Chapter 3 You're Not Planning To Silence Me For Good, Are You

Using all the power she had, Kaitlin hit Hugh across the face so hard that his head turned and his lip started to bleed.

Kaitlin stared at him with cold eyes and said, "You are truly pathetic, Hugh. You believe everything other people tell you. It seems you lost your brain along with your memory."

Suddenly, Rosalie screamed loudly and ran to protect him while the bodyguards rushed into the room to grab Kaitlin.

"Are you okay? Does it hurt?" Rosalie cried out because she was very worried about Huge.

Hugh touched the inside of his cheek with his tongue and spat out some blood. Gently, he patted Rosalie's back to calm her down, but then he looked at Kaitlin with a very scary and cold stare.

"Kaitlin, I will let that slap pay for the six months you ran my company while I was gone. But you still have to pay for what you did to Rosalie." Turning to his guards, he ordered, "Slap her. This will be her apology to Rosalie."

Kaitlin could not even move before the guards began hitting her across the face over and over. After her cheeks became red and sore, Hugh finally told the men to stop.

"Remember this. Do not ever let Rosalie see your face again."

Kaitlin let out a sad, empty laugh and replied, "Sure."

To his surprise, Hugh felt a sudden pain in his heart, but he quickly ignored the feeling and acted like he didn't care.

Because Rosalie had stayed by his side after he fell into the sea, he felt he owed her everything. She had helped him walk again after he broke his leg and cried for him often, so he promised never to let anyone hurt her.

Hearing Rosalie's voice brought him back to the present moment. "Please don't hurt anyone for me, Hugh," she said with a shaky voice. "If what you do for me makes people think badly of you, I would rather just leave..."

Hugh leaned forward and gave her a soft kiss on her lips. "Don't be silly. You are the only person I love. If you leave me, I will have nothing. I already talked to your father, and we are getting married next month."

"As long as you stay with me, I will never leave you," Rosalie promised. She rested her head on his shoulder, but when he couldn't see her, a mean and evil smile appeared on her face.

While the storm grew worse outside, Kaitlin got drenched from the cold rain and walked the streets looking pale and lost.

In all her twenty-five years, this had been the saddest and most painful one to date.

She and Hugh had been each other's entire world since their days in the orphanage, a bond forged over twenty years of survival. It wasn't until five years ago that Hugh's biological family finally tracked him down and welcomed him back into high society.

And yet, that twenty-year history of shared struggle proved remarkably fragile, crumbling in the face of the mere six months he had known Rosalie.

A sleek, black luxury sedan glided to the curb in front of her. The door flew open, and a figure emerged, cutting through the rain toward her under the shelter of a large umbrella.

Kaitlin's vision blurred as her knees finally buckled. With the last of her energy drained, she pitched forward, falling directly into the broad, solid chest of the stranger.

After waking up in an unknown room, Kaitlin's survival instincts immediately spiked, her eyes darting around the lavish space.

Her facial injuries had been expertly redressed, but the slightest movement sent a searing throb through her skin.

"Finally awake?" a low, resonant voice asked, shattering the quiet of the room.

Perched on a black leather sofa near the bed, a man in a bespoke suit watched her; his face was a masterpiece of refined features and icy indifference.

A flicker of dark amusement danced in his eyes as he studied her with a languid, predatory interest.

Kaitlin recoiled, pressing herself against the headboard as she gasped, "Who on earth are you?"

His hand shifted lazily on the armrest, drawing her attention to the platinum bracelet he was holding-it was intricately designed with the shape of a delicate bluebell. "Peace Hotel, Suite 1107, last night. Don't tell me your memory is that short."

As Kaitlin saw the bracelet, memories of the night before came rushing back. On the wide bed, the man's strong, burning hands had held her firmly at the waist, every movement so intense it left her breathless.

For a second, the ghost of his ragged breathing seemed to vibrate in the air around her.

Kaitlin's exhaustion was quickly overtaken by fury. "Did Hugh send you to finish the job? Get out of here right now, or I'm calling the police and reporting you for sexual assault."

The man let out a dry, mocking snort. "Leave my own home? I'm the one who just pulled you out of the rain. And you're mistaken-Hugh's setup was in 1109, but you walked into 1107. Technically, you're the one who crashed my room. If anyone was taken advantage of here, it was me."

Kaitlin froze as the reality of the situation began to sink in, her fingers bunching the expensive silk of the blanket as she finally recognized the man before her.

The situation was beyond surreal. This wasn't just some random stranger; it was Andrew Evans, the formidable CEO of the Evans Group in Zluasey. He was a power player her own firm had been desperate to court only months ago.

Handsome yet ruthless, he had already secured a powerful foothold in the domestic market at a young age.

Kaitlin swallowed hard. "You're not planning to silence me for good, are you?"