The Devil's Lure

On the seventeenth day of the eighth lunar month, YT Group's 27-year-old CEO, Brody Ye, and the 21-year-old daughter of the SU Group, Tracy Su, took their marriage vows. On this auspicious day, the Ye Family's luxurious mansion was decked out in festive decorations in celebration for the joy and expectations of the event.

Later that night, at half past eleven, Tracy Su stumbled up the stairs in a white dress.

"Bang!"

The bedroom door was suddenly thrust open by her. When she turned around and prepared to close the door behind her, a handsome yet devilish face suddenly filled her vision.

Her hand instantly froze on the doorknob, and the fear in her eyes expanded. She wanted to run, but it seemed as if her feet had taken root to the spot, and she could not move.

"Run, run away! Why don't you run?"

Brody Ye said expressionlessly from where he stood at the door. His cold voice seemed to cut to the bone and chilled her to the marrow.

Hearing the malicious voice, Tracy Su came to her senses and withdrew her hand from the doorknob. Then she spun around and ran towards the window.

However, as she opened the window–

"Come back here–"

An angry voice sounded, and then Tracy Su was pulled by a strong force, and her back collided with a strong chest.

Instantly, the window was slammed shut.

"Let me go, Brody! Why did you do this to me? Do you hate me so?" Tracy Su shouted as she struggled in Brody Ye's vice-grip arms.

She was the pitiful image of misery, but her newly wedded husband was unmoved by her tears.

She looked up at him with large fear-filled eyes, remembering that only moments before he had been in the living room and had treated her so disrespectfully in front of the servants. To do that kind of thing to her in public.

She was afraid of the kind of man she had married.

Brody Ye clamped his hands over her struggling hands and smiled coldly. "You have clearly overestimated yourself. If you want to know why, you should go ask your father. But first, since you are now married to me, you should fulfill your duty as my wife."

"No, don't do that..." With her eyes shining with innocent tears, Tracy looked at her husband with great fear.

What he said made no sense for her. She had no concept of what had happened between her father and him, or of what kind of hatred had resulted because of it.

She didn't know why, but her father had suddenly ordered her to marry Brody. Neither did she have thought that this strange husband her father had chosen would be so cold and ruthless.

"No matter whether you want it or not, it's not up to you anymore!"

What Brody said stripped Tracy's nerves raw. Instinctively, she nervously clenched her fingers onto the fabric of her dress.

"Brody, you should know that no matter what kind of grudge you hold against my father, it is a matter between you and him, and it has nothing to do with me. It is unfair to punish me."

Tracy shivered in his arms, hoping to appeal to his humanity.

However, Brody moved to grab her. Tracy continued to try and push him away, and she helplessly beat her fists on his chest.

She felt wronged. She had not accepted her forced marriage to Brody, and she was the victim, but now it seemed that all the blame was being laid at her door.

"Unfair to you? Hasn't your father told you what he has done? It's something worse than a beast. Or perhaps he doesn't dare to tell you what he has done? Is everything he does fair to me?"

Because of her struggling, Brody raised his voice angrily and ruthlessly dumped her body on the bed.

"Let go of me!" shouted Tracy, as she stared up at Brody, who had placed himself on top of her. Desperately, she wiggled in panic – seeking escape. However, his body remained motionless, pressing down on her like a huge stone.

When Tracy was exhausted, she raised her tearful eyes and weakly said, "If you don't like me, and you hate me, then don't touch me..."

"It's your duty!"

Brody interrupted her, before she could even finish speaking.

She could only sneer at him as understanding dawned on her.

In his eyes, she was merely a tool and there for his use.

Tracy was shocked and felt a chill overcome her. She trembled helplessly and completely stopped struggling then.

"Fine!" she sadly whispered and closed her eyes in despair, tears rolling over her distraught cheeks.

Their marriage was the result of an absurd decision that came like a bolt from the blue. She shouldn't foster any hope, should she?

"Desperate yet? Now is only the beginning. I'll ensure that you know what it feels like living in hell."

Tracy's sudden silence had surprised the man who had been abusing her, but soon his callousness returned coldly.

All of a sudden, Tracy's body froze and her closed eyes fluttered as tears decorated her long eyelashes. Very soon, a sneer of self-mockery tugged at the corners of her lips, where her lip gloss had run with her tears.

Whatever... he could do whatever he wanted. After entering the ogre's den, she couldn't expect to find any happiness.

Soon, there was only the whimpering of the woman that filled the bedroom.

--------

The next day, long after noon, Tracy slowly opened her eyes. She didn't even bother to look around. Her home had become an unfamiliar house, with an unfamiliar bedroom, and unfamiliar people. Everything reminded her of what had happened last night Moving slightly, she became aware of an intense pain all over her body, especially in her loins.

She struggled to sit up, enduring the pain. Looking down, she found that she was dressed in pajamas. She snorted with self-mockery. He must have changed her into the pajamas.

Soon, Tracy's eyes turned dull, and her ears seemed to ring with the echo of his cold words. "Desperate yet? Now is only the beginning. I'll ensure that you know what it feels like living in hell."

After a long while, Tracy grew accustomed to the pain and staggered off the bed to wash her face and rinse her mouth. However, she was stopped dead in her tracks by a sound from the study.

In the study, Brody was sitting upright next to the phone. "Horace Su, do you want to know how your daughter enjoyed her wedding night?" The cold voice was accompanied by hints of cruelty and hatred.

"What? What did you do to my daughter?" A trembling, worried voice sounded from the other end of the line.

Noticing the concern of the man on the other end of the call, Brody flashed a cold and satisfied smile at the corners of his mouth. "Then you have to ask yourself just how you treated Juliet in the past, and know that I treated your daughter exactly the same."

"What?! Okay, I admit my mistakes. It's all my fault. But Tracy is innocent. Please don't hurt her."

The voice on the other end of the line was filled with the sound of pleading.

"When you pushed her down those stairs three years ago, you should have known this outcome was inevitable."

'What?'

Standing outside the door, Tracy was so shocked that she took a step back, almost falling over.

"It's impossible..." Tracy shook her head and in a daze thought, 'Brody must be lying. How could my father do such a thing?'

In her eyes, her father was a highly cultured, kind, and amiable man. How could he even be capable of doing such a thing?

While Tracy's brain was doused in chaos, and before she could think clearly, the door of the study quickly opened.

She suddenly looked up at Brody's cold face and knew panic. His phone was still at his ear.

"You..." Noticing the disdainful look on his face, Tracy remained standing where she was, still stuttering.

His face remained expressionless, and his eyes were filled with a dangerous look, just like the eyes of a tiger that was ready to pounce. After staring at Tracy's confused face for a few seconds, his eyes wandered over her body again.

After a minute that was like eternity, there was only silence at the other end of the call. It was so quiet that it seemed that the call had been ended.

However, not knowing why, Tracy's heart wrenched, and she felt scared. She couldn't tell where the uneasiness and fear came from, but she instinctively felt that her cruel husband should not be so quiet as he kept staring at her.

All too soon, Tracy's instincts were proven to be right.

"She is in my arms even now. Do you want to hear her despair and hysterical cries?" After saying that, Brody slammed the door and shoved Tracy up against the wall.

The sudden question broke the silence and turned Tracy's face pale in an instant.

Apparently, he hadn't hung up the phone at all!

"You bastard! How dare you..." At the same time, Horace Su's voice sounded from the other end of the phone like a car wreck. He was completely distraught.

"Let me go..." Tracy struggled in panic, but her voice remained as soft as a mosquito.

"Are you afraid that your father would hear your cries. Hence, you speak in such a low voice? Don't you want him to hear how you are being bullied by me?"

he set aside his phone and whispered in her ear clearly.

"You bastard." Suppressing her humiliated tone of voice, she fixed her eyes on him in a look filled with resentment and refusal.

Tracy's words seemed to have only succeeded in agitating Brody. He threw the cell phone onto the desk not far away from them and said angrily, "You dress like this in front of me. What on earth are you thinking? You bitch!"

Startled, she looked into his dark eyes and unconsciously reached out to pull at her pajamas.

He clenched his hand around her wrist and roughly pushed her against the corner between two walls.

The feeling of abject humiliation swept over her like a wave. With a tearful face, she begged,

"Let me go... Don't..."

Her helpless voice still couldn't stir the man's pity.

"As long as I want you, I'll have you anytime!" he said ruthlessly, leaving no room for her to react.

"No, don't do that..." She began to weep bitterly, and she tugged imploringly at Brody's clothes with her cold and helpless hands.

Even her crying did not stir any remorse in this cold-hearted man.

However, her look satisfied Brody's need for revenge.

"Get up!" He lifted her up from the floor.

She screamed and cried out in a low voice until he had given vent to the great hatred that poisoned his soul.

Finally, Tracy collapsed to the floor in a disheveled heap. Brody stared at her coldly and asked, "Can't you even stand?"

Tracy raised her head, and the humiliation and pain in her eyes had disappeared.

She smiled bitterly and said, "Just do whatever you want, as long as you are happy."

She was now staring at him without blinking, grinning from ear to ear.

He was her husband, her husband.

"But I promise... you will regret it." she added in a deliberate but firm tone.

When Brody heard her words and saw her tears, he suddenly became aware of a different feeling that stirred in his heart.

He didn't like this unfamiliar feeling.

Tracy then slammed the door and left the heartless man standing alone.

The lights were all brightly shining, but the night was hazy. Situated in a suburb of C City, the Kylin Entertainment Casino exclusively catered to the upper class as a place of entertainment.

Tracy, dressed in casual clothes, stopped in front of the large casino. She hesitated for a while before she entered.

She liked gambling, not for fun, but to vent. This was how she sought release when she was unhappy.

The extravagance of the casino could be described as being splendid in a golden and magnificent way. It was not an exaggeration to call this entertainment place as a "Royal Palace".

Walking around the dazzling room, she headed towards the fancy VIP area that consisted of several private rooms, where only a few of the upper class in C City were qualified to enter.

As a frequent visitor, no one dared to prevent her or challenge her when she entered one of the private rooms.

She pushed the door open and walked inside. From the gambling table, many people looked up and fixed their eyes on her.

However, there was a rule in the casino that the gamblers were not allowed to make any noise, so most people simply lowered their heads after their initial surprise, and continued their games.

She glanced around the room calmly, and then looked at the man sitting in the middle of the table, and a naughty smile flitted on her lips.

The man, who sat opposite her, wore a black casual jacket. His face was a little cold, and surprisingly solemn. As soon as he saw her, he returned her a wicked smile.

As she noticed the meaning and provocation in his eyes, she curled her lips, and walked up to the gambling table.

She could instantly make sense of what was going on at the gambling table.

It was a common game of chance.

The banker was the man opposite her. People bet most of their chips on either numbers 2, 3, or 4, but not on number 1.

She looked speculatively at the man's cold face, narrowed her eyes aggressively for a few seconds, and then she randomly picked up a chip from one of the women taking part in the game and placed it on number 1.

"I'm all in!"

Tracy's crisp voice cut through the quiet air, immediately attracting everyone's attention.

The crowd burst into an uproar, followed by voices filled with pity.

However, the man who sat opposite her was gazing at her calm yet sorrowful face.

"All of it? How much do you have?" The man smiled keenly.

His magnetic voice instantly stilled the chaos among the crowd, and different and complicated gazes were soon fixed on Tracy. After all, she looked like a little girl who really seemed too young.

"Not much, just a billion." Tracy put on a smile at the understatement.

The man gazed at her without saying anything, but her words once again caused an uproar among the other gamblers.

It was not because Tracy had placed a large bet. In fact, anyone who was able to come to the Kylin Entertainment Casino was wealthy, but they stared because there was something wrong with her bet.

All the people had placed their bets on numbers 3, 2, and 4. But she now placed her bet on number 1. It was obvious that she would definitely lose. Even if she was rich, she could not simply throw away a billion on a poor bet.

"Little girl, it's not a joke. Do you really want to do this?"

A woman dressed in the opulent garments, was standing next to her, and she couldn't help but kindly remind Tracy of the folly of her decision. Her eyes were full of worry, and she wondered whether the girl knew how to play the game or not.

"Yes, I'll bet on number 1," Tracy replied with confidence and firmness as glancing at the lady.

The gathered gamblers all sighed even more deeply.

With a bright smile on her face, Tracy said, "Mr. Yan, you can reveal your cards now."

The man curled his lips shrewdly but didn't say anything. Instead he hinted to the dealer beside him to reveal the final answer.

For a moment, everyone held their breath and lapsed into silence...

After a few seconds, the dealer risked a glimpse at Tracy and said, "Number 1 it is."

Hardly had his voice faded away, when everyone looked at Tracy, they were first in shock, and then roaring with complaints.

"Ah... How can it be number 1!"

"Oh, my God! I'm doomed!"

The man smiled, stood up and walked to her. He sweetly laid a hand on her head and said, "You silly girl, why are you in such a bad mood?"

Ignoring what the man had said, she held out her little hand and said, "Give me my one billion!"

Looking at the cute frown on her face, the man smiled helplessly. "One billion? Are you sure?"

With a smug smile, Tracy retorted, "Let's bet on a larger sum, if you dare?"

With a cunning look in her eyes, Tracy looked up at his charming face.

The YS Group was a famous financial institution in C City as was the YT Group. It had an excellent background and operational record, and it was on par with YT Group.

Ben Yan was the president of the YS Group, and it seemed that Ben Yan had a cold temper. He was restrained and calm. His strength had even placed him on the list of the most powerful business tycoons in the business circle.

Tracy didn't snap back to her senses until Ben Yan had swept past her and left the room.

She trotted to catch up with the silent man ahead of her. Without saying a word, she followed him into another empty private room.

"What's wrong?" The door was quietly closed as Tracy was ushered in. Ben's black eyes stared at her own sorrowful eyes.

The worry on his face instantly disappeared.

However, as soon as Tracy heard Ben's words, Brody's devil-like face haunted her mind. She forced herself to swallow the bitterness in her chest, recalling what she had heard from Brody earlier today.

"Ben, do you know a woman called Juliet?" Tracy evaded his question and covered up the sharp pain in her eyes as she stared intently at Ben.

"Juliet?" Ben was stunned, and his calm eyes seemed to turn even more black.

"You know her, don't you?" She was unwilling to let him avoid telling her the truth, and she hoped as she saw the light leave his eyes.

"I don't know her." Ben seated himself on the sofa next to the door and seemed unwilling to speak again.

"Is she related to my father?" Tracy probed tentatively.

However, Ben still kept mum, and his face grew even more grim.

When Tracy saw that he had no intention to respond, she felt so disappointed that she reached for the door, planning to leave.

"Then I'll go now."

The door was half-way open now, but the man behind her still hadn't responded. With determination, she made up her mind and stepped out of the room...

"She's dead."

"Dead?" Tracy was stunned by these words. Most of what she heard that noon had been true then.

Her eyes drowned in tears at once. How she hoped that Brody hadn't been torturing her for this reason.

"She was your husband's girlfriend, but your father...killed her."

Involuntarily taking a step back, her heart shrank as she heard a fact that she didn't want to believe.

'Father was the one who forced her to die. He must have raped Juliet and forced her to fall down the stairs. No wonder Brody hates me so much.'

Noticing the change in her mood, a trace of heartache whispered onto Ben's face. He rose and moved towards the door. Passing by her, he said coldly, "You need to vent your anger."