Hope felt suffocated as soon as she heard his gibberish words. She's not a goddamn prostitute. For a moment, Hope was apprehensive, but she had to make amends. She'd better behave and negotiate with this piece of shit.

"I can't strip in front of you. How much more in front of all these people? But maybe I can serve you in another way. Please, forgive me."

Again, Tom pursed his mouth. However, one of his pesky members started to mock her.

"You hit our leader, and now you're acting cowardly? You only have two options to get out of this place and get that stupid forgiveness. Climb over, or you play a game with us. We will let you free if you have the guts to accept the challenge."

"What game? What do you mean?" Hope asked.

The only answer she got was a joyous scream from the crowd, indicating that they were aware of the game the guy was referring to. She could only hiss profanities at the back of her mind.

"This dumb would be the Apple carrier?!"

"No fucking way!"

"Set her in! This is going to be fun!" Another one from the crowd commented.

"I'm not putting my bet into that wench!"

"No. She's not worth it, anyway!"

"Yes, she is!" Tom stood up and grunted with great enthusiasm. "Bring that woman to me."

"Take your hands off of me! I can walk on my own." Hope shrieked. She was trying so hard to sound brave.

"Now, you must deal with the consequences of your actions." He laughed like a devil. She wanted to throw up in his face. "I have three tries. When I hit the apple, then you're free. If I don't, you sure know what would happen next." He continued.

The next thing she knew, she was already bound into a frame firmly attached to the wall. She felt like she was in a circus with an apple placed on her head. It was an absurd game on all levels! Hope gave her all to feign nervousness by acting cool in front of everybody. She was left with nothing but to fake it 'til she made it. She would not burst out crying in there and give them satisfaction.

'Fuck these creatures to hell!' She ought to herself as Tom threw the first dagger toward her. The blade almost hit her cheek, and her hair cascaded against her shoulders.

"That was close!" Tom squealed.

"Do it again! Do it again!"

"What? Do you want me to give her a cut?"

"Sure. That's better, boss!"

Tom pulled another piece and positioned himself to aim at the target. And when he released the blade, she did her best not to shut her eyes. She had to stay still and keep her acting natural, though, in reality, her insides were shaking in fear. Hope groaned inwardly just as the dagger went past her neck, scraping that sensitive part. She winced as she felt the searing pain again. Her eyes burned with tears, making her sight blurry. Yet, she still tried to contain herself.

"Please, stop this," Hope said, almost in a whisper.

"The little lamb is crying. That's what you get for aggravating me and entering the wolf's den." Tom burst into an evil laugh again. He was too adamant about punishing her.

To make the game more engaging, he initiated an insane suggestion. With that, he put on a blindfold before shooting another dagger. The motive was to scare the hell of her.

He was the game master and could play it even with closed eyes. It was the final blow, and the apple hit square, breaking into parts. Whereas Hope stayed still, the crowd roared in a boisterous chant.

The atmosphere became suffocating for Hope. People gathered around her like moths to the fire, took their mobile phones, and started to film her. She became a freaking show. The center of attraction. The entertainment.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Stan was with a group of friends in one of the VIP rooms on the third floor. He was fiddling with the cigarette between his fingers, and his expression was stoic. Stan was notorious for hiding his emotions, leaving him a mysterious impression.

"I heard you are going to the nightclub for the Williams Group?" Ashton Maxwell queried, grinning.

His voice was low yet controlled. "It's not certain yet."

"I can see that you're staying. What? Do you need to accomplish something here?"

Stan remained silent. He tapped the cigarette butt with his fingers, giving him a hard, serious look. Ashton was about to say something when they heard a loud thud followed by a scream. The guy was alarmed, but Stan kept his posture. He was so cool. He could freeze anything alive.

"What the hell was that? Is there an initiation happening somewhere?" Ashton kept on blabbering.

He then motioned for his bodyguard to check what was going on outside. Shortly, the bodyguard reentered and told them everything. With him was a phone.

"Look at what this jackass was doing to this girl. But why the hell engaged herself in this kind of game?"

"Give me that!" Ashton grabbed the phone and watched the video intently.

A gorgeous, youthful girl was standing behind a platform with an apple in her head as the target to be shot. And then his eyes shifted to the blindfolded man preparing to shoot arrows.

Shaking his head, Ashton cussed as he played it again. "Who the fuck organize this dangerous game?! They could kill this gorgeous lady in no time! Such beautiful DNA to lose."

"What happened?" The unbothered Stan dared to ask but didn't take a step forward.

Ashton handed him the phone. "Here. See for yourself."

Stan reached for the gadget and frowned once he saw the girl on the screen. He recognized that this was Hope Lancaster. The nerve of this girl to lie to him. She told him that she was here to attend a classmate's birthday party.

More so, he never knew someone not important would bother him—so much that it hurts.

Stan's lips pursed into a thin line. He was walking down memory lane as he recalled their conversation the last time they met. He was mad; he felt betrayed. Sure, he had no right to feel that way and should not be concerned about Hope. But he was undoubtedly worried about the young lady. With no preamble, he picked up his jacket and stood up.

"I'm going now," he said. He strode through the double brass doors in quick, long agitated strides.

"Where to?" Ashton curiously asked. "We're just getting started. Come on, don't spoil the mood."

Rolling his knuckles into balls, he answered, "I'm sorry, but I really have to go. There is something I need to work on with."

"Is that so? Okay, go fuck yourself somewhere. I'm gonna swim in these liquors until the moon falls and the sun rises."

Stan shot Ashton with a glare and left him in a flash. He dialed Hope's number and immediately hit the call button.

Meanwhile, at the entrance of Sybarite, Hope rested her back against the cold wall. She was damn exhausted from that stupid game of Tom. Pulling a deep breath, she closed her eyes, soothing and pacifying herself. Her phone kept ringing since earlier, but she was beaten to the nth level to even pick it up. Several dings and rings continuously passed before she dazedly answered the call.

"Hello, who is this?"

"Where are you?"

It was as if she woke up from a bad dream and a cold water was splashed into her face.

"Answer me, Hope. Tell me where you are right now?"

She was startled by his authoritative voice.

"I'm staying in one of the VIP rooms."

"Which one?"

"I'm still celebrating my classmate's birthday in the club. What's wrong?" She needed to divert the topic.

Silence enveloped them. All she could hear was a static mumble and his deep breaths brushing through her ears. Then, she heard the sound of a flicking lighter. She thought he was smoking while talking to her.

After a while, Stan spoke again. "I'm asking which room you were in. Tell me, and I'll be there in a few."

Hope contemplated all the possible reasons for his motives. But because she recently encountered the god of death, her head was currently a complete mess, making it difficult for her to even speak, let alone think. For wherever it may lead, she decided to be honest with him.

"I'm here at the entrance hall," she informed him.

"Don't go anywhere and wait for me there. This won't take long."

Stan ended the call and hollered down to the lower ground of the parking area. All the while, she waited for him to arrive. She had no idea why he was acting up like a concerned and protective Uncle at the moment.

Hope dropped her gaze onto the ground and anxiously waited for him to come over. As he was getting nearer, her heart beat rapidly inside her chest. Once she decided to look away, a pair of expensive loafers showed up before her. Although she was in deep apprehension, she managed to tilt her head and met his dark, luminous and seductive eyes. He was towering over her with his six flat height.

"I told you to ask for my help whenever you need to, didn't I?"

"Of course, I remember what you said. It's just that I don't want to disturb you with all my troubles."

Hope looked away and fixated her gaze on his footwear. She was sure her face was as bland and pale as vinegar now. She busied herself by screening his well-designed trousers. The fabric was hugging his legs. It was perfectly ironed without an ounce of wrinkles, but even this made her stressed. Stan could only breathe out a frazzled sigh. Then he walked to his car only to realize that the pesky girl didn't follow him.

"Are you gonna stand there all night? Come here, Hope. Ride with me."

Hope averted her attention to him, but she was too shy to obey. "It's alright. I can go home on my own. Actually, I'm waiting for my friend to come over."

Stan gritted his teeth. Why was the little imp kept on resisting him? In the end, he collected her from where she stood and purposefully dragged her to his body.

"Get in the car, Hope. Don't make me repeat myself."

She stood there for a while before she got into the car. Hope kept a distance, at least an inch between them. She didn't want to make small talk, so she decided to ignore him. Instead, she busied herself looking at the city lights twinkling along the road. To be honest, she would want to crash the window glass and jump out of there.

Good thing Stan didn't interrogate her and just focused on driving. Out of nowhere, she felt the twinge of pain on her wounded neck. She was sweating profusely throughout the way.

She was disoriented as the pain heightened in full blast. Her eyes went heavy. She wanted to recline the chair and sleep. Her whole body was aching from where it shook. If not for Stan's presence, she would probably lose consciousness on the spot. She shook her head and stifled a sob. But then hot tears streamed from the corners of her eyes.

This time, she couldn't hold back her tears, and they fell against her lap one by one. She was trembling in pain and fatigue. Soon, she lost it. She fell into the darkness and dozed off.

By the time she woke up, she was in a very familiar place. She looked at the surroundings that were painted in white and sighed. It didn't need a genius for her to realize that she was in a hospital. She realized she was not alone because someone with a not-so-approachable aura was standing at the end of her bed.

"Finally, you're awake. How are you feeling?"

"Better than last night. I'm more than okay now that I fully regained my strength." Her voice was soft and slightly brittle at the end. "Thank you, uncle. And I'm sorry, too, if I troubled you last night."

Stan answered her with a nod.

He threw the cigarette butt in the bin before walking toward her. Hope went a little nervous as she watched him getting closer to her.

Instantly, he framed her small face in his palm, forcing her to stare at him. Her eyes mirrored his deep-set hazel brown ones. Next, he skimmed his thumb over her plump lips, rubbing them forcefully from one corner to another.

Hope held her breath. She didn't know what to do, the proper words to say, but her body reacted to his every touch.

"Uncle Stan?" She called him softly and confused.

His fingers sank deeper, holding her firmly into place. She could feel the pain burning against her skin, but she was under his control to even react. Stan squeezed her tighter, making the hollows of her cheeks droop.

"How could you be so irresponsible? Do you know you almost died in their hands last night?"

Her eyes grew wide. How did he know about that stupid charade with Tom? She didn't know how to react, just staring at him like a frightened bunny.

Luckily, somebody knocked on the door, saving her from this suffocating awkwardness. It was the doctor who was going to have her do some tests.

After some tests, the doctor let her rest. She closed her eyes, dozed off for a while and didn't notice when Uncle Stan left. Three days later, she was discharged from the hospital, but she had not seen her Uncle Stan since then.

On the same day, she called the school and was welcomed with good news. They informed her that she could continue her studies there. She was totally relieved and indulging herself in the beauty of her imagination when her phone dinged. Sydney was calling her.

"Finally, you answered the phone! Where have you been these past few days? I'd been looking for you since that day but to no avail." Sydney sat on the edge of her bed and huffed. "I heard your Uncle helped you while you're away. Tell me, did something bad happen to you?"

"How do you know that I was taken away by my uncle?"

"I kept calling you that day, but you weren't answering any of my calls. Then I received a message stating that he was your Uncle. But then I got scared and thought of him as a scammer or a sex predator who only wants to lurk."

"Silly you." Hope bantered from the other line.

"I'm not kidding, babe. If you only knew how scared I was, thinking that the person who took you was not your Uncle. I almost called the police!"

To cut it short and precise, she told her that her Uncle had sent her home that night. She pondered for a while and didn't say anything about her hospitalization.

"By the way, I got good news for you, for me as well."

"What is that?

"Well, I'm going back to school in two days."

"Wow! That's great." She took her hand and trapped it with hers. "But wait, was it really your Uncle who brought you back that day?"

There was a short pause before Hope answered yes. Sydney breathed a sigh of relief. Over the past three days, she had been contemplating about it more and more, which made her more terrified.

After the chat with Sydney, Hope got on the bus and was ready to go back to the house, yes, she wouldn't call it a "home". It didn't belong to her at all.

**

The bus station was a little far from the house, and Hope walked for a while before seeing the security dome perched just outside the house. She strolled past them and walked through the corridors that led to the villa. Hope hesitated for a second. But then she was already there, so she might as well force herself to get in.

As she was getting closer to her destination, a familiar voice chimed in her ears. Her heart blissfully throbbed as her steps slowed down. His mere voice made her thrilled and frightened at the same time.

It wasn't her intention to eavesdrop, but from where she was, the conversation was too clear to be heard.

"How long do you have to go back this time?" It was his grandfather.

"About ten days."

"What kept you that busy?"

Stan kept quiet. The old tyrant felt defeated as he couldn't get additional information from Stan.

"Son, when will you settle down?" The fondness in the latter's voice was evident.

Stan went still; he didn't say anything.

"You and Angel had been together for years. You guys are inseparable, so I don't get why you haven't tied the knot until now?" The old man frantically shook his head and went on. "This will be the last time I'm gonna say this; you have to choose a date and get engaged!"