A glass of wine was handed to Riley Jiang, who stared at the crimson liquid before her, a sense of bewilderment washing over her. The lighting had shifted to an ambiguous glow, and the crowd around her seemed to vanish, leaving only her and Mark Qu in the spacious private room. Rileys heart skipped a beat, a sudden realization dawning on her鈥攖hat this was not a meeting between two parties; it was the ploy of an actress seeking to rise above.
At that moment, a strange fire surged within her body, an uncontrollable heat stimulating her heart. Clenching her wine glass, Riley held onto her last thread of clarity: "Mr. Qu, Im not feeling well, I must take my leave."
"Ah, dont go, whats wrong? You seem off. Sit down and rest a bit longer?" Marks hand grasped Rileys arm, increasing her nausea to the point of imminent vomiting.
Riley forcefully removed his hand and without another word, made a beeline for the door.
She felt Marks hand reaching for her again, his touch like a pigs, clinging to her arm and waist, entangling her body. The sickening sensation pressed against her back through her clothes, and his breath was indecently hot against her ear: "Whats the rush? Ill make sure you get back to the hotel tonight."
"Let go," Rileys consciousness was fading, yet the parts of her touched by Mark felt as if set ablaze, her skin crying out for a desire she couldnt control or escape, a deep, intrusive longing.
If she didnt leave now, Riley knew what awaited her. But she couldnt let that happen!
Marks actions behind her became more outrageous, more forceful, tightly restraining Riley.
She heard him muttering, but her mind was a mess, unable to make sense of anything. Her body was hot and weak, only the belief that she must leave kept her going. As she was about to be tackled, Rileys hand swiftly grabbed a microphone from the nearby cabinet and smashed it into Marks head.
Mark howled, his grip loosening, and Riley scrambled, never so undignified, as she stumbled towards the door.
"Whoosh," the door to the private room was flung open by her, the empty hallway bathed in light. Riley, leaning against the wall, didnt stop for a second, running forward without a care for where she was going.
The spotlights above were dizzying. As she walked, Riley fumbled in her bag for her phone, only to realize she hadnt brought it out. Her legs gave way, and she collapsed to the floor.
Riley sensed someone chasing her, the voice now close, now far. She tried to prop herself up, but her legs were too weak, and she had no strength left to crawl.
Finally, Riley, sweating and with her breath and consciousness dissipating, slumped down the wall.
She would never let Mark off the hook, she vowed, but the drugs power overcame her, and she slowly collapsed.
At that desperate moment, just a few meters away at the corner of the corridor, a tall shadow appeared abruptly.
She looked up to see Charles Shens mesmerizing, cold face and weakly called out his name. Sweat blurred her vision, and Riley had no more strength, collapsing to the ground.
The shadow hesitated for a moment, then strode towards Riley. All the glaring lights disappeared; he blocked everything that caused her pain.
"What have you done to her?" Charless voice was familiar, domineering, fierce, like a bloodthirsty wolf, and Rileys last thread of consciousness unraveled because of this mans powerful, reassuring presence.
It was like a dramatic turn in a desperate situation.
Only when this drama played out on her, it was absolutely, undeniably, not fun anymore.
The person in his arms was unconscious, curled up, but constantly rubbing against him. Charles, having drunk some alcohol, wore only a thin shirt, almost torn to pieces by the person clinging to him.
The person in his arms, even in their breath, was a plea, almost tearing his shirt apart despite being in a state of utter chaos.
Charles took Riley to his room in the hotel next to the club. His assistant opened the door, and Charles immediately threw her onto the bed, looking at her features that resembled someone else, he couldnt help but pause, wondering what was happening. A strange woman seemed to have her shadow.