Chapter 4 Denfend Herself

The butler led Alice into the mansion.

This mansion is as large as a castle.

From the living room to the bedroom, there was a long corridor.

The corridor was adorned with many paintings, one of which was Monet's Vetheuil. Alice remembered there was a replica of this painting in Henry's study; he loved Monet's works, though his luck was poor, and the originals were hard to find, so most of what he collected were replicas.

At the end of the corridor was a pure black, top-tier Steinway piano, elegantly standing by the window, exuding a soft gleam.

Because of her love for music, Alice couldn't help but ask, "Does Stuart play the piano?"

The butler replied, "Young master plays many instruments, though he doesn't perform often. He occasionally writes music."

Alice sarcastically thought, someone like him, I wonder what dark and twisted works he might compose.

Young heirs from wealthy families often have some exposure to art or culture; even if their talents are mediocre, money can buy them lessons from famous teachers, which helps make up for any lack of innate ability.

Georgia, a mediocre person like that... after ten years of violin lessons, she could still rent out the Strawberry Concert Hall by the beach and host her own performance.

...

The butler, on the way, twisted his thoughts 180 degrees, speculating on Alice's relationship with the young master.

Most girls who wanted to climb the social ladder couldn't even get through the mansion's gate and would be frightened away by the vicious dogs in the garden.

Even if they made it inside, their interactions at parties or meetings were restricted to the first or second floors.

The third floor had the bathrooms and bedrooms, but it was the young master's private space, and even the servants had restricted access.

So, when it came to why the young master invited her upstairs, the butler speculated carefully on his intentions.

The exact words were "Take her upstairs to shower," which could only mean taking her to the third floor.

The third floor was the only place with a bathroom.

He secretly glanced at Alice.

Though thin, her figure was delicate, with skin as smooth and white as porcelain. Her facial features exuded a kind of seductive beauty.

A beauty like this...

Finally, the butler made a bold and innovative decision...

He would take her to the young master's bedroom.

"Miss Alice, please rest in the room for a moment." He pressed the elevator button and led Alice inside. He glanced at her bloodstained dress. "You can use the bathroom in the bedroom. The servants have prepared a change of clothes for you."

Alice quickly asked, "When will Stuart be back?"

"I can't say for sure, but the young master's routine is usually stable, so he shouldn't be back too late."

"Is he like this with everyone?"

"What do you mean?"

"Using his dogs to bully girls, scaring them enough to bring them inside, letting them sleep for a while," Alice spoke without hesitation, "or maybe filming some kind of explicit video and threatening the girls to do worse things."

Her words came fast, full of suppressed anger.

The butler paused for two seconds before answering with dignity, "You misunderstood. You are the first girl he has invited upstairs."

Alice frowned and was about to ask more when the butler had already pressed the button for the third floor and exited the elevator.

The elevator door opened smoothly and silently, revealing a room that, at first glance, gave an impression of...

Empty space.

Black, white, and gray tones, with no extra furniture, only a large dark gray bed. There were no nightstands at the bed's head, no wardrobe, not even a desk.

Alice couldn't help but think, With the William family's vast estate, are the guest rooms so simple?

But for someone as twisted as him, he probably doesn't have many friends, right? The guest rooms are probably vacant most of the time, so it's understandable that they're a bit minimalist.

When she entered the room, she realized there was no need for a wardrobe.

The room had a dedicated walk-in closet, which was the size of a classroom!

Directly opposite the closet was the bathroom-a walk-in, with a sunken bathtub that could easily accommodate four or five people, and a full-length mirror, but there were no toiletries.

Alice guessed that these things were likely handled by a dedicated servant, ensuring that the room was always spotless and organized.

At least, that's how it was in the Thomas family.

She had only intended to rest for a moment, waiting for that twisted pervert to return, watching him delete the video, and then leaving this place.

Never, ever wanting to have any more contact with him.

But her clothes were wet and sticky, clinging to her skin and itching unbearably, and they were stained with blood. The smell of blood made her feel nauseous.

Looking at the spacious, high-end bathroom, she noticed that there were already clean house clothes prepared for her on the nearby shelf.

She wasn't the type to refuse free clothes, so she gladly put them on.

She ran the bathtub, turned on the strongest massage setting, and indulged in a relaxing soak...

After the bath, she felt her heavy body instantly refreshed and cleansed.

After drying her hair, she returned to the room.

Walking barefoot on the soft lambswool carpet, her feet sank deeply into the soft fibers, with each step feeling like walking through dense mud.

When Alice was a child, she used to go to the west side of the small fishing island during low tide to catch sandworms to sell, and the sand there felt just like this lambswool carpet.

After the bath, sleepiness overcame her.

There were two places she could rest in the room, one was a wooden single sofa by the floor-to-ceiling windows, and the other was the large dark gray bed in the center.

Alice didn't hesitate to choose the latter. She lay down on the bed, and it instantly sank in as if she had fallen into a cloud made of cotton candy.

This is so comfortable.

Being a rich person is really great, always surrounded by the ultimate physical comfort.

Though Alice couldn't live in a house this grand in the Thomas family, at least she had her own room, and it was beautiful. In the afternoon, sunlight would pour in.

She knew she would never go back to her poor life again.

So no matter what, Alice had to find a way to stay.

But she didn't dare to really sleep in Stuart's twisted pervert's house.

She told herself it was just for closing her eyes, resting a bit.

Before long, she fell into a deep sleep.

At 1 AM, Stuart returned to the mansion, feeling exhausted.

He had just finished working on an experiment at the lab with his uncle when a drunk truck crashed into his car at the intersection of Road.

The truck hit on the left side; Stuart, seated on the right, was slightly injured, with his knee scraped and a glass shard lodged in his left chest. He went to the hospital for simple treatment.

His uncle was still in critical condition.

Stuart didn't go upstairs directly. Instead, he went to the bar counter to pour himself a glass of clear yellow vodka.

He downed it in one gulp.

The alcohol burned his throat.

His chest swelled with excitement, but beyond that, he felt nothing.

After completing this task, he thought he'd feel happy, but in fact, he didn't.

Happiness, sadness, pain... he couldn't feel anything.

He felt like a dog in a cage-apart from basic bodily sensations, he felt nothing.

Because of his injury, he couldn't get wet, so he disinfected himself in the lab's workspace on the negative floor before heading upstairs to clean up.

Used to sleeping naked, Stuart lifted the blanket and lay down.

There was a faint, unusual white tea scent in the bed, delicate and warm.

The next second, he felt the warmth of the sheets, and a warm body was lying next to him.

Her temperature, scent, and touch... it was as if a fierce storm had suddenly overwhelmed all his senses.

He abruptly sat up and pulled back the blanket.

The girl lay on the bed like a cat, her hair cascading over her pale, bare shoulder. Half asleep, she let out a lazy murmur.

When she opened her eyes, she saw the faint silhouette of a man sitting beside her.

Alice jolted up and instinctively swung her arm.

There was a muffled groan.

Alice quickly retreated to the edge of the bed and shouted, "Who are you?"

"This is my room. You're asking me?"

That familiar deep, magnetic voice, Alice frowned, unsure, and asked, "Big pervert?"

She realized her slip of the tongue and quickly corrected, "Stuart senior."

Stuart reached out, pinched her right cheek, twisting it clockwise with force, making Alice scream in pain.

"Let go!"

"Ah! It hurts!"

"Big pervert, let go!"

After releasing her, Stuart coldly remarked, "Now you know what pain is."

She rubbed her cheek and, by the moonlight from the window, noticed a bandage on his chest, which seemed soaked in blood.

She realized she had touched his wound.

Alice fumbled to turn on the light, but just as she reached for the switch, Stuart said, "I'm not wearing clothes."

She didn't press it, and replied unhappily, "Are you afraid of being seen?"

"I'm not afraid, but why should I let you see?"

After speaking, Stuart stood up and walked toward the closet.

In the pale moonlight, Alice saw his narrow waist and broad shoulders, his muscular body like an elegant statue from the Renaissance.

Alice even caught a glimpse of something else.

Ah, ah, ah.

Ugh, ugh.

Long needle eyes.

She quickly shifted her gaze, berating herself for having such good vision.

Suddenly, the lights came on, not blindingly bright, but gradually, layer by layer, they became clear...

Alice saw him return from the closet, wearing a half-open black robe, his massive chest muscles like two armored doors pressed against his body.

Men often use the word "sexy" to describe women.

But Alice thought that, at this moment, the man in front of her was the "sexy" one-his body was explosively good, and his face was mesmerizing.

Even though Alice knew he was a big pervert, she couldn't bring herself to hate his perfect body and face.

Stuart walked back and sat on a single chair, holding bandages, iodine, and disinfectant.

"Did the butler let you sleep here?"

"Yes."

Stuart was considering whether it was time to overhaul the servant system in the house.

Alice still sat gracefully at the edge of the bed, her fair, clean feet poised on the soft carpet.

"Other rooms, pick any you want." He put down the cup-

"Get out now."

"I can leave now, leave your house." Alice wouldn't give up, "Just delete the Sunny video and make sure there's no backup."

Stuart smiled slightly, "Or else?"

Alice thought of something to threaten him with but couldn't come up with anything.

Forget it, she would have to try the soft approach.

"Stuart senior, you promised me." She softened her tone, almost like she was coaxing him, and though she didn't beg, her voice was very pleasant to hear, "As long as I make you happy, you'll delete the video."

"Happy?" Stuart was treating his left chest wound, his actions calm and steady, "Is this how you make me happy?"

"You hurt me, too!" She rubbed her cheek, "We're even now."

Stuart looked at her lively face, a wicked smile playing at the corners of his eyes, "Did I hurt you?"

"Yes."

"Then why aren't you crying?"

?

Do you like watching people cry, you perverted bastard?

Alice immediately tried to gather tears.

But as she was about to cry, Stuart yawned, "Not interested, cry for me another time."

The tears immediately stopped, and Alice looked pitiful as she nodded, "Then the video..."

"Turn on Bluetooth."

Alice turned on Bluetooth, and with a beep, Stuart transferred a 546MB video to her.

"The video is deleted. The only copy is sent to you." He raised his phone, "Take a look."

"Ah... I'm not interested in these kinds of videos."

Stuart leaned against the chair, his fingers playing with the disinfectant bottle, and said, "I want you to look."

His tone left no room for refusal.

"..."

Alice hesitated, thinking this was really perverted, forcing her to watch such things.

She finally opened the video, squinting one eye in disdain.

At first, she thought it would be some kind of explicit, indecent video, but it turned out that Sunny was bullying a girl in the video.

She cut her hair, poured gray paint on her, and the girl was bruised and crying helplessly...

A group of girls laughed loudly, with Sunny being the one on screen the most. Some girls didn't even want to dirty their hands and just stood there watching, like ghosts, laughing at the spectacle...

In the short two minutes of bullying footage, Alice's blood pressure spiked.

Her finger hovered over the Delete button, unsure...

Should she delete this bullying evidence?

She glanced up at Stuart, seeing his mocking expression.

Alice suddenly realized... this was the kind of entertainment he wanted to see.