"You could scream all you want, but no one's gonna hear you here."

Michael had picked this restaurant for its top-notch privacy. The private rooms were famous for being soundproof. He glanced at the cut on his arm with a wild glint in his eyes. Who would've thought that Evelyn, who seemed so gentle and quiet, could be so fierce? But he loved that fierceness. The wilder, the better.

He moved forward with purpose. It was a grown man against a woman who was running out of strength to fight back. Evelyn lunged for the door, but before she could open it, Michael yanked her hair back, pulling her away from the exit. The door, barely ajar, swung shut with a soft thud.

"Get away from me!" Evelyn shouted, swinging the knife in a desperate attempt to fend him off. But Michael was ready this time. He caught her frantic wrist in his large hand, squeezing until the knife slipped from her grip. Evelyn was now defenseless, was pulled into his arms, and held tightly.

"Let me go!" she yelled, struggling with all her might. But her strength was fading fast, and her resistance made Michael more excited. The difference in their strength was too great; she was no match for him. Her body weakened, and a fire burned inside her, growing stronger despite her attempts to resist. It was torturous.

Michael was eager to drag her to the elevator that led straight to a hotel room upstairs. He tossed Evelyn onto the bed, pulling out a vial from his pocket. He poured the contents into a glass of red wine and drank it down. While he was distracted, Evelyn seized the chance to bite down on her lip, determined to stay lucid before the drug took full effect. She had to get out of here.

Gathering her remaining strength, she got up, wrenched the door open, and dashed out. This time, she made it. At the end of the long corridor stood a man-Charles.

Even from a distance, Charles exuded an air of sophistication. Under the drug's influence, Evelyn's only thought was to escape, to avoid falling back into Michael's clutches. Charles felt like finding a lifeline.

She heard footsteps behind her. Michael was gaining on her. With tears in her eyes, Evelyn stumbled towards Charles, grabbed his arm, and instinctively pleaded, "Charles..."

Charles looked down at her with a

cool gaze, noting her flushed cheeks

and disheveled state. A storm

het

brewed in his eyes as he harshly int grabbed her waist, pinning her to the wall. His hand gripped her chin, and his voice dripped with a hint of sarcasm. "Did you have fun on your blind date? Think you'll try it again?"

His words hit her like a cold shower, clearing some of the fog from her drugged mind. She understood the meaning behind his words. Suddenly, it all made sense why he was there. He'd been watching her from the start, ever since she left the office. She hadn't listened when he told her to get out of the car, so he'd followed her here.

He watched as Michael drugged her, letting things play out just to show her the consequences of defying him. Evelyn's face turned pale as she bit her lip hard, staring at Charles

with disbelief etched in her eyes.

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