Trouble in Paradise



Marcus suddenly came close to me. His face contorted with anger. He shoved me toward the two men and ordered, "Don't go too far. Just take a few intimate photos and send them to me!"

Instantly, I was restrained by the two men. The one I had hit earlier glared at me with gritted teeth as if he wanted to tear me apart. They were just waiting for Marcus' command.

Marcus spoke in a calm but arrogant tone. He looked like the statue of a high and mighty god with a face full of false compassion.

"Arianna, I hope you understand. I can't let you ruin my brother. Don't resist if you care about him. Since we were close when we were younger, I don't want to hurt you either."

Enraged, I spat at him. 'That's disgusting. Since when were we ever close?'

The man I had hit immediately tried to strike me. He raised his hand, but the other man stopped him.

"What are you doing? This bitch needs to learn to keep her mouth shut!"

"What's the rush? How are the photos supposed to look if you beat her up? Do you want to turn this from consensual' to 'rape'?"

The two men were openly discussing how to handle me!

At that moment, I noticed that there was a bottle on the table next to me. I kept quiet and put all my attention on it. If they dared touch me, I would rather go down fighting than let them take advantage of me.

Marcus stood nearby while taking everything in. He sighed. "Arianna, don't try anything stupid. You're alone now. No matter how tough you are, can you really take on two grown men?"

"Maybe not. But if anyone touches me, I'll make sure you take the fall. I'll see to it that you rot in prison!"

My declaration was met with a cold snort from Marcus. With eyes full of contempt, he looked at me like I was an insect. Even the two men beside me laughed.

At that moment, I felt somewhat hopeless. If Marcus could say such things so casually, it was naive of me to try and talk to him about the law.

Ever since my mother passed away, it seemed that everything was teaching me how cruel the world could be. In the face of absolute power, my so-called 'tricks" would not make any difference.

He continued, "I don't have to do anything to you today. If you promise you'll cut ties with Pete, we'll forget about this. If not, what's happening now could happen again. As long as I want it to, you can't stop me!"

I realized that some people in this world loved to hurt others in the name of love. Pete's words from last night were still fresh in my mind. If I gave up on him now and let him grow as the Shelman family planned, would he really be happy?

"So sending him to Flaken City was just a ploy to get him out of the way. Whether he succeeds or not, you never intended to agree to his terms, did you? You're such a great big brother. It's a shame he trusts you so much."

I laughed coldly. Using all my strength to free one hand, I reached for the bottle on the table and smashed it hard.

The bottle was instantly halved. Its sharp edges were reflecting an eerie green light. I pressed the jagged end to my throat.

"I'll deal with Pete myself. I've already promised him that whether we end up together depends on where fate takes us. I won't resist or reject it anymore. We'll let things happen naturally.

"You say I can't resist you? Let's test that. I'm betting my life against your brother's lifelong hatred for you. Do you dare to take the bet?"

I felt a sharp pain on my neck as warm liquid trickled down into my collar. Seeing that I was serious, the two men

beside me jumped back instantly. They were terrified of accidentally killing me and getting blood on their hands.

I smirked sarcastically as I shot Marcus a mocking look. His lips were tightly pressed together, and his gaze grew even more intense.NôvelDrama.Org holds text © rights.