Breaking the Heart

Chapter 6 Humiliation

I was taken to the luxurious suite on the top floor. The moment the door shut behind me, a man grabbed me roughly. His fingers clamped around my throat as he hissed through clenched teeth.

"Who gave you the nerve to flirt with other men?"

It was Kaelan. So my gamble had been right. He really did have people watching me. I just hadn't expected him to show up this quickly.

A faint, seductive smile curved on my lips. "Mr. Thorn," I said softly, "Nancy is just a woman who works the nightlife. I don't exactly get to choose my customers."

Kaelan's expression darkened. In one swift motion, he tore away the little fringe dress I was wearing and shoved me hard against the wall.

"Good," he said coldly. "Then tonight you'd better serve me well. Otherwise, you're not leaving this room."

I widened my eyes as if flattered, letting my expression grow even more alluring. I knew this man still hadn't stopped suspecting me. "Mr. Thorn," I murmured softly, "you're so fierce. You're scaring me."

I leaned against his shoulder and let my tongue slide slowly across his Adam's apple before trailing downward. My teeth caught the buttons of his shirt and tugged them open one by one—shamelessly.

I could feel his heartbeat quickening beneath my touch. His body was flawless, every line of muscle sharply defined. Strength radiated from every movement. If I hadn't known he was a ruthless devil, he might have seemed like the perfect man.

It didn't take long for Kaelan's desire to ignite. He pinned me against the wall and forced my lips apart in a fierce kiss that left me struggling for breath.

"Lyra…" he whispered my sister's name.

That demon. He killed her, yet still dared to pretend he loved her. Even now, countless young women in Harbor City were moved by that so-called devotion.

If Yuna hadn't confessed it herself, I might never have dared confirm the suspicions that had haunted me all these years. His disguise was flawless.

My body stiffened involuntarily. He noticed. Disgust flashed across his eyes.

Without warning, he grabbed my hair and yanked my head downward. Bit by bit, he forced me lower—until finally I was kneeling before him in a position so humiliating I could barely breathe. He loosened his belt.

Tears of humiliation welled in my eyes, but he held my head firmly in place. No matter how I struggled, I couldn't break free.

"You're not Lyra," he said coldly. "This is all you deserve."

He forced my mouth open. The suffocating pressure made me gag instantly.

Memories buried deep in my mind surged back like a flood—screams, tearing, laughter, cruelty.

I squeezed my eyes shut as the pain clawed through my chest. Tears burned behind my eyelids, but I forced them back.

He seemed to enjoy the control, his breathing growing heavier with every movement. At last, with a satisfied sigh, he finally released me.

I collapsed onto the floor and stayed there for a long moment before slowly dragging myself up. I gathered the torn pieces of my clothes and managed to cover myself as best I could. Then I staggered toward the door.

Kaelan was sitting on the sofa now, lighting a cigarette.

"Come back," he said lazily. "Who said you could leave?"

I turned and gave a cold smile. "What? Mr. Thorn wants another round? You're just my customer. I didn't sell myself to you. Surely I'm still allowed to leave."

I was deliberately provoking him. Men like Kaelan had seen every kind of woman fawning over them. I wanted him to believe that, to me, he was no different from any other client.

Sure enough, he crushed the cigarette in the ashtray.

"Do you believe," he said quietly, "that I could take your life in the next second?"

Of course I believed him. Just like my sister. Even his fiancée had ended up dying mysteriously in that basement. Compared to that, someone like me was less than an ant.

"If Mr. Thorn wants my life," I said calmly, "you can take it whenever you like. But until then, there's nothing stopping me from earning money."

Kaelan waved his hand dismissively. I opened the door and stepped out.

Two men in black stood outside. One of them walked toward the room. I recognized him immediately.

He was Aldric Zephyr, Kaelan's most trusted subordinate. Every time Kaelan appeared, Aldric was always close behind.

As I brushed past him, I deliberately stumbled. But in the split second before I hit the ground, I moved faster than anyone could notice.

A tiny, button-shaped listening device stuck quietly to the back of his shoe. The man didn't even glance down. Without a word, he walked straight into Kaelan's room.