While I was waiting for his next move with my eyes narrowed, he lowered his head and snickered for some reason. In the next second, he spun around and strode toward the hospital lobby.
At that instant, I lost control of my body.
“Stop!” I roared, urging the chauffeur to stop the car. Getting out of the car at lightning speed, I sprinted toward Nathaniel as though I had lost my mind. Before he could enter the hospital, I blocked his path, holding my arms wide open.
Nathaniel’s gaze brimmed with amusement as though he was looking at his favorite toy. As our gazes locked, stark fear enveloped me.
“I’ll put my life on the line and kill you if you make a move against John again!” I had no idea where my courage came from. All I knew was that I had to say something to stop him from getting anywhere near the person closest to me.
At that, the mirth in his eyes intensified. He looked down at me with the gaze of a victor. The look in his eyes made it clear that he was an experienced hound, while I was merely a newly weaned puppy. A threat from the weak was only a clown fooling around, so it posed no danger to him.
Anyhow, I’ve got nothing other than this life of mine! This is all I have. Even if it’s futile, I’ll still try and give it my all!
“Why would I want your life?” Nathaniel schooled his expression, his voice turning a tad indifferent that his emotions were indiscernible. “Can we leave now?”
My hands reflexively clenched into fists. Argh! He’s really a b*stard through and through!
Alas, I had no other choice. I couldn’t allow anyone else to get hurt anymore before I knew what other tricks he had up his sleeve.
I clenched my jaw hard before I finally yielded and stalked toward the Lincoln.
As soon as I sat down, Nathaniel got in as well.
After closing the door, the chauffeur promptly started the engine and drove away from the hospital.
The irritation within me made it so that everything grated on my nerves. What’s the use of having a long car? It still moves like a snail in the city area, wasting time on commute!
Every second I spent with Nathaniel made me exceedingly uncomfortable, and I only hoped the horrible drive would end as soon as possible.
The car left the city center and drove to an abandoned factory in the outer suburbs.
The place was dozens of kilometers away from the city center, so there were no signs of anyone living nearby. The four-story abandoned factory was the size of roughly three football fields. When the wind swept past, the sound echoed everywhere.
After getting out of the car, Nathaniel headed straight in, not at all bothered about whether I was following him.
The so-called road was also a small path with flattened weeds from repeated walking. It was just the right size for a person. As I was wearing high heels, I struggled to walk. In no time, the distance between us grew.
Fortunately, he merely stopped at the neighboring building and went no further.
The floor structure of the building was circular, with a massive space in the middle, allowing one to look right down and see the situation below. Nathaniel stood at the very edge as he gazed down.
As I headed in his direction from the landing, my eyes narrowed, and I imagined a sudden gust of wind sweeping past and knocking him down. It doesn’t matter whether he dies right away or becomes crippled, for everything would then end!
“Falling from such a height won’t result in death.” Nathaniel had his back to me, yet he saw right through me.
My steps halted, and I stopped a meter away from him. “Don’t be so sure of that.”
If he were to fall head down, he’d end up in a vegetative state even if he didn’t die. There’s no doubt about that.
Nathaniel didn’t bother pursuing that matter. Instead, he calmly changed the subject. “I’ve got some good news for you. Anthony has been searching for Joseph since last night.”
Indeed, that’s good news for me. But why would he possibly be so kind to tell me that? Could it be that he discovered that Anthony still has a trace of humanity left, so he came up with an even more twisted way to torture us?
“However, he also took quite a lot of ice from me,” Nathaniel added before I could respond.
What does that mean? Does Anthony want to give the drugs to Joseph personally? But that will only make things worse for him, no?
Before I could say anything, the sound of a car engine sounded from the ground floor of the building, followed by a flurry of footsteps.
A few seconds later, a man in a black suit and leather shoes was tossed onto the ground from outside, causing dust to fly all over the place.
A tall figure blocked the man’s body, but the figure in the shadows soon entered our lines of sight.
Only after I had made out Anthony’s familiar features did I belatedly realize that the person who was flung in earlier was likely Joseph.
Taking a closer look proved my guess right. However, Joseph was trembling all over, his face rapidly losing color. He was a strong man who could usually go against five men at once, but he didn’t even have the strength to get to his feet right then. Hugging himself sickly, he curled into a ball on the ground. His eyes were so sunken that only the whites seemed to remain. On the whole, his condition was so pathetic that nausea would set in at a single look.
In the blink of an eye, Joseph got addicted to drugs. His eyes abruptly popped open, and he trembled even more violently. As he began sniffling all the faster, he lost his mind completely. Disregarding the suit he was wearing, he rolled on the ground agonizingly like a dog and begged for his next hit like the tens of thousands of addicts out there.
“Give it to me… Boss, please give me some ice! I can’t take it anymore! I’m going to die! I really can’t hold out any longer… I’ve done so many things for you, Anthony! Are you just going to watch me die?”
Not in the least bit affected by the heart-wrenching scene before him, Anthony merely watched as Joseph was all covered in dust before he drawled, “Of course not.”
After saying that, he took out a packet of ice from his pocket and threw it at the person on the ground. It hit Joseph’s face hard before bouncing onto the dusty floor.
The instant Joseph saw it, his eyes lit up as though he was a dog that had been starving for days and had finally found food. He excitedly yet carefully hid it in his arms, afraid that someone would snatch it away.
Watching his reaction coldly, Anthony strolled over and slowly crouched before him. In a voice as calm as ever, he asserted, “Be my dog, and you’ll get however much ice you want. Do you understand me?”
What? A dog is merely a creature with no dignity or spine. It carries out its master’s commands as it obeys anyone who feeds it! They’re close friends who have been through thick and thin, yet Joseph deserves to be doomed forever in Anthony’s eyes now just because he offended Rylee once and brought him trouble?
I couldn’t fathom Anthony’s thoughts, but I instinctively frowned. That packet of ice is enough to kill Joseph!
In the beginning, Joseph was still immersed in his delight for having obtained “food.” When he realized what Anthony wanted him to do, he suppressed the effects of the drugs and gaped at the man in disbelief, his entire being exuding defiance.
He’s the head of the family with a wife and children pinning their hopes on him, an outstanding man with a higher IQ and EQ than the average person! How could he possibly live like a dog? Although he has already behaved in such a manner just now, Anthony shouldn’t be taking advantage of him at this time, not even giving him any room to breathe. He’ll drive him crazy!
Despite three floors separating us, their confrontation on the concrete floor far beneath my feet seemingly had the temperature around me plummeting.
It was rare to find someone who could resist Anthony’s terrifying pressure. After two minutes of silence, a teary-eyed Joseph finally gritted his teeth and gave a dip of his head.
No one could comprehend the immense pressure that he was feeling at that moment. His body had surrendered although his pride did not allow it.
“Very well,” Anthony said plainly. “Clean yourself up and go plead Ms. Lorraine for forgiveness.”
Joseph was no longer the same person as before. With an indifferent expression, he got up holding the ice in his hands. He knelt in front of Anthony, hung his head low, and said in a low voice, “I’ll take care of it, Mr. Featherstone. Thank you for bringing me these.”
Lowering his gaze and as if he was omnipotent, Anthony stood up and said impatiently, “This is the first and also the last time. If this happens again, I’m sure you know what the consequences are.”
At that moment, I felt as if I saw Nathaniel in him.
Despite being the one responsible for destroying everything, he behaved as if he was a god who had come to save the weak.
“I do.” Joseph looked as though he had aged by two decades. Gasping for breath weakly like an old man, he stared listlessly at the muddy ground in front of him. “I will become your most impressive dog.”
“Enough!” I could no longer stand the sight of it. I sprinted downstairs and before anyone realized what was going on, I swung my hand and gave Anthony a slap. “You b*stard!”
Somehow, Anthony had become quick-tempered. The slap seemed to have awoken the rage in him. As he stared at me with his burning eyes, the throbbing veins on his face seemed to presage that he was about to explode.
I was afraid that he would break ties with me and completely change into another person because of that. After all, I was not emotionally prepared for it.
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.
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