Chapter 1084
When There Is Nothing Left But Love
I suddenly remembered that Sashaâs parents were also locked up here. At the thought of this, I
instinctively shot off the chair and paced out the door. Seeing me leave, Holden called out, âWhere are
you going?â
âTo find out where everyone else is!â Worry seeped into my mind. Sashaâs parents couldnât handle
being stressed, given their old age.
He frowned. âDonât, itâs pointless, and not to mention, extremely dangerous because Armond keeps his
poisonous pets downstairs. Heâll strangle me with his bare hands if you somehow get yourself killed.
So, itâs best to stay here. Iâm sure someone will get us out.â
I pursed my lips at that last bit. âIs that someone the person that youâre working with?â Isnât that person
in Moranta? So who is he referring to?
But Holden disregarded my question. Instead, he resumed eating and even complimented Armondâs
private chef, singing about how tasty the food was.
Hesitantly standing by the door, I thought about the conversation earlier with Nora before announcing,
âStay here while I head out for a bit. Donât worry, Armond wonât hurt me since he still needs me to get
that sandalwood box. And Iâm sure heâs installed cameras all over this villa, so heâll be watching our
every move.â
Then I exited the living room and trailed down the hallway that Spencer took when he brought me up
earlier. After walking for some time, I realized that I hadnât even left the fourth floor at all.
My face scrunched worryingly at the realization that Armondâs villa must be built like a maze.
Otherwise, he wouldnât have made it so big.
At this thought, I halted and scanned the never-ending walls around me. There were no stairways, and
each door looked identical, down its gold knobs and intricate carvings. On top of that, there were many
adjoined corridors. Shoot, which path did I take earlier?
My heart thundered in my chest. It swung like a mallet against my ribcage.
All the doors were shut, so I approached random ones and tried to open them. Yet, no matter how
much I rattled or turned their knobs, none opened.
The booming in my chest grew incessant as if my heart might burst at any moment.
Then I heard them; despite my initial hesitance, I eventually gave in and trailed after the faint chatters
of some men and women. I inhaled sharply as the voices had miraculously led me to a door whose
knob could be turned.
With extreme caution, I opened the door and entered before freezing at what was inside the room.
The dimly lit room was spacious. Many stares snapped towards me, alarmed by my sudden entrance.
The one person who didnât seem shocked was Armond, who lounged leisurely on a sofa as his gaze
trailed from the performance at the very front of the room over to me.
He swirled a glass of blood-red wine and raised his eyebrows mockingly. âI see youâve made it. Come
in! Join the fun.â
I was still too stunned by everything to respond. Eventually, my lips parted as I managed a simple
squeak, âIâ¦â
âEscort Ms. Stovall in.â Armondâs eyes fixated on me like a predatorâs. He placed his glass down whilst
a crooked smile smeared itself across his face.
His stare sent a chill down my back, straightening every fine strand of hair on my body. I trembled
helplessly as two men grabbed onto my arms and brought me closer to Armond. They then left after
completing their task.
Before me, Armond crossed his legs whilst grinning with a tainted delight. âHave a seat, come watch
the show since I doubt youâve ever witnessed such finesse.â
My feet remained firmly rooted into the ground. I refused to go over, knowing that there were about four
to five mastiffs and dingos eyeing me cautiously from every corner of the room.
Thoughts raced in my mind as I tried to figure out Armondâs next plan of action. Seeing how
unresponsive I was, Armondâs eyes narrowed furiously.
âSo you prefer to stand and watch?â He spat.
But neither of us, especially myself, was prepared for what happened next.
I winced, feeling a dry and clenching ache in my stomach. Then my knees gave in, and I plopped onto
all fours before a sour stream of vomit retched up my throat.
Armondâs face loosened into a dull expression, save for the slight twitching of his lips that showed how
entertained he was by my suffering.
A sharp stench filled the air around us. I emptied almost everything in me, yet I could still taste the
sourness of rotten plums in my mouth. It took a moment before I regained my focus on him. I yelled in
disbelief, âArmond, you psychopath! Youâre insane!â
Thatâs right. Armond thought to himself.
Armondâs eyes bore indifferently into mine. âHmm? Have you finally decided to surrender the contract
to me?â
âDo you even know what youâre doing?â I felt my emotions churning as I stared down at the repulsive
man before me, who sought after the contract by any means necessary.
Armond relaxed deeper into the sofa, sprawling his arms into a comfortable position. He shot a
contemptuous stare at me and hissed, âDo you think Ashton would hand over the contract if I made you
join them?â
âYouâre insane!â My face paled to a greyish disdain. Feeling my blood run cold, I stepped backward,
wanting to put some distance between myself this monster of a man.
He howled obnoxiously at the sight of me trembling. His laughter wriggled into my ears like worms as
he mocked, âYouâre too meek to beat me in this game of chase, Scarlett. I assure you wonât lose
anything by giving me the contract, so why donât you hand it over, hmm?â
Damn it. Regret seeped into me as if I had been drenched with a bucket of cold water. I shouldnât have
entered the room and walked so willingly into the lionâs den.
Gathering whatever courage I had left, I forced myself to meet his gaze. âIâd hand over the contract to
anyone without question, just not you, Armond. What youâre after is the Murphy familyâs recognition,
arenât you? Well, I wonât give you that satisfaction. Look at how you destroyed the Murphy family
business. That was why you sought after the trading rights to Morantaâs ports; you wanted to undo the
damages youâve done to the Murphys.
âYouâre probably nervous because Mr. Murphyâs already planning to remove you from your current
powerful position, am I right? Well, a vile man like you will never succeed in life, no matter how capable
you are or how many despicable tactics you resort to. I wonât give the contract to you. Iâll put you
behind bars myself and allow the Murphysâ next heir to restore their familyâs initial glory. As for you,
youâre better off rotting in a jail cell where you belong.â