Chapter 3

Stella was already exhausted, to begin with. At first, she didn't want to go along with Julian's whims, but she quickly recalled that the 100 thousand dollars would be transferred into her bank account next Monday, along with her salary. If she were to turn Julian down now, she might not be able to clear the entire debt. Had she known that Julian would ambush her in her hotel room, she should've accepted the 50-thousand-dollar transaction back in Chapman Manor. Left without a choice, Stella could only let Julian thrust into her. "Ahh… Your body feels so much better." Julian kept claiming Stella's body over and over again. The burning friction made Stella's body temperature rise as well. But it didn't matter what sort of techniques he used or how much strength he exerted on Stella's body, for she never reacted to his ministrations, as though she were just a soulless marionette. She just let him do whatever he wanted to her. Frustrated, Julian pinched Stella's cheeks and forced her to look into his eyes. Shockingly enough, this time, Stella wasn't affected by the sight of Julian's eyes at all. It was as though she no longer cared about Ethan. First, Stella didn't care about the transaction. Now, she didn't care about Julian's eyes. Julian didn't know if the feelings coursing through him at the moment were dissatisfaction or reluctance. All he did was tighten his arms around Stella while pounding into her with all his might. It was as though Stella would permanently be his if he were to do this to her. That night, Stella didn't know how she managed to fall asleep out of exhaustion. By the time she woke up the next day, it was already late morning. This was her first time being late to work. Upon arriving at the company hastily, Stella found out that Julian wasn't in his office at all. Meanwhile, Ariana, who was well-dressed without a single hair out of place, let out a cold, dissatisfied huff. "Do you have any idea what time it is right now? Is this how you treat your job?" Stella lowered her gaze and apologized to Ariana. Then, she said calmly, "Excuse me, can you get out of my seat? This is my workstation. I still have a ton of work tasks to deal with." She didn't care about Ariana's hostility aimed at her. As long as she could complete her tasks without any delay and receive her salary on time, Ariana could humiliate her however she wanted. Meanwhile, Ariana was pissed by how nonchalant Stella had been acting around her. That bitch was just a secretary, yet she was already this arrogant after sleeping with Julian a few times in the past. To think that she had the guts to talk back to Ariana! It had been three long years! How dare that bitch sleep with Julian over the past three years when Ariana wasn't around! Julian Chapman was her man, dammit! How could Ariana not settle the score with Stella? Ariana slammed a hand on the table before rising to her feet. As soon as her gaze landed on Stella's neck, she froze momentarily. Julian had left behind many hickeys and bite marks on Stella's neck, it seemed. She strode toward Stella in wide steps right away. Out of sheer anger, she ripped Stella's collar apart to see more red hickeys occupying her chest. Poor Stella went pale. She was in a hurry to get to work earlier, so she didn't have time to check herself out in the mirror. That was why she had no idea that Julian had left so many marks on her body. She was about to explain herself when Ariana slapped her heavily on the face. Before she knew it, Ariana was already strangling her angrily while screaming, "I can forgive the past three years, seeing as Jules has already proposed to me last night! But how dare you still seduce him despite that! Die, bitch!" Stella was about to struggle against Ariana's grip when the latter picked up a cup of scalding hot tea and dumped it onto her. It hurt! The scalding tea left blisters growing all over Stella's skin. She collapsed to the floor instantly while wailing in pain. Her body trembled violently as she tried to explain herself in a feeble tone. "I didn't seduce him! He was the one who showed up in my hotel room all of a sudden…" But Ariana refused to listen to Stella's explanation. When she noticed a few employees entering the office to submit their documents, she couldn't help but smile cruelly. "You guys, get over here and strip her bare! I want you to leave marks all over her body!" Then, she addressed Stella, "You like being fucked by men, don't you? I shall grant your wish, then!" When Ariana saw the way the male employees hesitated without budging from their spots, her expression darkened instantly. She snapped coldly, "Hurry up and do it already! Jules has already named me as the vice CEO of the company! Do you want me to fire you all instead?" Stella could only watch in horror as her male colleagues pinned her limbs down while ignoring her struggles. Slowly, they began to strip her jacket and shirt off her body, leaving her in her underwear. Those men might be forced to carry out Ariana's orders, but the sight of Stella's stunning figure invoked their lust and greed from within. This time, they began peeling her underwear off with malicious intentions. Stella, who was on the verge of suffering from a breakdown, could only shriek at the top of her lungs. "No! Stop! Please, I'm begging you! We're all colleagues, aren't we?" Ariana dug out her phone while barking out a burst of harsh laughter. She kept urging the male employees to start defiling Stella. "Hurry up and fuck her already! Are you even manly enough to do this?" Stella kept struggling against the men's advances with all her might. Suddenly, someone kicked the office door open from the outside. His expression thunderous, Julian roared at the offending employees, "What the hell are you doing?" The employees were so frightened that they released Stella instantly, causing her to fall backward because of the momentum. Her head crashed against the floor loudly as a result. The pain was so intense that she blacked out immediately. Before her senses faded away, Stella remembered seeing Julian's concerned eyes. Did the concern come from Julian? Or was that Ethan? She had no idea, but she no longer cared.