Chapter 2

2

A collective gasp echoed across the grand ballroom.

Everyone stared at me as if I had completely lost my mind.

“Is she insane? Betting the entire Hayes empire?”

“Her lowlife brother clearly assaulted Savannah. Why would Miss Cole risk her pure reputation on a lie?”

“Exactly! Savannah is an elegant heiress, not a psycho like this woman!”

Hearing the terms of the wager, Savannah’s eyes flickered with panic.

She grabbed Austin’s lapels, her voice trembling. “Austin, don’t take the bet.”

“She’s trying to steal your family’s legacy… she wants to destroy the Hayes family…”

“It doesn’t matter if I have to suffer some humiliation, truly. Just please, don’t let her trick you…”

Playing the selfless martyr―she was truly a master of manipulation.

Austin looked at her with overwhelming tenderness, and the fury in his eyes turned toward me once more.

“Lila, your greed makes me sick.”

“Fine! I accept your damn bet!”

“I want you to lose so thoroughly that you have to watch me break your useless brother like a dog!”

He signaled his corporate attorneys, who immediately drew up a binding bet agreement on the spot.

Black and white terms, sealed with crimson fingerprints.

Looking at that signed contract, the very last shred of love I held for this man vanished completely.

“Make the call!” Austin barked.

I dialed the number I knew by heart.

The call connected on the very first ring.

There were no words on the other end, only the faint, steady sound of breathing.

I turned on the speakerphone and kept my voice steady, though a slight tremor broke through.

“Silas, come to the Grand Plaza Hotel.”

“Someone is claiming you assaulted her. They want to cut out your tongue.”

Silence hung over the line for two seconds.

Then came a single, sharp tap against the receiver.

That was our secret code.

One tap meant yes.

As the call ended, a burst of mocking laughter erupted throughout the room.

“He couldn’t even speak a word? Is he scared out of his mind?”

“He’s probably some repulsive creep whose voice is too hideous to be heard.”

“Just wait. Austin is going to draw blood tonight.”

Seeing the crowd’s support, Savannah regained her confidence.

She let go of Austin, clutching her neckline and weeping even harder.

“Austin, just a moment ago… that beast pinned me against the sofa in the VIP lounge…”

“He ran his wet tongue all over my neck and ears…”

“He whispered that he was doing it to disgust you, to get revenge on the Hayes family…”

Hearing those graphic details, blue veins bulged across Austin’s forehead, his eyes bloodshot.

He kicked over a towering champagne pyramid next to him.

With a deafening crash, shattered crystal flew everywhere across the marble floor.

“Lila! Look at what your wonderful brother did!”

“Licked her? How disgusting!”

“When he gets here, I will slice off his tongue inch by inch and feed it to the stray mutts in the alley!”

Watching Savannah’s dramatic performance, I almost felt like applauding.

Savannah, your biggest mistake was adding all those vivid sensory details to make your lie sound real.

Lick her? With what?

With the scarred stump left in his mouth?

I remained completely unbothered, calmly watching the circus unfold.

“Savannah, are you absolutely certain he licked you?” I asked once more.

Savannah shot me a venomous glare before nodding tearfully.

“Yes… that vile, wet feeling… I will never forget it as long as I live…”

“Good,” I said with a cold smirk.

“I hope you still remember that feeling in a few minutes.”