Chapter 116: Chapter 116

Camille gritted her teeth. “Isn’t that a given?! No woman in the world would be able to put up with a snake like you!” she snapped.

“Oh, but you’re still with me now even after all these years, aren’t you, Hailey?” he taunted.

She bit her lower lip, trying to restrain her rage from overflowing like a dam. “I told you to stop calling me that!”

She could never understand why he seemed to take such pleasure in calling her by her former name. He knew how painful it was for her to remember those memories, as well as the regret that lingered inside of her from her impulsive decision to leave the family that loved her.

Yet he continued to torment and mock her at every opportunity that he had.

Ignoring her words, Christian stepped forward and pinned her against the wall, his expression frosty and intimidating.

She flinched slightly, but made sure not to show any fear or discomfort on her face.

“But you’re okay with Michael McGregor calling you by that name,” he remarked icily.

“Of course,” she responded bravely. “Michael would never treat me the way you do. He would also never treat my father like a charity case and expect me to be indebted to him.”

Her words seemed to snap something inside of Christian, because a wild emotion gleamed in his eyes the next moment.

“Well, if that’s the case, then I’ll have to force you to choose me instead.”

Suddenly, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her towards him.

Then, without warning, he cupped the side of her face with one hand and started leaning in.

She punched him hard in the shoulder out of reflex, instinctively pulling her face away as much as possible. “Let me go!” she warned, feeling a frisson of alarm rising within her. “What the hell are you doing?!”

He paused for a moment and looked deep into her eyes. He could see the hatred there, clear as day, and it only served to irritate him further.

When he spoke next, his tone was eerily calm, with a sinister undercurrent.

“Camille Parker. Resist me, and I will make your life a living hell.”

That made her stiffen instantly, her mind racing a mile a minute.

But he didn’t give her time to think or make her next move.

He swooped down and covered her mouth with his, and in an instant, everything inside of her exploded.

A whirlwind of emotions raged inside of her, an explosive anger that made her hands clench into fists, but also shock that kept her rooted to the spot, unable to act.

It was horrible. At this moment, it was only lip-to-lip contact, just skin against skin, but the sensation was like she had opened a can of worms and they were crawling through her skin, causing a wave of nausea to wash over her.

And when Christian tilted his head to kiss her deeper, Camille was immediately seized by such an unpleasant and violent sensation that her mind momentarily went blank.

What should she do in this situation? Should she push him away and punch him or kick him where the sun doesn’t shine, or should she just stand still and let him violate her boundaries like this?

Fuck. That latter option was so unappealing that it hurt her physically just considering it.

However, she still had traces of rationality left in her system, because what if she resisted and hit him and then he immediately canceled her father’s appointment with Dr. Colmen?

Camille didn’t doubt for once second that Christian could be that cruel since she had experienced the extent of his coldness and heartlessness first-hand.

She knew that he did not usually make empty threats. When he made up his mind, he would see it through the end, and nothing could convince him otherwise.

So if she really resisted him and he canceled the appointment in response, it wouldn’t just crush her in the end. It would also affect her adoptive family, her innocent brothers and her parents who did not deserve it.

It would be cruel for their hopes to get dashed and for a life to be lost just because she couldn’t control herself. In the end, she would only wallow in self-blame and carry the guilt for a lifetime.

‘Just pretend,’ she told herself resolutely, summoning whatever was left of her courage and determination. ‘Just pretend that this is nothing to you. Pretend that this is a simple skin-to-skin contact. For now, just pretend, and then agonize over it later.’

‘Do this, and Papa will be okay. He’ll be all right.’

Then, as though Christian read her thoughts and decided to taunt her, he pushed her even harder against the wall, tilting her chin upwards and sliding his tongue over her lower lip.

Camille suppressed a violent shudder.

She had always thought that first kisses would feel magical, intimate and precious, but not like this!

She gathered all of her remaining strength and opened her eyes, having shut them earlier out of refusal to look at him.

Her heart lurched when she saw that his eyes were open and studying her intently, like a scientist examining a lab specimen. She could even see a glimmer of amusement in his gaze, which only made her glower at him with more disgust.

Meanwhile, Christian was enjoying every second of this.

When he looked down at her, her face was a mask of hatred. She was glaring at him defiantly, eyes filled with revulsion. It was clear that she did not enjoy this one bit but was restraining herself from pulling away, probably afraid that he might retaliate.

Scared that he might retract his help and leave her father to die.

Christian loved it. He loved that look on her face. It sent a thrill through his veins, making him want to torture her even more.

With a cruel smile slowly spreading across his face, he kissed her deeper, coaxing her mouth to open. She stubbornly kept her lips closed, but he didn’t care.

There were other ways to play with her.

Gripping her wrist tightly, he used his free hand to cup her cheek and tilt her face upwards even more.

Beneath the skin of his fingers, he felt her tremble, as if holding back her rage.

The satisfaction that he felt was almost palpable. It gave him a sense of complete power over her, and he found it to be quite exhilarating.

She could rebel as much as she wanted, but whether she liked it or not, she belonged to him.

Nobody else aside from Christian could claim her firsts. He would make sure of it.