Chapter 40: Chapter 40

Annie was chilling on the comfy couch in her apartment, watching TV and snacking on popcorn.

Mira set the table with the freshly cooked meal and chuckled. “You should ease up on the snacks. Dinner will be ready soon.”

“Don’t worry, Mira. I can devour all your delicious food,” Annie said confidently, placing the popcorn on the coffee table. She got up, washed her hands, and grabbed some utensils.

The simple dishes were all Annie’s favorites, with flavors that left a lasting impression. As Mira placed the last dish on the table, she playfully tapped Annie’s hand, which was sneaking towards the plates. “Don’t you dare eat before I start,” she exclaimed.

Annie pouted, retracting her hand. “Mira, you’re starting to sound like Mom. If you keep it up, you won’t be able to find a husband.”

Mira joked, “Maybe I’ll just stay single then.”

To her surprise, Annie’s playful demeanor shifted suddenly, and she sternly said, “Cut that out.”

Mira hesitated, surprised by Annie’s unexpected reaction. “That was just a harmless joke. Why is Annie so serious all of a sudden?‘

who’ll treat you like a queen. Annie grabbed Mira’s hands and said earnestly, “Mira, trust me, you’ll find a guy chubby little baby and live happily ever after. If anyone messes with you, I’ll make sure they regret it.”

This was Annie’s debt to Mira. Mira had to be the happiest person in the world.

You’ll have a Mira sensed the heavy mood and tried to lighten things up. “I checked out that training class you recommended and learned quite a bit in just two days. You said you were going to open a jewelry studio. How’s that coming along?”

“I’ve been looking for places, but you can’t rush these things,” Annie replied.

Finding a decent, affordable spot in Betrico, a city where land is as valuable as gold, proved to be a headache for Annie. All she could do was keep searching and settle for a place relatively suitable.

Suddenly, a message popped up on Annie’s phone: [Mason has made his move.]

Annie raised an eyebrow. When she had let Mason go before, she knew, given his vengeful nature, he wouldn’t let things slide after suffering a major loss.

Jackson’s insistence on making Mason pay the price was simply to teach him a lesson and make him realize that there are certain lines not to be crossed.

Mason couldn’t touch Annie, but his suffering so far was all thanks to her. With the words she said to him, she knew Mason would definitely come looking for Jessica to settle the score. What caught her off–guard was how swiftly he had acted.

Taking a couple of bites of food, Annie turned to Mira, saying, “Come. I’ll take you to see the drama unfold.”

In the Dracrity Hotel, Mason reached out, caressing Jessica’s face with an intense look in his eyes. “Jessica, you are finally going to be mine.”

“Stop it, Mason! Don’t you dare cross the line!” Jessica’s voice quivered with fear. Mason, who had always been kind to her, was now acting completely out of character. She was dragged to this place as soon as she stepped out of her house.

With a cold sneer, Mason retorted, “Even if I do, what can you do about it now? You’re in my hands, remember?”

Jessica’s voice trembled. “Mason, just let me go, please.”

“Let you go?” Mason, showing his hand wrapped in bandages, shot her a menacing look. “If I let you go, I would have lost this finger for nothing.”

Wide–eyed, Jessica gasped, “Who did that to you?”

Recalling the troubling scenes, Mason’s expression darkened. It was someone he couldn’t afford to offend.

Regaining composure, Mason’s tone softened, “Jessica, I did this for you. Shouldn’t you give something back?”

Sensing trouble, Jessica asked, “What do you want from me?”

Extending his hand towards her, Mason whispered, “You know exactly what I want.”

With a sharp snap, Jessica’s clothes were torn apart.

Jessica struggled desperately. “Stop it, Mason! Aren’t you afraid that my dad will come after you?”

“What’s there to be afraid of? I’ll marry you if necessary,” Mason replied.

But Jessica didn’t want to marry him. Watching her clothes being taken off one by one, she panicked. “Aren’t you afraid I’ll have you thrown in jail?”

Mason’s reaction to those words was intense. He raised his hand and landed a loud slap on Jessica’s face.

-Jessica was stunned. “You hit me?”

“What of it? I was ready to commit murder for you, and all you think about is tossing me in jail! There’s no way you can walk away unscathed today!” Mason’s affection for Jessica vanished completely. His approach was harsh and violent.

With her limbs tied up, Jessica couldn’t resist Mason. She thought in despair, ‘Am I really going to get raped today?”

With a click, the door was pushed open from the outside, letting in a silhouette outlined by the light.

In the dimly lit room, Annie’s gentle smile and familiar features came into view.

Jessica thought, ‘Annie? What is she doing here?‘

Annie glanced around the room and let out a little laugh, “Sorry about interrupting you guys.”

Mason, who was just about to blow up, suddenly cooled down when he saw who it was. Annie was under Jackson’s protection, a force to be reckoned with.

Annie looked over at the bed and sighed, “Look how pathetic you are, Jessica.” It was too good of a scene. Annie whipped out her phone and snapped a photo.

Wide–eyed, Jessica inquired, “Annie, what on earth are you doing?”

Annie smirked and said, “Just keeping a souvenir, that’s all.”

“Delete it right now! You hear me?” Jessica yelled, trying to get up but failing. She could only watch as Annie did whatever she wanted.

Annie’s voice turned cold. “Jessica, maybe you should focus on yourself instead of these photos.”

“What do you mean?” Jessica asked, puzzled.

Annie quickly showed that she wasn’t going to bother Mason and said, “I’m leaving.”

Jessica’s eyes widened as she instantly realized what Annie meant. “Annie, you can’t just leave like that. I’m your cousin. If something happens to me, have you thought about how our family would view you?”

Annie shrugged. “Do you think I care?”

“But what about your parents? They’ve always treated me like their own kid since I was little!” Jessica asked.

It dawned on Annie that while she might not give a hoot about what the Sanders family thought, she couldn’t ignore her parents‘ opinions. Plus, she had no intention of letting Mason get what he wanted. After all, it was Quinton whom Jessica must serve.

Annie tilted her head. “Are you begging me?”

Forcing Jessica to beg wasn’t something simple, given her pride, but when reality hit, Jessica had to yield too.

Finally, Jessica struggled out, “Please, Annie. I’m begging you.”

Spotting this, Mason got antsy. “Annie, are you going to throw a wrench into my plan?” After all, it wasn’t easy for him to get Jessica here.

Annie casually glanced at his hand and chuckled softly. “Does it still hurt?”

Mason’s face twisted, with no words to throw back.

Annie focused back on Jessica with a condition in mind, “I can lend a hand, but you have to agree to a little something.”

“What do you want?” Jessica asked.