Allure: Peerless Beauty

chapter 12

When she woke up, the room was dimly lit, and the sun was already setting.

Ada glanced at the clock, and the hour hand pointed to five in the afternoon. She had slept the entire day. Sherry hadn't returned, probably still with Leo?

Despite having slept the whole day, her stomach felt heavy as if filled with stones, devoid of any appetite, and her head throbbed as if it were about to split open. She walked into the bathroom, turned on the light, and saw her reflection in the mirror—her hair was disheveled, and her eyes were swollen.

She remembered that Gilbert had invited her for dinner that evening.

Quickly washing her face, changing her clothes, and gathering her belongings, she headed downstairs. Passing two street corners, she saw Gilbert's car parked there.

Ada opened the car door and got in. The driver started the engine, and the car seamlessly merged into the city's bustling traffic.

"Why are your eyes so red? Just finished crying?" Gilbert glanced at Ada from the corner of his eye while looking at performance reports, then continued with his work.

"I slept the whole day, probably overslept," Ada replied.

He smirked, somewhat sarcastically, and asked, "Is that so?"

Ada felt a chill down her spine. This man was sharp to the point of being frightening.

Taking a deep breath, she finally gathered her courage. "Mr. Bruce, I think we need to talk."

"Talk about what?" He didn't even spare her a glance, seemingly uninterested in her proposal.

Ada opened her backpack and took out the beautiful jewelry box, placing it on the seat. "Perhaps we can start with this. It's too precious for me to afford."

Gilbert shrugged indifferently, speaking as if placating a tantrum-throwing child, "So, it's about this. It seems we have different understandings of the word 'precious.' It's just a trinket. If you don't like it, you can toss it anywhere."

Ada suddenly realized that communicating with the man in front of her was futile.

"And this..." Ada emptied her backpack, revealing twelve bundles of cash. "This is the money you gave me initially, or should I say, the money you used to buy me. If you don't want to exercise your rights, then I will also revoke my obligations. And to ensure your costs, please take the money back."

Gilbert Bruce turned to look at her, his eyes seemingly icy. Ada knew she had finally succeeded in catching his attention. However, she didn't feel happy about it because her intuition told her that the man in front of her was angry, and she... seemed to be a bit too close to him. Her heart pounded, almost reaching her throat.

"Of course, if you want to settle things right now, I won't object. You are the buyer, so everything is up to you. However, after daybreak, please allow us to go our separate ways." Ada felt almost exhausted, having reached this point.

Helplessly, she looked at him, almost pleadingly. "Mr. Bruce, I really don't have the energy to continue this with you. I'm just an ordinary student, and I still want to live my own life. Please, just let me go..."

With a crisp sound, Gilbert abruptly closed his laptop, startling Ada. He didn't speak, nor did he look at her. The car continued on the road, the atmosphere inside almost stagnant, filled only with the roar of the engine.

He finally turned his face, as if looking at her with profound meaning, and suddenly chuckled lightly, "You're right, I am the buyer. Whether or not I let you go depends on my mood. In fact, I enjoy your company and am reluctant to let you leave. Even if you were to offer yourself to me today, it would just provide me with another excuse to tie you down. So..." He suddenly gripped her chin with one hand, his icy fingers sending shivers down her spine, "Thinking you can goad me into letting you go? Let me tell you, that's a terrible idea. With your limited skills, I suggest you save your breath."

Ada felt almost hopeless, gazing at him helplessly. "Mr. Bruce, excessive revenge is never justifiable. Even if you seek vengeance, there's a limit. My family has a saying—every wrong has a perpetrator. Bullying a defenseless girl like this, don't you think it's going too far?"

The man widened his eyes, staring at her inexplicably.

Ada bit her tongue, feeling the pain, but she finally said it, even with a hint of a smile, "You see, when you first met me, I was only fourteen. So many years have passed, and we've both changed a lot. I almost forgot what you looked like, and perhaps you wouldn't recognize me either. But you won't forget my name. To be precise, you won't forget anyone from the Lamb family, will you?"

Ada looked into the man's eyes, staring straight at him as if trying to traverse the endless time and vast years, searching for that handsome young man from her memories.

"I am a Lamb. Smith Lamb, the chairman of Raaise Group, is my father. It was he who caused the downfall of your family. In other words, we are archenemies. You wouldn't forget..."

The car finally stopped, and the driver got out, quickly disappearing. Ada didn't know where they were, and the silence from the man beside her was terrifying.

"If you want revenge, it's understandable. But please, choose your target wisely." Ada felt she had to make her stance clear; otherwise, she might become cannon fodder tonight.

"You may have investigated me, so you should know that I left the Lamb family seven years ago. To them, I'm just a forgotten abandoned girl; they wouldn't care if I lived or died. Besides, I was just a child back then, and the tragedy of the Bruce family has nothing to do with me. So, you shouldn't vent your anger on me. In theory, I'm innocent..."

Gilbert coldly interrupted her, "I've never considered you innocent."

"What are you saying?" Ada didn't understand his meaning.

"Back then, it wasn't just the Lamb family that owed me. It was also you!"

Ada's eyes widened suddenly. Gilbert grabbed her arm, with a brute force that almost dragged her off the car.

"Gilbert, what are you doing?" Ada fell to the ground, terrified. She struggled frantically, but she couldn't match his strength.

Outside was a spacious courtyard; it turned out the car had stopped in front of a villa. This was the countryside, deserted all around, not even a servant in sight. Perhaps there were servants, but seeing this scene, no one dared to intervene, nor did they want to.

Gilbert dragged her all the way, pulling her up the stairs and into the bedroom. His face was stern, silent, like a demon from hell, cruel and ruthless, not even caring if he hurt her. Under the man's brute force, Ada felt like a lamb led to slaughter, her cries and screams falling on deaf ears, ignored by everyone.

He threw her onto the carpet, casually locking the door behind him. Then, he swiftly removed his coat, pulled off his tie, and then decisively tore open his shirt, crystal buttons clattering onto the carpet.

This insinuation was too cruel!