The candle on the table glowed dimly. Daisy stared at the fire and realized something. She had already fallen in love with him, but she was unaware of it. Daisy did not look for him. He was hiding in some remote corner of the world, and it would be useless to try and find him.
She actually went back to her foster home and told her parents that she was about to be engaged. She asked them to invite all their friends, including business partners. “When did you get a boyfriend?” Her foster mother asked her in amazement.
“Six months ago.” She smiled and walked to the bedroom happily. She didn’t look for him. If he could see the news, would he come back? It was taking a bit of a gamble, but she had no other solution.
The engagement day was coming. Everyone got invitations, but there was scant information about the bride and groom. Of course, Jason knew about it, but he did not receive the original letter because he was in Africa. His secretary took a photo of it and sent it to him.
Not knowing that it was himself in the invitation made Jason angry and sad. He wanted to ruin her as revenge. He also wanted to take her away directly. He had tried to do everything in his power to stop her from marrying someone else.
The day before the engagement, Daisy was anxious and nervous. There was not much time left at all. If he did not show up, she would be the biggest joke in New York. It was terrible. This was the gamble of her life.
“It’s late at night. Where are you going?” Her foster mother watched her as she went out the front door.
“I just need a bit of fresh air but I’ll come back soon.”
It was autumn in New York in October. The leaves have not entirely turned yellow, and the air is still faint with the smells of summer. She walked along the street carrying her phone. She was agitated and alone.
“OMG.” A big hand stretched out of the darkness and abruptly dragged her off the sidewalk.
A black cloth bag covered her head, and her hands were tied behind her. She had no clue where they were taking her. And wait… that cologne? It seemed strangely familiar. The leather in this car felt incredibly smooth, just like the one she’d seen in a car once in her life.
She was shaking with anticipation, but she was pretending to be in shock. The kidnapping was a totally new game they have not tried yet! After about thirty minutes of driving, she was taken out of the car.
Jason must be criticized here. Authentic kidnappers usually treat the hostages a bit rough, but he, for fear of hurting her, handled her with kid gloves. It was too fake; she could not get into this strange play at all.
She was thrown down on the bed, so she pretended to struggle. Her clothes were torn off. Jason reached under the black bag and ripped off the tape covering her mouth. He was worried that she could not breathe.
“Bastard, let me go!” She kicked him right in his chest. He did not say anything but instead buried his face on her body.
“What are you doing? Not even any foreplay?” Daisy demanded. “Untie my hands, you loser!”
Jason was momentarily stunned.
He kept silent. His sharp eyes took in her lusting body. He was thinking how she could provoke him in so many different ways.
“I know it’s you. Next time, if you kidnap me, can you change your cologne and use a different car?!” Daisy wriggled her wrists.
He took off the head covering. She blinked and adjusted her eyes to the light, then saw the person in front of her. She screamed.
“Whoa! How did you get sunburnt?!”
Jason stared at her and said coldly, “I am used to it like this. Is your fiancé still willing to marry you?”
“Yes, of course,” she replied.
Jason stopped talking entirely. His body went rigid, and his face lost all color. His eyes seemed to stare through Daisy. Without a word, he slapped her with a loud smack across her face. He had snapped. Something inside him let loose. He used his powerful strength to attack and retaliate against her. He wanted to make her wish she was never born.
Daisy really suffered. Her hands were tied literally.
She could not hug him to reduce the impact of his strength. She could not scratch at his back to retaliate. He beat her like a punching bag, and she flopped about like a rag doll.
She didn’t know how long she had laid there. Every square inch of her body was bruised, and she almost died in this bed. Jason then caressed her face for a long time. He untied the rope and buried his head on her shoulder blade. He almost burst into tears.
“Are you crying?” Her voice was faint in his ears.
“No.” He said with a hoarse voice, “You can go now.”
“How do I leave like this?”
“I will ask someone to pick you up.”
“No,” Daisy whispered as she tried to wipe the blood out of her eyes.
Slowly and gently, he began to kiss her broken body. He begged humbly, “Baby, please don’t marry another. Please…”
Her eyes were red and bloodshot as she looked at him intently. “Then I will marry you if you still want me,” she whispered in a low breath.
He stopped touching her face at once. He said, “Is marriage that casual to you?” He was disappointed and filled with hatred.
“No, I just want to marry only you,” she said seriously.
Jason was shocked. He held her and looked deeply into her eyes. He said, “Say it again.”
“Today’s engagement ceremony is for us. If you accept my apology, please go with me.” Penelope fatally made the decision that money trumps love.
He felt completely insane. What had he done?
“I couldn’t find you. This was the only way I could think of.” She tried to smile and moved closer to him. She was staring at him with her bright, pained eyes.
He was ten years older than this woman, and he had just assaulted her because he was jealous.
Daisy and Jason postponed their engagement party so that Daisy’s battered body and soul would have time to heal. Jason received intensive counseling regarding his abuse and violent temper. It was a long, uphill battle, and the couple’s only way to deal with the situation was to ignore it, pretending it didn’t happen.
The counseling was deemed a success, and Jason thought he could now control his temper.