In my loneliest year, I sponsored a handsome young actor. A boyfriend, of sorts. Later, when I had to go abroad for my health, he cried by my bedside all night, begging me to let him come with me. I refused. “Your career is taking off here,” I told him. “I hope that by the time I come back, I’ll see you holding a Best Actor award.” Three years later, he did just that. He was crowned. But he wasn’t there to welcome me back as he’d promised. Instead, I found his little canary, wearing my clothes, lording over my estate. Lina Burns twirled my white jade ring on her finger. “You should thank me. A girl like you would never see a place like this in her life. But look all you want. Just don’t touch anything. You couldn’t afford to replace it.” I slid the ring, my ring, off her finger and slapped her across the face. “I touched it. Now what?” 1 Lina was stunned. This was a reality show, filming a day in the life of a celebrity in their lavish home. And I had just slapped the guest star, on camera. The live chat was already exploding. [WHO IS THIS PIG?! How dare she come into Lina’s house and hit her!] [Where are the fan club members on set?! Are you all dead?! Go slap that bitch back!] [Hold on! We’re arguing with security now! As soon as we get past the barricade, we’ll get revenge for Lina!] “You… you dare hit me!” Lina had clearly been coddled her whole life. Her eyes were wide with disbelief, her voice trembling on the verge of tears. “Do you have any idea who I am?!” “What’s going on?” A familiar tall, long-legged figure appeared in the doorway. Lina turned and threw herself into his arms. “Dennis!” Dennis Pierce frowned, gently touching the red handprint on her cheek. He turned his head, and the moment he saw me, his breath caught in his throat. “You’re… you’re back?” I stared at him, my expression cold as ice, waiting for an explanation. A producer scurried over to Dennis, looking flustered. “Mr. Pierce, do you know this woman?” “I do,” Dennis admitted. Lina looked up at him, her eyes glistening with tears. The members of her fan club stared, dumbfounded. “She’s just a groupie,” Dennis said flatly. “Used to be a fan. After I turned her down, she just… kept following me.” For a second, I thought I’d misheard him. But everyone else visibly relaxed. [Jesus! I thought they actually knew each other! I was so scared this bitch was gonna try and steal Lina’s man!] [LMAO, some obsessed fan followed the great Dennis Pierce all the way here. Pathetic.] [Our Dennis worked his ass off to get where he is today, and he found Lina, who struggled right alongside him. Does this psycho really think stalking him is going to work?] I let out a cold, humorless laugh. “Worked his ass off?” He knew. If I hadn’t spotted him at the film academy all those years ago, he never would have even set foot in this industry. At his lowest point, he had knelt before me, clutching his mother’s terminal diagnosis. “Please,” he’d begged, “help me…” My support continued right up until I left the country for treatment. And even though I hadn’t been by his side for these past three years, every single opportunity that came his way, every role that was ‘perfect’ for him, came from my direct influence. Including this hit reality show. But Dennis only hesitated for a second before pulling Lina closer into his embrace. “The only person I have to thank for my success is myself. What do you know about this industry, anyway?” I was so furious I started to laugh. If I didn't understand the industry, how would I have known which resources were best for him? “Dennis Pierce.” My eyes were full of warning. “Get Lina Burns and these other irrelevant people out of my house. This is your last chance.” Three years had passed, but my authority over him still lingered. He still tensed up when I gave him that cold look. But only for a moment. “I think,” he said, his eyes narrowing, “you’re the one who needs to leave. This house belongs to Lina. Not you.” 2 The live chat erupted with laughter. [Is this psycho actually delusional? This show is about filming celebrities in THEIR mansions. The whole crew knows this estate belongs to our Lina. Does she think just because she’s obsessed with Dennis, she owns his girlfriend’s house too?] [This is beyond what a good therapist can fix.] [Did you see how confident she was when she said it was her house? Is there a cure for that level of crazy?] [Psychiatrist here. No cure. Just wait for the inevitable.] Seeing Dennis’s resolve, I nodded slowly. “Security. Strip that outfit off her and throw her out.” “What? You wouldn’t dare!” My bodyguards moved without hesitation, dragging Lina to the floor. The zipper on the velvet gown—my gown—was roughly pulled down. Dennis stepped forward, his brow furrowed. “Stop! That’s an illegal search!” “Is it?” I smiled. “Funny, I was just about to ask how my custom-made gown ended up on someone I don’t know. And since you’re the only other person who knows where it was, Mr. Pierce, have you thought about what you’re going to tell the police?” “I didn’t give it to her!” Dennis bit out, his jaw tight. “Dennis! Make them stop! I don’t want this! No! Ahhh!” Lina cried, reaching for Dennis. He ignored me completely and moved to pull her away. “Hold him down.” At my command, my other bodyguards forced Dennis to the ground, his head pressed against the polished floor. The veins in his forehead bulged. “Ava Croft! Don’t you dare touch her!” “Continue,” I said, my voice like ice. “NO!” Dennis’s eyes were wide with fury as he watched the gown being forcibly torn from Lina’s body. “What is all this noise?” an irritated voice demanded from the doorway. My eyes lit up. I spun around. “Brother!” Caleb Croft froze. “Caleb!” I rushed forward, eager to throw my arms around him in the big, welcoming hug we always shared after being apart for so long. But this time, I wasn’t met with a warm embrace. Instead, a sharp, stinging slap cracked across my face. Smack! I clutched my cheek, the burning pain so shocking I couldn’t react. It was only when I heard my brother’s cold, hard voice that I understood. “What did you do to my little sister?” I stared at him, bewildered. “Little… sister?” 3 “Caleb!” Lina, sobbing, threw herself into my brother’s arms. Looking at her tattered dress, the pain in Caleb’s eyes was so thick it was practically spilling out. I was still in disbelief. “Caleb…” Smack! Another slap, just as hard as the first. My head snapped to the side. My brother’s angry words hit me like stones. “It’s just a stupid dress! How could you be so cruel? To do this to a girl over a piece of cloth!” That’s when I knew. My brother was no longer my brother. “A piece of cloth?” My lips trembled. In that moment, I remembered Dennis’s desperate denial: “I didn’t give it to her!” Maybe… maybe he was telling the truth. Besides Dennis, there was one other person who knew the code to my walk-in closet. My brother. “You’re calling this a piece of cloth?” My voice shook. “Mom designed this for me herself, before she died! Have you forgotten?!” At the mention of our mother, Caleb’s expression faltered. But only for a second. His face hardened again. “No matter how important its meaning, it’s a dead thing. How can it compare to a living, breathing person? If Mom could see you hurting an innocent girl over a piece of cloth, she wouldn’t be on your side either!” My heart constricted. I clutched the fabric over my chest. “Get out! Get all of them out of my house!” My bodyguards stepped forward. “I’d like to see you try!” Caleb glared at them. “You all need to think very carefully about who the real future owner of the Croft Corporation is.” The bodyguards hesitated. I stared at him, aghast. Someone in the fan club snickered. “I’m dying! I can’t believe this psycho is actually a Croft!” “I heard the Crofts did adopt a child. Looks like this crazy bitch got lucky, being taken in by the richest family in the country.” “Everyone knows who the handsome CEO Caleb Croft is! He’s obviously the true blood heir. What’s this psycho shouting about? She brings a few bodyguards and thinks she can give orders to the master of the house? Hilarious.” Perhaps out of some last shred of familial feeling, Caleb had his men escort the gawking fan club members elsewhere. I bit my lip so hard I could taste blood. “Caleb Croft, you are an adopted son! My adopted brother!” Caleb’s brows drew together. The bodyguards were caught in the middle, unsure of what to do. “Think about it,” he said calmly. “Why did Ms. Croft adopt me? Wasn’t it because she needed someone to inherit the family business?” At his words, the bodyguards began to look thoughtful. “If you don’t want to be blacklisted in this industry, you’ll let Ms. Burns go. Now.” The bodyguard holding Lina paused, then actually released her. A dozen men who had been loyal to me for years now stood behind Caleb. I snatched a vase and hurled it to the floor. It shattered, sending shards of ceramic flying. Lina shrieked and shrank into Dennis’s arms. “Caleb Croft, I was wrong about you. Between you and me, it’s over. Just like this vase.” Caleb flinched. I stared him down. “But this house was a gift from my mother. None of you have the right to be here. You can either leave now, or I’ll call the police and have you arrested for trespassing. But before you go, Lina Burns leaves the dress.” Without waiting for a reply, I grabbed Lina’s shoulder and, with a loud rip, tore the dress from her body. She yelped and covered herself. But no one was looking at the dress. Even I was staring at her waist in shock. There, just above the curve of her backside, was a tattoo. A single, distinct word, branded into her skin: SLAVE.
? Continue the story here ?? ? Download the "MotoNovel" app ? search for "393862", and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel