she had known it would be like this, she really shouldn't have come to this meeting. But now it was too late to say anything.
Emily stared at James as he turned around and went back into the bathroom. Just as he was closing the door, he suddenly turned his head back and winked at Emily in what he thought was a charming way.
"Get yourself ready. I'll be back soon to keep you company. Don't be impatient." He smiled confidently, certain that Emily absolutely couldn't escape, without taking any precautions at all.
Watching the bathroom door actually close, Emily immediately picked up her phone from nearby, only to discover there was no signal at all.
No need to ask—James must have placed a signal jammer in this room. He had actually gone this far.
Emily's heart sank to the bottom, but she still didn't give up. She looked around, her gaze finally settling on the main door.
She had to get out of here quickly, no more delays.
But when Emily ran to the door and turned the handle hard, she found the door wouldn't budge—it had been locked from the outside.
"Open the door! Is anyone there? Open the door!"
The panic in Emily's heart grew heavier and heavier. What was happening now had exceeded her expectations. She thought she had prepared enough, but now she realized James had prepared even more.
James was in the bathroom, so Emily didn't dare shout loudly. She could only keep her voice down. Outside the door was dead silence.
But Emily knew there were people outside. James had two bodyguards standing guard at the door. They must have heard her calls, but they pretended nothing was happening and turned a deaf ear.
Could she really not escape today?
Wait, there was still the window!
Emily suddenly turned around and looked at the huge floor-to-ceiling window, like grabbing onto a last lifeline, and rushed over quickly.
She pushed the window open hard, but when she saw the situation outside clearly, her heart went cold.
The window wasn't sealed shut, and there were no security bars. She could indeed escape by jumping out the window, but this was the seventh floor! What difference was there between jumping from here and committing suicide?
Emily froze there, at a loss for several seconds before coming back to her senses.
What should she do?
The sound of rushing water from the bathroom was like an ultimatum, each sound making Emily's heart jump with fear, and also making her more and more anxious.