Chapter 19
The corridor stretched before me, unnervingly silent.
I kept looking over my shoulder.
The entire hotel felt… wrong.
I hadn’t seen a single staff member since leaving Seraphine’s tea room.
Had I imagined it? Was I being paranoid?
I exhaled slowly.
Seraphine wasn’t stupid.
She didn’t want to give me money, but she knew what mattered most to the Shaws. If she had planned to set me up, she would have done it already.
Ahead, the lobby came into view.
I checked the time. 7:40 PM.
I pulled out my phone and typed: I’m here—
Before I could finish, a figure in a black uniform appeared from around the corner.
She slammed into me.
“Oh! I’m so sorry!” she gasped, reaching out to steady me.
“It’s fine. I’m oka—”
A sharp, icy pain shot through my neck.
I froze.
A chill raced down my spine as my body locked up.
No…
Dizziness crashed over me in waves.
A slow, sinister smile curled her lips.
She held me tighter.
“Are you alright, ma’am? Which room are you in? That way? Okay, I’ll take you there.”
Her voice was soft. Mocking.
I tried to push her away, but my strength was leaking out of me.
My vision blurred.
My knees buckled.
I felt myself being dragged down a quieter hallway.
I tried to scream.
Nothing came out.
Please… someone… help…
Then I remembered—
My phone.
I had slipped it into my pocket after the collision.
Summoning every ounce of willpower, I moved my fingers.
Blindly, I typed.
Then, I pressed send.
Hilton Courtyard
Evan leaned against the balcony railing, the cool night breeze brushing through his hair.
A wine glass dangled from his fingertips.
The alcohol had settled in his veins—a pleasant buzz, nothing more.
Then—
Ding. Ding.
Gary glanced at his phone.
Seeing the sender’s name, he exhaled in relief.
“Sir, it’s from Olivia.”
Evan barely reacted.
Gary read the message.
Then—his brow furrowed.
“Sir?”
Evan cracked one eye open. “What?”
Gary handed him the phone.
“She texted that she’s here, but…” He hesitated. “The last word looks… odd.”
Evan’s gaze dropped to the screen.
I’m here. Hwlp.
Hwlp?
His eyes sharpened.
His jaw tightened.
Then—without a word—he initiated a video call.
Gary blinked in confusion.
“Sir—?”
Evan lifted a finger, silencing him.
The call connected.
The screen was dim.
Muffled footsteps.
The sound of shoes scraping the floor.
Sporadic, rapid breathing.
Then—
A faint, strained whisper—
“…help… help…”
A low, muffled whimper.
Evan stood abruptly.
Something was wrong.
Very wrong.
He ended the call.
“Find out if Olivia Frost checked in.”
Gary ran to the reception desk.
Evan clenched his jaw, his fingers curling into fists.
7:55 PM – Hilton Reception
A staff member hesitated. “A… beautiful woman checked in around 7 PM. She said she had a meeting and left a suit with us…”
Gary’s pulse pounded. “And then?”
“She… disappeared.”
Evan was already moving.
His long strides were swift.
His expression? Unreadable.
He pulled out his phone and made a call.
“Find her.”
And then—he vanished down the hallway.
Somewhere in the Hilton – 8:00 PM
The room was dark.
I was thrown onto the bed.
The air reeked of sweat and cheap cologne.
Men.
Half-dressed.
Leering.
Hungry.
No. No. No.
I tried to move—
Nothing.
I was weak.
Paralyzed.
Trapped.
At the foot of the bed—
Syringes. Needles. Camera equipment.
A woman—the one who drugged me—pulled out a document.
She grabbed my limp hand.
Pressed it to the paper.
A fingerprint.
She smiled.
“Your husband doesn’t want to pay the divorce settlement,” she murmured.
A man laughed.
“He said we could do whatever we want with you.”
My mind fractured.
Julian.
No.
It wasn’t possible.
But—
Wasn’t it?
I fumbled for my phone.
My fingers trembled.
The men didn’t even bother stopping me.
I pressed Julian’s number.
The line rang.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
Disconnected.
Again.
Disconnected.
On the third attempt—
The call connected.
But it wasn’t Julian.
A woman’s voice, dripping with malice.
Rita.
Julian’s fiancée.
Julian’s… new fiancée.
She laughed.
“Oh, Olivia.”
“Julian doesn’t want to take your call.”
I felt my soul shatter.
Her voice turned mocking.
“Did you like the guys I sent you? They’re really… kinky.”
My stomach churned.
“Oh, and one of them has AIDS.”
The world tilted.
“You’ll get an injection later. Just to enhance the experience.”
I couldn’t breathe.
She was still talking.
“Oh! And to celebrate—Julian and I will be announcing our engagement tomorrow night.”
The phone slipped from my ear.
“You won’t get a cent, Olivia.”
“You’ll be ostracized.”
“No one will believe you.”
“No one will save you.”
I clenched my fists.
Rage.
Rage.
I wouldn’t die here.
I wouldn’t let them win.
The woman pressed record.
“Let’s begin,” she said.
The men closed in.
Hands reached for my body.
I struggled.
“Go… away…”
A fat man climbed onto the bed, a syringe in hand.
His eyes gleamed.
I closed my eyes.
Bit down—hard.
I would rather die.
Then—
Click.
The sound of a key turning in the lock.
The door swung open.
