Chapter 4

I was nothing more than a toy, completely fooled and manipulated by Samuel. Losing my parents—the only support I had—had turned me into a helpless blind woman with no one to stand up for me. That was why Samuel hadn't hesitated to kill Lucky, my guide dog of three years, and leave me to die in my previous life. Calming myself down, I held back my tears as best as I could. Pretending not to see anything, I slowly climbed down from the sink. From the mirror, I noticed Samuel's suspicious gaze. I realized I had frozen in place for too long, raising his suspicions. Without my cane, I could only feel my way along the wall until I found the bathtub. I turned on the tap. I intentionally let the water trickle down without plugging the drain. What flowed in simply flowed out. But I knew this couldn't last. Pretending to just notice the open drain, I started properly filling the tub. I was stalling for time. When the tub was full, I fumbled around and added some bubble bath supplies. Even without turning around to check, I could sense Samuel's growing impatience. As he quietly approached, I braced myself. He was about to undress me. But just then, the buzzing of a phone shattered the tense silence. Sitting on the edge of the tub, I saw his expression in the mirror. The moment he saw the caller ID, his irritation morphed into tension. Without hesitation, he answered the call and hurried out of the bathroom, leaving the door ajar. I sighed in relief. I was right to stall. In my previous life, Samuel had pinned me to the bed before answering a similar call. This time, the same thing happened. Perhaps humiliated that she couldn't ski while a blind woman could, Yvette had secretly sought another coach, only to fall and break a bone. In my previous life, as soon as Samuel heard the news, he rushed to take her to the nearest hospital, leaving me alone at the hotel. Back then, I had only recently lost my sight and hadn't yet adjusted to handling daily activities independently. Without sharp sensory abilities, I relied entirely on my cane. I hadn't dared wander around the hotel in such a state and could only wait in my room. I had been certain Samuel wouldn't forget about me and would come back for me. But hours later, the person who entered the room with a key card wasn't Samuel. It was an intruder who tore off my clothes and took photos of me. When I told Samuel about it afterward, he did nothing about it. I had gone to the police, but being blind, I couldn't provide any details. The surveillance footage was gone, and there were no witnesses. In the end, the culprit was never caught. This time, I had to see with my own eyes who the person was. … After changing into my ski suit, I grabbed my cane and left the room. During my earlier trips, I observed the positions of the surveillance cameras. The hallway cameras left virtually no blind spots, making it impossible to avoid surveillance. Continuing to fake my blindness, I made my way to the stairwell. Through the cracked door, I could see the elevator. As time passed, a middle-aged man wearing a mask appeared. I didn't walk out but tilted my head to listen, counting his footsteps. After hearing the beeping sound of a room key being swiped, I waited. The man stayed in the room for about eight minutes before rushing out and pressing the elevator button in agitation. I put away my retractable cane, placed it in my bag, put on a mask, and pulled up the hood of my ski suit before heading down one floor. I pressed the elevator button. When the elevator doors opened, I glanced at the middle-aged man inside. His face was unfamiliar, but the faint scent of alcohol and sweat on him immediately brought back distant memories. It was the foul smell of the man who had ripped off my clothes and taken photos of me in the dark. Suppressing my fear, I clenched my fists and suddenly recalled how Samuel had thrown me into a bathtub after that incident. He had run cold water over my face, the stream choking my mouth and nose as he coldly interrogated me about whether I had been touched by the old man. He had even taken me to a hospital for a full-body examination. Only after confirming I hadn't been assaulted did he drop the matter. The middle-aged man started making a call. "Hello? It's me, Bob Fry. She's not in the room." From the phone came a voice I knew all too well—it was my father's cousin, Benjamin Sutton. "What do you mean she's not there? She's blind. How could she not be there? Don't tell me you laid a finger on her!" "I wouldn't dare!" Bob panicked. "I know you're planning to sell her to that rich man as his mistress, so I was just following your instructions to take photos of her. But she's not in the room!" "She's not in the room? Where could that blind woman go? She doesn't even have a phone, so there's no way to reach her. Just come back for now and keep it low. We'll wait for the next opportunity. There's always another chance." Bob hesitated. "Are you sure about this? She's your niece, after all. And doesn't Mr. Jackman have his eyes on her? Won't I offend him by doing this?" "Don't worry. Mr. Jackman won't blame us for this. My niece is so full of herself. She's blind, but she spends hours every day learning Braille to the point of hurting her fingers. She even has the audacity to dream about getting into that university! She should know they'd never admit a blind student! "Mr. Jackman told me to break her spirit and crush her pride. This is the way to do it, isn't it? If we don't do this, she won't willingly stay by Mr. Jackman's side. And if she doesn't, how can I negotiate a deal with him? "If I don't get the money, how am I supposed to repay what I owe you? We agreed on 15% interest, totaling 260 thousand dollars with principal and interest, didn't we?" Every word from Benjamin fell clearly into my ears. In my previous life, Benjamin had come to comfort me after the incident, promising to find the culprit who had hurt me. He even told me he was my only family and that everything he did was for my own good. He urged me to stay with Samuel, assuring me that perhaps one day, I might marry him, securing a lifetime of wealth and prosperity. I had always been aware of Benjamin's true nature, but I never expected him to go this far for money. It was evident Samuel had learned of Benjamin's actions after that incident, yet he had let it slide—because Benjamin's actions aligned perfectly with his own plans. Bob stepped out of the elevator. I waited for a moment before making my way to the front desk. "Good day, miss. Is there anything I can help you with?" the receptionist asked politely. "Call the police for me," I said. "The police?" "Yes, I'd like to report a theft. A million-dollar bracelet was stolen." I slowly removed my mask and hood. The mask was something I had asked Jack, the young man, to buy for me earlier during my first trip downstairs. Before Samuel discarded the plastic bag, I had secretly pocketed the mask. "A million-dollar bracelet?" The receptionist drew a sharp breath, clearly shocked. "H-How did it happen?" She looked at me with suspicion, likely wondering how a blind woman like me would own such a valuable piece of jewelry. "Samuel Jackman bought the bracelet," I replied. I was certain every employee at this resort knew Samuel's name. Although there were hundreds of VVIP members here, each with prestigious status, the staff undoubtedly committed the names and backgrounds of those at the top of the pyramid to memory. "Oh, that's right. You're the lady who came with Mr. Jackman," the receptionist exclaimed. "My apologies, Ms. Sutton. Please wait a moment. I'll call the police right away!" The police arrived promptly and attempted to call Samuel, but he didn't answer. I had anticipated this. With Yvette injured, I doubted he would divide his attention, let alone take a call from an unfamiliar number.