'The Billionaire's Stolen Heritage

Hannah's friends were screaming loudly in their small shared apartment, but she didn't care. She could hardly hear anything, engrossed in what she was doing. She received the call last night, but she's still nervous.

"Ugh, even if I end up with the ugliest among the Princes of Hell, my life would be complete, and I'd willingly go to hell after I die..." Julia exclaimed dramatically, accompanied by a scream. Her eyes remained fixed on the TV screen, even though what she was watching had ended a while ago.

"You're crazy!" Mexie, another friend of hers, interjected. "Ugly in the Princes of Hell? No way! All the guys listed as members there are perfect. There's not a single flaw in any of them. But it would be best if you get the least evil of them all, of course!"

Lira was the one who took out the pirated DVD of the wedding of the very first prince of darkness, Jandrix Alexis DiMarco. It was a dreamlike wedding, like the ending of an elegant fairytale. The woman he loved was so lucky.

"Now there's evidence that the cold-blooded demons of the corporate world have hidden hearts within them. All you need to do is dig it out in a grand way," Lira added.

"I wonder what Jandrix's wife did to capture his heart? I hope now that she's Mrs. Jandrix DiMarco, she agrees to an interview! She should tell us the secret of how she tamed a fierce lion like Jandrix!" Julia asked, a hint of envy in her voice directed towards Mrs. DiMarco.

"What's the use? The Princes of Hell all have different personalities. The charm Mrs. DiMarco used on her husband might not work on the others," Mexie pointed out.

"But they have one common denominator, they're all devilishly ruthless. If we find their weakness, it'll be easy to get into their hearts, right? Well, the question is how?" Lira shrugged at her own question.

"Weakness? What kind of weakness could they have when they're all powerful? Like Prince #2 Drico Antonio DiVanne, what kind of weakness does he have?"

Because of that name, Hannah automatically looked at her friend Julia. As usual, they were talking about the Princes of Hell again. If she weren't so tense and trembling with nervousness, she might have joined in the conversation.

They were first introduced to the Princes of Hell by a wealthy Japanese man who often hung out at the club where they worked. He left them a very expensive magazine about the Princes of Hell, and since then, her friends started collecting information about them. At first, she didn't agree with this obsession, but when she saw a photo of the so-called Prince #2, Drico, she couldn't help but be immensely interested. Drico had a unique appeal to her. She wasn't a teenager anymore to fantasize like this, but she couldn't stop her heart from racing every time she caught a tidbit of news about him.

Princes of Hell, the list of men with god-like looks but devilish personalities. "Cold-blooded demons" was the popular term for them, the media even dubbed them heartless. But to be fair, not all of them seemed that way, considering the first on the list, Jandrix, Prince #1, is already married, right? And what's even more intense, he's head over heels for his wife.

She let out a sigh, hoping that the second on the list would also have a heart. Drico Antonio DiVanne, her favorite Prince of Hell, the paparazzi-shy lion. Whenever she saw his pictures, it wasn't just her jaw that dropped, but her heart too, falling head over heels.

She glanced again at his topless picture, which she even framed and placed on their center table. She adored him so much, and she didn't know why. Maybe it was the intelligent slant of his brow, the arrogant twitch of his lips, or perhaps the mysterious cold stare in his eyes that seemed to penetrate the soul when he looked? "You see, only Drico Antonio DiVanne can bring back the soul of one from there!" Mexie grinned, referring to her.

"Hey, bes, you've been tense since earlier. Are you still worried about your sister's call last night?" Lira said.

She swallowed hard as she remembered her sister's hoarse and intimidating voice from last night. Lira approached her and gently stroked her back. "You know, don't worry too much about it. Maybe she was just trying to scare you or playing around. You don't need to hide because you haven't wronged anyone. No one would dare harm you, right?"

"But what if your witch of a sister is the one who's at fault and they're coming after her? That's why she's telling you to hide?" Mexie added.

She stared at Mexie. Mexie had a point. Since their parents passed away three years ago, her sister hadn't been in touch with her. She heard that her sister went to Athens and became the personal assistant of a wealthy billionaire. Her sister was intelligent and stunningly beautiful, so it didn't surprise her that a billionaire would hire her. They hadn't communicated for a long time.

But last night, her sister Rebecca called. She warned her to hide, but didn't explain why. After asking for forgiveness for whatever wrongdoing, she abruptly ended the call.

She was nervous, not for herself, but for her sister Rebecca. What happened in Athens? Did she cross her billionaire boss? Her heart was pounding hard. Her sister was the only family she had left, and she wouldn't accept losing her too.

She was brave. After all, she was the amazon of their group, the sole defender of her friends. Her only weakness was the people she loved, for she considered them her most precious treasures in the world.

"But you know, Hannah, I'm also nervous. We don't know what happened to Rebecca in Athens. Maybe she clashed with some wealthy person. Maybe you should just hide?" Julia commented seriously.

Mexie frowned. "Oh dear! Whoever your sister fears, you're probably already on their bad side. Your sister could be in danger!"

"Hey!" Lira scolded her friend, even pinching her cheek.

She wanted to help her sister with her problem, but how? She didn't even know where she was, or who her enemy was.

Her friends asked her not to enter the club until everything was clear, but she insisted. After all, she was Hannah Victoria, the fearless amazon. Her friends went inside the club first because they had to put on their uniforms. She didn't need to, she was fine in civilian clothes.

"Hannah Victoria?"

She turned at the voice behind her. She was alarmed to see three unfamiliar men. They were all in black suits and were big guys! Wait a minute, were they the missing Presidential Security Guards of Duterte?

"Who are you?" she boldly asked.

"Boss is inviting you to his house," the man in the middle replied.

"Which boss?"

"You'll get to know when you come with us."

She raised an eyebrow at them. What did these three idiots think, that they could just drag her away?

"What if I don't want to come?" she retorted boldly. "Your boss is rude. If he needs something from me, he should come himself!"

She was about to turn away when one of them blocked her path. It seemed like they had no intention of letting her go. When one of them grabbed her shoulder, she used all her strength to twist his arm, causing him to grimace in pain. She swiftly turned and kicked him in the jaw. Her kick reached high, she might be a black belter. And not just any black belter. She was a champion mixed martial artist.

She used her extraordinary reflexes to swiftly take down all three men. She wasn't going to let them take her away like that, she'd rather die. The three didn't stand a chance, she had them on the ground in just a few minutes. But she didn't expect ten more men to suddenly arrive. They ganged up on her, and what she also didn't expect was for one of them to shoot at her from the shadows. She winced in pain as the bullet dug into her skin. Her vision blurred, and suddenly she felt weak...

When she came to, she was inside a luxurious van with the uniformed men who had kidnapped her. She looked out the window, but it was covered, and she couldn't see anything.

"Where are you taking me? This is kidnapping! You idiots, I don't have any money, you've got the wrong person!" She struggled but the ropes on her hands and feet were tight. The men paid no attention to her, just exchanging glances like mute spectators.

"Let me go! Where are you taking me?!"

But there was still no response. She was getting frustrated with their silence. She became anxious when the car stopped after a long drive. She wasn't sure how long they had been traveling, but it was definitely no less than 6 hours, as it was already dawn. One of the men loosened the rope on her foot but left her hands tied. They were all vigilant, watching her every move. The effects of the drug they injected her with were still present; she still felt weak and dizzy when she tried to move.

She looked around, it was slightly bright now, and she could see her surroundings. They were in front of a large white mansion surrounded by a green garden. The pleasant scent of various flowers filled the air. They were definitely in the countryside.

The whole mansion was adorned with exquisite and meticulously chosen items, some of which looked like Philippine antiques. She was captivated by the beauty of the sunrise that she could clearly see through the floor-to-ceiling glass walls that separated the house from nature. The room she entered was stunning, and the views outside were even more breathtaking.

Her attention was drawn to the tall figure facing away from her, watching the sunrise along with her.

"Boss, she's here."

She widened her eyes at what the man said. Apparently, the leader of these long-lost PSG looked like a sophisticated English grasshopper. Maybe that's why he didn't acknowledge her earlier, he couldn't understand her.

The man with his back turned slightly nodded in recognition. After that, they left her alone in the spacious room.

Hannah couldn't help but grin. This boss, with his swagger, was in for trouble. They removed the ropes from her hands, but even though he was tall and broad-shouldered, he wouldn't stand a chance against her in a brawl. She'd hit him repeatedly until he coughed up coins. The nerve of him, having the audacity to drag her in front of his people! No one could do that to her!

"So, you're the Boss. Face me then! What do you want from me?!" she shouted, fearless. Even though his men were outside.

The man didn't respond.

This only annoyed her further.

"You're so arrogant! I told you to face me!"

The man placed the red wine glass he was holding on the side table nearby. She was getting irritated because he seemed indifferent to what she was saying. After the power display he showed her earlier, he was acting like he wanted her to kneel just to get some attention? Of all the things she disliked, it was people like him, arrogant and full of themselves just because they were rich!

"If you think I'm scared of you because of the number of your men outside, you're wrong! If you don't want to get hurt, release me now!"

No answer. Damn it. Did she have to switch to spanish?

"When someone's talking to you, face them, are you an alien? Can't you understand english? Do you want me to kick you?!"

She noticed the man's clenched fists; he was probably annoyed with what she said. Slowly, he turned towards her.

Her jaw literally dropped.

Her eyes widened.

She blinked ten times.

Her forehead was damp with sweat even though the room was cool.

Those intelligent brows...

Those firm and arrogant lips...

And the icy cold stare...

Was this for real? It felt like he was ripped out of the pages of Prince of Hell magazine and presented to her in the flesh. Goodness gracious! It wasn't just her jaw that dropped, but her heart, liver, and kidneys too! Her whole system went into a riot because the man she'd desired for so long was now standing right in front of her!

The man who had been the subject of her fantasies and desires her whole life slowly approached her. She couldn't decide if she wanted to squirm with excitement or curl up in a ball from the overwhelming rush of emotions. He started speaking, and she knew this because his naturally red lips moved. Unfortunately, not a single word registered with her. She couldn't understand a thing he said, her mind too preoccupied with the reality of the man standing before her.

Drico Antonio DiVanne. First of all, he's a Prince of Hell, secondly; he's a Greek billionaire. In short, it was impossible for him to be in front of her now. But how on earth did she end up in this place with him?

"..Rebecca Victoria... damn you lady...."

Those words brought her back to reality. First, he mentioned her sister's name, and second, he just cursed her. What on earth was this tall, handsome, and extremely good-looking man's problem?

When he opened his mouth again, she was more than ready to listen. Unfortunately, he spoke in Greek, and she didn't understand a word. But based on his tone and expression, she felt like he was cursing her again.

She took a deep breath to regain her composure. "You need to speak Tagalog if you want me to understand you."

Drico furrowed his brow at her.

She swallowed hard.

"I understand that you are Rebecca Victoria's younger sister, and her only remaining family."

He said that in Tagalog! Her curiosity piqued. "What's your business with my sister?"

His jaw tightened, and he answered her with fury. "Lethal. She has made a grave sin by betraying me, and she will pay for it with her life!"

She clenched her hand as it began to tremble from what she heard. So, her sister had crossed paths with someone like him, one of the members of the Princes of Hell. They were known for their psychotic tendencies, and it was terrifying to provoke any of them. What happened to involve her sister with someone like him?

"What did you say?" She steadied her voice. Drico Antonio DiVanne spoke Tagalog, she knew that for a fact. "Whatever crime you think my sister committed, it's not enough to talk to her like that."

"Not enough? The value of what she stole from me is greater than the sum of your lives put together. Do you know what the royal family of Greece does when a servant steals? They cut off their hands and publicly shame them before killing them. Rebecca would be lucky if I only killed her..."

"That sounds like an ancient punishment... you have no right to take someone's life, no matter how valuable what they took is to you..."

"You're wrong. That is still the Divanne's way of punishment. I can always make her death look legal..."

She stared wide-eyed. "What has my sister done to you? She's not a thief, I'm sure you're mistaken..."

"She was one of my trusted people. She had the most significant access to all my assets because she was my executive assistant for such a long time. I never imagined her, taking the most precious possession I have. My goblet. The symbol of all the DiVanne clan's heritage. My family had kept that treasure for centuries now. She had the audacity to steal it from me, given the gravity of its value for me."

Her lips trembled. "My sister is not a thief..."

"You're an accomplice, is that right?"

"No!"

"Then don't try to negate what's obvious. I have all the video footage, the evidence to prove her crime. I wouldn't have gone through the trouble of finding you and bringing you here if I wasn't sure. I'm not comfortable facing lowlifes like you. It's a significant discomfort for me to have you in my home."

Her eyes narrowed at the insult she heard. She didn't expect to be hurt so deeply, but it felt like her heart shattered upon hearing those words. Maybe because she had practically worshipped this man, who had only existed on the pages of her magazine, maybe it was because he was the subject of nearly all her dreams. She let out a bitter laugh. "Me? A lowlife? Who do you think you are, a god? Who do you think you are, exactly?" Her voice rose, and she didn't care if he got angry.

It delivered a fierce grin to him. 'Who am I? I'm just Drico Antonio DiVanne. And you're right, my ability to manipulate everything in my hands is equivalent to being a god in this world.'

'I know you... prince of hell. The second throne holder, the second most wicked person in the business world. You're not a God. Maybe just a demon.'

'You have no idea what I can do to you,' he said with a very cold stare. It sent shivers down her spine. 'Don't you still understand why you're here? You're my prisoner. I'm going to make you suffer to bring out your thieving sibling. You're not getting out of here...'

A small tremor of fear rose in her heart. He might look like an adorable angel on the outside, but with all she had read and heard from this man, she was certain that his angelic appearance was only skin-deep. He's a devil reincarnate according to most people around him.

'I have friends who will look for me too...'

'Are you sure you want your friends to get involved? Do you want me to systematically destroy the lives of all your friends?'

She stared at him, seething. This man was truly wicked. A grand folly she had fantasized about for a long time.

'Go ahead, involve them,' he chuckled. 'The more, the merrier. I'll enjoy every moment of making your friends' lives miserable.'

'Demon...'

'Crap. Tell me something I don't know.' His gaze was fierce. 'What do the media call me again? Prince of Hell? Well, at least if I float you and your friends down the river, I'll have proven my worthiness for that list.'

'You're a psycho case, Drico Divanne. You're a criminal!'

'You bet I am. A white-collared criminal. I'm one of those few who can get away with every mortal sin they do...'

Hannah swallowed hard. She had no doubt he could float her down the river without getting caught. She jumped when her phone rang. It was Lira. Should she answer? What if this thug involved her friends?

'Answer it,' he ordered. 'Give them instructions. When Rebecca calls the landline at your place, tell them you're with Drico Antonio DiVanne.'

She exchanged sharp glares with him. In the end, she chose to answer the phone to spare her friends from worry.

'Hello, Lira...'

Her fiercest friend started to yell.

'I'm fine..' She cut her off. She glanced at Drico, who was listening intently to every word. 'Lira, listen to me, when Ate Rebecca calls the landline there, please tell her I'm with Drico Antonio DiVanne.'

Her friend burst into loud laughter. She expected that. She needed to outsmart the man in front of her. Before she could even say goodbye to her friend, he snatched her phone and turned it off.

'Come on! Give me back my phone!' she hissed at him. She tried to snatch it back, but he raised the hand holding it. Even if she jumped, she couldn't reach the phone because of his height. She tried anyway, driven by her desire to retrieve it. In doing so, she accidentally bumped into his body. She also caught a whiff of his intoxicating breath, and his very masculine scent mixed with a hint of a signature cologne.

She immediately backed off. She couldn't bear the electricity that surged through her body when she touched him.

'Nice try. But you won't be needing this for some time, until your traitor sister shows her face in front of me.'

With that, he left her in that room.

After a few moments, his men entered again. Still weak, she could only comply. She hadn't thought of a way to escape Drico DiVanne's clutches yet.

They took her to a room in the mansion's underground. Despite the spacious and well-lit white-painted room, it was still scary. She knew that if she turned off the lights, it would look like the basement of a haunted house from horror movies. There wouldn't be any light coming from outside because it was underground.

A deep sense of fear welled up in her heart, especially when the men left her there, locking her in.

Please, don't let there be a power outage. She prayed.

Where will she sleep? Does this room not even have a bed? She looked around. All that was there was a broken cot missing two legs. She approached it. There was a lot of dust, but she had to endure it because it seemed she would be in that place for a few days. Unless a miracle happened. She needed to come up with a plan to escape.

She remembered Lira and her friends' loud laughter when she said she was with Drico DiVanne. They would naturally laugh. It was customary for her to say she was with Drico whenever she didn't go home to the apartment. The only difference this time was that it was true.

She wanted to know the truth. She didn't believe her sister stole anything. Between the two of them, her sister was the kinder one and followed the rules when they were kids. So what that man was saying couldn't be true.

She needed to break free. She needed to be the first to see her sister to protect her from that demon Drico.

She sighed and stared at the only piece of furniture in the room. The cot. There was only one way to level its legs and make it usable as a bed. She lifted the sleeves of her shirt.

She quickly circled and kicked the bed. With just one kick, the third leg of the bed snapped, and the same happened to the fourth.

She chuckled. Those things were a piece of cake for her. She was born a girl, but her abilities surpassed almost every guy she knew. She was strong, brave, so she had no intention of backing down to a Drico Antonio DiVanne. Even if he was a Prince of Hell and the second on the list.

Even if he was handsome.

She remembered her first glimpse of his face. She couldn't believe it. She thought he was already extremely handsome in photos, but he was even more intense in person. It was like he took her breath away earlier when she saw him.

She shook her head. She needed to get a hold of herself. She needed to dismiss all the fantasies she had for him, she needed to fight. For now, she needed to regain her strength, didn't that man have any intention of at least feeding her?

She took off the shirt that was on top of her white tank top. That's what she used to wipe down the cot full of dust. It was also what she used to cushion her back when she lay down.

That darn Drico DiVanne. Even if he was good-looking, there's no escaping karma. His day would come.

She didn't know how many hours she had dozed off in that room. She felt the effects of the drug injected into her had worn off because she no longer felt dizzy, but she instinctively held her stomach when she got up. She remembered she hadn't eaten since Drico's men took her. That devil, he probably intended to starve her to death.

She headed for the door. She tried to turn the doorknob, but it was locked. She attempted to kick and pound the door, hoping someone outside would hear her.

"Hey!! Is anyone there??? Open this! You won't even feed me, you heartless bastards?!" She shouted at the top of her lungs. But even though her voice grew hoarse, no one answered. She noticed the sweat on her body due to the intense heat in the room. Didn't those people think to give her an electric fan? That demon Drico was shameless. She had done nothing wrong to be treated like this. Wasn't it her who did nothing but fantasize and idolize his photos? Then suddenly he appears and treats her like this? It hurt.

"Damn you, DiVanne, remember this day!" She muttered through gritted teeth, her hands clenched. Sweat streamed down her entire body, and she felt like her stomach was eating itself due to hunger. She pounded the door again. "Open this, I said! When I get out of here, I'll make sure to get all of you!"

She didn't expect the door to open. A big man, almost twice her size, stood in front of her. She had to crane her neck to look at him. He had a plate of food with him. "Oh. Eat. And don't make a sound!" he barked at her.

She responded with an irate look and watched him place the plate on the dusty floor. Damn! "What do you think I am, a dog in here? Let me out!" Before she could even approach, the man slammed the door. She could only bang her hands against it.

She stared at the food he brought. If the leftover rice and dish scraps of people outside could be considered food. She was sure many were watching her in that room. She wanted to cry and pity herself.

She remembered how she carefully hid and cherished all the little photos of Drico DiVanne. Then he would treat her like this? It was heartbreaking. She'd rather they never met. It was a shame, but it felt so good to throw away the special feelings she had for him.

She slowly crouched by the door. She reached for the food her body desperately needed to escape that place. She devoured it in her extreme hunger, even though it felt so heavy.

After she finished eating, she paced around the room, thinking about how to get out. She looked at the door. She could open the doorknob from the inside, but not the double lock on the outside. It was impossible to escape without opening the door from the outside.

She looked up at the ceiling of the room. Sprinkler system. Was there a sprinkler system in this basement? When triggered, how far would the water reach from there? It would surely set off an alarm. And someone would surely open the door.

She grinned. She fixed her hair in a ponytail. She had to start a fire, and she knew she always had a hidden lighter in her pocket for security reasons. It was often borrowed from her at work. It seemed luck was still on her side. Using her regained strength, she positioned the wooden cot under the sprinkler. She lit the shirt she used as a cushion for sleeping.

When the smoke began to rise, she prepared her body and mind. She needed to take down big men to make a run for it.

She clenched her fists as the clothes began to burn, and in a moment, the fire caught onto the cot.

That's when the sprinkler system started to activate and sprayed water everywhere. She grinned when she heard the fire alarm outside.

She approached the door. She greeted the first person who entered with a powerful kick to the face and opened the door. It was the tall man. He fell from that kick, so she wasted no time and ran out.

It wasn't easy to get out because a few more big men blocked her way. She was small but agile. And her fists were strong. This time, she used her feet. It was more forceful than her fists. She had advanced black belt lessons about kicking men double her size, and she was the best in her class back then.

"In just a few minutes, she managed to bring down three men again. She ran quickly towards the upper ground, grateful for the fire sprinkler system installed in the mansion. It deactivated all the fire exit doors underground. She reached the ground floor of the house, free. 'Damn it!' she cursed. The mansion was so vast, she didn't know where the exit on the ground floor was. But she ran anyway, relying on instinct, remembering the path they took earlier. Many confronted her again, four men this time, and it was likely the ones she had knocked down before were chasing her.

In this situation, she couldn't afford to panic. She needed to concentrate, her life depended on it, and she couldn't afford to lose. When a man approached her, attempting to throw a punch, she immediately evaded. Then she kicked him in the face. She did the same to the second opponent. She had to execute a spinning kick on the third one because he was stronger. Unfortunately, she didn't anticipate the third man.

He came from her blind side and delivered a powerful punch to her stomach. She closed her eyes in pain, but she needed to numb herself. She retaliated with a kick to his stomach, then followed up with a strike to his face. When she found a moment, she ran again. Finally, she saw the light coming from outside. She just needed to follow it.

'Shit!' It was a locked glass door. She realized she had only activated the underground alarm system. Not all the doors on the ground floor were included. She searched for something to break the door. It would be a tough job, as there were still people chasing her. She knew the glass door was thick.

Her eyes caught a baseball bat! Her mind raced. She grabbed it. 'You can't imprison me, Drico DiVanne. Your luck has run out,' she whispered to herself. She deliberately smashed an expensive vase on display using the baseball bat.

Then, she exerted all her strength to slam the glass door open. But she was taken aback when a strong hand stopped her. It felt like steel gripping her wrist, so tight she had to release the baseball bat.

She looked up at the person who owned that sturdy hand.

Drico Antonio DiVanne. It was the devil himself.

'Don't even try to move, bitch!'

He just called her bitch. Her ears rang; nobody had ever called her that. This was the first time, and she wouldn't let it slide. Since he was holding her hand, she tried to maneuver her body so she could kick his knee to make him kneel, but before she could, he acted. He spun her around and firmly held her hand behind her back.

'AAahhhhrrayy!' She screamed because she felt like he might break her arm with what he did. She tried to stomp on his foot really hard; that was the only way to make him let go, but it seemed like he could read her mind, and he still evaded. She screamed again when he applied even more pressure to her bound hands. She felt like something in her body might have snapped.

'Stop it if you don't want me to cripple you!!!' he yelled in her ear, almost deafening her. For the first time, she felt so helpless. She knew why this man could easily disable her. He was a level 10 black belter himself. All the princes of hell were martial arts masters. Unfortunately, Drico was one of them.

'You have no right to treat me like a dog here! First of all, I have no quarrel with you!' she retorted, even though she winced from the pain. It got worse when he kicked the back of her knee, and she fell to her knees on the hard marble floor. She bit her lip to suppress the pain. 'You beast!'

'For a long time,' he replied harshly.

When his men arrived, they bound her again and forced her to stand, even though her knees felt like they might give way. He had her face Drico. She glared at Drico, determined not to show any fear.

'I'm warning you. If you try to escape again, I'll shoot you in the head!' he threatened, forcefully running his finger between her eyebrows. 'Do you understand?'

'Listen, demon. I'm not afraid of you. Try to harm even a hair on my sister's head, and I'll be the one to bury you six feet under! Do you understand?'

He just laughed at what she said. But his eyes remained fierce.

'Really? You're quite brave. Let's see how far your courage takes you. I have something planned for your sister...' He approached her. His hand gently caressed the side of her face, bringing his face close to hers. She had to turn her head away. '...and I'll make you the star of the show.' His tone was terrifying, sending shivers down her spine. 'Return her to the underground.' He ordered his men.

They roughly pulled her back to that hellish basement.

'Welcome to my playroom.'

She gasped at Drico's words. She widened her eyes. The room was surrounded by barbed wire. In the center was a chair. This was not a child's playroom. This was a torture room. What kind of man would hide a torture room deep beneath his mansion? Only a Prince of Hell, she guessed.

Her outer appearance was brave, but inside, she was trembling with fear. What did this man intend to do? Did he plan to hurt her and show it to her sister to force her to come out and save her?

It couldn't happen!

She tried to struggle, but with a injured arm and swollen knee, she had little strength left. All she could do was sit in the chair surrounded by the terrifying torture devices. She didn't know if all of them would be used on her, or if she would die before she could experience the torment they promised.

They tied her to the chair. In front of her was a live camera.

"If you know where Rebecca is, speak up now," the demon-like figure sneered, hands in pockets while looking down at her.

"Go to hell...asshole," she replied firmly.

She didn't expect the consequence of her words. From behind, a bucket full of ice poured over her. Her entire body literally shivered. She took a deep breath. It felt like her heart froze, and for a moment, she couldn't breathe.

"What? Are you still going to act tough? Or will you tell me what you know?"

"Regret this day, Drico DiVanne!"

It responded with a mocking laugh. Then, another bucket of ice rained down on her, colder than the first. She fought back tears.

She drew a sharp breath as a man pulled out a live electric cable. Electrocution? My God! She couldn't help but close her eyes and silently beg for help from her only possible savior, Lord. She didn't know if she could endure that.

"Speak up!" Drico commanded.

"I don't know where she is, and even if I did, I wouldn't tell you. Just kill me!"

"Feisty bitch!" He approached, gripping her jaw firmly. "Do you know what will happen to you if that live wire touches your skin? You'll convulse slowly until your heart burns and you die for good! Do you know how long and painful that death process is?"

"Do it! Stop all this talk, you think I'm scared of you!"

"Shit!" He abruptly released her jaw. It hurt; she felt her cheek bruising from his grip. "You're quite brave..." His sharp gaze traveled down her neck, down to the curve of her chest, distinctly visible because of the wetness on her thin tank top. Her black bra did little to conceal the deep cleavage.

He grinned again, menacingly. She couldn't read his thoughts, but suddenly, she became acutely aware of her near-nakedness.

"Let's see how brave you are... Strip her!" He ordered his men. Hannah was terrified beyond measure. Was that his plan? To humiliate her?

"You beast! Just electrocute me, just kill me!" she screamed at him. His henchmen laughed, clearly enjoying their boss's intentions. She tried to break free, but every time she pulled her hand, her skin scraped against the roughness of the rope binding her. It hurt immensely.

She couldn't believe this was happening to her with this man. If only she knew he was capable of such cruelty, she would have cursed him long ago.

She shut her eyes when a man approached to undress her. "No! Please! Have mercy!!!" She begged.

She didn't know what to do. She could endure any punishment, but not this kind of torture. If this happened, she'd never be able to stand again. Guarding her honor was important to her, and it couldn't be taken away so easily.

"Enough!" She heard Drico order before the man's hands touched her clothes and skin.

"Boss?" He seemed regretful.

She looked up at Drico. He turned off the camera in front. "That's enough. Take her to the room next to mine."

She stared at Drico's face. For a brief moment, she felt as if he had just saved her. His face remained blank as he took the camera in front of her and left the room. His men had no choice but to follow. They took her upstairs and led her into a large, luxurious room.

What happened? Why did the atmosphere suddenly change? What is that demon DiVanne thinking?

After a while, she felt the strange cold again, seeping through her body because of her wet clothes.

She heard a knock on the door. It was Drico. She thought. But it was a maid, only a few years older than her. She brought clothes and a robe. She was disappointed. What was happening to her? After the cruelty he showed her, he still wanted to see her?

"Hannah, you're crazy, you're losing it."

She whispered to herself.

"Sir Drico said, please take a hot bath and change," the uniformed maid said before leaving.

She laughed bitterly. "Damn it. What is he worried about? Hypothermia?" She scoffed.

What does that psychotic person really intend to do to her??

Before she could get sick, she headed for the shower to let the hot water soothe her trembling body.

Any moment Drico enters her room, she will do everything to punch him in the face.