Chapter 95: The taste of her own medicine
The next morning, Vivian woke with a pounding headache. She blinked several times before noticing the sleeping man beside her.
Memories of the previous night came rushing back. She had been drinking last night with her friends. Then she had come to the hotel with this man.
"Oh, God." She rubbed her aching brow.
Last night had been wild. That man had sex with her three times.
Her entire body protested as she sat up. "This guy was like a beast," she cursed under her breath. She was still sore down there.
Regret immediately settled over her.
"I shouldn’t have done that."
She had dragged the man in front of everyone. If any of her friends told her parents about it, she would be finished.
She glanced at the sleeping stranger and frowned. The realization that she had spent the night with a man she barely knew irritated her.
"It’s all because of Elias." She clasped the sheet beneath her. "If he had married me, none of these would have happened. He forced me to do this."
The more she thought about it, the more justified she felt.
"So what if I was with a man? He is also with another woman."
The last trace of regret vanished.
"But not for a long time."
She was confident that Elias would leave Elena once the scandal exploded.
A grin surfaced on her face at the thought. She reached for her phone, eager to see a message, an update, a confirmation.
But there was nothing.
Her expression changed. "What the hell are those idiots doing?" she muttered.
At that moment, the man beside her stirred awake. He smiled lazily.
"Good morning, beautiful."
Vivian scowled at him.
"Last night was amazing," he said, propping himself up on one elbow. "I’d like to see you again."
Vivian’s stomach dropped. She climbed out of bed and hurriedly got dressed.
"Last night was a mistake."
"A mistake?" The man raised an eyebrow. "You kissed me, brought me here, and spent the night with me. And you call it a mistake?"
"Look." Vivian’s gaze turned sharp. "We both are adults. What happened is a one-time thing. It won’t happen again. Don’t try to contact me."
Grabbing her bag, she ran out of the room.
"Hey, wait... I don’t even know your name," the man shouted behind her.
Vivian didn’t look back. She didn’t slow down. She ran straight to the parking lot. As she reached her car, a hand suddenly clamped over her mouth.
Her eyes widened. Panic exploded inside her.
Before she could react, darkness swallowed her consciousness.
When Vivian woke up again, she found herself lying in a dimly lit room. She blinked repeatedly, trying to clear her blurry vision.
Only a faint red light illuminated the space. Nothing looked familiar.
Fear crept into her heart. "Where am I?"
She tried to sit up. The moment she moved, she realized her wrists were tightly bound to the bedposts.
Panic exploded inside her.
"What...?" She pulled desperately against the restraints.
The ropes bit into her skin but refused to loosen.
"No... no..." Her breathing became ragged.
The memories slowly returned.
She had stormed out of the hotel. Someone had grabbed her from behind.
Then she fell unconscious. She couldn’t remember how she had come here. Cold sweat broke out across her forehead.
"Help!" She struggled harder. "Is anyone here?"
Just then, the door opened.
"Hello, princess."
Vivian’s head snapped toward the voice.
A tall figure stepped out of the darkness.
Her heart nearly stopped. "Who are you?"
Her voice shook violently. "Stay away from me."
The man smiled mockingly. "That’s strange." He folded his arms. "I heard you enjoy ruining other people’s lives."
Vivian frowned. "What are you talking about?"
"Oh?" The man tilted his head. "You don’t remember?"
He leaned down and said in a hushed tone. "You were having fun last night, kissing a stranger openly. You even spent the night with him. So why can’t you have a little more fun with us?"
"Us?" she exclaimed in a frenzy.
He stepped back and gestured toward two men standing nearby. One adjusted a video camera. The other leaned casually against the wall, watching her in silence.
Vivian’s face drained of color. "What... what are you doing?"
The camera’s recording light blinked on.
The man smiled, but said nothing.
A chill ran down Vivian’s spine. Everything suddenly felt horrifyingly familiar.
It was almost identical to the plan she had given those thugs.
No...
Her eyes widened. Her body began trembling uncontrollably.
She had ordered Elena to be brought into a room like this. She had ordered a camera to be prepared and had wanted Elena’s life destroyed forever.
Now, a similar thing was happening with her. She was the one tied to the bed. She had told those men to film Elena’s sex tape and spread it to the dark world.
But why was the same thing happening with her?
"No..." Her voice cracked. "This can’t be..."
She struggled wildly against the ropes. "Please... let me go."
Tears streamed uncontrollably down Vivian’s face.
"Come on, princess. Don’t act innocent now. We have prepared all this just for you."
"Help," she cried.
"You are too loud." The man approached and sealed her mouth with tape.
She twisted her body violently. Her voice was muffled.
The two men jumped over the bed, touching her all over. One of the men tore her dress.
The next moment, she was only in her bra and panties.
Her eyes widened in fear. "Mm..." She struggled against the ropes. She kicked violently, terrified.
"Enough."
A cold voice echoed from the darkest corner of the room.
Instantly, the three men stepped back.
The room fell silent.
Vivian’s breathing grew increasingly erratic. She turned her head and saw a shadowy figure perched on the sofa in the dark corner of the room. She didn’t know another man was also in there.
"Everyone, out."
All three men stepped out immediately.
Vivian’s whole body trembled. Her heart raced so wildly that she could barely breathe.
Slow footsteps echoed across the floor.
With every step he took toward the bed, her heart sank further. Even though she couldn’t see his face properly, she could feel the dangerous aura radiating from him. The whole room seemed to have turned several degrees colder.
She was so terrified that her body went numb.
When the figure came closer to the bed, his face gradually came into view.
Vivian’s pupils contracted. Her lips parted soundlessly.
’Elias...?’
Her mind refused to believe what her eyes were seeing.
’No, this is not him. Not him.’
She blinked again. But the man standing before her was still Elias.
Why? How?
Tears blurred her vision.
She had loved him for years. Never, not even once, had she imagined he would be the one standing before her like this.
Elias looked down at her without the slightest trace of pity.
"How does it feel?"
His voice was calm, cold, and emotionless.
Vivian stared at him helplessly. Fear, confusion, and disbelief crashed together inside her.
"Mm..." She cried.
"Confused?" Elias muttered.
Vivian clutched the ropes tightly. A surge of anger rose within her.
"I warned you." Elias’s gaze never wavered. "I warned you to stay away from my wife. You ignored every warning."
His eyes turned icy. "You chose to target Elena anyway."
Vivian’s heart sank. A fresh wave of fear crashed over her. ’He already knew!’
Then anger overtook all her emotions.
’Useless fools...’ She clenched her teeth. ’They couldn’t even deal with one woman.’
Elias seemed to read every emotion on her face.
"You wanted to destroy her." His voice remained frighteningly steady. "You planned to ruin her image. So I decided you should experience the same fear."
He pointed at the camera in the corner. "Every second of your panic has been recorded."