The world around her turned black. The only shred of light and warmth she had was the wedding ring on her fourth finger.
“Kendrick.”
‘I know that you’ll think of a foolproof plan to bring Ryan to justice.
‘I also know that you’ll definitely bring me home.’
“I’ll wait for you, Kendrick.”
Niamh looked at her wedding ring, the only shred of hope and light she had left.
Click.
The door to the room suddenly opened and Ryan walked in.
Seeing Niamh standing in the corner having not bathed or changed yet, Ryan frowned before it dawned on him.
He slowly walked toward the showcase in the room and picked the mini camera out of a soft toy. Then, he crushed the camera in front of Niamh.
“Will you change your clothes now?” He saw through Niamh’s concern at that moment. “I’m not going to watch you change. I don’t have such a kink.”
He slowly walked toward Niamh.
Shrinking into the corner, Niamh leaned backward with water dripping from her pale face.
Ryan stood before her and reached out to hold her chin. “You’ll be mine sooner or later, Eveline. You don’t have to worry about me invading your privacy since you have none as far as I’m concerned.”
He leaned over for a kiss, but Niamh pushed him away. Picking up the clothes from the bed, she ran into the bathroom.
She took a quick shower and changed, then wrapped herself tightly with the towel before she walked out.
Niamh thought that Ryan would have left already, so she was surprised to see the man sitting by the bed, waiting for her when she returned.
Her footsteps halted and she subconsciously turned to run away from the man.
Ryan looked up at Niamh and patted the space beside him. “Come sit.”
Tightening the towel around her, Niamh slowly walked toward Ryan and took a seat.
Ryan suddenly reached out for a pair of scissors by his side and stretched his hand out to her.
Frightened, Niamh moved away out of instinct. “What more do you want?”
Ryan could not help but laugh at Niamh’s reaction. “Do you think that I’m going to kill you?” He smiled. “How could I possibly have the heart to hurt you?”
Did he not?
Niamh found Ryan’s claim ridiculous.
All this while, he had only been hurting her.
Ryan patted the same spot again, and his tone turned gentle when he spoke, “Come back and sit.”
Niamh looked at the pair of scissors in Ryan’s hand. She had no other choice but to listen.
Ryan leaned toward her just as she sat. He began to thread his fingers through her still-damp hair.
“You’ve been with Kendrick for so long. I’m sure the man loves you a lot with how he’s willing to give up his life for you.”
Niamh did not understand what Ryan was trying to say, but she could feel his fingers intertwining with the strands of her hair.
Disgust filled her. She wanted to escape, but all she could do was clench her firsts and force herself to ignore it.
“I’m sure he’ll be aware of your every detail then, with how much he loves you, hmm? For example, the mole on your left chest?”
Niamh’s complexion paled further.
She tightened her hold on the towel subconsciously, not knowing if Ryan had heard it somewhere or if he had seen it himself.
Ryan watched as unease flashed through Niamh’s beautiful eyes and lifted a lock of her hair with a smile. “You’re going to slowly distance yourself from Kendrick Waldburg starting from this moment. You’ll be mine and mine only, Mrs. Jones.”
He then lifted the pair of scissors and began to cut away at Niamh’s long hair.
The pair of scissors were sharp and Niamh’s inky locks split into two with a snip.
Her raven locks fell by her feet as if they were the ties that held her and Kendrick together.
Niamh could not stop him in time and she was left with hair that stopped before her collarbone.
“I wonder if Kendrick would be able to recognize you after you’ve changed your look?” Ryan smiled and threw the pair of scissors away before he called a maid over to blow Niamh’s hair dry.
Niamh sat blankly in place like a doll at the mercy of others.
Staring at the locks of hair around her, the slight flicker of light within her seemed moments away from being extinguished by Ryan.
Her sharp edges were slowly being sanded down by this devious and vile man.
…
The first thing Kendrick did once he got out of the hospital was contact the local IBCI quarters.
He had everything regarding Ryan pulled out and read them twice.
There was nothing wrong with Ryan’s background at all.
He was the son of a rich family in Glendale, an outstanding person from a good family background with a passion for drawing.
In one of Ryan’s high school essays, Kendrick realized that he spoke of a person—his grandfather.
Through the essay, Kendrick came to know that Ryan’s parents were often too busy to take care of Ryan, so he was brought up mainly by his grandfather alone.
His grandfather passed away 15 years ago and Ryan was dejected for a long time.
Kendrick remembered what Ryan said in the warehouse.
“Go home and ask that old man what he did back then.”
Was Grandfather involved in the death of Ryan’s grandfather?
Kendrick was quick to deny the thought.
He had grown up with Old Master Waldburg since he was young. Grandfather was always a kind and caring old man.
After the incident with Felipe, Old Master Waldburg had decided to spend the rest of his retirement in the village house.
Kendrick did not want to bother the elderly man from resting, but he refused to leave Niamh alone in danger.
He dialed Old Master Waldburg’s number and the call was picked up after a few rings.
“Kendrick.” Old Master Waldburg’s tone was light as if he had no idea what happened lately. “Why are you calling me instead of spending your free time taking Eveline and the kids to play?”
Kendrick could not even protect his wife now, let alone bring his wife and kids out to play.
“There’s something I’d like to ask, Grandfather.” Kendrick controlled his emotions and kept his tone calm.
Without hesitation, Old Master Waldburg asked in a gentle and kind tone, “What do you want to ask me?”
“It’s about the Jones family.”
Old Master Waldburg paused on the other end of the phone. “The Jones family? One of the four major rich families in Glendale, that Jones family?”
“Yeah,” Kendrick confirmed. “Did something happen between us Waldburgs and the Jones family? Do you perhaps know of their elder, the one who passed away 15 years ago?”
Old Master Waldburg paused for a few seconds.
Kendrick found the reaction to be unusual. “Grandfather?”
“Tell me first, Kendrick. Did something happen?” Old Master Waldburg asked instead.
Kendrick halted as unease prickled at the old master’s avoidance.
He did not want Old Master Waldburg to worry about the matters between him and Eveline anymore, but any extra day it took to placate the matter would be an extra day Niamh needed to suffer.
He would not let Ryan control her again.
Kendrick relayed the situation to Old Master Waldburg and he was shocked once he heard about it. “What? Jones’ grandson is holding Eveline and her parents captive?”
Jones?
Kendrick assumed that he was referring to Ryan’s grandfather. The way the old master called him sounded friendly, unlike what one would call their enemy or nemesis.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.