Chapter 6

Laura's scowl softened at Kristian's words, though her tone still carried a sharp edge. "Hmph, you saved her so desperately, I almost thought you couldn't bear to lose her."

She jabbed his shoulder with her fingertip. "Don't forget who gave you this status, who let you claim your family name. Your job is to keep me happy, not to care about some nobody!"

Faced with her blunt warning and humiliation, Kristian, once so proud, showed no discomfort. He nodded with a smile, more obedient than a lapdog.

Evelyn huddled in a corner, watching the scene with a tangled heart.

The moment he saved her, she felt a flicker of emotion, prompting her to ask why. But she regretted it instantly.

The man who saved her was the same one who put her life in danger.

She should hate him.

Hearing him say there were "other ways to torment Evelyn" turned her briefly warmed heart numb again.

She stared blankly at the floor, too drained to take in her surroundings, until a bodyguard's voice broke through.

"Miss Hayes, the young master and his wife went to a bar party. He asked me to take you back to the Deepwater Bay villa."

Evelyn lifted her head wearily, realizing she was alone. She pushed herself up from the floor, each step unsteady and painful, as if walking on cotton.

The bodyguard trailed her, kindly suggesting she remove the ropes around her waist.

She shook her head, her pale face flashing with grim determination. "No. I'll keep them. They'll come in handy one day."

The bodyguard looked puzzled but didn't press when she insisted.

In the car, he offered her a bottle of water. She took it but didn't drink, noticing his pitying expression.

Laura's cruelty had stirred some sympathy in him, as it would in anyone.

Evelyn saw a chance to use that pity to escape.

"What's your name?" she asked casually.

The bodyguard scratched his head, grinning sheepishly. "Just call me Lee, Miss Hayes. I'm from the countryside-my full name's not worth mentioning."

He had no guile, spilling his family background like beans from a sack.

Evelyn listened with a smile. At the villa's entrance, she didn't rush to get out, instead meeting his eyes directly. "Help me make a call, and I'll put ten million in your account. Enough to marry, enough to live comfortably for life."

The bodyguard's eyes widened, stunned by the offer. "Ten million for a call? You're not pulling my leg, are you?"

Evelyn swore repeatedly, even vowing on her life to keep her word.

His initial hesitation gave way to temptation.

After the butler locked Evelyn in her room, the bodyguard couldn't resist the lure of the fortune. He dialed the number she gave him.

When the call connected, Evelyn's father Gordon Hayes's commanding voice came through, unnerving the bodyguard.

Stammering, he recounted the events and gave the villa's location.

The moment Gordon hung up, the bodyguard's phone pinged. "Your account received a transfer of 10, 000, 000."

Suppressing his excitement, he slipped past the butler's watch and tapped softly on Evelyn's door.

"Miss Hayes, I got the ten million, but the person on the phone didn't say anything."

Evelyn gave a faint hum in response. She knew her father's swift methods would have her out of this prison within three hours.

Then, she'd shed her humiliation and reveal her true identity.

In the dim room, she clutched the safety rope. Her gentle face now carried the dangerous calm before a storm.