Elsie''s heart thundered like a drum in her chest, her insides twisted into a tight knot of anxiety. Despite this, her gaze remained as still as a deep forestke, betraying no hint of the turmoil within.
Her irondposure was honed by Avery''s rigorous training. Now she had to use it against him.
When Elsie remained silent, Avery''s lips curled into a sinister smirk as he closed the distance between them step by step.
Suddenly, with lightning speed, Avery drew a gun from behind his back, pressing the cold, menacing barrel against Elsie''s sweat-drenched forehead.
"Mr. Chambers!" Harvey, who had been standing nearby, paled, his heart pounding violently in his throat.
"Elsie, are you the rat? Answer me!" Avery''s eyes were dark and threatening as
he demanded a response, each wordced with intensity.
Elsie met his bloodthirsty gaze without flinching.
Silence.
"Answer me!" Avery''s hand, gripping the gun, was knotted with veins as he roared.
"It''s me."
Elsie knew there was no turning back.
Avery wasn''t seeking a confession with the gun to her head; he already knew she was the informant.
He was driven by his cruel and sadistic nature, wanting to witness the woman he raised, the woman he molded in Evadne''s image, beg for mercy before him.
He despised her, relishing the pleasure tormenting her brought.
He was aplete psychopath, a despicable madman!
Elsie''s trembling gaze hardened with resolve, confronting Avery''s crimson eyes,
"Yes, it was me. I revealed Mari''s whereabouts to Lily. There''s no use in exining now. Do what you will."
She was done.
If she were to die now, at least it would be a release.
But it meant she would never again see those bright, joyous eyes.
Avery''s already pale face turned ashen, the hand holding the gun trembled, his chest heaving rapidly.
He disengaged the safety, and Elsie''s heartbeat ceased at that moment, she closed her eyes in despair.
Click-
The sound of the trigger being pulled.
The opulent room was deadly silent, but the expected gunshot never came.
Elsie''s heart contracted as she slowly opened her eyes, now drenched in sweat.
Avery burst intoughter, his voice mocking, as he repeatedly pulled the trigger at Elsie, "I''m just messing with you, look how scared you got!"
Harvey''s tense nerves rxed in an instant, nearly copsing on the spot.
Elsie stared coldly at him, a hollow chill sweeping through her.
"Elsie, tell me, why did you leak the information? Hm?" Avery''s thumb caressed her wet chin in a disturbingly intimate gesture.
Despite the chill in her heart, she knew this was her chance to exin, and she did so withposure,
"Because I wanted to gain the trust of Evadne and Thaddeus. By presenting them a token of my loyalty, they''d see me differently, and eventually, Elvis would too. If I could be a ''double-agent,'' perhaps I could extract information from them that would benefit you."
Avery squinted, seemingly satisfied with her answer.
The next moment, he slid the gun into the small of Elsie''s back and pulled her close,
"You did well this time. Not only will I not me you, but I''ll alsomend you. The death of Lily, you yed a significant part. It was your leak that made her act rashly, fall into Gary''s trap, and ultimately led to her demise. It plunged Jareth into immense grief, aging him overnight."
Elsie''s expression was unreadable.
Each word from the man was like a knife carving into her heart, ying her dignity and leaving her in shambles.
"Continue as you nned. I know you won''t disappoint me."
Avery released her, his gaze lingering on her slender waist, "Elvis'' clothes do look good on you. Make sure you wear them at his funeral."
When Elsie returned to her room, the sunset painted her pallid cheeks with a tragic crimson hue.
She staggered to the full-length mirror and slowly shed her ck coat.
In the mirror, her body was naked, trembling, and thin. Her skin was marred by shameful bruises, evidence of Avery''s afternoon of sport.
Avery hadn''t taken her, but he''d toyed with her, tormented her to extremes. Throughout, she''d been silent as the dead.
Indeed, she already felt dead.
Even without bullets, Avery''s trigger pull had been a death sentence.
Elsie tilted her head back as tears defiantly spilled over, streaking her cheeks.
Her time was running out.
Next time, Avery''s gun would surely be loaded.
Then, a knock at the door.
She recognized this knock, so she quickly wiped away her tears, dressed, and went to open it.
"Ms. Archer!"
It was Tom, the friendly bodyguard, his eyes filled with concern, "Are you alright?" "Come in," Elsie gestured him inside.
Tom immediately produced a tin of ointment from his jacket and handed it to her, "We all use this. It works wonders. Put some on."
He was one of Avery''s men; he knew what had happened that afternoon. "Thank you," Elsie''s fingers trembled as she epted it, her voice choked with sobs.
"Ms. Archer, life''s been hard on you. Haven''t you ever thought of..." Tom''s eyes reddened, his sentence trailing off.
"I have, Tom."
Elsie took a deep breath, her tears hanging on hershes, "I''ve thought about it a lot, even dreamed of it. But I can''t choose."
"Why not? There''s got to be a way!"
Tom moved closer, his eyes wide and earnest, "You could turn to Ms. Evadne and Mr. Thaddeus! Even with Avery''s big business abroad, he''s no match for the Abernathy Group and the Ashbourne family back home! I''ll keep an eye on Avery for you. Together, we can surely dig up something to strike him down!"
"You''re too naive."
Elsie chuckled bitterly, shaking her head. "I grew up under Mr. Chambers'' wing, and I know his tactics all too well. When I was his confidante, even I couldn''t grasp the full extent of his dealings. You''re just one of his bodyguards, not attached to his hip 24/7; you stand no chance of getting your hands on anything valuable. If he senses you''re onto him, you won''t just be risking your job, you''ll be risking your life. My life isn''t worth much, but I''d rather not drag any innocent people down with me. That''s a fate worse than death. Besides, behind Avery, there''s Sir."
Over the years, she had apanied him on numerous trips abroad, yet she had never onceid eyes on Sir''s true face.
She understood, though, that he was a nemesis perhaps not even Ms. Evadne and Mr. Thaddeus could handle.
The air grew still as they sat in silence, as helpless as castaways stranded on a stormshed deserted ind.
"There''s something that might help you."
Tom suddenly remembered something and lowered his voice, "The other night, the Bright Group''s heir, Warner, came looking for Avery. They had a lengthy private chat in the VIP room."
Elsie''s brow furrowed.
"That man walked in like a storm, looking like he was ready to chew someone out. After talking with Avery, he seemed a lot more at ease when he left. Although I was stationed outside the door with another bodyguard, the soundproofing was so good, I couldn''t hear a thing," Tom sighed in frustration.
But that was enough to spark an idea in Elsie.
The Bright Group was a leading pharmaceutical conglomerate in the country.
And as far as she knew, Avery had been handling Sir''s medical business dealings domestically. The first step, then, would be to take down the Bright Group!
Avery was ruthless and cunning; there was no way he''d cooperate with the Bright family.
So, his meeting with Warner definitely spelled out some devious trap! "Tom, from now on, keep a close eye on Harvey. Whenever Avery can''t get his hands dirty, Harvey is his go-to guy. There has to be a trail leading from him to whatever Avery''s plotting against the Bright Group!"
Tom nodded firmly, "Got it! I''ll watch him like a hawk!"
She didn''t care about the fate of the Bright Group, but she knew an opportunity when she saw one.
Just like before, if she could gather enough evidence and pass it to Elvis for Evadne, the Velvet Haven, this den of vermin, would have its day of reckoning! When Harvey came to find Avery with a bottle of aged red wine, the chaos of the room told him all he needed to know.
He set down the tray and hesitantly presented a photo,
"This was taken by the guy you sent to tail Ms. Archer today."
Avery lounged on the couch, a whip in his left hand, andzily took the photo with
his right.
In the picture, Elsie was pinned against a tree by Elvis, who was tenderly kissing her cheek, a moment of pure bliss.
"Look how entranced Elsie looks," said Avery with a mocking smile. "She only ever had that look in her eyes when she was by my side, watching me. Seems like she''s really fallen for Elvis."
Harvey frowned, "Mr. Chambers, what are you nning to do?"
"Though she''s been mine for many years, a woman who''s given her heart to another man is of no use to me anymore."
Avery half-closed his eyes, the corner of his mouth twitching, "But let''s use her a
little longer, as per the principle of utility. After all, she''s the perfect bait to lure Elvis, isn''t she?"
"That''s correct," said Harvey, who had grown to like Elsie over their years working together and had always looked out for her.
But if Avery decreed someone''s end, not even the devil himself could keep them
until dawn.
At that moment, Harvey''s phone vibrated.
He answered, listened for a bit, then hung up,
"Mr. Chambers, we''ve got news from our people abroad. Thanks to you, Jareth''s sister, Edith, was made a courtesan. She''s been ravaged by countless men, each more powerful and influential than thest, left praying for a mercy that won''te. In less than a month, she''s contracted all sorts of diseases. I hear she can''t work anymore, locked in a basement, starved for three days. From the sounds of it, she might not make it much longer."
"Considering she once worked loyally for me, let''s grant her a swift end," the man spoke nonchntly.
Harvey understood, "Will do."
"You see, this is how you take revenge. Jareth is too soft-hearted to make it big."
Avery sighed deeply, "All this, I do for Evadne. It''s just too bad that no matter how good I am to her, she''ll never understand my heart."