Chapter 1: One Night with the Creditor
On a cold night, the overtime work on Friday made the whole city look particularly deserted.
Claire Bennett was holding a pile of clearance goods, wearing a thin shirt and high heels, waiting for an online ride-hailing service on the roadside. The night was dark, the street lights were dim, and she was shivering from the cold.
Suddenly, a black car stopped in front of her with a screeching brake, and the water splashed from the wheels splashed all over her. Before she could get angry, the car doors opened and several men in black quickly stepped forward and held her down with clean movements.
Before she could even scream, her mouth was covered, blindfolded, and stuffed into the trunk. The car was bumpy all the way, her heart was pounding and she was sweating.
—It’s over, I’m afraid something will happen this time.
Her parents died young, her relatives were mean, and there was no one around her who could help her. If it’s a robbery, that’s fine, but if it’s...
She trembled at the thought of the worst possible scenario.
The car finally stopped. Someone dragged her out of the car and pushed her into a room. The blindfold was pulled off, and a dazzling light came on. The room was exquisitely decorated, but there was no familiar atmosphere, and the silence was chilling.
Suddenly, an anxious voice sounded in my ears—
“Claire, save me, you must save me this time!”
She turned her head sharply and saw the big screen on the wall light up. During the video call, a man tied to a chair was covered in blood, his face was pale, and his eyes were panicked.
“Otherwise...they will really kill me!”
That face was all too familiar to Claire Bennett - it was her fiancé, Ryan Cole.
“Ryan!” Her voice trembled, tears welling up in her eyes, “What should I do? As long as I can save you, I will do anything!”
They are childhood sweethearts who grew up together and have a deep relationship. I got engaged after graduation and only had one month left to get the marriage certificate. But now, he was tied up because of debts due to starting a business.
Ryan Cole panted and spoke quickly: “The creditor said that as long as you agree to... stay with him for one night, he will let me go. Claire, be obedient. This is for the future of both of us. Promise to her, okay?”
Claire Bennett was stunned, and her mind went blank.
—A night with him?
The video screen stopped abruptly. The room fell into dead silence.
She froze in place, her breathing ragged. At that moment, she could hardly believe her ears—
Ryan Cole, the man who said he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her actually pushed her into the abyss.
“Do you understand? Your man mortgaged you to me and spent one night to pay off the debt.”
Under the dim light, a tall man stepped out of the shadows.
Those cold blue eyes were like ice at night, exuding the aura of a hunter.
She walked closer and looked at Claire Bennett condescendingly. She gently lifted her chin with her fingertips, and said in a sarcastic tone: “Should you cooperate by yourself, or do you want me to do it?”
Claire Bennett suddenly raised her hand and threw it away, but was easily caught by the opponent. She was forced into a corner, with the cold wall behind her and the blurry face in front of her, with a shuddering breath.
She struggled desperately, but was restrained by the man. A corner of her collar was torn open, and she screamed, almost collapsing.
The man chuckled: “You made a good choice man.”
The sound almost made her tremble.
“Ryan Cole!” He looked up at the screen with a cold tone, “You just won’t come out?”
The signal on the screen flickered, but the figure of Ryan Cole disappeared.
Claire Bennett’s heart felt a little cold.
She never thought that the man who was gentle, considerate and obedient to her would push her into the abyss in a desperate situation.
Tears blurred her vision, and her voice was almost broken: “Please, let him go.”
The man sneered: “It depends on how you beg.”
He didn’t move anymore, but leaned down, close to her ear, and said in a low voice: “Sometimes, survival is more important than revenge. If you want to save her, just be obedient.”
Claire Bennett closed her eyes, the fear and humiliation in her heart almost tearing her apart.
That night, the lights flickered on and off, and the time stretched endlessly.
The wind outside roared and slapped against the window, and everything in the room became blurred in silence.
Claire BennettI don’t know how I survived, I just remember—
From that day on, she was never the same again.
When Claire Bennett was forced to face those blue eyes, there was a dead silence in her heart. That night, her dignity, trust and pride were completely shattered.
The next morning, when Adrian Sterling opened his eyes, there was no one beside the bed.
He snorted coldly - he was walking too fast.
If grandpa’s will hadn’t specified that he must marry a daughter of the Bennett family, why would he bother with a woman who had already been engaged?
But when he thought of the stubborn yet fragile figure last night, a hint of complexity flashed through his heart.
“Could she be looking for that man again?” She suddenly frowned and turned to her assistant: “When did Claire Bennett leave? Why didn’t anyone notify me?”
The assistant answered carefully: “Ms. Ye left before dawn, saying it was time... she took a taxi back to Ye’s house.”
“Don’t call her Ms. Bennett anymore,” Adrian Sterling said coldly, “Change her name to Madam. Get ready, the wedding will be held tonight.”
The will can no longer be postponed, and the strange pull last night also made him feel hard to calm down.
At this time, Claire Bennett was staggering back to Ye’s house despite being exhausted physically and mentally. She stayed up all night, her eyes showing weariness and panic.
She didn’t care about getting dressed, she just thought about--is Ryan Cole still waiting for her?
But when she opened the door to the second floor, the sound coming from inside the room made her freeze on the spot.
“Oh, this is my sister’s room, you are so bad.”
“Stop talking, you’re still wearing her wedding dress.”
Claire Bennett pushed the door open and saw Ryan Cole safe and sound, cuddling closely with her cousin Chloe Davis.
Ryan Cole’s face suddenly changed and he said in a panic: “Claire? Why...are you back so soon?”
Chloe Davis smiled sweetly and glanced at Claire Bennett coldly, “It seems that someone paid the price for you.”
Claire Bennett felt his chest was tight, had difficulty breathing, and his voice was trembling: “Ryan Cole, weren’t you kidnapped? That video...the blood stains...”
Ryan Cole avoided her gaze and said with a sneer: “I just exaggerated a little, because I was afraid you wouldn’t help.”
Chloe Davis smiled coldly: “Don’t blame Ryan, he just wants to solve the problem. Anyway... you have nothing to lose now.”
At that moment, Claire Bennett’s world completely collapsed.
She finally understood that the so-called kidnapping and rescue were all scams directed and performed by Ryan Cole.
He sacrificed her trust and innocence for a mere debt of 300,000 yuan.
What’s even more ironic is that he has already been secretly communicating with his closest cousin.
