Who would have thought that the next time Lily woke up, she was already in chains?

  Lily furrowed her brow as she stared at the white ceiling room. She struggled against the zip ties, her heart racing. She could not remember being brought in another room last night.

  "I’m glad you’re awake." Jack’s voice came as a surprise. Lily was too busy struggling against the ties that she did not notice the man standing near the door. She eyed Jack, and another person in chains caught her attention.

  It was Qin Yuanfeng!

  "What are you doing?" Lily asked as she tried to calm herself. "Get this off me!"

  "You are planning to escape," Jack said, his tone monotonous. "Have I not given you enough, Belle?"

  "I am not Belle."

  A scoff escaped Jack’s lips. "Lily is dead and everyone knew that. Right now, you are already Belle, my future wife."

  She knitted her brows as she tried to sit on the mattress. She swallowed the retort that she had and looked at the man lying on the mattress next to hers. "Qin Yuanfeng?" she called out.

  Jack only stared at her in response. He crossed his arms across his chest and pursed his lips. "You needed to learn a lesson. My woman is kind and gentle. My woman is my partner. She does not disagree with anything that I say because she knows it is only for her own good. My woman does not question my words and she would never do anything against it."

  "Jack, what the hell are you talking about?"

  "You are planning to escape with your brother…… and that is wrong. You know it’s wrong. But your brother just can’t stop involving himself in your business. He must have convinced you to do it, right?"

  She widened her eyes and watched as Jack approached Qin Yuanfeng. He then removed a gun from his waist and pointed it at the latter’s temple. "Wake up. I know you are awake." Lily frowned at Jack’s bored tone.

  "Hey! Get away from him!" Lily hissed.

  "Wake up, Qin Yuanfeng! Or I will kill her." He pointed his gun towards Lily’s direction.

  Seeing Qin Yuanfeng move, a smug smile appeared on Jack’s face. "See? I always knew he was faking it. You two…… are indeed twins."

  "He has nothing to do with any of this," Lily uttered. "If you want to punish me, then just do not involve other people."

  "Other people like your nurse?" Jack snorted and chuckled at the change in Lily’s face. "I have treated you like a queen, Lily. And yet, you…… you just wanted to run away from me." He shook his head. "I don’t understand. This is your new life. What part of that don’t you understand?"

  "I don’t know what you are talking about."

  "I saved you from that explosion, clothe you, feed you. I hired the best doctors to make the burns disappear. To make you walk again. And yet you……" He shook his head, disappointment laced his eyes.

  An ominous feeling seemed to creep inside Lily. She wondered how did Jack found out about her conversations with Qin Yuanfeng. "Jack, why did you bring me here?" she feigned ignorance. Asking him about Anna would only confirm whatever it is that he knew.

  Lily was smart enough not to leave any evidence about their conversations as she always swallowed the pieces of paper that contain the messages. She figured that whatever it is that Jack knew should come from Anna or Qin Yuanfeng. However, Qin Yuanfeng is pretty meticulous himself. There is no way that Jack would have caught him.

  That leaves her to conclude that it was Anna.

  "Aren’t you even going to ask what happened to the nurse?" He edged closer to Lily, a small smile was on his face, yet his eyes were blank, lifeless. "You know, Lily, I don’t tolerate traitors. George never failed to inform me about the same thing every single day. Traitors are like leeches. They will suck you dry and would only cause demise."

  "I see……" Jack nodded. "So…… she not your concern right? As expected, you did not disappoint me. These people are merely tools. You should not show any emotions towards them." He flicked a finger and soon after a man with an iron chair in hand went inside the room. He then put the chair across Lily and left without saying another word.

  "Now…… this is where you apologize." Jack said in his honeyed voice. He sat on the chair and looked at Lily. "Just one apology and I will forgive you."

  "Leave her alone, you psycho!" Qin Yuanfeng chimed in. He sat on the mattress, a purple bruise visible on his cheek.

  "Hah! Says the one who killed his own woman?" Jack retorted, his gaze still glued at Lily’s face. As if he was trying to gauge her reactions.

  As expected, Lily’s face changed. She shifted her gaze at Qin Yuanfeng. "What is he talking about?"

  "You don’t know?" the amusement in Jack’s voice was apparent, he let out a low chuckle as he pointed the gun at Qin Yuanfeng. "That man killed his own woman. And your husband…… hid it from you."

  "You see where I am I going with this one? Lily, my dearest…… I am the only person sane enough to love you wholeheartedly. No lies. Just pure love."

  Lily met Qin Yuanfeng’s gaze before she lowered her head, a flashed of understanding gleaming in her orbs.

  "Now…… since you won’t apologize, I figured, I will give you a little punishment." Jack said nonchalantly. He then dialed a number on his phone, and after a few seconds, the door was opened. It was followed by a loud scream and mumblings in a different language.

  "Jack? What are you doing?" Lily asked the moment she saw Anna being dragged inside. She was wearing her pajamas and purple bruises apparent on her face.

  "Miss Lily, help!"

  *Pak*

  Anna’s head hit the floor as the man dragging her slapped her face. "Shut up, b****!"

  "Jack! What is this? Stop this now!"

  "You know that I will not touch your brother." Jack ignored her outbursts. "That will only make you mad." He shrugged. "So…… I chose to hurt the traitor instead." He gave her a chilly smile that did not reach his eyes.