You Are the Cinnabar in My Heart

"James Carter, come to the Golden Bay Hotel. I saw Lily and Mark Johnson enter, and they hadn't come out for half an hour now. I don't know if something might have happened."

Sitting in a high-level meeting, James Carter stands up abruptly upon receiving a text from Emma Wilson, looking ferocious as if possessed by a bloodthirsty demon.

Without uttering a word, he storms out, phone in hand, disregarding the dissatisfaction of his colleagues.

Even his assistant, Chris Cloud, is caught off-guard, and by the time he reacts and chases after him, James Carter has already disappeared.

On the way to the hotel, Carter pushes the accelerator to the limit, his mind consumed with the message from Emma Wilson.

Lily, Mark Johnson!!!

Carter's hands grip the steering wheel, veins bulging, his face dark and terrifying, consumed with the thought of murdering Lily if she has indeed betrayed him.

He runs several red lights to reach the Golden Bay Hotel.

Upon arriving, Emma Wilson, who had been waiting at the hotel entrance, runs up to him anxiously, "James, you finally made it."

"Where are they?"

"In..." Emma hesitates.

"I asked where they are!" Carter grabs her throat, his eyes bloodshot like a savage beast, ready to tear her apart.

Wilson struggles to breathe, her face turning red, eyes wide with fear.

Carter's grip loosens slightly, "Speak!"

"In... room 1808," Wilson stutters, handing him a master key card.

Carter snatches the card from her hand and storms into the hotel, radiating intense anger.

Wilson, pushed aside, stumbles before regaining her balance.

Finally able to breathe, she recovers from her near-death fear, her face twisted with a malicious and insane smile, "Lily, let's see how you die this time." She quickly follows him.

When Carter finds the room, he hesitates briefly before using the key card to unlock the door.

The door opens with a beep, and he hears a woman's moans and a man's...

Boom-

Something explodes in Carter's mind.

Furious, veins on his forehead bulge, his anger erupts like a volcano, his eyes burning with rage.

He strides into the room and sees two people entwined on the bed. He immediately throws punches at the man, dragging him off the bed.

"Ah!" Mark Johnson screams as Carter knocks out one of his teeth and continues to pummel him mercilessly, leaving Johnson no chance to fight back.

After beating him thoroughly, Carter kicks Johnson out of the room.

"Ah!" Johnson screams in pain.

"My God!" Wilson, following behind, gasps at the sight of Johnson lying on the floor, her eyes filled with schadenfreude and triumph.

Johnson, beaten and bloodied, lies in a mess.

Carter, having dealt with Johnson, turns to the barely enduring Lily.

Her once pristine skin now bears ambiguous marks, and she continues to moan unsatisfied.

Carter, nearing his breaking point, growls, "Get out!"

Wilson, taken aback, secretly delights in seeing Lily's exposed skin but pretends to be concerned, "James, don't be rash. There might be a misunderstanding here, perhaps Lily didn't do it willingly."

Emma Wilson's words kept reminding him that Lily had betrayed him. "Get out!" James Carter growled. Emma backed away while continuing, "James, Lily is already in this state, please don't make it harder for her."

In response, James hurled an ashtray at her. It crashed to the ground in front of her, cracking into pieces and leaving several marks on the floor. Watching the ashtray at her feet, Emma's heart skipped a beat. If it had landed a bit further back, it would have hit her squarely on the forehead.

Realizing the fear and danger, she dared not stay any longer, dragging a bedraggled Mark Johnson into the adjacent room.

After Emma dragged Mark out and closed the door, James furiously yanked Lily up and dragged her into the bathroom. On the way, Lily was scratched by shards of glass on the floor, leaving a trail of blood leading to the bathroom, her cries of pain going unnoticed by James, consumed by rage.

In the bathroom, James pressed Lily hard against the wall and turned on the cold water, spraying it directly onto her. The sudden coldness partially awakened Lily's muddled senses, and she began to cry in front of James. "James," she said, reaching out to embrace him, but he pressed her against the wall, continuously pouring cold water on her.

"James, I am so cold," Lily shivered, her body quickly turning purple. She had always been afraid of the cold, especially being doused with cold water in the dead of winter. "Lily, you've got some nerve, betraying me!" James then grabbed her neck, his eyes blazing with fury and terrifying redness.

Lily trembled, her head shaking like a wave, tears instantly falling, "No, I didn't!" "Didn't? Are you saying I'm blind?" James left the shower, pulling her in front of a mirror, grabbing her hair and forcing her to look at herself, "Take a good look, didn't you?"

Lily was dumbfounded, shaking her head in disbelief, "No, James, listen to me, I didn't betray you." "Explain? What's there to explain, I have eyes, I'm not blind! Was I not good enough for you, huh?!"

"No, James, it was Emma, she asked me to come here, she gave me a glass of water, and then I passed out, I don't know what happened after that." Lily cried, trying to explain, but James, in his rage, wouldn't hear a word she said.

"Why, Lily, why would you do this to me?!" "No, James. I didn't believe me." Lily cried, trying to explain, but James only believed what he saw, never trusting Lily's words. He wanted to make her feel the piercing pain.

Lily felt as if her entire body no longer belonged to her, the pain unbearable. He was in more pain than her, recalling everything he had just witnessed, the pain like a sharp knife constantly torturing his heart. And those images, all transformed into flames of anger by James, inflicted upon Lily.

After everything calmed down, James took his phone and walked out to the balcony to make a call. "Chris Cloud, from now on, go all out against the Johnson Corporation."

Chris Cloud, who was half-asleep on the other side, snapped awake upon hearing this. Piecing together the scene from earlier today, when James Carter abruptly left the meeting, he could somewhat guess that the Johnson Corporation must have offended their president.

He hurriedly responded, "Yes."

After dragging Mark Johnson into the adjacent room, Emma Wilson pulled the quilt over him, feeling full of disgust and contempt, yet her face showed concern, "I'll call a doctor to check on you in a bit."

Mark Johnson was moved, "Thank you, Emma, I knew you loved me."

"Of course," Emma said against her will, struggling not to feel sick.

"So... did you and Lily make it?"

Mark Johnson shook his head, "No, Lily kept moving and making noise, it was hard to get my way. It wasn't easy to take off her clothes and leave marks on her body."

Emma had guessed as much when she saw that he was still wearing his pants. However, James Carter has always been suspicious of Lily, and what he saw today was enough.

She was waiting for Lily to be kicked out of the Carter family, then she could step in. Eventually, the position of Mrs. Carter would be hers.

Emma Wilson gathered her thoughts, her eyes instantly brimming with tears, a face full of sorrow and pity, "Mark, I'm sorry, I had planned to anonymously send pictures and videos to James Carter, but I don't know why he suddenly came over and beat you up like this. He will definitely not let you go, I'm sorry, it's my fault."

"Emma, don't cry, I'm not afraid. James Carter won't get away with beating me up like this today," Mark Johnson held Emma Wilson in his arms, gently wiping away her falling tears.

Emma Wilson, holding back her urge to vomit, said, "But you can't fight against James Carter's power. In city A, he is the sky. I'm afraid the Johnson Corporation will suffer because of me, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, I really didn't know he would come suddenly, I've ruined you," she sobbed.

Seeing Emma Wilson crying pitifully, Mark Johnson's heart softened, and he kissed away her tears, reassuring her, "I don't blame you, Emma. It was all my choice. You know I love you. I'm willing to do anything for you."

Emma Wilson subtly pushed him away, wiping her tears, "Your injuries can't wait. What if they leave some sequelae? I'll call someone to look at them."

"Not urgent, Emma, let me hold you a bit longer."

"No." Emma Wilson instinctively refused, realizing she had almost given herself away when she saw the puzzled look in Mark Johnson's eyes.

"I just think you shouldn't delay any longer with your injuries. What would I do if something happened to you?"

Mark Johnson laughed, holding her hand, "Alright, I'll listen to you."

"Then I'll go make the call." Emma Wilson withdrew her hand, took her phone to the balcony, and returned after a while.

"I've asked Liu to bring someone over."

"Okay, Emma..." Mark Johnson tried to hold Emma Wilson's hand again, but she subtly avoided it once more.

Emma Wilson stroked her bangs, speaking softly, "I have work at my company, I can't stay with you. Wait here for Liu and the doctor, okay?"

"Alright, you go ahead if you have work at the company. Let's have dinner together tonight," Mark Johnson said, without any suspicion, his heart leaping with joy from Emma Wilson's tenderness.

"If I don't have to work late, I'll join you for dinner, okay?"

"Sure, you go ahead."

"Mhm." Emma Wilson nodded, stood up to leave, and at the door, she looked back at Mark Johnson with a smile, "I'm leaving."

Mark Johnson, lost in Emma Wilson's gentleness, was already over the moon, "Mhm, okay."

Without hesitation, Emma Wilson opened the door and left.