Chapter 4

Alyssa didn't take Enzo's words to heart. She simply waited in silence for her immigration paperwork to be approved so she could leave as soon as possible. But Nadine refused to let her go. One day, Nadine warmly insisted on taking Alyssa out shopping. However, Alyssa lost consciousness not long after they got into the car. When she opened her eyes again, she found herself tied up on a cliffside by the sea. On the other side, Nadine was bound in the same way. Alyssa struggled desperately, trying to ask Nadine why, but the tape over her mouth reduced her words to muffled whimpers. Nadine seemed to understand her unspoken question and sneered coldly. "I didn't want to do this, Alyssa. But what Enzo said that day kept bothering me. I just wanted to prove who really matters more to him." Hearing this, Alyssa felt an overwhelming sense of sorrow. What was there to prove? Wasn't the answer obvious? Before long, Enzo arrived in a hurry with two suitcases full of cash. He threw the suitcases forward and barked, "I've brought the money! Let them go!" But the kidnappers, following Nadine's orders, remained unmoved. Instead, one of them leisurely said, "Mr. Slater, I didn't kidnap them for money." Enzo's expression darkened, his voice turning ice-cold. "What do you mean?" The kidnapper placed a hand on both Alyssa and Nadine's shoulders, grinning sadistically. "I heard that one of these women is the daughter of your old friend, and the other is your fiancée. You can only save one. We will throw the other one into the sea to feed the sharks. Make your choice!" As soon as he finished speaking, he loosened the ropes slightly. The two women, bound at the edge of the cliff, teetered on the brink of plunging into the sea. Nadine turned pale with fear, and her voice trembled uncontrollably. "Enzo, save me! I don't want to die!" Enzo's heart dropped. "Don't touch Nadine!" The answer was clear. Satisfied, the kidnapper smirked, while Nadine, who had been feigning distress, finally breathed a sigh of relief. She looked at Enzo with feigned gratitude, but before she could say anything, Enzo instinctively turned his gaze to Alyssa. He had thought she would break down in despair. However, Alyssa's expression remained calm. For some reason, that eerie composure unsettled him deeply. Before he could speak, he suddenly felt a weight against him. Nadine, now untied, had thrown herself into his arms in an emotional embrace. He instinctively held her close. "Nadine…" In the next instant, Enzo's pupils shrank in horror. Alyssa, whose ropes were cut, plunged straight into the sea. The ocean swallowed Alyssa whole, waves crashing as the depths pulled her downward. She struggled to swim up, but exhaustion overwhelmed her. Slowly, her eyelids grew heavier… until she lost consciousness entirely. When Alyssa finally woke up in the hospital, the first thing she saw was Enzo sitting beside her bed. His bloodshot eyes and unshaven jawline revealed that he had been watching over her for days. But Alyssa no longer needed his protection. The two of them stared at each other in silence for a long time. Finally, Alyssa was the first to speak. "Mr. Slater, you don't have to stay here. Go check on Nadine. She needs your care more." Perhaps sensing that her words were too abrupt, she added softly, "I can take care of myself." Stunned, Enzo looked at the woman in the hospital bed with a complicated expression. After a long pause, he finally stood up and walked away. The day Alyssa was discharged from the hospital happened to be Nadine's birthday. Since it was their first birthday celebration as a couple, Enzo spared no expense. A hundred thousand roses were flown in from Fluence, filling the entire venue with their blooms. Expensive gifts were casually piled in the corners, and photos of Enzo and Nadine during every stage of their love story were displayed from the entrance all the way into the grand hall. As fireworks lit up the sky, the party reached its climax. Enzo held Nadine's waist tightly, guiding her gracefully across the dance floor in time with the elegant waltz. Behind them, the large screen played a looping montage of their sweet moments together. Just as the guests were touched by their romance, the screen suddenly went black. A moment later, a series of childish love letters and hand-drawn portraits—each one filled with Alyssa's deep, unspoken love for Enzo—appeared on the screen. The entire hall erupted into chaos. Alyssa's face went deathly pale. She had torn all of those letters to shreds. How were they still here? She wanted to rush forward and turn off the screen, but her feet felt nailed to the floor. She could only stand there, frozen, as the murmurs and whispers dragged her into the abyss. "Mr. Slater is about to get married, and the Camden family's daughter still won't give up! How shameless!" "And during Ms. Quill's birthday party, no less. Isn't this a direct challenge?" "Poor Ms. Quill… Even after marrying him, she'll have to deal with other women coveting her husband." The murmurs finally reached the people at the center of the dance floor. When Nadine turned to see what was on the screen, her face turned ghostly white. She trembled violently as she turned to look at Alyssa—the culprit behind her humiliation. Tears welled in her eyes before she lifted her dress and ran out of the banquet hall. "Nadine!" Enzo's heart clenched, and he immediately moved to chase after her. But the moment his gaze landed on Alyssa—who still stood stiffly in place—his steps halted abruptly. Then, without warning, he raised his hand. Slap! Silence fell over the room. "And I was wondering why you'd been so obedient lately, Alyssa. So, this was your plan all along!"