When I was on the brink of starvation after losing my job, my proud and scheming ex, Alexander Jones, suddenly showed up and tied me to his side. He looked at me with red eyes and told me I couldn’t leave, but inside, I was thrilled.

　　I mean, come on, this way, I could retire early and live a relaxed life, with Alexander’s chiseled abs to touch and his handsome face to kiss every day. This was beyond anything I’d ever dreamed of.

　　I wasn’t scared of him losing it. Honestly, I could out-crazy him any day, leaving him totally helpless. Now, he locks the bathroom door every time he showers, terrified I might sneak in and ambush him. Oh, he was really not very generous.

　　It was almost New Year’s, and I’d been unemployed for three months. My days were spent at home watching videos and eating instant noodles, and my mental state was completely shattered.

　　People’s priorities change. I used to dream of getting rich, but now I just wanted to get by. There are so many rich people in the world; why couldn’t I be one of them?

　　I was eating instant noodles, staring at the sky at a 45-degree angle, hoping my knight in shining armor would suddenly appear and shower me with money.

　　Instead, everything went dark. I thought the power went out, but after struggling, I realized I was in a sack. I knew it, the whole world had abandoned me, but human traffickers would always pick me.

　　I took a breath and fainted. That sack was pretty high-tech; one cover over my head, and I was out!

　　When I woke up, my head was spinning, and my body felt weak. I opened my eyes and found myself lying on a bed, unable to move my arms and legs. I tried to move my right hand and found a large silver chain on my wrist.

　　Wow, it looked pretty nice.

　　Right away, a bold guess popped into my mind. Could this be platinum?

　　I got excited and lifted my hand to take a closer look. The chain’s quality was really good. I tapped it with my finger, and the sound was dull, not crisp.

　　Oh my! This chain was likely 80% platinum, which meant the person who tied me up was not only rich but also a bit crazy. Who uses a platinum chain to bind someone? Is this some kind of industry competition?

　　The door to the room opened, and I turned my head to see a slim, handsome figure walk in. I squinted my eyes, judging silently. This guy’s waist was well-trained; hugging him would definitely feel good.

　　When he turned around, I saw a familiar face. It was my old ex!

　　We had been together for years, and he wouldn’t let me touch or kiss him, leaving me so frustrated I practically got mouth sores without getting any closer to him. I really liked him, but our families weren’t compatible, and he was a bit nuts—seriously, he had mental issues and had even been to the hospital for it.

　　I worked and endured him standing by my bed in the middle of the night, staring at me until I almost had a nervous breakdown. So, we broke up.

　　Now, he walked over slowly, sat by the bed, and brought a cup of water to feed me. I obediently drank it, and when I didn’t speak, he pressed my head tightly against his abs, trembling as he said, “Don’t think about leaving me, Olivia. You can’t do this to me.”

　　Who knows what he was thinking, but his tone grew even crazier. “Don’t hate me. We’ll be together forever like this, with no one else. Even if we die, you won’t leave me.”

　　I pushed him away and freed myself from his embrace, gasping for fresh air. Alexander’s eyes were red, and he looked at me helplessly as I caught my breath.

　　I looked up at him, shocked. “Alexander, you’ve got some twisted game going on here, huh?”

　　Back when he was all innocent, I probably would've turned into a desperate girl right on the spot. But now, he just stood there with a blank face, giving me this creepy smile that sent chills down my spine.

　　As he talked, he kissed me and said, “I have so many secrets you don’t know about.”

　　All I could think was—did he take a flirting class while I was gone? How did he get so good at this?

　　That night, I had a nightmare. In my dream, Alexander stood by my bed with that eerie smile.

　　This was day five of my captivity. My temperature was normal, my mood was surprisingly good, and I was adapting really well. For lunch, I had steak, top-quality marbled beef, and some hearty soup. This was way better than instant noodles!

　　In romance novels, the heroine would be miserable and desperate to escape. But here I was, actually enjoying myself. Maybe it’s because I’ve never had it good, so this felt like a luxury.

　　I wasn’t planning on escaping. Life was a mess anyway, and I figured I’d just go with the flow.

　　The chain on my wrist had been removed, but I still had one on my ankle. It was long enough to let me move around the room freely. I actually kind of liked this chain. Alexander promised to give it to me, and I was thrilled.

　　After eating, I wandered around. I wanted to see if Alexander was secretly listening to sad songs behind my back. I kicked open the bathroom door, and there he was, a bubbly figure hiding behind the curtain. Startled, he quickly pulled it closed.

　　It was Alexander. He yelled, “Olivia, why didn’t you knock before coming in?”

　　I shot back, “Did you give me a heads-up before putting me in that sack? Don’t expect me to knock. Ever heard of 'do unto others as you would have them do unto you'?”

　　He was speechless and went back to showering. I hummed a song, feeling smug. I teased him, “Hey, you can’t catch me. I’m really happy with your physique, keep it up!”

　　After I left, I heard a loud crash in the bathroom. Oh no, did I just piss off my sugar daddy? He’s the one taking care of me, after all.

　　What if he realized I was a greedy, freeloading brat and decided to kick me out? Where would I go then?

　　I started to panic and kept an eye on the bathroom door. After a while, he came out, toweling his hair with a cold expression.

　　I immediately acted like a loyal servant, grabbed the towel, and sat him down on the couch for a full-on salon blow-dry. I was extra careful, not wanting to mess with his already sour mood.

　　As I ran my fingers through his soft hair, my heart softened a bit. He used to dry my hair for me.

　　Suddenly, he spoke, “Olivia, cut the tricks. Whether you try to piss me off or use kindness, it won’t work. I’m never letting you go. Unless I die, you’re stuck with me forever.”

　　It took me a moment to process his words. So, he still loved me, huh? He wasn’t going to kick me out.

　　I was so happy I put down the hairdryer, bent down, and kissed him on the cheek. “I love you! I adore how obsessed you are with me. Don’t worry, I’m not going anywhere as long as the good food keeps coming!”

　　Alexander, who was usually calm and composed, suddenly blushed. His cheeks turned a deep shade of red.

　　I playfully pulled out a mirror and held it up to him. “Well, look at you! You were so confident a moment ago, and now you’re all bashful?” I teased.

　　Alexander’s face turned even redder. He grabbed the mirror from me and tried to act cool. “Cut it out with the games. I’m not falling for it.”

　　I couldn’t help but chuckle to myself.

　　I always managed to live a carefree life, filling my days with fun and relaxation. Alexander’s stubborn insistence on keeping me here added a bit of boredom to my otherwise comfortable routine.

　　But I didn’t expect things to take an unexpected turn so soon.

　　That night, I lay alone in bed, struggling to sleep. Alexander was off somewhere and hadn’t returned to keep me company. I secretly planned to throw a fit tomorrow, to play hard to get and remind him how important I was.

　　Just as I was fuming, the door creaked open. I thought it was him and turned away, not wanting to give him an easy time.

　　Then I heard a woman’s voice. “Olivia! Hey! Wake up!”

　　Startled, I sat up and saw a woman I didn’t recognize rushing toward me, trying to unlock the chain on my ankle.

　　She was panicked. “I know he’s keeping you here. I’m here to help you escape. We need to move quickly; he’ll be back soon.”

　　How could I explain that I wasn’t really looking to escape? But her urgency got to me, and I started to feel anxious too.

　　Once the chain was off, she grabbed my hand and tried to pull me along. I shook her off briefly, wrapped up the chain, and took it with me before following her. She gave me a puzzled look but didn’t argue, considering the situation was tense.

　　We slipped through the night, passing room after room, crossing garden after garden, and seeing villa after villa.

　　Feeling a bit dazed, I asked, “How big is this place? Is it an estate?”

　　She seemed confused by my question but nodded.

　　I always knew Alexander was wealthy, but I hadn’t realized just how rich he was. My steps grew hesitant.

　　Noticing my hesitation, she urged me, “Just a little further, and we’ll be out of here.”

　　Suddenly, a cold voice cut through the air. “Where do you think you’re going?”

　　Her grip tightened on my hand. Seeing Alexander, she didn’t back down. She confronted him, “Alexander, what have you become? What are you trying to do?”

　　Alexander ignored her, his gaze sharply fixed on me. He asked in a low, menacing tone, “Olivia, I’m asking you one more time. Where do you think you’re going?”

　　I knew this was a sign of his anger and lowered my head, feeling guilty.

　　Alexander’s voice was icy and piercing. “Get out of here if you’re not involved! I won’t say it again.” The threat was clear without words.

　　The woman stood her ground in front of me, and I was genuinely moved. She said, “Alexander, I didn’t want to get involved, but you’re willing to break off our engagement for her. Are you really going to ruin years of friendship between our families for this woman?”

　　Her eyes were full of affection for him.

　　So, she was trying to get me out of the way to win Alexander for herself?　　She turned to me with a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry. I’ll get you out of here.”

　　Her intentions were pretty clear.

　　Alexander, growing increasingly impatient, had someone pull her away and then walked toward me with a measured pace.

　　I managed a nervous smile, realizing things were about to get worse.

　　Just then, police sirens blared, and everyone’s attention shifted to the woman.