Forced to Love by the Mafia

Chapter 5 Bad Kids Get Punished

The hall of the estate was eerily quiet.

Alice sat on the sofa, appearing to sip her coffee, but in reality, a wave of unease washed over her.

She had no idea what Raymond would do when he got back. She wondered if he'd give her a good scolding.

But she didn't think she was wrong today.

The pride as a Dorn wouldn't allow her to bow her head, and she certainly wasn't about to bow to anyone else.

"Mr. Thorn's back!"

Hearing the maids' excited voices, Alice stiffened for a moment.

Philip walked in first, his eyes immediately locking onto Alice. After giving her a quick once-over to make sure she was okay, he finally let out a small sigh of relief.

Then, with a slight bow, he stepped aside to make way for Raymond, who was trailing behind him.

Raymond's gaze fell on Alice, his tone as flat as ever. "I hear you were pretty fierce today, Alice. Smacked around a few of my maids and locked one in the storeroom, huh?"

Alice opened her mouth, trying to explain, but when she met his indifferent silver eyes, it was like a bucket of ice water had been dumped over her.

'What's the point of explaining? Will Raymond even believe me? And even if he does, will he stick up for me?' she thought.

She lifted her chin, meeting Raymond's gaze with all the courage she could muster.

"That's right, I did it," said Alice in a firm tone.

Raymond's voice softened as he asked, "Where's Luna now?"

Luna had already been taken out, looking thoroughly disheveled. The stuffy room had left her drenched in sweat, and her makeup was a complete mess.

The moment she saw Raymond, her earlier alluring face crumpled, and tears welled up in her eyes.

"Sir, I don't know why Ms. Dorn suddenly got so mad. She locked me in the storeroom. I was nearly suffocated in there!" Luna said with a pitiful look.

"And why would she get mad for no reason?" Raymond asked.

"I don't know. They can vouch for me—I didn't do anything to Ms. Dorn!"

She cried even harder, the kind of tears that would tug at most men's heartstrings.

But when she stole a glance at Raymond, she found no trace of sympathy in his eyes. In fact, there was a flicker of impatience, like he was about to lose his cool.

"Bad kids get punished." Raymond's gaze lingered on Alice, as if he was contemplating the best way to punish her. "Don't you think so, Alice?"

Even though Alice had already anticipated Raymond's stance, her heart still clenched the moment she heard his harsh words.

The Raymond she once knew would have always stood by her side, but now, he was coldly talking about punishing her without a second thought.

Yet she had brought this on herself; she had no right to question him.

A wave of exhaustion washed over Alice. Her eyes stung with the threat of tears, but she knew crying wouldn't fix anything, nor would it earn her anyone's sympathy.

"As you please," Alice said in a low tone, her voice slightly hoarse.

Raymond made his decision and said, "Then we'll stick to the old rules." He tapped the table lightly and added in a calm tone, "Send the liar and the bully to the punishment room."

Alice couldn't help but stiffen. She knew exactly what the punishment room was like. She'd even witnessed Raymond disciplining one of his subordinates there.

That man had been tough as nails, but within half an hour in the punishment room, he was clinging to Raymond's leg and sobbing uncontrollably.

Luna shot Alice a smug glance and then said with feigned concern, "But isn't that a bit too harsh? Still, if someone makes mistakes, they should face the music, right?"

Raymond's smile was laced with irony. "You're absolutely right."

He raised his hand, and a few men surrounded Luna, lifting her up as she looked on in confusion.

"What's going on?" Luna whimpered, "Mr. Thorn, aren't you going to punish Alice?"

Raymond's eyes flickered with mock confusion. "Only bad kids get punished, and that's what you said, isn't it?"

Philip stepped forward with a tablet and played a surveillance video for her. "Luna, unfortunately for you, the estate installed a bunch of new cameras three days ago. Everything you did has been caught on tape."

The moment she saw the clear footage, Luna's blood ran cold, and her face turned deathly pale, disbelief etched all over her features.

But no one paid any attention to Luna's desperate cries, and she was swiftly dragged away.

Raymond asked Alice, his tone laced with curiosity, "So, satisfied now?"

Alice hadn't expected things to turn out like this. Not only did she avoid punishment, but Raymond also took her side.

But this time, she hesitated.

"Can you let her go? It was just a silly spat between us. She doesn't deserve such harsh punishment." Alice carefully chose her words.

Raymond let out a mocking laugh. "Alice, you're still as naive and foolish as ever. Drop the self-righteous pity. Do you really think you're still that girl who could have anything she wanted?"

Alice's hands clenched into fists, and her nails dug into her palms. She stayed silent, refusing to argue.

Raymond gave her a quick glance before heading upstairs, his frustration evident as he undid a couple of buttons on his shirt.

As he walked, he asked Philip, "Has the girl I asked for arrived?"

Philip looked slightly awkward. After casting a glance at Alice, he replied, "Yes, sir. Shall I bring her upstairs?"

"Of course," Raymond replied, his expression unreadable as he shot Alice another look.

Alice thought he wanted her to follow, but instead, he shut her out of his office.

Left with no choice, she went back to the bedroom.

She waited for what felt like an eternity, but Raymond didn't return. For some reason, Philip's hesitant tone and the sympathetic look he'd given her kept replaying in her mind, filling her with a sense of unease.

'It's already 10 PM. Who could Raymond be meeting this late? A business partner, or maybe someone else...?' Alice thought to herself.

Suddenly, a disturbing thought crossed her mind.

She quietly opened the bedroom door. This time, the office door next to her wasn't locked but slightly ajar, and from inside came the faintest sound of breathing.

Alice walked over slowly, peeking through the crack in the door, and what she saw inside made her heart sink.

A woman was perched on Raymond's lap, while he casually smoked with one hand, the smoke blurring his handsome features. His other hand was slowly kneading the woman's ample chest, drawing soft moans from her.