Chapter 9
872words
Police.
Misappropriation of company funds.
These words explode like thunder in the room.
My heart sinks.
I had calculated everything.
But I never calculated that the 50 million Theodore used was directly transferred from the company account!
Of course.
He's the crown prince of the Winterbourne family, nobody would dare question him moving tens of millions around.
But this time is different.
Someone (like Chloe standing before us) has deliberately reported this to his father.
Redefining the "transfer" as "theft."
This is meant to destroy me.
"Theodore..."
Chloe, with reddened eyes, steps forward and grabs Theodore's arm.
"Your father is furious."
"He said if Ivy really stole it, he'll have her sent to a maximum-security prison, locked up until death."
"Go downstairs quickly and explain, just say... just say you were deceived by her!"
"As long as you say she stole your access key, you can clear yourself of any involvement!"
What a clever move to kill with a borrowed knife.
If Theodore just nods his head.
I would be completely finished.
I look toward Theodore.
He still maintains his position with his hand propped beside my ear.
In his deep eyes, emotions are churning.
He's weighing his options.
On one side is family pressure, reputation, and the perfect opportunity to send this scammer who made him seethe with hatred to prison.
On the other side is...
His medicine.
"Ivy."
Theodore suddenly speaks.
Completely ignoring Chloe, he instead looks down at me.
His fingers gently caress my chin.
"Are you afraid?"
I clench my teeth, trying not to let my body tremble.
"Yes, I am," I answer honestly, "but I didn't steal anything."
"I know you didn't steal it."
He smiles.
His smile carries a crazy, wicked air.
"You tricked me into transferring it."
"..." I stare at him.
"The police are downstairs," he whispers in my ear. "With just one word from me, you'll spend the rest of your life in prison."
"At that point, forget about the fifty million."
"You won't even get to see your gambling addict father one last time."
"Theodore!" I grab his arm. "What do you want?"
"Beg me."
He looks at me, his eyes filled with a malicious desire for control.
"Beg me using Siren's voice."
"Say you are mine."
"Say you can never leave me in this lifetime."
Chloe standing nearby is dumbfounded.
She probably thinks Theodore has gone mad.
At a time like this, he's actually flirting with this "thief"?
I close my eyes.
Take a deep breath.
Dignity?
In the face of freedom, dignity means nothing.
"Mr. M..."
I speak.
Siren's voice, with a hint of trembling, a touch of fragility, and enough dependency to drive a man crazy.
"Save me."
"I am yours."
"Don't let anyone else... take away your asset."
Theodore's pupils suddenly dilate.
His Adam's apple bobs violently.
This utterance is more powerful than last night's lullaby.
It directly pierces through his defenses.
He turns around abruptly.
Yanks his hand away from Chloe's grasp.
"Did you hear that?"
He looks at Chloe, his eyes cold as ice.
"Who said she stole it?"
"That was pocket money I gave her."
Chloe is stunned: "What? But your father..."
"That's my money! I can give it to whoever I want!"
Theodore roars furiously, "If I spend fifty million to make my wife happy, it's none of the board's damn business!"
"Go down and tell those old fossils."
"If anyone dares to touch her, I'll burn the Winterbourne Tower to the ground!"
Chloe's face turns pale with fear.
She never expected this.
Theodore is actually willing to openly defy his family for this mute girl (or perhaps now, the goddess herself).
"What are you standing there for? Get out!"
Chloe stumbles out of the room.
The door isn't completely closed.
Theodore suddenly turns around and pushes me back onto the sofa.
His eyes are fierce, like a wolf guarding its food.
"Happy now?"
He grips my chin, with enough force to cause pain.
"I've protected you."
"But someone has to fill this fifty-million hole."
"Since it was my voluntary 'pocket money,' it can't be considered fraud anymore."
The smile at the corner of his mouth grows deeper and colder.
"But this money has become your personal loan."
"According to the Winterbourne family rules, personal loans have double the interest."
"Now, you owe me one hundred million."
I widen my eyes in disbelief: "You're extorting me?!"
"You can report it to the police."
Theodore shrugs his shoulders, looking completely shameless.
"Or go downstairs to confess to the police that you didn't borrow the money, but stole it."
"You..."
I'm trembling with anger.
Just out of the wolf's den, only to enter the tiger's lair.
That cry for "help" earlier didn't bring freedom; instead, it exchanged the iron bars of a life sentence for this madman's golden cage.
"Don't look at me like that."
Theodore lowers his head.
His ice-cold lips brush against my ear.
Sending a shiver through me.
"One hundred days is too short, Ivy."
"One hundred million."
"Just enough for you to sleep with me for a lifetime."
"From today on, don't think about escaping."
"Even if you die, you'll have to die in my bed."
