Chapter 31: Chapter 31
Standing before her, Maxwell cruelly smirked, "Don't worry, you won't fare any better than him." He needed to use cruel methods to numb his already wavering heart, otherwise, he might end up being the one defeated!
Flora crawled forward frantically, falling heavily to the ground, then holding onto his leg, lifting her tear-streaked face pleadingly, "Maxwell! I was wrong! It's all my fault, it's my responsibility alone, please spare him! I beg you!"
"Oh, really? Didn't you say before that you knew nothing? How come today you're willing to shoulder all the blame?" Maxwell sneered, looking down at her. The deeper her love for Henry, the more he resented her!
"What will it take for you to let him go?!" Flora screamed in despair. The thought of Henry suffering at the hands of this cruel man twisted her heart in pain.
Maxwell turned around, took the disc off the player, and threw it beside her, mocking, "This is a keepsake for you. Let him go? Don't ever expect it in this lifetime, just like you shouldn't have expected to walk out of this mansion!"
Flora trembled with anger, struggling to prop herself up, and fiercely picked up a vase from the table, shouting, "Maxwell! Go to hell!"
Although Maxwell did not anticipate this, being a professional killer, he agilely dodged to the side, easily avoiding it. The vase crashed against the wall, shattering into pieces that scattered on the floor.
Maxwell, enraged, grabbed her arm and pulled her into his embrace, glaring at her, "Do you think you can hurt me? I'm warning you, it's best not to do anything that makes me angry, or it will always be you who suffers!"
"Let him go..." Flora muttered dazedly, not taking his threats to heart at all. Her mind and body had already been tormented to exhaustion, to the point where she couldn't even shed tears. She knew that begging him was futile, but she continued to plead, refusing to give up.
Blood continued to seep from the wounds on her wrist, staining Maxwell's clothes. Glancing at his blood-soaked shirt and seeing her broken tear-streaked face, a fragile part of his heart trembled once again. He trembled abruptly, swiftly pushing her down onto the bed and making a dash for the door!
Yes! For him, this was an escape! He realized that he was becoming less and less immune to her tears. How could such a strong and stubborn girl be reduced to this state by him?
Based on his investigations in recent times, the Flora in front of him had always been a naive and lively girl, mischievous to the point of being headache-inducing. She was completely different from the girl in the Smith Family mansion. Wasn't this what he wanted? To abuse her, humiliate her, shatter her pride... Imprisoning her was his goal, and he had succeeded!
This was what success felt like, a faint happiness, a faint sadness, in any case, not what he had imagined!
His footsteps halted by the bedroom door, and Maxwell turned back, staring at her coldly, saying, "So you want me to let go of Henry? Here's your chance, hand over the necklace!"
Was he making a concession? He could have used any means necessary to make her hand over the necklace! Maxwell chuckled bitterly in his mind. Hatred and pity tore at his heart, creating a conflicting turmoil within him.
Flora froze, wide-eyed with tears, the necklace?! She had no idea where the necklace was. If she knew, she would have handed it over, she would have! She sobbed, shaking her head, unable to utter a single word!
Her headshake naturally made Maxwell think she was refusing him. He sneered, "Then there's nothing I can do for you!" and walked out, shrugging his shoulders.
Staring at the closed door, Flora slumped onto the bed, defeated and full of hatred. She picked up the disc from the floor and smashed it into the trash bin, then collapsed back onto the bed, agonizingly sobbing.
Flora curled up on the bed and slept through the night, only waking up in the afternoon of the following day, to be plagued by endless heartache upon waking up.
She knew that this couldn't go on, nobody would sympathize with her or care about her. So she got up and casually bandaged her wounds before leaving the bedroom, planning to find something to eat in the servants' quarters. She hadn't eaten anything in almost a day.
The opulent house seemed somewhat quiet. It was nap time, and Flora guessed that the masters were all taking their afternoon naps. Finally, Flora could enjoy some peace, not having to listen to those cold and hurtful words anymore.
Silently crossing the corridor, she reached the ground floor and unexpectedly saw Robin holding a plate of snacks, happily munching on them while watching cartoons, looking incredibly busy and happy. When he saw Flora, he called out without a care, "It's so fun, Flora, come sit down and watch with me!"
"Is everyone gone?" Flora asked, looking at him. She was so hungry that she didn't hesitate to grab a snack from Robin's hand and start eating. After taking a few bites, she frowned and said, "Why isn't it tomato flavor?"
"Hey, give that back! I don't like you!" Robin jumped up from the sofa, snatched the snacks back, and sat back down on the sofa. Only then did he say, "Big Brother is out with Aunt and Cousin Joshua, and Second Brother is in his study."
"Oh, I'm going to do some work." Flora didn't care about where they went. She asked out of habit and then turned to walk towards the door.
"Hey, your hand isn't healed yet, don't do any work!" Robin called out from behind.
Flora felt a small touch of warmth, but she still didn't listen and continued walking towards the backyard. It wasn't that she wanted to work, but rather that staying in this big house was suffocating, and she'd rather be in the backyard with the maids, feeling a little better.
When Flora returned to the backyard, the maids all looked at her with sympathetic eyes, then glanced at her left wrist. They had all heard that she had attempted suicide but didn't quite understand why she would do that.