The Heiress's Descent: A Plot for Power

In the double suite of the hotel, the bed was in disarray. A woman's dress and a man??s trousers were intertwined, lying quietly on the floor. Mandy Cox suddenly snapped awake, her eyes flashing with an almost surreal intensity. She pushed herself up from the bed, her body aching, and walked over to the tripod across the room to grab her phone. With a casual tap of her finger, the screen lit up, revealing a video of a man and a woman locked in a passionate embrace. Turning off the phone, Mandy looked at the double bed. The man was still asleep. It was only to be expected. After being subjected to almost four hours of her, he deserved some rest. Looking down at the bruises on her wrists and knees, she couldn't help but curse under her breath, "Pervert." Mandy sat on the sofa, waiting for the man to wake up. She couldn't deny it??he was incredibly attractive. His features were chiseled and well-defined, his physique lean and muscular, like a meticulously sculpted statue, radiating masculinity and raw s*x appeal. As if sensing her gaze, Bruno Cress opened his eyes. His gaze fell upon the woman sitting on the opposite sofa. "Morning." Mandy greeted him, a seductive smile playing on her lips. "Mr. Cress." Bruno stared at her, his lips moving impassively. "It's you." Mandy raised an eyebrow. "Yes. I'm so honored to have left such a deep impression on you, Mr. Cress." "You are the one who brought me here." Since waking up, he had been cold and distant, his eyes scrutinizing her with a chilling intensity. He got out of bed, casually tying the belt of his bathrobe as he approached her, stopping in front of the sofa, and looking down at her with a domineering air. Mandy tilted her head up to meet his gaze, raising her arms with a playful smile. "Mr. Cress, I didn't expect you to enjoy this kind of role-playing. You even left marks on my wrists." Her tone was a mixture of reproach and coquettishness, as if they were in a loving relationship rather than a one-night stand. Bruno glanced at her wrists indifferently, his expression unreadable. Mandy blinked. "Don't tell me you don't remember." She picked up her phone and pressed play on a random video. The sound of moans and gasps filled the room. The video was short, less than two minutes, but every frame was provocative. Bruno remained impassive, but the air around him grew colder. "What do you want?" Blackmailing with a s*x tape was nothing new in their circles. "Name your price." Mandy stood up, her slender fingers wrapping around the belt of his bathrobe. With a gentle tug, the belt came undone. The bathrobe hung loosely on his body. Her fingers traced the lines of his abdomen, lingering on his sculpted physique. She rose on her tiptoes, her lips close to his ear, her voice husky with seduction. "I want to be your wife." As soon as the words left her lips, the man's hand shot out, gripping her wrist in a vice-like grip. Mandy winced, her features contorting in pain. She cursed him silently. "Honey, that hurts," she whimpered, her eyes welling up, like an innocent, vulnerable rabbit. "Last night, you were drugged. If it weren't for me, you would have gotten into a car accident. Isn't it only right to repay a life-saving grace by offering yourself in marriage?" Bruno's lips thinned. "You drugged me?" His voice was low and dangerous. "You bumped into me on purpose at the restaurant?" Mandy had done her homework before approaching Bruno. She knew he was shrewd and quick-witted, so she hadn't expected to fool him completely. "So smart, just as I would expect from my husband." The pained expression on Mandy's face vanished, replaced with a triumphant smile. She stood on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek. "So, will you marry me?" Bruno gave her a chilling look. "Do you know what happened to the last person who tried to scheme against me?" Mandy remained unfazed, her smile unwavering. "Honey, you have three days to think about it." She poked his chest playfully. "Finding a wife who's both beautiful and willing to play along with all your fantasies isn't easy." Bruno shoved her away as if she were something repulsive. "Delete the video yourself. Don't wait for me to kill you." Mandy continued as if she hadn't heard him, her voice still sickeningly sweet. "I don't mind letting everyone see how loving we are." She pulled out a business card from her bag and placed it on the coffee table. "Honey, I'll be waiting. Call me when you've made up your mind." She blew him a kiss, picked up her bag, and sashayed out of the room in her bathrobe. It wasn't until she was out in the hallway that Mandy finally let out a sigh of relief. She leaned against the wall, a flicker of sadness and resentment flashing across her face. She told herself that her current tolerance was to reclaim everything that belonged to her, to make those who had wronged her pay the price. Inside the room, Bruno's eyes were devoid of any lust, filled instead with a chilling darkness. He walked over to the coffee table and picked up the business card. It read: Mandy Cox. He returned to the bedside, picked up his phone, and dialed a number. "Do something for me." Half an hour later, Robert Willis arrived at the hotel with a brand-new suit. He froze for a second as he stepped inside, his eyes falling on the tangled clothes and stockings on the floor. Then he saw the scratches on Bruno's chest and his eyebrows shot up in alarm. "You were set up? Do you know who it was?" Bruno had been drugged and taken advantage of once, eight years ago, when he was only twenty years old. It had taken the Cress family a lot of effort to cover it up. Since then, Bruno had never had such a lapse in judgment. How could it happen again? Bruno took the suit out of the bag, ignoring the question. Robert continued, speculating, "Didn't you have dinner with the Cox family's daughter yesterday? Did you two...?" Bruno handed him the business card from the coffee table. "Find out everything about this person."