To escape a forced marriage, I pretended to be mute for six months. But I still ended up married to the crippled, gloomy tycoon of the Upper East Side—my father's friend, the man I grew up calling "Uncle." Because of his "disability," I have to do everything myself in the bedroom. One night, exhausted and dizzy, I bit down hard on his shoulder to stifle a scream. Suddenly, floating text—like a live stream chat—appeared before my eyes. [LMAO, they are both faking it so hard.] [Girl, just scream at him already. Our billionaire loves dirty talk.] [The gloomy ghost’s legs have been fine for ages. The pervert just likes watching her do all the work.] I snapped. I looked him in the eye and yelled, "Silas Thorne, you are absolutely useless!" He paused, a slow, dangerous smile spreading across his face as he rubbed his thumb over my lip. "Hmm? If I'm so useless, how did I just miraculously cure your voice?" 1 I am the villain of this story. Before I "awakened," I tried to drug the male lead, Liam Sterling. But I failed. The one who succeeded was the innocent "white lotus" heroine. When Liam sobered up, he went on a warpath. He hunted me down socially and professionally. When he couldn't catch me, he decimated my family’s business. The Vance empire was bleeding cash, and my dad, desperate to stop the hemorrhaging, started looking for a marriage alliance. But nobody wanted to touch the toxic waste that was our company, or me—the spoiled, notorious heiress Sloane Vance. So, my dad set his sights on Silas Thorne. Silas Thorne. The King of New York’s old money. Gloomy, cold, ruthless. He was my dad’s friend. I grew up calling him "Uncle Silas." Back when I drugged Liam, Liam had choked me and forced the rest of the spiked drink down my throat. Silas was the one who rescued me. He took me to his estate, tied my hands with his silk tie, and made me kneel in his library. He disciplined me with a ruler, hitting my palms over and over. He was terrifying. But because of the drugs in my system, the pain felt... different. That night, right in front of the portraits of his ancestors, I assaulted him. I think I even broke a wheel off his wheelchair. 2 After that, I ran. The list of people hunting me now included Silas Thorne. Between being choked, drinking high-proof liquor, screaming for hours, and the sheer trauma, I lost my voice. Literally. I left a note for my parents and fled to Europe to "seek treatment." Six months later, I was dragged out of a pounding nightclub in Ibiza and hauled back to New York. I pointed frantically at my throat, signaling to my dad: The Thorne family won't accept a mute bride. My dad sighed. "Sloane, we're broke. You're mute. Silas is crippled. The only reason the board forced him to take this deal is because they think he can't do any better. You being mute? It’s a feature, not a bug." Me: ? 3 On my wedding night, I was shaking like a leaf. My dark, brooding "Uncle" rolled his wheelchair toward me. He gripped my chin, his thumb pressing against my throat. "Mute, are we?" I nodded, trembling under his touch. Rumor had it that anyone who crossed Silas Thorne disappeared. And I hadn't just crossed him; I had molested him. And forced him into marriage. I was pretty sure he was going to kill me. "Good," he murmured. "The soundproofing in here isn't great." Me: ? Silas patted my head and handed me a small box. "My legs don't work, Sloane. You'll have to help me." I held the box like it was a live grenade. You pervert. Even though we aren't blood related, I'm significantly younger than him. Was he really going to make me do this? "Scared?" I nodded, then shook my head. I am Sloane Vance, the Queen B of Manhattan. I don't get scared. I knelt on the rug, my hands shaking as I reached out. Silas let out a heavy sigh, scooped me up, and placed me on his lap, facing him. He guided my hands. "Easy, Sloane. You're a novice. Don't rush." "Sit still. Don't fall." "This is a custom-made titanium wheelchair. It’s sturdy. You can be bold." ... 4 Silas was truly useless. I had to do everything. Every time, I ended up exhausted, yet he forced me to keep going. A month later, I was so tired my eyelids were glued shut. I bit down on Silas’s shoulder, hard, just to stop myself from cursing him out. If he found out I’d been faking my muteness this whole time, God knows how he’d punish me. I rubbed my eyes, cursing him internally. Suddenly, glowing text appeared in the air in front of me. [LMAO. They are both faking it so hard. I can’t.] [Sloane, baby, just scream at him. Our Big Boss loves dirty talk.] [Actually, Silas is suffering too. He can't move, he just has to watch her take the lead. He’s about to explode.] [The heiress definitely doesn't know yet. The gloomy ghost’s legs healed ages ago, but this freak likes watching her do the work.] [Please, just call him a name. We want to hear it.] Me: ... I turned my head to look at Silas. Sweat dripped from his temple onto my collarbone. His cold eyes were burning with desire, his breathing heavy and ragged. His hand gripped my waist so hard his knuckles were white. I tested my voice. It was dry and raspy. "Uncle Silas." Silas froze. I let it rip. "Uncle Silas, you are really useless." The hand on my waist tightened instantly. "Say that again?" My lips trembled as I unleashed a month’s worth of frustration. "What? Can't hear me? Legs don't work, ears don't work either? Fine, listen closely. I said—" "You can't do anything. You are a waste of space." Silas brushed a strand of hair behind my ear. He looked at me, the mockery in his eyes undisguised. "Hmm?" The night grew darker. Silas rubbed his thumb over my lips. "If I'm a waste of space, how did I just cure your voice?" 5 "Bastard." I cursed him as I threw on my clothes and locked the bedroom door. His legs were fine. He lied to me. But I didn't dare confront him. If he got angry, he’d destroy me. The best strategy was to run. Bars, racing, golf, parties, horse riding, male models. As long as I kept moving, Silas couldn't catch me. That weekend, I met up with my entourage for pool. They were surprised to see the new guy on my arm. "Done chasing Liam Sterling? You disappeared for six months; he was actually looking for you." "Don't like him anymore. Bored." "Bored? Yeah right. But who's the curly-haired kid? He's cute." The curly hair belonged to Leo, a model. My best friend was styling a shoot for the Van Der Woodsens and asked for my opinion. I didn't like the clothes, but I liked the guy wearing them. [It’s the puppy dog! He only loves the villainess. He can be sweet or wild, gets jealous, has a great body. He becomes a famous actor later.] [Sloane grabbed him just to piss off the male lead, but the puppy fell in love for real.] [Is nobody worried about the Uncle? He’s going to lose his mind when he finds out she’s not partying with him. The four-way jealous showdown is going to be fire.] I shoved a pool cue into Leo’s hands. "Five shots. Ten grand for every ball you sink." "Sloane, seriously? Your dad is stressing over the merger, and you're burning cash?" Listen, in this life, I can do without love. But I cannot be ugly, poor, or embarrassed. "Daddy spoils me." They didn't know I was spending Silas’s money. Leo’s technique was average. I walked up behind him, wrapped my arms around him, and covered his hands with mine. His ears turned bright red. "Hands this pretty, and you can't sink a ball?" He lowered his eyes, his lashes casting shadows on his cheeks. "I didn't want you to lose too much money." Kid knows how to talk. "Spending on you isn't a loss." Five shots later. I pinched his cheek. "Go have fun." "You really over Liam? Weird." "What's Liam Sterling? Just a pastime." "Ahem." Someone winked at me frantically. I bent down to line up a shot. Suddenly, a warm chest pressed against my back. A sinister voice whispered in my ear. "Is that so? A pastime." I jumped. It was Liam. His hand gripped my waist, thumb rubbing suggestively. "I wondered where you went for six months. Found a new toy?" [AHHH IT'S THE MALE LEAD! GET OFF HER! THE HEROINE IS GONNA BE MAD!] [This is the scene where the leads meet! Liam doesn't love our girl yet.] [Major angst point: the male lead flirts with the villainess to make the heroine jealous. Crap, how is Sloane getting out of this?] Getting out of it the same way I get out of everything. I shoved Liam off me. "Obviously." I flicked my earring. "After trying other flavors, I realized you’re pretty bland, Liam." Liam grabbed my wrist. "You think you can just walk away? It doesn't work like that." He sneered. "Guess what? I have evidence of what you did to me. If I..." My heart skipped a beat. But then I remembered—my dad and Silas surely cleaned that mess up. And frankly, that was the plot's fault. Current me would never roofie anyone. "Did what?" the crowd asked, hungry for gossip. Liam lit a cigarette, taking his time. "Something very bad." "How bad? Did Sloane climb into your bed?" Liam blew smoke. "You do something bad, then run away. Not very polite, is it?" The smoke hit me, choking me. Slap. I backhanded him across the face. "Blow smoke in my face again and see what happens." Liam licked the corner of his lip and smiled. A dark, cold look settled on me. If we weren't in public, he would have strangled me. [Male lead is so hot... but Sloane is iconic. This toxicity is delicious.] [Do you guys have no morals? She drugged him!] [I'm here for the drama. Besides, blowing smoke in someone's face is disgusting.] Leo suddenly appeared, shoving Liam back. Liam laughed. "You think she's a prize? You're that desperate?" Leo grabbed my wrist. "Sloane, let's go." "Sloane." Liam called out. "Finish the game. You win, I leave your family alone." "Deal." Win or lose, it didn't matter.
? Continue the story here ?? ? Download the "MotoNovel" app ? search for "386036", and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel