Brantley now observes the dripping of his blood on the dirty cement. His whole body trembles, causing the chains that bind him to make noise. His legs have already given up due to the relentless beating they received from the weapons. With his arms suspended in the air, he cannot even collapse onto the cement.The room is dark, with only one light hanging from the ceiling. Surrounding him are unfamiliar men, armed to the teeth. In front of him stands their leader."Let's do it all over again, Brantley. Because it seems like it doesn't hurt you at all. What a man of steel," Ezekiel sarcastically remarks, the mastermind behind his current predicament.For countless times, Ezekiel mercilessly lashes his whip on Brantley's back. The excruciating pain courses through his entire body! He winces, and his eyes gaze up at the single light on the ceiling."Aaah!!!" His agonized cry echoes in the room. His body slumps, and he falls to the floor, enduring the intense pain."Haa... music to my ear

The days and weeks quickly passed, and their company's business party was now underway.Ezekiel stood at the entrance of the grand ballroom. His eyes were hidden behind a shiny white diamond masquerade mask. His formal white suit, adorned with small diamond designs, caught everyone's attention.The invited guests were equally elegant, dressed in stunning attire that sparkled in the night inside the luxurious hotel building.Since everyone's faces were concealed by masks, Ezekiel had to display his wealth and identity through his attire alone. Whenever he greeted the arriving guests, they treated him with the utmost respect and admiration.Inside the venue, dazzling lights illuminated the elegant designs. The music playing in the background added to the lively atmosphere."Welcome to the Masquerade, my esteemed guests," he said, his deep voice resonating through the room. "Tonight, we gather not only to celebrate our business success but also to address a pressing issue that has been w

"Let go of me, you bastard!!" Raquel pushed Danilo with all her strength."Why? It looks like you're enjoying it, don't you?""Fuck you!!" She shouted at him and managed to free herself from his strong arms.She was grateful when he let her leave the bed. He laughed as if he really enjoyed what he did to her, regardless of her struggles."I'm going to sue you! I will have you imprisoned for what you did to me, Danilo!! No, that's not enough! I will kill you!!" She grabbed the bathrobe again to cover her own body, furious and full of fear as she shouted at him before hastily leaving the hotel room.She ran into the nearby girl's restroom, feeling confused and out of breath. She faced the large mirror and saw how miserable she looked now.Her heavy makeup was smudged all over her face, especially her red lipstick, which was now scattered on her cheeks and chin. Her hair was a mess, as if she had just been in a fight.Her chest rose and fell due to the overflowing emotions from everythin

"And they lived happily ever after. The end..." Ezekiel breathed a sigh of relief as he finally finished reading the third fairytale story.He glanced at Duziell's face and felt even more relieved when he saw that he had finally fallen asleep! Putting their child to bed was a struggle.He had a longing smile directed at Serena beside him. But his smile slowly faded when he realized that she, too, had fallen asleep.They had planned to make love tonight! He had been resisting the urge to touch her all this time because they were both busy with Duziell.It's so unfair that she's peacefully sleeping now."Serena," he called his wife and gently tapped her. "Psst, hey."When she didn't open her eyes, he left Duziell's side on the bed and crossed over to the other side. He lay down behind Serena and embraced her from behind."Wife, don't be like this. Wake up, please." He slightly kissed her smooth shoulder, moving up to her neck. "You promised."It had been so long since he had been with h

"Ezekiel? Did I make the right decision?" I anxiously asked my husband once we were alone in the room after putting Duziell to sleep.He wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me closer to him. "Yes?"I rested my head on his strong chest. "No, because despite her shortcomings and mistakes as my mom, she's still my mother. I'm thinking, What if I make a mistake with Duziell when he grows up and he can't forgive me? Wouldn't that be painful?" I worried. "And even though I have trust issues, I saw her sincerity earlier. You saw it too, right? She tried to serve me and introduce herself to Duziell. Didn't she?""Yes," he replied."But even so, I can't fully trust her yet. After all, she has an addiction to gambling. I don't think she has any hope if she tries to ask me for a large sum of money.""Yes."I looked up at him. "Do you have anything else to say besides 'yes'?"He chuckled, but his eyes were serious. "Because I have judgment against your mother. I don't want to control your d