Chapter 2

"What did you say?" Brandon's face instantly darkened.

He grabbed a handful of my hair, forcing me to look up at him. "Skylar, I advise you to think carefully before you speak."

A sharp pain shot through my scalp, but I gritted my teeth. "I said, I won't. This is a crime. I'm calling the police."

Smack!

A stinging slap landed hard on my face.

My vision went black, my ears rang, and I tasted blood.

"You're ungrateful!" Brandon snarled through gritted teeth.

"What do you think you are? You're just a dancer, it's your good fortune to be able to pay off my debt!"

Carol followed up with a kick. "Exactly! Who are you to act so pure? It's an honor my son chose you!"

"Not her face!" Frank warned from the side. "If you damage her face, we're all screwed!"

Brandon finally let go. I lay sprawled on the cold floor, gasping for air.

"Skylar, I'm asking you one last time," he crouched down, pinching my chin. "Are you going to cooperate or not?"

I stared at him, enunciating each word. "Absolutely not."

"Fine. Very well," Brandon sneered, standing up and walking towards me.

"Aren't you a dancer? Aren't you supposed to fulfill your mom's legacy?"

He lifted his foot and stomped down hard on my calf.

"Ah!" The excruciating pain made me scream.

"If this leg breaks, what dance will you do then?" He ground his foot down harder.

"I heard your mom's biggest wish before she died was to see you on an international stage. What a shame..."

Fear instantly consumed me.

Mom was one of the nation's top dancers, but she passed away due to illness at the peak of her career.

I had trained tirelessly in dance since childhood, all to honor her legacy.

"No," my voice began to tremble. "Don't touch my leg..."

"Now you're scared?" Carol scoffed from the side. "Weren't you tough a moment ago?"

Brandon took his foot off, then crouched down again. "Then be a good girl and behave later."

"As long as you clear my debt, I'll still marry you. We'll go back to how things were."

I closed my eyes, tears streaming down my face against my will.

"That's more like it," Carol said, satisfied. "Go clean her up. She's a mess, how can she be presented like this?"

Brandon roughly dragged me off the floor, pulling me towards the private bathroom attached to the parlor.

"I can do it myself," I tried to struggle.

"Shut up!" He shoved me into the bathroom. "Your makeup's ruined, you look like a ghost."

He grabbed my hair, forcing my face under the faucet.

The cold water made me shiver violently, my makeup washing off in streaks.

Brandon grabbed the hand soap from the sink and smeared it directly onto my face.

I choked, coughing. "Mmph...Stop!"

"Clean her up properly. Mr. Thorne will want to see this face."

"She really does look like her. Damn. I only chased you because your face looks just like Mr. Thorne's woman."

My heart sank completely.

So that was it.

Three years of a relationship, just a calculated setup from the start.

Brandon rinsed the foam from my face, then roughly wiped it dry with a towel.

Then he started ripping my clothes.

"What are you doing!" I screamed in horror, clutching my chest.

"These clothes are too conservative. You need something sexier."

He pulled a low-cut black dress from his bag. "Put it on."

"No!"

"You won't?" Brandon's eyes turned cold. "Then don't blame me for helping you."

He violently tore open the buttons of my cashmere coat. I shrieked and struggled, but he slapped me again with the back of his hand.

"Stay still!"

The bathroom door suddenly rattled.

Carol's voice came through. "Brandon, hurry! Mr. Thorne's men are here!"

Brandon froze, glaring at me viciously. "You're lucky."

He dragged me out of the bathroom, pushing me back onto the parlor carpet.

The door opened.

Several men in black suits walked in. The one at the front, in his early thirties, had a scar on his face and cold, dangerous eyes.

"Mr. Thorne will be here any minute," the man with the scar, Jax, said, glancing at me. "Cleaned up?"

"Cleaned up, perfectly clean!" Frank quickly forced a smile. "Jax, sir, take a look. Doesn't she look exactly like her?"

Jax took a few steps closer, crouching down to examine my face carefully.

My heart pounded. Was this Jax, the new guy under my uncle?

Victor had only mentioned him once, saying he'd only been with him for about six months, known for being ruthless, but still unfamiliar with family matters.

I was doomed.

He didn't recognize me at all.