Chapter 4

Julian, hearing this, smiled. “That’s a good idea. She’s excellent at taking care of people.”

Aubrey’s face drained of color. Her throat felt dry.

“Excellent at taking care of people.” Was he talking about how she had acted like a nanny to him throughout their youth?

His words made all her sacrifices during her youth feel like a cruel joke.

Julian picked up a strand of her hair, twisting it between his fingers. “You’ll agree, won’t you?”

Aubrey’s eyes welled up. After they announced their relationship, Julian had never let her do any housework.

Now, he was asking her to care for his pregnant mistress.

Her mouth opened slightly, but she couldn’t utter a refusal. She could only nod.

She couldn’t go against Julian yet.

She hadn’t received the divorce papers, and the money hadn’t been transferred to her account.

Serena, seeing Aubrey’s humiliated expression, brightened considerably.

Just then, Julian’s phone rang.

He gave Serena a doting look. “I’ll take this call.”

As soon as he stepped out, the pitiful innocence in Serena’s eyes vanished.

It was replaced by malice and calculation.

“Well, does it hurt to see how much Julian loves me?”

Serena looked triumphant, her chin slightly raised, a victor’s pose.

“I found out. You were just a beggar picking through trash on the streets. After getting help from the Davies family, you transformed into Mrs. Davies.”

“If you can marry Julian, so can I.” Saying this, Serena grabbed Aubrey’s wrist.

“I advise you to leave Julian on your own. Otherwise, once I start playing games, you won’t be able to handle it.”

Aubrey didn’t take Serena’s threats seriously. She sneered. “Oh really? Then why don’t you just tell him you want him to divorce me?”

“Do you know why he loves you so much, yet still hasn’t divorced me?”

“Because, to him, you’re nothing but a mistress.”

Aubrey’s words hit home, crushing Serena’s pride.

“You!” Serena pointed a furious finger at her, barely restraining herself from striking Aubrey.

“Don’t get cocky. The position of Mrs. Davies will be mine eventually.”

With that, Serena violently shoved the table, spilling a cup of hot water.

Then she let out a piercing scream. “Ah!”

Julian, hearing Serena’s shriek, burst through the door and saw Serena’s scalded, red hand.

He rushed over and pulled her into his arms. “What happened?!”

Serena leaned into Julian’s embrace, tears welling in her eyes.

She sniffled as she cried.

She looked utterly pathetic.

“Julian, I don’t know what I said wrong to anger Aubrey.”

“She suddenly threw hot water on me.”

As she spoke, she clutched her stomach, crying even harder. “Thankfully, I protected my belly. If anything happened to the baby, what would I do?!”

Julian’s deep, inky eyes blazed with fury. He let out a sudden roar that made Aubrey flinch.

“Aubrey!”

“Don’t you know she’s pregnant?! How could you be so vicious?!”

It was the first time Aubrey had seen Julian so enraged. She tried to explain, “There are security cameras in the living room. You can check them to see if I did it.”

She had been kidnapped once before, and though she was rescued safely, it had left Julian with intense psychological trauma. He’d had cameras installed in every corner of the house.

A flicker of panic crossed Serena’s face. She quickly said, “Aubrey, I know you want to say I framed you, but I would never endanger Julian’s baby just to frame you!”

Julian held Serena tightly, his heart aching. He looked at her tear-filled eyes and her scalded, red hand.

“No need to check. I believe Serena.”

“Aubrey, I never thought you could become so malicious.”

Aubrey tried to explain again. “I never…”

“Aubrey!”

His roar was so loud, it made her heart pound.

Even Serena flinched at the sound, forgetting to cry.

Julian, seeing Serena startled, immediately comforted her. “Don’t be scared. I’m not yelling at you!”

Tears spilled from Aubrey’s eyes, uncontrollable.

If she had cried before, Julian would have frantically fumbled to comfort her. But now, he was busy soothing another woman.

Julian looked up, frowning. “Why are you crying? I guess you don’t understand pain until it happens to you.”

He gave a look to the guards, who immediately understood.

They grabbed Aubrey’s arms, pulling her towards the basement.

Looking at the pitch-black basement, Aubrey immediately struggled. “I’m begging you! I’m scared!”

“Don’t do this, Julian Davies! You know I can’t be in confined spaces, you know it!”

No matter how much Aubrey pleaded, he ignored her.

The basement was just a storage room, not very large.

The lights there had broken a long time ago and hadn’t been fixed. Once the door closed, nothing could be seen.

In that sealed, narrow space, her fear magnified infinitely.

Aubrey couldn’t take it anymore. She hammered on the door, shouting, “Let me out! Please, let me out!”

No one paid any attention to her cries for help.

Gradually, she felt her breathing grow ragged, and her entire being was consumed by extreme terror.

When she finally saw light again, it was three days later. For those three days, she hadn’t eaten or drunk anything.

Julian looked at her, covered in dirt, and wrinkled his nose in disgust.

Serena, hiding behind him, looked smug.

Julian sneered, “If you had just been a good girl and listened, none of this would have happened!”

She had no strength left and slowly closed her eyes.

When she opened her eyes again, she saw Julian sitting by her bedside.

He held a glass of water out to her. “Drink some water.”

His voice was incredibly gentle, making her believe the young Julian from years ago had returned.

But then she looked up and saw the hickeys on his neck, instantly snapping her back to reality.

Julian placed the water glass aside. “Are you worried Serena’s child will steal your inheritance?”