Chapter 4The Billionaire Who Felt My Pain

When Ethan saw Grandma's condition on the screen, he reached out to grab Lindsay's phone.

"Lindsay Lin, you're fucking insane! Illegal detention is a serious crime! If you let her go now, I can still plead for leniency on your behalf. Otherwise, you'll never get out of prison in this lifetime!"

Lindsay dodged sideways and directly hit the call button, putting it on speakerphone.

The tattooed man's careless voice immediately came through:

"Boss Lindsay, what's the call? Should we pull the tube now?"

Lindsay lifted her chin and glanced at me, her eyes full of viciousness:

"Lydia Carter, you heard him. I'm counting to three. If you don't kneel, I'll have them pull the tube right now."

"Three."

"Two."

All the strength drained from my body instantly.

Grandma's coughing came through the speaker, hoarse like a broken bellows.

I couldn't lose her.

My knees went soft. I dropped straight to the ground.

Lindsay's voice stopped mid-count. Then she burst into triumphant laughter.

"Well, well, how obedient. Now slap yourself. Ten times. One less doesn't count."

Ethan frantically tried to pull me up:

"Miss Carter, don't kneel! Mr. Ashford will be here any minute! I've already sent people to rescue your grandmother!"

His phone in his pocket vibrated like crazy. Gideon Ashford's name flashed urgently on the screen.

Just as he was about to answer, Lindsay kicked his wrist. The phone smashed to the ground with a crack. The screen went black.

"Mr. Ashford this, Mr. Ashford that. All you talk about is Mr. Ashford. When Gideon gets here, I'll have him kill you first."

Lindsay sneered and tilted her chin at me:

"Hurry up and slap yourself. Don't waste time. My patience is limited."

I bit my lip and raised my hand to slap myself.

"SLAP." The first strike. I heard the surrounding discussions explode.

"SLAP." The second strike. Lindsay laughed even harder: "Harder! Did you not eat?"

People around pulled out their phones to secretly record. Some shook their heads. Some said I deserved it.

The third strike. The fourth strike.

...

By the tenth strike, blood flowed from the corner of my mouth. It ran down my jawline and dripped onto my white hoodie, spreading into a large, glaring red stain.

I braced myself against the ground, gasping for breath. My vision was already blurring. My heart hurt with every beat, like someone was stabbing it with a knife.

"Not bad. Very obedient."

Lindsay nodded with satisfaction and pulled a box cutter from her bag. She flicked it open with a "click" and threw it on the ground in front of me.

"Now, cut up your face. The worse you cut it, the better. If I'm satisfied, I'll let your grandma go."

I stared at the box cutter. My fingers trembled violently.

If I just cut myself, Grandma could live.

Seeing me hesitate, Lindsay frowned and kicked my arm:

"Hurry up! What are you dragging your feet for? If you don't do it now, I really will pull the tube!"

"What, can't bear to ruin that face? Still want to use it to seduce men, huh?"

I gritted my teeth and reached for the box cutter.

The moment the cold blade touched my fingertips, all the grievance, despair, and fear surged up at once. My vision went black. My emotions crashed to the breaking point. Tears mixed with blood fell. I could barely breathe.

Just as I gripped the box cutter and was about to cut my face, a thunderous roar suddenly came from the hallway entrance.

"STOP!"

Everyone turned to look.

I also lifted my head. Through my blurred vision, I saw Gideon Ashford standing in the sunlight.

His usually meticulously combed hair was a mess. His usually ice-cold face was now covered in tear stains. His eyes were red as if they'd bleed. Tears fell one by one. His lips were white without a trace of color.

The area instantly fell silent as death.

When Lindsay saw Gideon's tear-stained face, she thought he'd heard she was being bullied and was crying out of heartache.

"Gideon!"

She rushed over in her stilettos, her voice sickeningly sweet.

"You're finally here! This woman conspired with Ethan to bully me. Quick, teach her a lesson for me!"

Her outstretched hand didn't even touch the hem of Gideon's clothes before he dodged sideways.

Gideon didn't spare her a single glance. He walked straight to me and crouched down.

His fingertips carefully tucked a blood-stained strand of hair behind my ear.

I stared at his reddened eyes, looking at the tear tracks on his face—those were the result of my desperate emotions transmitted to him and amplified a hundredfold.

"Gideon Ashford, tell your first love..."

"If I collapse... what will happen to you?"