I catch the eye of a talent scout on the street and am sent abroad for training. However, as soon as I land, my passport is snatched away. I'm even locked into a cage.

The people who beat me up tell me death is the only path for people who disobey orders at Elder Corporation.

But if my memory serves me correctly, Elder Corporation is the name of my fiancé's company abroad.

"You'd better get changed and come out here for training if you don't want to die," a man snarled.

I was roused from my unconscious state with a splitting headache. The buff men standing before me burst into raucous laughter when they saw how dazed I was.

"Another one who's scared out of her wits, huh? Don't even think about escaping. Death is the only escape here for women who don't follow orders!" someone snapped.

Had I been abducted? Were they human traffickers? I had to think of a way to escape!

I swallowed, my body tense. I bent down, pretending to pick up the clothes on the floor. Then, I grabbed a steel bar nearby and whacked the leader's head when the men weren't paying attention!

He was caught off guard, so I got him in one blow. He fell to the floor. His men were startled and lunged at him, wanting to check on him.

I immediately turned and ran to the door, tugging on the doorknob. Only then did I realize that it was locked!

I panicked and kicked it as hard as I could. When I saw it loosening, I continued in a frenzy.

At that moment, intense pain shot through me from my scalp. Then, the world spun around me. Someone threw me onto the floor before I even realized what was happening.

A leather shoe connected with my head. This was followed by countless punches and kicks. I hurt everywhere, and I cried out in pain as I tried to shield my head.

Amid the chaos, I heard someone bark, "We at Elder Corporation have countless ways to deal with defiant women like you. You're dead meat for daring to attack Ray!"

I felt like I'd been struck by lightning. I was so stunned that I forgot to fight back.

Elder Corporation?

My name was Noelle Grant, and my fiancé was Lysander Quill. He had a company abroad called Elder Corporation!

Had I somehow ended up there after being abducted?

I mustered all my strength and cried, "Stop! Is your boss' name Lysander Quill? I'm his fiancée—I want to see him!"

Lysander was stoic and kept his distance from everyone, but he loved me deeply. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say he was enchanted by me.

I was pregnant with his child—he would lose his mind if he were to see me like this.

The men's expressions shifted at my words, and they hurriedly stopped their attacks.

"We might be based abroad, but even we've heard about Mr. Quill doting endlessly on his fiancée. Why don't you tell us what's your name?" someone asked.

I was in so much pain that I couldn't stand. I remained sprawled on the floor as I forced out, "I'm Noelle Grant. Your company's name is a combination of my and Lysander's names. You can check my passport and identification if you don't believe me. I have proof!"

The men exchanged looks. The leader, Ray, glared at me as he clutched his injured head. "Your passport and identification have already been destroyed. I'll get your phone now—you'd better not be lying, or I'll feed you to the sharks!"

I nodded hastily and allowed them to drag me to another room to wait. Shortly after, Ray returned with a bunch of cell phones. He threw them onto the desk before me. "Which one is yours? Get it."

I looked at each of the phones. Then, my heart sank. "Mine isn't here. Are you sure all the phones you confiscated are here?"

Ray looked at me icily. Then, he sneered and reached across the desk to slap me so hard that I fell to the floor. "And here I thought you knew what you were doing. You're just a fool who's heard about our boss' love story, aren't you?

"Do you think you can fool me with such a stupid trick? Call me useless if I don't kill you today!"

He was ruthless and brutal as he attacked me, wanting to get revenge for my earlier assault. He punched me, and my left eye instantly couldn't see anything.

I howled in pain, feeling beyond confused. I'd heard about these illegal organizations having strict procedures. Why had my phone disappeared?

More importantly, I knew Lysander had always run a clean business and treated people scrupulously. How could he have suddenly become the ringleader of an overseas illegal organization like this?

I panicked. I was about to say something when Ray slapped me twice more. He didn't give me the chance to speak, and I had an ominous feeling about the situation. I felt like I was genuinely going to die there!

When the other men in the room saw my terrible state, they hesitantly stopped Ray. One said, "She was very confident when explaining the origin of our company's name, Ray. It looks like she really does know a thing or two.

"Even if she's not Noelle Grant, she might be a friend or acquaintance. Maybe we should question her before doing anything else. We'll be in more trouble than this is worth if we piss that person off…"

Ray panted and spat at me. "I'd rather chop her up and feed her to the dogs! Ms. Grant is Mr. Quill's precious treasure—how could our people trick her into coming here?"

I felt like my organs had shattered from his assault. I wanted to speak, but all that came out was a mouthful of blood.

Then, I forced out, "Contact the person who tricked me here. She saw my passport and knows my name. Either that or you give me a phone I can use. I'll call Lysander and tell him to come here!"

The men exchanged looks. One muttered, "What if she really is Noelle Grant? Won't we be dead meat? We can't let her contact Mr. Quill. Get the woman who brought her here—we'll ask her what happened."

Someone immediately hurried off. Soon, the woman who'd tricked me into thinking this was a training trip abroad sashayed over.

She covered her mouth in surprise when she saw me covered in blood. "Didn't I tell you to be good when you got here? Look at you—how did you end up like this?"

I raised my head with difficulty and tried hard to make her out with my right eye. "You brought me here—you saw my identification. You must know I'm Noelle Grant. Tell them who I am! I'm Lysander Quill's fiancée, and I want him to see me right now!"

The woman shrieked and backed away as I crawled toward her. She didn't want my blood to get on her. "Who do you think you're kidding, calling yourself Noelle Grant?

"Mr. Quill's girlfriend lives a cushy life—why would she wander the streets and end up being brought here? Don't listen to her, guys. She's just making an excuse to drag this out!"

I froze, feeling stunned. Something was wrong here. The woman had seen my passport and verified my name. How could she have forgotten it so soon?

This wasn't a simple case of abduction. Something nasty had to be underway here. I'd walked right into someone's trap!

The sudden talent scout, my missing passport and phone, and this woman who was lying and refusing to admit who I was…

Whoever was behind this wanted me to die abroad without a trace!

I broke out in a cold sweat, which drenched my clothes. It soaked into my wounds, making them sting and itch.

The men watched the woman leave. Then, they circled me. Ray asked, "Any other excuses to make? No, right? How dare you pretend to be our boss' fiancée! The nerve of you!"

I summoned the remnants of my strength and staggered to my feet, wanting to run out of the room. I heard the sound of something hurtling through the air behind me, followed by a crack. Then, my legs gave out, and I collapsed on the floor.

They'd broken my calves with a baseball bat! The pain made my vision go black, and my head spun. I was in so much pain, yet I couldn't pass out.

I felt a tugging on my scalp. I knew someone was lifting me by my hair.

The men laughed heartily when they saw my miserable state. They discussed throwing me into a meat grinder. My heart sank when I heard this, and despair crashed over me.

Just then, a voice rang out from not far away. "What are you guys doing? Who is this? Why is she so badly injured?"

The voice was exceedingly familiar. I squinted and turned to look in the direction it had come with my right eye, my breathing heavy.

Tears streamed down my face when I saw who it was—Winston Lake, Lysander's driver! He'd driven me to and fro countless times; he would recognize me!

I raised a bloody arm and waved frantically at him. "Winston, it's me, Noelle! Where's Lysander?"

Winston stepped forward at my words, looking serious. The men were startled by this and immediately loosened their hold on me.

Both my legs were broken, and I was in a horrible state. Despite that, hope flared in me. "It's me, Winston. Save me…"

That was all I could say—I was in too much pain. I started trembling uncontrollably.

Winston widened his eyes as he leaned closer to scrutinize me. Then, he covered his nose. "Don't go too heavy and kill her, guys. It'll be hard to explain this to Mr. Quill if anything happens."

My eyes widened in shock at his words. Only then did it hit me that he probably couldn't recognize me because I was bruised and battered from the beating.

I scrambled to find anything that could prove my identity, but Winston was already backing away, looking disgusted. He said, "No one's going to cover this up if you kill someone again. You'll be dead meat if Mr. Quill learns about this!"

The men bowed and scraped, smiling sycophantically as they watched Winston leave. I stared at his retreating back as despair crashed over me. I wanted to stop him, but blood was all that came out when I opened my mouth.

I was doomed. I would die then and there. I shut my eyes as tears streamed down my face.

Ray gripped my face and scanned it at the sight of my tears. Then, he started undoing his belt. "Her legs are broken, but she still has a pretty face. She's not making it onto the auction stage in this state, so we might as well enjoy her…"

The other men laughed at his words. I spat out a few more mouthfuls of blood before croaking, "Get away from me! I'm pregnant with Lysander's child—he'll kill you guys when he learns about this!"

I broke free and dragged myself toward the window with my arms. I refused to suffer such humiliation even if it cost me my life!

Seeing that I still had the strength to struggle, the men seemed to suddenly get the urge to play with me like a cat would toy with a mouse. Instead of doing anything to me, they followed me closely.

"Go ahead and run. We'd like to see where you can go now that you're crippled."

I bit my tongue to keep myself awake, leaving a trail of blood behind me as I dragged myself forward. As the men mocked and jeered at me, I clambered onto the window sill and leaned my torso out.

I was so close to freedom, but my strength ran out. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't throw myself out the window.

This was my first time realizing just how hard it was to seek death under such circumstances.

When the men had their fill of laughing at me, they stepped forward to grab me. I clung to the window sill and struggled. Amid the tussle, the crystal pendant Lysander had carved for me fell out.

Half my hair was ripped off my head; I was ultimately dragged back.

The men were furious and kicked me in the face.

"Mr. Lake told us not to kill you, yet you tried to jump out the window. You're just trying to get us in trouble, you witch! Don't blame us for being cruel since death is what you want!"

They grabbed the remainder of my hair and dragged me along, leaving a trail of blood behind. They threw me into a dark room.

A foot stomped and ground on my face, and I felt like my eye would pop out of its socket from the force.

Just then, there was a ruckus outside. I heard Lysander's angry voice ring out. "Where did this pendant come from? Why is there blood everywhere? Where's the person who was here? What are you guys doing?"