Chapter 77 She Is Someone I Know
He immediately reached for his glass, planning to toast Harry and get him drunk enough to leave early with a convenient excuse.
But Harry pushed the woman off his lap, wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, and turned with a predatory smile, clapping Daniel on the shoulder.
"Easy there, Dr. Cortes. That was just the warm-up. The real show's about to start."
The moment he finished speaking, the music cut out completely.
The lights dimmed to almost nothing, leaving only a single cold white spotlight on center stage. Then came the sound—metal scraping against metal, sharp and grating, from the wings.
Daniel instinctively started to look away, but something in his peripheral vision made his body go rigid.
A chair. Metal, oddly shaped, being wheeled onto the stage. Strapped to it was a woman, nearly naked.
Her hair hung in tangled waves around her face. Only a few strips of sheer black fabric clung to her, doing nothing to shield her from the hungry stares of every man in the room.
Her limbs were bound in leather restraints. A black ribbon around her throat forced her head upward, making sure everyone could see her face, her body—everything.
Despite the disorienting stage lights, something about that thin, trembling figure made Daniel's heart stop.
His breath caught in his throat.
No... it couldn't be...
He forced himself to look up, his gaze locking onto the figure on stage.
Caroline.
Daniel's mind went blank. His scalp prickled as if an electric current had shot through him.
He shot to his feet, knocking over the glass on the table. Champagne splashed across the surface, soaking a wide stain into his light-colored coat.
"Oh? Dr. Cortes, getting excited already? I knew you'd appreciate someone with this much fire." Harry laughed, clearly thinking Daniel had finally gotten into the spirit of things.
Daniel didn't hear a word. His eyes stayed locked on the stage.
Was that really Caroline?
He couldn't believe it.
Even after their last encounter, when he'd sensed things weren't going well for her, how could she end up here? Like this?
The host strutted onto the stage, microphone in hand, his voice loud and sleazy, deliberately working the crowd into a frenzy.
"Gentlemen! Tonight's grand finale—the 'Scarred Angel'!" He dragged out the words, his smile sharp and unsettling. "Look at that perfect face, those curves, and these... well, these little marks that tell quite a story."
He gestured toward Caroline's exposed skin, where old scars caught the light, his tone dripping with innuendo.
"Tonight, we're doing something different."
At his signal, staff wheeled out a metal cart loaded with whips, candles, chains, restraints, and other instruments that made Daniel's stomach turn.
"Each of these tools can become part of your experience with her. The highest bidder for each item gets to use it. And the final winner? You get complete control. Take her home. Do whatever you want with her."
The room erupted in whistles and low, eager laughter, like predators scenting blood.
"First item—barbed whip! Starting bid, five thousand dollars!" the host shouted.
Someone raised a paddle immediately. "Six thousand!"
"Seven thousand!"
"Ten thousand!"
Daniel stared at the men below, their eyes gleaming with excitement, and felt like he'd been plunged into ice water.
Beside him, Harry was in his element, raising his paddle again and again.
"Fifteen thousand!"
"Thirty thousand!"
In the end, Harry won the first whip for thirty thousand dollars.
"Dr. Cortes, watch this!" Harry stood with a triumphant grin and walked onto the stage to cheers and catcalls.
He took the black leather whip from the attendant, testing its weight in his hand. Then he used the handle to lift Caroline's chin, forcing her to look up.
Caroline's eyes were unfocused, clearly drugged. But when the stench of alcohol hit her, some primal instinct kicked in. Her lashes fluttered violently, terror flashing across her face.
She couldn't speak. Couldn't move.
Harry leaned close, his voice low and mocking. "Don't worry. I'll take real good care of you."
Then he stepped back, raised the whip high, and prepared to bring it down.
"Stop! Don't touch her!"
The roar cut through the noise like a gunshot, silencing the entire room.
Everyone froze.
Harry stopped mid-swing and turned toward the audience. Daniel stood there, face pale, shoving people aside as he charged toward the stage.
Under the shocked stares of the crowd, he reached Caroline and stripped off his coat, draping it over her nearly naked body.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Harry's expression turned ice-cold.
From the wings, several heavily built security guards appeared, guns already drawn, their eyes locked on Daniel like wolves sizing up prey.
Cold sweat broke out across Daniel's back.
He took a deep breath, forcing himself to stay calm, and turned to face Harry.
"Mr. Brooks, I'm sorry... but I know her."
"Oh?" Harry lowered the whip, crossing his arms with a look of amused curiosity.
"You know her? What, Dr. Cortes—playing the hero now?"
The crowd erupted in jeers and laughter.
Daniel's face went even paler.
He knew exactly what he'd done. He'd pissed off Harry. And if he didn't come up with a damn good explanation, Harry's men—or the club's security—would put a bullet in him without a second thought.
In a place like this, a man's life was worth less than that of a stray dog.
But he couldn't leave Caroline here.
His mind raced. Then, in a flash, an idea came to him.
He clenched his jaw, forcing an expression of rage and humiliation onto his face, his voice low and bitter.
"Playing the hero? No! Mr. Brooks, you've got it all wrong! This bitch—I knew her in college! I chased her like an idiot, spent every cent I had on her, emptied my savings, even took out loans I couldn't afford!
"And what did I get? She bled me dry, then told me we were 'just friends.' I was the laughingstock of the entire campus! Everywhere I went, people pointed and whispered! I worked three jobs just to pay off the debt she left me with! It took me years to crawl out of that hole! I hate her! I've been waiting for a chance to make her pay!"