Chapter 3

3

Splash!

Four high-pressure water cannons aimed at me from four directions.

The massive impact stunned me instantly.

I was like a withered leaf in a storm, tossed around by the torrents and slammed hard against the glass wall.

Thud!

A sharp pain shot through my back. I could barely hold onto anything.

Water forced its way into my nose and mouth.

My vision blurred, and I struggled to breathe.

I tried desperately to grab the main rope to stabilize myself.

But the water was too powerful. I had no control over my body.

Again and again, I was hammered against the cold, hard glass.

The audience in the live stream went absolutely wild.

Donation effects filled the screen without pause.

"This is awesome! Drown the gold-digger!"

"Haha, look at him, like a drowned rat! That's what you get for acting tough!"

"Linnea is the boss! This is how you punish someone!"

They treated my agony like a grand circus performance.

In the building across from me, Linnea's private doctor couldn't watch anymore.

He shouted into the radio, his voice frantic. "Ma'am! You have to stop!"

"Mr. Sterling has a serious heart condition! The high altitude, the cold, and the impact... he'll have a heart attack! He could die!"

Linnea's voice came back, as cold as ice.

"I know damn well he has a heart condition."

She let out a dry laugh.

"Why do you think I called you here? You're on standby to make sure he doesn't actually die."

"If he really gives out, you can go save him."

"Besides," Linnea paused, her tone mocking like a cat playing with a mouse. "Can't he just beg for mercy? All he has to do is say 'I'm sorry,' and this all ends."

She was trying to force me to bow. She wanted me on my knees.

I felt my heart racing uncontrollably.

Breathing became harder, and the world around me started to fade.

I gripped the rope so hard my fingernails began to crack.

I looked across the gap. Linnea was watching my reaction through her binoculars.

She saw my face turn pale, my lips turning blue. For a second, a flicker of hesitation crossed her eyes.

Maybe she didn't truly want me dead. Maybe she just wanted to break me.

Cyrus moved then.

He gently took Linnea's hand, his voice soft but firm.

"Linnea, he just needs to apologize."

"Millions of people are watching. If you stop now, what will they think of the Sterling Group?"

"Your authority will be gone."

"He's using his own life to blackmail you."

Cyrus knew exactly how to manipulate her.

She cared about her image and her power more than anything.

"Gentry!" Linnea's voice boomed again, more resolute than before.

"Don't think I don't know. You look down on me. You look down on Cyrus!"

"You think we're just trash who got lucky!"

"Today, if I don't break that pride of yours, my name isn't Linnea!"

She barked a new order into the radio.

"Go. Get that special industrial cleaner from the factory."

"Pour it over him!"

In a chemical plant, that stuff was known as concentrated acid.