The man who once couldn't bear to see her in pain now only furrowed his brows in slight surprise, his eyes filled with cold indifference.
Just like back then, when he coldly agreed to let others cripple her hand.
Standing next to Ralph was Celeste.
Seeing her beautiful, sharp face, Rachel's pupils tightened. Memories flashed of Celeste smiling while others pulled out her nails one by one and broke her fingers inch by inch.
The pain... it was unbearable!
Rachel's body trembled violently.
Ralph and Celeste, these two were like her nightmares, haunting her from countless terrors. And now, they were right in front of her.
"Silas, whatever you want to do is your business. I have nothing to do with her," Ralph said, frowning with disgust.
Rachel felt a sharp pain in her chest.
Even though she had long given up on Ralph, hearing those words still hurt, a reminder of how misplaced her feelings were.
Rachel, what are you still hoping for?
Do you really expect someone to save you? she mocked herself silently.
Now, she could only rely on herself!
"Really? So, it doesn't matter if I do this to her?" Silas suddenly grabbed Rachel and dragged her to a small artificial pond nearby. He shoved her head into the water hard.
Instantly, icy water rushed into Rachel's mouth and nose, filling her with a suffocating feeling that overwhelmed her whole body.
Silas seemed to be venting the frustration he'd held since Ralph beat him because of Rachel.
He kept dunking her head into the water, taunting, "Rachel, I want to see who'll save you now."
"Ralph, Jeffrey is still waiting for us. It's not good to keep him waiting," Celeste's voice drifted faintly to Rachel's ears.
"Alright," Ralph replied coldly.
That single "alright" was just like when Celeste said she'd cripple Rachel's hand and Ralph responded the same way.
So casually, they could throw someone into the depths of despair.
The suffocation grew stronger. Rachel didn't even have the strength to struggle anymore.
Would she die here? She hadn't died in prison, but now she might die here!
And who would come to save her?
Probably... no one.
Once, twice, the cold water swallowed her head repeatedly. The sound of her being dunked echoed, but no one moved to stop it.
Celeste, arm in arm with Ralph, walked slowly toward the stairs.
The corner of her eye caught a glimpse of Rachel being treated like a lifeless object, and a satisfied smile spread across her crimson lips.
There was no one here to save Rachel.
Even if she didn't die, she'd be left with barely half a life.
"Enough! Bring that woman up here!" Suddenly, a commanding voice rang from the second floor.
"That voice...?" Celeste looked up in disbelief. A tall figure stood by a pillar, his incredibly handsome face now showing rare anger.
It was Jeffrey. And the direction he was looking, he was staring right at Rachel!
Celeste couldn't believe her ears.
Jeffrey wanted to see Rachel?
Being part of the Howard family, she knew well that Jeffrey wasn't particularly fond of her sister.
He chose her simply because she was suitable to be the mistress of the Gray family.
At her sister's funeral, he had been indifferent, like her sister's life and death didn't matter to him at all.
Sometimes, Celeste wondered what it would take to make this man show any real emotion.
Now, she saw it, a flicker of anger on his handsome face, something she had never seen before.
But was it because of Rachel? That woman who was as insignificant as an ant?
She turned to look at Ralph beside her and saw the same disbelief in his eyes.
Standing next to Jeffrey, Finn quickly responded, "Yes, sir." Was Master Jeffrey angry? Finn's heart skipped a beat. Anyone who saw Master Jeffrey angry would never want to see it again.
But then Jeffrey's voice rang out again, "Forget it. Go handle it. It's too noisy!"
Finn nodded and hurried away.
Rachel felt like she had just heard Jeffrey's voice. But Jeffrey's voice was always calm, never touched by the anger she had just heard.
Jeffrey... Jeffrey... His cold yet angelic face flashed through her mind. If she really died, would Jeffrey be sad?
Just as Rachel felt she was about to pass out from lack of air, the grip on her neck suddenly loosened. She collapsed to the ground, gasping for fresh air.
Silas was already pinned to the ground by two security guards in club uniforms, looking totally defeated.
More guards gathered around, forming a tight circle. Despite Jeffrey's earlier scolding, Silas hadn't taken it seriously. He never imagined the voice belonged to Jeffrey, a man who could sway all of Shen City.
At that moment, a high-ranking manager of the club hurried over.
"Manager Yoder, what are you saying? Tell them to let me go!" Silas demanded. His family owned shares in the club, making him one of the bosses, which explained his arrogance.
But Manager Yoder didn't even look at Silas. He walked straight to Rachel and respectfully said, "Miss, you can leave now."
Everyone was stunned, especially Silas.
"Manager Yoder, what are you talking about? She's just a cleaner. I didn't say she could leave. Why should she—"
"This is Master Jeffrey's order. Master Jeffrey doesn't like being disturbed," Manager Yoder replied.
The mention of "Master Jeffrey" sent a shiver down Silas's spine. In Shen City, "Master Jeffrey" referred to only one person, Jeffrey!
Could the man who scolded him earlier really be Master Jeffrey?
"Master Jeffrey? How could Master Jeffrey stand up for this woman? She... she was the one who caused the accident that killed Master Jeffrey's fiancée!" Silas couldn't believe it.
But Manager Yoder's serious expression left no doubt. Even Rachel was surprised.
The person who saved her this time was Jeffrey? It felt like a cruel joke.
Rachel gathered her torn clothes, stood up awkwardly, and hurried away. She didn't notice the gaze from the second floor that followed her every move.
Jeffrey watched Rachel's retreating figure intently.
She was supposed to be just a plaything, but why did seeing her treated this way make him feel so uncomfortable?
Was it because, even if she was just a game, he wouldn't let anyone else touch her?
If she was going to be tormented, it would be by him and him alone, no one else!
After a moment, he turned and walked away.
Not far off, Ralph watched Rachel's retreating figure with a thoughtful look. Beside him, Celeste bit her lip in frustration. Rachel had really gotten lucky. Silas, that idiot, couldn't he have been quieter? Did he have to disturb Jeffrey?
But then, someone unexpected appeared.
Finn, Jeffrey's personal assistant.
"Assistant Khan!" Manager Yoder greeted respectfully.
Finn looked at Silas like he was looking at a dead man.
This guy had picked the worst person to mess with, someone Master Jeffrey was interested in. It was pure coincidence that Master Jeffrey happened to be at the club and saw the whole scene.
Finn turned to the security guards and said, "Do to him exactly what he did earlier."