Catch Gone Wrong

“And besides, I heard Mandy has backing from West Group. We can’t afford to mess with that.”

West Group? Since when had the company gotten involved in influencer media?

Hearing the young cleaner say that, my heart sank. “That’s not true. Please, believe me–”

Before I could finish, a man kicked me hard in the stomach. I doubled over in pain, clutching my abdomen.

“That’s too much talking,” Mandy snapped, shooting me an annoyed look.

Then, she turned to the cleaner at the door and said, “I suggest you stay out of this, or I’ll put you online too. Do you even know how many followers I have?”

The young cleaner gave a small smile. “Please, go on.”

With that, she quietly shut the hotel room door. I struggled harder, but the moment the door clicked shut, my heart dropped.

Mandy muttered under her breath for a second, then instantly switched expressions.

“Sorry about that, everyone. It’s just a minor interruption. To make it up to you all, I’ve got a little bonus segment.”

She turned to the man in black holding me. “Strip her. I’d like to see what kind of body she’s using to seduce men.”

My eyes widened in panic. I clutched at my clothes desperately, shrinking back into the corner. My voice came out weak from the pain.

“Don’t… please don’t…”

Mandy frowned, irritation flashing across her face. “Don’t what? Don’t bring your bedroom tricks in here. It’s disgusting. I guess being a mistress really is a full-time job for you, huh?”

No matter how hard I struggled, I couldn’t fight off several grown men. With my clothes torn apart, I was left sitting in the corner in just a thin strap top. My tears had nearly run dry, strands of hair sticking messily to my face. Zack tried to get up, but the men forced him back down without mercy.

I was filled with a mix of anger and despair. Mandy claimed to be a professional at catching cheaters, but who was behind this? Could they really decide I was their target based on just a photo?

I lifted my head, my eyes hardening. “Don’t touch me.”

“Oh?” Mandy crouched down in front of me and said, “Everyone, did you see that? This little girl has got some backbone, even as a mistress.”

Her gaze then shifted to the earring in my ear.

“Wait, isn’t that Van Cleef & Arpels?” Mandy exclaimed. “Guys, it looks like I hit the jackpot today. Let me teach you a lesson on behalf of your parents.”

My heart skipped. Her words reminded me that I hadn’t seen my parents in a while, and I missed them so much. Tears streamed down my face as I started shouting uncontrollably.

Mandy placed her phone on the table, rubbed her hands together, and gave a signal. The men tightened their grip on me, and a terrible sense of dread washed over me. I screamed, but Mandy slapped me impatiently.

“Shut up. You’re so annoying.” She then reached out and grabbed my earring, yanking hard.

I cried out in pain as she tore it off. The earring came away with blood, and a sharp, searing pain shot through my ear as warm blood trickled down onto my skin. When the men finally let go of me, I collapsed onto the floor, my ear throbbing.

“Everyone, look. I just scored a ‘new’ Van Cleef piece,” Mandy bragged, holding up the blood-stained earring to the camera.

[Ouch, that looks painful.]

[Mandy is insane. This is wild.]

I sat there numbly on the floor, staring at the flood of comments, a deep sense of helplessness washing over me.

[Wait… why does this ‘mistress’ look more and more like Liana West, the CEO of West Group?]

[Wasn’t she featured in that Women in Power magazine?]

[A CEO as a mistress? No way… did they get the wrong person?]