Chapter 3

I didn’t respond. Adrian wheeled his chair over to me, his eyes cold. “Were you with him?”

“If I didn’t go to him, he would have come for me,” I said mockingly. “He hates me. He’ll never let me off easily.”

“That’s just an excuse, isn’t it? You want to rekindle things with him, don’t you?” Adrian glowered at me. “I’ve always known you look down on me from the bottom of your heart!”

“I don’t.”

Adrian’s face was grim. “Get in bed.”

Under his piercing gaze, I closed my eyes and lay down.

He propped himself up on the edge of the bed and roughly tore at my clothes, biting and gnawing at my skin. I winced in pain.

“Can you lend me two hundred thousand?”

His movements paused. He shot me a dark look. “Did you demand payment from Julian when you were with him?”

“I…”

“You’re utterly disgusting!”

Adrian instantly lost interest, wheeled himself back to his chair, and left the bedroom.

I got dressed, never imagining that one day, two hundred thousand dollars would be enough to break me.

The next morning, I dropped Leo off at kindergarten, then called my mother, Mrs. Davies.

I didn’t know what methods Julian had used, but any money that entered my account was immediately transferred out. The money from selling my wedding trousseau was all with my mom.

The moment I asked for money, Mrs. Davies exploded. “With the Davies family in this state, how can *I* come up with two hundred thousand? The Blackwoods might not care if we live or die, but they can’t possibly ignore *you*, can they?”

Before I could explain, she was already yelling obscenities about the Blackwood family over the phone.

I bitterly hung up, glancing at the car parked by the roadside—it was the only valuable thing I had left to sell.

I contacted a broker, and because I needed cash, the car, originally worth a million, was pressured down to two hundred thousand.

I went with the broker to the bank to withdraw the cash. I didn’t dare delay and immediately rushed to the hospital.

Just as I reached the hospital entrance, Julian’s call came through.

“Mrs. Blackwood, your son is truly adorable.”

My hand tightened around the phone. The next second, I heard Leo’s innocent voice on the other end. “Mommy, where are you? I’m scared.”

“Leo!” My face went instantly pale. “Julian, you can get your revenge on me however you want, but please, I beg you, don’t touch my son!”

“That depends on your performance,” Julian’s voice was icy. “Get your ass to the Nightshade Club within half an hour.”

I didn't dare waste a second. I hailed a cab and sped to the Nightshade Club.

A bodyguard led me into the office.

Julian was seated on a sofa chair. Sophia was draped across his lap, her arms wrapped possessively around his neck, their posture overtly intimate. His face wore a rare, gentle smile.

My heart tightened, and I clenched my hands.

“Where’s my son?” I asked.

“What’s the rush?” Julian’s smile vanished instantly.

Sophia slid off his lap.

“Mrs. Blackwood, you have money but you’re not paying your debt. What do you intend to do?” Julian’s gaze fell on me, cold and sinister.

I instinctively hid my handbag behind my back.

Sophia noticed, a smirk playing on her lips. “Chloe, you’re not thinking of just running away, are you?”

Julian’s face instantly changed.

“No, I’m not.” I shook my head.

“Then what’s in your bag? Take it out.”

I instinctively took half a step back. Julian strode forward, grabbed my neck, and pinned me against the doorframe. “Trying to run away? Do you think I’d let you off that easily?!”

“I… I’m not… Julian, please, I’m begging you, I really need this money…” I struggled to speak, tears streaming down my face, landing on the back of his hand.

Julian’s gaze flickered, watching me cry in pain, yet feeling no satisfaction.

Sophia’s voice was detached. “Chloe, when Julian’s mother needed money for treatment, *I* went to work at the club, earning it glass by glass. And what were you doing then? You were proudly marrying into the Blackwood family.”

Julian’s face darkened completely. He reached for my bag. I clung to it desperately—it was my only hope.

“Julian and I suffered, and now it’s your turn to taste it,” Sophia said, looking at me triumphantly.

Seeing I wouldn’t let go, Julian said coldly, “If I can’t touch you, I’ll have to go after your son.”

In despair, I let go.

Julian tossed the handbag to the bodyguard.

After he released me, I crumpled to the floor like a rag doll. “Give my son back.”

“Whether you get your son back safely depends on your performance tonight.” Julian cast a disdainful look at me, then told the bodyguard, “Take her to work.”