Elara’s eyes widened as she stared at the person who had suddenly grabbed her by the neck.
It was Adrian.
He pulled her fully into the room and closed the door behind her with a soft click. His fingers pressed tightly around her throat, not enough to crush, but just enough to make her breathing difficult.
He pushed her back against the wall, his silvery grey eyes dark and cold.
Elara grabbed his wrist with both hands. She tried to pull his hand away, but his strength was too much. Her feet barely touched the floor. She twisted her body, struggling with all her might, nails digging into his skin.
Adrian stared at her. His face stayed calm, but his grip on her neck tightened.
Elara’s vision started to blur and she could already feel her lungs burning. After a while, she stopped fighting. She just looked at him calmly with an expressionless face, even as her chest ached for air.
Sothing flickered in Adrian’s eyes after staring at her for a long mont. Then he suddenly released her throat and shoved her hard toward the bed in the room.
Elara fell onto the mattress, coughing and gasping for air. But before she could try to sit up properly, he was already over her.
He climbed onto the bed, one knee pinning her thigh down. His hand pushed her dress up roughly. He didn’t speak at first. He just hooked his fingers into her underwear.
Elara’s eyes went wide open in shock as she grabbed his wrist again. Her heart thumping rapidly in her chest. "What are you doing... Don’t," she said forcefully, even though she was still catching her breath.
He ignored her.
His fingers slid between her legs. The first touch was sudden and foreign. Elara stiffened, too slow to process what is happening. Then she started twisting her hips, trying to close her legs, but his knee kept her pinned. She pushed at his arm with all her strength, but it was useless. He was too heavy and strong.
His fingers moved slowly at first, then more firmly, curling them deliberately. "You think you can defy ?" he whispered, voice cold as ever. "You think you can stand with other n and forget who owns you?"
Elara’s breath hitched. She hated the feeling. She hated how his fingers felt. She kept struggling, staring at him hatefully, trying to twist away, but every movent only made him press deeper.
"Keep looking at with those hateful eyes. It only makes want to remind you who controls you. You belong to . Say it in your head until you believe it." he spatted, his movents going more urgent.
Elara bit the inside of her cheek. She refused to make a sound. The new image of him that had started forming in her head now shattered completely. She hated him. And she hated her body more for starting to react against her will. She pushed at his chest, nails digging in, but he didn’t move.
"You belong to ," he whispered, eyes locked on her face. "I can do whatever I want to you. Whenever I want."...
His fingers moved faster now. His own breathing had grown heavier and his body had gone tense above her. He kept losing control, even though his face stayed cold.
Elara’s thighs trembled. She tried to close her legs again, but he held her open. She hated every second of it. She hated him more than she had ever hated anyone.
Even after all was done, Adrian didn’t stop until her trembling slowed. Only then did he slowly pull his hand away.
He took a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped his fingers clean, never breaking eye contact with her. He looked down at her — flushed, breathing hard, eyes full of pure hatred.
For a mont, sothing dark and confused flickered in his eyes as he stared. Then he said in a cold flat voice. "I own your future, and so is your na in this industry. I can take it all away with just a word....so be grateful I’m only taking this from you tonight."
Elara lay there for a second longer, staring at nothing in particular. Then she slowly sat up and pulled her dress down with shaky hands.
Even though her legs still felt weak, she stood up without looking at him. Her face completely expressionless.
As she walked, she almost wobbled to the floor. But she didn’t linger, she quickly walked to the door, opened it, and left. She didn’t go back to the party. She walked through a side door and found herself in the garden, still in a daze.
She kept walking in the dimly lit environnt, not knowing what to do or where to go. As she passed by a swimming pool, soone suddenly appeared from the shadows and pushed her sideways.
Elara fell into the deep end of the pool. The water was dark and cold. It closed over her head imdiately. She panicked, hit by the painful familiarity of every feeling.
Her arms flailed wildly as she tried to reach the surface, but her fear was stronger than her movents. She couldn’t swim properly or even think straight.
She could only stare at the familiar silhouette who stood above the pool’s edge, looking down at her.
Water rushed into her mouth and nose. Her vision started to blur. The last thing she saw was the distorted silhouette of the person who had pushed her moving away. Farther and farther away.
She stopped struggling as her body went limp...
–
Lioren stood alone at a quiet corner of the garden. A cigarette burned slowly between his fingers. He stared into the darkness without really seeing anything. His shoulders were slightly slumped, his eyes distant, as if his thoughts had carried him far away from the noise of the party.
Not long after, Ziva walked into the garden. She stopped suddenly when she saw him standing there by himself. She knew Lioren had gone outside to et Elara, so seeing him alone made her frown. She hesitated for a second, then walked over and stopped a short distance behind him.
"What about Elara?" she asked.
Lioren turned around slowly and looked at her. He understood that Ziva had never liked him, though he still didn’t understand why. He only answered calmly, "She went to et Mr. Vale."
Ziva’s expression tightened at once. After so mont, she spoke up again. "Which direction?"
Before Lioren could reply, a loud voice suddenly cut through the night.
"Soone drowned!"
Lioren and Ziva looked at each other at the sa ti. Without another word, they both moved quickly toward the sound.
When they reached the area, they saw a small crowd already gathering. A man was walking toward the edge of the water and several guests were pointing.
Lioren’s pace increased. He pushed through the people and reached the pool. Without any hesitation, he jumped straight into the deep water.
Ziva stood at the edge, her face as pale as paper, as she stared at the dark surface. Her hands clenched tightly at her sides.
A few seconds later, Lioren broke through the water again. He was carrying a body in his arms. He swam to the edge and lifted the person out with difficulty.
When Ziva saw the face clearly, her heart dropped. It was really Elara. She rushed forward as Lioren laid Elara flat on the ground.
Elara’s eyes were closed. Her skin was pale and her lips had turned bluish.
Lioren imdiately started pressing on her chest with both hands, trying to push the water out. But Elara still didn’t move.
Ziva pulled him aside gently. "Let ," she said. She leaned over Elara, tilted her head back a bit, pinched her nose, and placed her mouth over hers. She blew two breaths into her, and imdiately, water ca out of her mouth, but she still didn’t wake up.
More guests had gathered around, and so were already taking out their phones, recording videos and snapping pictures.
Lioren’s eyes darkened as he glared at them.
"Call the ambulance for God’s sake!"...
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