I was dressed in a solid-colored spaghetti strap dress, seated in the luxurious Cullinan of my top supporter from the livestream, feeling a wave of unease wash over me.

For some reason, the driver in front seemed oddly familiar.

The car stopped in front of a residence at Peninsula Mansion.

A woman in her thirties opened the door for me and guided me to a study on the second floor.

I pushed the door open and stepped inside.

"Mr. Brown, are you there?" I asked softly.

The room was dimly lit, and I could only make out a shadowy figure standing by the window.

The air was thick with the mingling scents of perfume and musk, the very fragrance I had once told him was my favorite.

"Hmm."

The man's voice was low and indifferent.

After livestreaming for so long, this was my first offline meeting, and my palms were already slick with sweat.

"Mr. Brown, what are we going to do today?" I asked.

In just three months of livestreaming, he had already gifted me over a million.

This time, he had taken the initiative to meet me, and I instinctively understood what was about to unfold.

The man turned around, his long fingers hooking under my chin.

Although I couldn't see his face clearly, I could sense the smooth contours of his features.

My body leaned closer to him involuntarily.

Suddenly, the lights flickered on.

The brightness was blinding, and by the time I could see the man clearly, my pupils dilated in shock.

It was my direct supervisor, Ethan Brown!

Fortunately, I always went to the office without makeup, dressed in sportswear and glasses.

With hundreds of people in the company, unless they were close friends, it was impossible to connect me with an online dance livestreamer.

Ethan's cold, desire-filled gaze was locked onto me.

"Rose, you look beautiful in that outfit," he said.

Rose was my online name.

Thankfully, he didn't recognize me.

Ethan's calloused hand gripped my shoulder tightly.

I had never had much physical contact with men, and even the slightest touch sent waves of nervousness through me.

My body felt weak.

My unusual reaction caused a flicker of darkness in Ethan's eyes as he slowly turned my body around.

"Do you see?" he asked.

The study was spacious, with walls covered in countless photos of me!

Not just from my livestream dances, but also from shopping and dining...

I snapped back to reality, my scalp tingling with shock.

Ethan was not the gentleman he appeared to be. Behind the scenes, he was a voyeur.

A complete creep!

My body began to tremble involuntarily as I took deep breaths, forcing myself to calm down.

I needed to get out of here quickly!

"Rose, what are you afraid of?" Ethan asked.

I felt like I was about to collapse; my legs had no strength.

Looking into his smiling eyes, which concealed darker intentions, I forced myself to say, "Mr. Brown, you're overthinking it. It's a bit stuffy here. Let's talk outside."

I struggled to break free from Ethan's embrace, but as I stepped away, my legs gave out, and I collapsed to the floor.

Ethan slowly walked in front of me and crouched down.

He gently caressed my cheek as if I were a rare treasure. "Don't be afraid, sweetheart."

I choked on my words, unable to speak. My body felt powerless, and my eyelids grew heavier.

Eventually, I fainted.

In my dream, I felt something warm and wet moving over my body repeatedly.

I desperately tried to escape, but found my limbs tightly restrained and unable to move.

I suddenly woke up.

I realized that everything that had just happened was not a dream!

My wrists and ankles were bound, and my clothes had been removed, replaced with a pure white silk nightgown.

The door swung open.

Ethan adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses and wheeled in a cart.

The aroma of steak wafted from the cart, causing me to involuntarily swallow.

He noticed my small reaction and leaned in to gently tap my nose.

"Are you hungry?"

His smiling eyes, which once seemed warm, now felt terrifying.

I shrank back, trying to move.

The room was large, but all the doors and windows were locked.

I couldn't escape his control.

Ethan elegantly sliced the steak and brought it to my lips.

But I was too afraid to eat!

At that moment, my stomach growled inappropriately.

Ethan placed his hand on my belly.

With only a thin layer of fabric between us, I could clearly feel the calluses on his hand rubbing against my skin.

My voice tightened involuntarily as I said, "I'll eat!"

Ethan gently kissed the corner of my lips.

"That's more like it, good girl."

I had been trapped in Ethan's room for days.

He played with my phone and had the nerve to delete my video account.

I rarely lost my temper at Ethan.

"Ethan, how dare you delete my account!"

"You enjoy dancing for those men that much?" he retorted coldly.

He seized my neck and shoved me forcefully onto the bed.

His large hand fully encircled my throat.

I felt my breath grow shallow, my face flush, vision blurring.

Just before I lost consciousness, he finally released his grip.

Ethan tenderly caressed my bruised neck, reverently kissing the marks.

A stark contrast to his earlier brutality.

I shrank back in fear, terrified he might snap again.

Sensing my terror, he soothed.

"Don't be afraid, I'll make it up to you."

"Okay..." I replied.

He unbound my chains.

They had left deep, varied welts on my wrists.

He kissed my wounds with tenderness, but I felt only revulsion.

"Darling, I want to see you dance," he commanded.

With no room to resist, I silently withdrew my wrist and complied with his demand.

Normally, a mask would have helped, but now I wore only a delicate white silk robe.

Suppressing shame, I danced before him.

Ethan's hungry gaze devoured my every inch, branding me with his eyes.

Before the song ended, a phone rang.

I had no friends, kept to myself.

This first call since my captivity, I knew who it was!

An unknown number flashed.

"Don't answer!" I urged.

But Ethan had already picked up.

"Where've you been, you useless brat? No money in a week! Want me dead? I'll take your sister too!" My mother's voice screeched.

Then a child's cry, "Sis, help! It hurts!"

I clenched fists, forcing back tears.

My father cheated, my gambling-addicted mother.

I just wanted to escape with my sister.

But my meager salary barely sustained us.

I became a borderline streamer, quick money, especially with wealthy patron Ethan.

Ethan narrowed his eyes. "How much do you owe?"

"Who are you? No wonder that brat hasn't called—found someone! Just over 3 million..." Mother trailed off.

Before she finished, Ethan had located her account and transferred the funds.

Without waiting, he hung up.

Ethan kissed my tears away.

"Stay by me, no one will hurt you again."

Perhaps pitying my tragic life, he eased my restrictions.

Yet I still couldn't leave the villa.

I approached him. "Mr. Brown, I want to go out."

His glasses hid curious eyes.

Long fingers slid down my neck.

"Please me," he said.

Begging Ethan, I knelt before him, no other choice.

Finally, I got my wish.

My willingness must have thrilled him in a novel way.

He planned a month abroad, arranged security to take me to the city's swankiest mall.

In the designer dress he'd bought, flanked by sunglassed guards, I entered a store, hoping to borrow a phone.

And there, unexpectedly, was an uninvited guest.

It was Mason Taylor, my first love from college!

I'd thought I'd never see him again.

I clamped down hard on my lip, hoping this was my one shot to escape Ethan's clutches.

I briskly walked past Mason, praying he'd take the bait.

"Help me."

In a whisper, I pleaded.

Gambling everything on his response.

Miraculously, my risky move paid off.

Mason and I slipped into a store, him trailing behind.

The bodyguards relaxed, lulled by my lack of phone.

Mason yanked me into a fitting room.

This was my salvation.

"I'm trapped by Ethan. Can you get me out of here?" I begged.

Without prying, he simply said, "Wait."

He found a clerk to sneak us out through the staff exit.

Rushing through the parking garage, I feared being dragged back any second.

The moment I sat in the car, Mason leaned in close, his gaze turning sinister.

His bony fingers traced the marks on my neck.

"From Ethan?"

I was stunned that Mason knew!

But realistically, Ethan was the only one in this city with the clout to pull strings like this.

I nodded, then spotted the bodyguards sprinting towards us.

"We have to go, now!" I cried, clutching his arm.

"Beg me," he said calmly, buckling my seatbelt.

With no choice, I swallowed my pride.

"Mason, please. Save me."

He seemed delighted by my submission. "Zoe Smith, you're cutest when you obey."

I shrank back, gripped by dual terrors.

I couldn't possibly misinterpret Mason's intentions.

But I knew all too well what would happen if Ethan took me back.

The bodyguards neared as Mason's eyes flashed with malice.

He floored it, ramming them.

I stared in horror as he smiled, savoring the carnage.

Crimson blood splattered against the car window.

I stared in horror and turned to Mason.

He seemed unfazed, even wearing a satisfied smirk.

What a madman!

He hadn't changed at all!

We pulled up to a high-security building.

It was the apartment I used to share with Mason.

Jumping from one cage to another.

"Behave, and I won't restrict you. Consider yourself forgiven."

He purred, stroking my neck.

Mason seemed especially fond of my neck.

His fingers traced me like a prized possession.

Yet in the next moment, he would ruin it.

Mason gripped my shoulders in irritation, repeatedly biting into the red marks.

He was like a wild animal.

Only when he was satisfied that his marks covered the previous ones did he finally let go.

He licked the blood, whispering, "Scream if it hurts."

Having been with him for a year, I knew all of Mason's preferences by heart.

Obedience was my only option.

I mirrored his actions, biting into his shoulder and letting out a muffled sob.

Mason and I had been college sweethearts.

Soon I realized any man who touched me would be injured the next day.

My phone was synced to his, demanding 24/7 contact.

He'd threatened to keep me from my sister forever if I left.

I was terrified.

But there was hope - his mother would never accept a woman like me.

With her help, Mason was sent abroad. I escaped him.

Never imagined I'd see him again.

Scrolling his old tracking phone, I sat in the apartment.

He hugged me, laughing, "Mom's in the hospital. She can't help you now."

I averted my eyes guiltily.

He'd known all along.

But his mother was healthy.

She couldn't have fallen ill unless...

I swallowed my fear. "My bag's at the office. Can I get it? I won't run."

"Ethan's office?"

"He doesn't know me! I won't involve him!"

Mason's eyes glinted dangerously.

"Don't disappoint me."

In the dark, his gaze shone with predatory hunger - a viper's.