Chapter 492
Before Marina could even react, two men jumped out of the van and dragged her inside, forcing her into the back seat.
The van sped through the city and soon pulled up in front of an adult store on the outskirts.
The men shoved and prodded her, hustling her through the dimly lit doorway.
A single, weak bulb cast a thin yellow glow across Marina’s face, highlighting the utter pallor of her cheeks.
At the back of the shop, a narrow doorway led to a small room. In the corner, a staircase descended into a basement.
Marina’s knees buckled as she was forced down the stairs, and she nearly tumbled headlong before one of the men caught her, laughing harshly.
The basement door swung open, revealing a group of people inside.
A burly man with tattoos covering his arms and neck stood in the center, flanked by two cronies. A cameraman adjusted his lens, while another man fiddled with the softbox lights and reflectors, setting up the scene.
But what caught Marina’s eye first was the crude, oversized iron bed in the middle of the room.
“No… I don’t want to…” she stammered, clutching her mouth as she choked back sobs, shrinking away from the men. She barely managed a step before one of them slapped her hard across the face.
“You signed the contract, didn’t you? Don’t try to back out now! It’s not like this is your first time.”
“Careful with her face,” another man barked. “How are we supposed to film her looking like that?”
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“Exactly-Drake always said she was his favorite.”
The tattooed man strode toward her, broad-shouldered and towering, his presence eclipsing her entirely.
Marina’s heart pounded with terror. She recognized every man in the room-except for the cameraman and his assistant.
The tattooed man grabbed her chin, squeezing so hard Marina felt her jaw might break.
“Keen… it hurts…” she whimpered, tears streaming down her cheeks, unable to close her mouth from the pain.
He sneered. “Remind me-why’d you lie to Joker in the first place? Claiming you were the long-lost love of The Thomas Group’s CEO, promising to get him perks… But after all your schemes, here you are, right back where you started.”
With that, Keen hurled Marina onto the iron bed.
“Drake wants a good show. If you don’t perform like you used to, he’ll keep bringing in new people until you do. Got it?”
Marina curled up, trembling violently, sobbing so hard she could barely
breathe.
“Quit crying, you’ll ruin your makeup. I’m doing you a favor here-unless you want to be filmed even more, huh?”
Keen and his men laughed, but Marina’s tears only flowed faster.
“Enough with the waterworks! Call Drake. Tell him to send some more people over.”
The threat made Marina swipe desperately at her tears, but panic only made her cry harder.
Keen motioned for someone to inject her with a sedative, then nodded at the crew.
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23:19
“Let’s get started. One at a time.”
The Thomas Group.
Jonathan sat at the head of the conference table, leading the morning meeting.
His stomach had been slightly better today, thanks to the herbal tonic Prescott brewed for him, but even with the same recipe and the same careful preparation, it never seemed to work as well as the remedies Niamh used to make.
A knock sounded at the door.
Prescott entered, face grave. He approached Jonathan, leaned down, and whispered a few urgent words in his ear.
Jonathan’s sharp brow furrowed deeper and deeper as Prescott spoke.
When Prescott finished, Jonathan was silent for a long moment. The tension in the room was palpable; every executive sensed something was wrong.
It was rare to see Jonathan so conflicted.
Finally, he stood up. “Meeting adjourned,” he said coldly, and strode out of the room.
Someone was waiting for him in the general manager’s office.
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