Chapter 5

After she left, Sebastian frowned tightly, occasionally glancing at me, already barely alive in the baking chamber.

After waiting for what seemed like forever without Sophie returning, he exploded. "Where is she! Go see why the key isn't here yet!"

"You few—go cut the power! Get the ambulance over here now!"

Watching people scatter in panic, a flash of pain crossed Sebastian's eyes.

Shortly after the power was cut, Sophie came running back in a panic, tears falling. "Sebastian, the key... the key is gone..."

Sebastian's face turned deathly pale.

He staggered toward Sophie, his voice laced with cold fury. "Why would the key be gone? You'd better not be lying to me!"

Sophie dropped to her knees with a "thud." "This baking chamber was custom-made and only came with one key. The servants were cleaning up earlier and accidentally threw it away with the trash..."

I looked weakly at Sebastian. Ridiculously, he actually believed such a clumsy excuse.

He had people go make a duplicate key while looking at me through the window. "Vivian, just wait a little longer. I'll let you out soon. Just hold on a bit more."

Seeing the worry in his eyes, Sophie suddenly said, "Sebastian, you gathered all my family's relatives here, saying you wanted them to witness her apology to me. They're all still here..."

"Anyway, the power's already off. Just give everyone an explanation. Just have her say she's sorry. It doesn't even have to be sincere..."

Sebastian looked at me, then at the wronged and obedient Sophie. Finally, he tapped on the small window.

"Vivian, no matter what, today's incident was your fault. Just give a simple apology and I won't pursue this matter anymore, okay?"

Seeing I didn't respond, his tone softened. "Be good. Everyone's waiting for your apology. Once you apologize, I'll let you out. Sophie will take good care of you from now on, and I'll love you properly too."

The physical burning and massive blood loss had already made me barely conscious.

I crawled up from the pool of blood with all my strength, instinctively using blood to write on the metal plate, word by word: "Marcus... will kill... you all..."

Sophie's eyes were full of contempt, but her words came out as wronged sobs.

"Ma'am, I know you've always been domineering. I just want an apology to give my family an explanation. Is that really too much to ask?"

"Besides, Marcus was already turned into a human swine long ago. You're the only one left in your family. What's the point of this? If you don't apologize, even if I want to let you out, my family won't agree..."

As soon as she finished speaking, Sophie's relatives outside started chattering.

"Miss Vivian, stop dreaming. Everyone knows your entire family was wiped out three years ago. If Mr. Hayes weren't protecting you, you'd have died countless times by now. And you want to kill us? What a joke."

"Mr. Hayes, I think she's just pretending. She nearly killed Sophie this time. If you don't teach her a proper lesson, who knows how she'll bully people in the future."

"Exactly, Mr. Hayes. She's bullying people like this—you can't let her off so easily."

Sebastian irritably pressed his temples, his voice carrying a hint of helplessness when he spoke again.

"Vivian, Marcus is long dead. You're not some mob princess anymore. Without my protection these years, you'd have struggled just to survive. Right now, I'm your only support. Just apologize once and I'll let you out immediately, okay?"

The temperature in the baking chamber hadn't dissipated, but the heartbeat of the baby in my belly had completely stopped.

That little life that had accompanied me for eight months—I ultimately couldn't keep him.

Tears blurred my vision. I was consumed with grief.

I had no strength to answer him. I just hung my head and resolutely wrote two words on the floor in blood: "Never."

Sebastian's expression shifted.

"Vivian, think carefully. Besides me, no one can save you!"

The moment Sebastian finished speaking, a "bang" echoed as a bullet grazed past his scalp.

Accompanied by a massive sharp ringing sound, a team of gang members wielding assault rifles burst in.

A cold, stern voice rang out from behind him.

"Who says no one can save her?"