When Evelyn opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was the ventilation fan above her, its blades spinning in the sunlight.
It was only after that she realized someone was crouching beside her.
In his hand, he held a dagger, and one of his eyes was eerily still while the other seemed injured, half-closed. The once-handsome face now looked quite grotesque.
At first, Evelyn instinctively thought he was someone sent by Daisy to cause her trouble.
“Who are you? Do you have any idea who my boyfriend is? Do you know what happens when you cross me?!”
“Your voice is so loud. Your boyfriend?” The man’s deep, cold voice echoed in the dim room.
It sounded like a poisonous snake, hidden in a cold, slimy place, slowly flicking its crimson tongue, watching its prey struggle in its death throes.
“I don’t know. When did Conrad ever get interested in trash like you?”
After hearing that, Evelyn was even more certain that Daisy had sent him to humiliate her.
“You go back and tell the one who sent you that I’m not scared of her! Whatever you do to me, Conrad will make her pay double. He cares about me!”
Even if she made him angry many times, he had never given up on her.
She just hadn’t figured out Lillian’s tricks yet.
But once she did, she was sure she could replace Lillian.
She was more ambitious than Lillian and more deserving of standing beside Conrad.
The man merely sneered. “You think I’m here because of her?”
Evelyn was about to say Daisy’s name when the man’s face suddenly came closer. She saw his fake eyeball and screamed in fright.
“Scared? You’ll be just like me soon.”
Evelyn trembled, her lips quivering. “What do you want to do to me? You wouldn’t dare!”
The man’s smile grew wider. “It’s not what I want to do to you, it’s what your precious Conrad will do to you, you fool.”
After saying that, he grabbed Evelyn by the hair and dragged her to a hidden mirror on the wall.
Evelyn’s whole body tensed, her skin crawling with fear.
Her face was pressed against the mirror, the traces of her foundation imprinted on the surface. Her breath fogged up, and she could vaguely make out the man’s features. His fake eyeball became clearer and clearer.
“Curious, huh? Want me to take it off and let you feel what it’s like?”
Evelyn shook her head violently, but the man just chuckled lowly. “Now tell me, who do you think sent me?”
“I didn’t say anything! Do you want money? I’ll get it for you, anything you want, just let me go! Conrad doesn’t care about Daisy, helping her is no good, help me instead!”
“Conrad doesn’t care about Daisy. He cares about the White family’s money. He’s not stupid.”
Hunter was no longer interested in talking to Evelyn. Having sent her all this way, he didn’t even dare go to the docks. To return and face such a worthless woman was a waste of time.
He slid his foot beneath Evelyn’s skirt, and she didn’t dare move.
“Do you know why Conrad spends so much money on you, even though you have no figure, no looks, no background?”
Evelyn endured the humiliation, the mention of her background making her seethe with anger.
“I didn’t choose the family I was born into, but I can rely on myself to make my own way.”
“Fools always think they can soar to the top and become a phoenix. What Conrad is paying for is your eyes.”
Hunter squeezed her chin, speaking slowly. “Conrad found the most advanced medical team to transplant your eyeballs. The only thing you have going for you is your eyes, but it’s not just the corneas they’re after.”
Evelyn’s lips trembled, and her eyes widened in disbelief. “That’s impossible. I’ve never heard of an eyeball transplant.”
“If you’re stupid, you’re really stupid. If you have money and power, you can replace any organ, even your blood. As for eyeballs, what’s so hard to replace? Of course, with your limited perspective, you wouldn’t understand.” Hunter felt like talking to her was a waste of time.
Evelyn shook her head. “No, no way. Conrad would never do this to me!”
“Then why do you think he had you get a physical exam? Do you really think Conrad would treat you so well for no reason? His real woman, he wouldn’t even let anyone see her. The reason he’s parading you around is because he thinks it won’t matter when you’re gone. You are proud of being the target, huh?”
“Stop talking!” Evelyn shouted. “I don’t believe a word you’re saying. Why would he want my eyes? Lillian isn’t blind. Her eyes are fine. He wouldn’t give my eyes to anyone!”
“Can you see this picture?” Hunter pulled out a photograph.
It showed Conrad with a little girl.
Conrad looked younger, his hair longer, with a dark, cold intensity to his expression.
The little girl appeared to be about one year old, chubby, and nestled in his arms.
“What’s this?”
“Your eyes’ buyer.”
“You’re making this up! She doesn’t even look blind.”
“Of course not, because she was not blind at that time!” Hunter smirked, clearly pleased with himself. “Her eyes were blinded when she was three, and I did it personally.”
Evelyn froze. “Why would you blind her eyes?”
Hunter squinted at her, his eyes narrowing like slits. His expression twisted in a snarl, like a snake sizing up its prey.
“A beautiful little girl like that-don’t you think she looks like a doll? Wearing a pretty princess dress, calling me uncle in the garden.”
“Imagine her in a dress, lying on my bed calling me that, after she’s dead, posed in different shapes. Doesn’t that sound beautiful?”
“I could preserve her in formaldehyde, and quietly admire her.”
“Such a work of art… I have seven or eight of them, but unfortunately, I couldn’t bring them with me!”
At this point, Evelyn was completely terrified into silence.
She didn’t know whether to believe what this man was saying.
If it was true, then she had been nothing but a tool from the beginning!
She was trapped-there was no escaping.
Conrad wouldn’t let her go.
Even if she ran, they’d catch her and take her back, pluck out her eyeballs, and give them to that girl.
If it was false… what was this man really trying to achieve?
Either way, she couldn’t deal with Conrad.
And more importantly, this was the first time she’d ever loved a man like this.
If she couldn’t have Conrad, what was the point of being with anyone else?!
What was Booth compared to Conrad?
She had everything good already-why would she settle for anything less?!
Evelyn couldn’t accept this reality.
“No, no, don’t… You’re just… You’re completely insane! What you’re saying is beyond ridiculous. How are you still here without being arrested for all this?!”
Hunter’s patience had worn thin. “You’re so loud. If you keep screaming, I’ll cut your tongue out and let it soak in alcohol. Conrad doesn’t care about anything else about you. And as for how you sleep with his nephew, do you really think he doesn’t know? He just doesn’t care.”
Hunter added, “He doesn’t care who you sleep with or where you die, as long as you’re alive when he takes your eyeballs out. Look at my eyes. He did it himself. This recent one, if it had been any closer, would’ve dug my eyes out. Do you love him this much? Would you let him take your eyes out for him? Maybe then he’d look at you a bit differently.”
“No, no! I don’t want to!” Evelyn felt terrified.
She couldn’t understand why she had to go through this!
She was just vain; she hadn’t done anything wrong!
She had just bullied a few people, and gone a little too far.
Even when Lillian’s grandmother had died, all she did was sit back and watch the chaos unfold.
She wasn’t the one doing the bad things!
Why did Daisy get to continue living as the young lady of a wealthy family, and she had to pay the price?!
“How could I be a container for eyes? He treats me so well. Everyone says he’s never treated a woman like this before…”