I Was Only His Substitute

Chapter 6

That dragging incident was like a trivial interlude. The banquet remained lively until Vincent noticed the gradual shift in how people were looking at him.

"Mr. Stevens." Vincent's assistant, Andy, hurried over with a phone. "Take a look at this."

Frowning, Vincent took it and saw a livestream starring Gloria!

She was roughly shoved into a cramped, pitch-black confined box.

On screen, her face instantly turned deathly pale, her pupils shrank to pinpricks, and her body trembled violently beyond control.

Minutes later, the box door opened, light flooding in. She slumped to the ground, drained, her gaze scattered and unfocused.

But before she could catch her breath, a hand, belonging to George, pushed her back in from off-screen. Darkness swallowed her again.

After several such cycles, Vincent watched her go from frantic screams and clawing to weak slaps, until finally her eyes turned utterly hollow...

He abruptly stood up, ready to leave.

"Uncle Vincent!" Dora grabbed his arm, her eyes brimming with pure confusion and wounded resentment. "You feel sorry for her? But you promised me nothing matters more than my happiness."

Vincent's steps froze mid-stride.

Suddenly, the crowd around them stirred. Vincent immediately looked back at the phone screen.

On it, Gloria was crawling to George's feet, groveling as she undid his belt buckle with humiliating, practiced ease—overlapping with the shadow of that cheap bar girl from the club years ago.

Vincent's carefully crafted masterpiece was being ground into dirt before his eyes.

Vincent's breathing turned ragged; something uncontrollable erupted in his chest.

He shook off Dora's hand and stormed out of the hall under the astonished gazes of the crowd.

At that moment, the live feed suddenly cut out.

Simultaneously, Gloria plucked out a micro-syringe from the side of George's neck.

She watched coldly as George lost himself in drug-induced ecstasy, a world apart from her earlier groveling servility.

The door opened silently, and Daniel appeared at the threshold, applauding with a faint smile. "Brilliant! Truly a rose painstakingly cultivated by Vincent. Your thorns are hidden deep, sharp enough to wound others, and to yourself even more."

Gloria ignored him, striding straight to the nearby computer, pulling out the flash drive, and tossing it to Daniel. "What you wanted."

Daniel caught it, toying with it in his fingers, but his gaze lingered on Gloria's face. "How about staying with me instead?"

Gloria hesitated for a second, her expression turning frostier. "Don't forget what you promised me!"

Daniel stepped closer, trailing his fingers along her face with disturbing fascination. "With me, you'll still get the freedom you desire."

Gloria frowned, taking a step back, her voice icy. "If you don't leave now, Vincent will be here."

Daniel chuckled, giving her a meaningful look before finally turning to leave.

Not long after, the door was violently kicked open, and Vincent stood at the entrance.

Like a child eager for praise, Gloria pointed at the dazed George nearby and announced brightly, "Vincent, look! I've served Mr. Burnett well."

The scene before him turned Vincent's eyes bloodshot, a nameless fury boiling in his chest. He strode toward Gloria and slapped her hard across the face.

"You pathetic wretch! After all these years of training, you still can't purge the filth in your bones!"

The blow sent her crashing to the floor, her vision swimming, ears roaring with a shrill whine. She'd anticipated every possible reaction from Vincent, except this.

The sheer absurdity of it all choked her. She bit her lip until she tasted blood, clinging to the last shreds of her composure.

The commotion roused George, who leered with a sleazy grin. "How thoughtful of you, Mr. Stevens. Personally punishing her for failing to satisfy me?"

Those words ignited Vincent's fury. He lunged forward, grabbing George by the hair. "You swore you wouldn't lay a hand on her!"

The pain jolted George back to full awareness. He shoved Vincent away with a sneer. "You knew exactly what I was when you gifted her to me. What, suddenly got a conscience?"

George yanked Gloria against him, his hands mauling her shamelessly. "Too late for that, Vincent! Want her back? Then kiss the Web International deal goodbye."

"I hate being threatened," Vincent said, each word dripping with venom.

Just then, a gunshot shattered the air without warning.

Gloria's breath froze in her throat as she gaped at the still-smoking barrel and at George's body, already slumped dead behind her.