Chapter 21 ite Came To Punish Me
Chapter 21 He Came To Punish Me
Charles’s face darkened with a mocking expression. “What exactly did I tell you before I went on my business trip?”
I remained completely silent.
Charles was truly furious, his fingers gripping my chin so tightly that it hurt.
He spoke coldly, “I warned you not to do anything that would make me angry. You promised me, but look what happened. Anna, you do have a habit of lying.”
The embarrassing maid uniform I was wearing felt fragile under his strong hands.
Feeling humiliated, I covered my chest with my arms and looked at him with tear–filled eyes. “Please don’t do this.”
“Don’t do what?” he demanded, his voice filled with intimidating anger.
“You dressed like this and danced so enthusiastically on stage just to attract some wealthy man, didn’t you? If I don’t treat you this way, other men certainly will, Or would you not resist if it were them?”
“That’s enough, Charles!” I glared at him with a mix of grief and anger. “Do you even realize what you’re saying?”
Charles let out a bitter, angry laugh. “What am I saying? I’m telling the truth. Anna, I never thought you’d actually wear something like that. I knew you liked to play around, but I never realized you had so little self–respect.”
“I have little self–respect? How could you say that?” I shouted, my voice raw with tears.
The memory of him deliberately voting for number 27 made my anger surge. “You don’t understand anything about this!! worked so hard to get all those votes, and I was finally about to win first place and get that prize money.
“Why did you have to interfere? Couldn’t you have just skipped voting and let me tie for first with number 27? Why are you always targeting me like this? Why?”
“Let you win?” Charles said with a light laugh. “And then what? Let them auction you off to the highest bidder? Is that what you were fighting for?”
I shuddered at his words. “What… what do you mean?”
“I told you it wasn’t a real dance competition. I warned you about the kind of people they are and the kind of games they play. I told you to stay away. But you never listen to me,” he said sharply.
I shook my head in disbelief. “That’s impossible. Then why didn’t Lucas explain this to me beforehand?”
“Open your eyes. Everyone knew the rules except for you. Anna, when will you finally learn to listen to me?” he said, the sound hollow and tired.
“You need to learn your lesson.” His final words were a sharp, cold blade.
My fingers dug into his arm as I stared him down. “You’re… you’re a monster!”
I was suddenly filled with regret for ever agreeing to become his secret lover.
All his previous gentleness had been an act, masking a nature far more vicious and cruel than I ever could have imagined.
I couldn’t understand his rage. I hadn’t done anything wrong; I was only trying to earn my own way, using the skills I possessed. It wasn’t a betrayal.
A sense of profound injustice overwhelmed me. I sobbed, my fists beating against his chest in a futile attempt to push him away until my cries were reduced to a raw, broken whisper.
Only then did he pull me tightly against him, his voice a low, dangerous growl in my ear. “Do you still dare to lie to me?”
I shuddered, shrinking into his embrace as I shook my head.
He kissed my tears away, his touch finally softening into something resembling tenderness.
But the damage was done. That night, a real and lasting fear of him took root in my heart. I could no longer connect him with the meek man in my memory, who had first come to live under our roof.
It was well past midnight before Charles finally spent himself and grew still.
Half–conscious and weeping, I felt his arms encircle me from behind.
When I tried to shift away, he simply gathered the successfully unlocked!ding me firmly in place.
I managed a weak murmur of protest, but my body had no strength left to resist. If he needed to hold me, I would just let
him.
I had finally learned my lesson about judging people by appearances. Charles, who seemed so proper and restrained during the day, was like a completely different person in bed.
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Chapter 21 He Came To Punish Me
*****
I woke up thirsty the next morning to find that Charles had already left.
Looking at the messy bed and remembering how rough he had been with me last night, I felt both angry and upset.
I got out of bed to get some water, but my legs were so weak that they immediately gave out beneath me, causing me to fall to the floor.
I sat there on the floor feeling completely helpless, and it took me quite some time before I could gather enough strength to get back up.
Just as I was sitting there, the door opened, and Charles walked in.
He was talking on the phone, likely with his first love, since his expression held a rare softness I’d never seen before.
His eyes briefly swept over me sitting on the floor before he looked away, his face showing no particular emotion.
Feeling completely exposed, I grabbed the comforter from the bed to cover myself.
He let out a quiet scoff as he took his suit jacket from the hanger and walked out without ever giving me another glance.
I dug my fingers into the carpet, overwhelmed by a deep sadness I couldn’t quite put into words.
After Charles left, I forced my sore body into the shower, though it did little to revive my energy.
Even after drinking plenty of water, my throat still burned terribly.
I wondered if I might be running a fever since my skin felt hot all over.
Remembering my father’s gambling debts, I quickly plugged in my dead phone so I could check with my brother about the situation.
When my phone finally turned on, I saw countless missed calls. Some were from late last night, while others were from early this morning.
The calls from late last night were from Charles, who had called several times right when that creepy guy was chasing me.
I frowned as a question suddenly came to mind–how did Charles happen to appear in that alley last night?
Between the fear, the anger, and how Charles had kept me up most of the night, I had completely overlooked this question. The thought that he might have been concerned enough to come searching for me specifically briefly crossed my mind, but I immediately dismissed the idea.
I convinced myself his intention wasn’t concern–he had only come to punish me for disobeying him and for my deception.
I told myself not to assume things that weren’t true, and after dismissing the thought, I began checking my brother’s missed calls.
He had been calling me since early this morning, trying to reach me multiple times.
Growing worried when I didn’t answer, he sent several texts asking where I was and if something had happened.
I quickly called him back..
My brother answered right away, his voice urgent. “Annie, are you okay? Why haven’t you been answering my calls?”
I gave a light laugh. “Everything’s fine. I fell asleep, and my phone died.”
He seemed to relax a little, but then he noticed the hoarseness in my voice. “You sound hoarse. Have you been crying?” “No, just a bit of a cold,” I replied casually.
“So was there some emergency last night when you called so late?” he suddenly asked.
I bit my lip, hesitating before quietly changing the subject. “What about Dad’s gambling debts?”
“Don’t worry. I’ve already put together over one million. I’ll find a way to get the rest,” he replied.
I was taken aback. “How did you get that much in just one day?”
After our family went bankrupt, no one would lend us money anymore, so there was no chance anyone would have just lent him that money.
I simply couldn’t figure out how my brother had managed to get that much money in just one day without borrowing it.
Just as I was puzzling over this, I faintly heard a woman’s voice coming through the phone saying, “lan, it’s time for your bandage change. You need to avoid getting out of bed for the next few days.”
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