At the VIP suite in one of Caulford City's premium hospitals.
"No! Don't touch me!"
Adeline frantically waved her hands around. Her face was etched with a frightened expression and covered in tears.
"Mom, save me! Mom, don't go."
Ronald was heartbroken to see his daughter in this state. Tears swirling in his eyes, he grabbed onto her frantically-moving hands and gently patted them. He choked, "It's all my fault, Adeline. I didn't take good care of you. You're suffering now because I didn't take care of you."
Ronald had always felt that he owed Adeline a lot because all these years, he had been busy with his company and neglected her. Besides, Adeline had always been obedient and sensible, which was why Ronald had the impression that she was happy.
Ronald's heart ached as he saw Adeline curled up on the hospital bed. The sight brought him immense pain, and he found it hard to breathe in i

"There's no way in h*ll I'm taking care of that b*tch," Helen hung up the phone and sneered.
"I didn't mean to pry, but as the lady of the house, why are you being so petty with the girl? Didn't you say that she will marry Christiano in a few days?" A lavishly dressed wealthy lady commented.
The more Helen thought about it, the more annoyed she became. In the end, she waved her hand goodbye and said, "I'm leaving now. Let's meet again when we're free."
Then, she picked up her handbag and turned to leave.
Roland stood outside for a little while. After regaining his composure, he slowly walked back into the wardroom. Then, he saw Adeline was sitting at the corner of the bed, holding the quilt in her hand, and her expression blank. He immediately went forward to her.
"What's wrong, Adeline? Why aren't you resting?"
Noticing the exhaustion on Ronald, Adeline felt sorry for him and said, "Dad

Two awful-looking men stood in front of Adeline in the alley. When they saw Adeline alone, a lewd smile broke on their faces.
Adeline had never encountered a situation like this before. She started to tremble, and she subconsciously took a few steps back.  
One of the men called out, "Young lady, you must be lonely walking on your own. Why don't we accompany you?" They walked towards Adeline with blades in their hands.
"Wh-what are you both trying to do?" As Adeline realized the men were coming nearer towards her, Adeline turned to flee.
"Help!"
"Help!"
Before Adeline could run far, one of the men caught her and put his blade at Adeline's neck.
"B*tch, don't try anything stupid. You should be thankful that we had our eyes on you. Be good and listen to us. That way, we won't hurt you."
Adeline was mortified, and tears streamed down from her eyes.
"Sir, please let me go! If money is what you want, I can give it to you. I'll give you all I have as long as you let me go."
"How much money can a young lady like you even have? You probably got the money from sleeping with men if you had that much," he laughed sinisterly.
Adeline felt that her heart was about to give way. She began to stutter.
"I-I am Christiano Lockwood's f-fianceé. I-If you let me go, t-they will de-definitely give you m-money."
"Sam, do you know who Christiano is?" the other man asked.
"Nope."
Adeline wailed when she heard that they didn't know who Christiano was. She thought that by threatening them with Christiano's name, they would back off. Who knew they had no clue who he was. 
"Sir, I really didn't lie to you, I—"
"Sweetheart, don't try to drag time to us. It might be better for you to just go along while we enjoy ourselves. Isn't that right, Paul?" Sam asked the other man.
"Yes. We will make you feel the pleasure and desire you never had before. Oh, you might even ask for more later," Paul said as his eyes glowed in a lascivious gleam.
Then, Paul tossed the blade away and pushed Adeline into a dark corner. Slowly, the two of them inched towards her.
Adeline's body hit the wall at that push, and she fell to the ground. When she tried to get up, Paul and Sam held her down.
"Let go of me, please!" Adeline begged as she attempted to prise herself off.
"Oh, we've got a feisty girl! I like it this way," Paul said as he moved closer to kiss Adeline.
"Bam!"
Paul was about to enjoy his treat when he was kicked onto the floor.
"What in the world? Who the h*ll? How dare you interrupt me?" Fumbling to get up, Paul saw a man in a mask standing in front of him.
Although the man didn't speak a word, his stance was so commanding that they were both scared out of their wits.
Sam took a few steps forward stealthily, and asked the masked man, "Who are you?"
"Someone who wants your life," the man spoke in a low voice.
Then, all that could be heard was the crisp sound of bones breaking, and the groans and cries of Paul and Sam's.
Petrified at what she had seen, Adeline backed away. Christiano stepped over Paul and Sam and walked slowly towards Adeline.
It was too dim in the alley. All Adeline knew was that she was rescued, and the next moment, darkness engulfed her. What happened after that, Adeline didn't know...

At the VIP suite in one of Caulford City's premium hospitals.
"No! Don't touch me!"
Adeline frantically waved her hands around. Her face was etched with a frightened expression and covered in tears.
"Mom, save me! Mom, don't go."
Ronald was heartbroken to see his daughter in this state. Tears swirling in his eyes, he grabbed onto her frantically-moving hands and gently patted them. He choked, "It's all my fault, Adeline. I didn't take good care of you. You're suffering now because I didn't take care of you."
Ronald had always felt that he owed Adeline a lot because all these years, he had been busy with his company and neglected her. Besides, Adeline had always been obedient and sensible, which was why Ronald had the impression that she was happy.
Ronald's heart ached as he saw Adeline curled up on the hospital bed. The sight brought him immense pain, and he found it hard to breathe in it. He tucked his face into Adeline's hand and wept softly.  
Adeline heard someone whimpering next t

Marrying the Lockwood\'s Son (Part 12)