Isabella felt herself sweating profusely and instinctively took off her jacket. Underneath, she wore a fitted camisole with a slightly low neckline. It wasn’t overly revealing, but her fair neck and beautiful collarbones were exposed, looking very alluring.
James’ eyes were fixed on her, his gaze growing hotter. Yet, with the last remnants of his sanity, he clenched his fists and stood still, not daring to move.
Isabella also stood up from the table and walked to the window, attempting to open it for some fresh air. However, no matter how hard she pushed, the window didn’t budge.
She turned to James with a puzzled expression, asking, “Is this a decorative window that can’t be opened?”
James didn’t respond, instead swallowing hard. He felt unbearably hot all over, and as if driven by an unknown force, he took a few steps towards Isabella and tightly embraced her.
“James, what are you doing? Are you crazy?” Isabella hadn’t expected James to suddenly hug her. An instinctive sense of repulsion surged within her, and she raised her leg, kicking him in the groin.
James doubled over in pain, staggering back a few steps until his back hit the wall. The pain brought a moment of clarity to his mind.
Gritting his teeth, he said, “Isabella, we… we might have been drugged.”
“What did you say?” Isabella’s mind went blank for a moment, and an overwhelming sense of fear engulfed her. Both she and James had been drugged, locked in a closed space, making it nearly impossible not to succumb to whatever was intended.
Her eyes involuntarily fell on the suggestive, luxurious bed in the room, finding it extremely glaring. Damn it! Who did this? They even prepared a bed for them!
She felt a mix of anger, fear, and panic.
She wasn’t the type of woman who would rather die to preserve her purity; otherwise, after that wild night with Andrew, she would have hanged herself. But she had just married Andrew. If anything happened between her and James, even if it was a setup, she would be too ashamed to face Andrew, too ashamed to face Asher. How would Asher think of her when he grew up?
And James-James’ marriage would be ruined too. Mrs. Brown would be heartbroken upon finding out.
With these thoughts, Isabella lost control and ran to the door, frantically banging on it and shouting. But the tightly shut door didn’t move an inch.
“Isabella, it’s no use. The door is locked; you can’t break it open.” James hugged her from behind, unable to bear seeing her hurt herself.
“Get away!” Isabella shoved him away, her voice harsh as she questioned, “James, are you behind this? You’re the one who invited me here, chose this restaurant, booked this room, and ordered the food. Don’t pretend to be innocent!”
James fell to the floor, a bitter smile forming on his lips. He admitted that he missed her and that he had indeed been looking for excuses to see her, but he wasn’t despicable enough to use such means to get the woman he loved.
“So, in your mind, I’m that kind of person.”
“I will find out what kind of person you are. I hope this has nothing to do with you, James. Don’t make me despise you.” Isabella finished, clutching her sore arm from banging on the door, and stumbled to the table. She retrieved her phone from her handbag and dialed Andrew’s number. Before she could speak, James suddenly grabbed her tightly from behind.
By this time, James’ eyes were bloodshot, his gaze unfocused, and he had completely lost his mind. Perhaps because he had drunk too much, the drug’s effects were amplified by the alcohol, causing him to lose control faster than Isabella.
His strong arms wrapped tightly around her, and he kept murmuring, “Isabella, I love you. I want you. I’ll take responsibility. I’ll marry you. Please…”
Isabella’s cheeks were flushed red with anger. She bit down hard on James’ arm, nearly tearing a chunk of flesh from him, and blood oozed between her lips and teeth, making her look like a vampire. The pain forced James to release her and step back, allowing Isabella to run to the other side of the table, putting some distance between them.
However, the room was only so big, and James, like a rutting beast, kept chasing her. Isabella’s physical strength was limited, and she began to tire, her breath becoming labored. She too was drugged, her vision growing increasingly blurry, her consciousness gradually being eroded by the drugs.
Tears of fear streamed down her face, and she slipped, falling to the ground. Unable to get up, James quickly caught up, pouncing on her like a wild beast.
In her desperation, Isabella grabbed a decorative lamp from the vanity and swung it at James with all her might. The lamp struck James squarely on the back of the neck. He grunted and collapsed onto her, motionless.
Isabella kicked him aside, still clutching the lamp base, her arm trembling. Blood dripped from the lamp onto the floor.
…
Meanwhile, Andrew was frantically searching everywhere. He had been in a meeting when he received Isabella’s call. She hadn’t spoken, but he could hear a woman’s screams and the sound of things falling.
Sensing that Isabella might be in trouble, Andrew stood up abruptly, leaving the meeting without a word. His abrupt departure left the room full of executives bewildered, their eyes turning to Ryan.
Ryan was equally puzzled, but knowing that something had shaken the usually calm Andrew, he guessed it must be related to Isabella.
“Why are you all staring at me? Meeting’s over, get back to work.” Ryan waved them off, then grabbed his files and headed to the CEO’s office, his curiosity piqued.
Standing outside the CEO’s office, he knocked symbolically before entering. Andrew stood with his back to him, phone in hand, his tall figure exuding tension.
Ryan couldn’t see Andrew’s face, but his voice was icy. He was ordering someone to track Isabella’s phone.
Andrew, being ex-military, had his own network of contacts. Normally, he wouldn’t use them. Most of the time, he would have Ryan handle any investigations. Ryan’s team was skilled, but not as efficient as military personnel.
The fact that Andrew was willing to leverage his military connections showed how urgent the situation was.
When Andrew finished his call, Ryan finally dared to approach. Any thoughts of gossip had vanished, replaced by concern. “Alpha, what’s going on?” he asked, somewhat nervously.
Andrew’s thin lips were tightly pressed, his expression grim.
“I don’t know yet. She called me, and all I heard were screams. Then, her phone went dead.”
“Could it be a prank?” Ryan asked.
“Damn it, I hope it’s just a false alarm,” Andrew said, his brows deeply furrowed. As soon as he finished speaking, his phone rang.