Let Me Go, Mr.Lancaster!

Hope felt suffocated as soon as she heard his gibberish words. She's not a goddamn prostitute. For a moment, Hope was apprehensive, but she had to make amends. She'd better behave and negotiate with this piece of shit.

"I can't strip in front of you. How much more in front of all these people? But maybe I can serve you in another way. Please, forgive me."

Again, Tom pursed his mouth. However, one of his pesky members started to mock her.

"You hit our leader, and now you're acting cowardly? You only have two options to get out of this place and get that stupid forgiveness. Climb over, or you play a game with us. We will let you free if you have the guts to accept the challenge."

"What game? What do you mean?" Hope asked.

The only answer she got was a joyous scream from the crowd, indicating that they were aware of the game the guy was referring to. She could only hiss profanities at the back of her mind.

"This dumb would be the Apple carrier?!"

"No fucking way!"

"Set her in! This is going to be fun!" Another one from the crowd commented.

"I'm not putting my bet into that wench!"

"No. She's not worth it, anyway!"

"Yes, she is!" Tom stood up and grunted with great enthusiasm. "Bring that woman to me."

"Take your hands off of me! I can walk on my own." Hope shrieked. She was trying so hard to sound brave.

"Now, you must deal with the consequences of your actions." He laughed like a devil. She wanted to throw up in his face. "I have three tries. When I hit the apple, then you're free. If I don't, you sure know what would happen next." He continued.

The next thing she knew, she was already bound into a frame firmly attached to the wall. She felt like she was in a circus with an apple placed on her head. It was an absurd game on all levels! Hope gave her all to feign nervousness by acting cool in front of everybody. She was left with nothing but to fake it 'til she made it. She would not burst out crying in there and give them satisfaction.

'Fuck these creatures to hell!' She ought to herself as Tom threw the first dagger toward her. The blade almost hit her cheek, and her hair cascaded against her shoulders.

"That was close!" Tom squealed.

"Do it again! Do it again!"

"What? Do you want me to give her a cut?"

"Sure. That's better, boss!"

Tom pulled another piece and positioned himself to aim at the target. And when he released the blade, she did her best not to shut her eyes. She had to stay still and keep her acting natural, though, in reality, her insides were shaking in fear. Hope groaned inwardly just as the dagger went past her neck, scraping that sensitive part. She winced as she felt the searing pain again. Her eyes burned with tears, making her sight blurry. Yet, she still tried to contain herself.

"Please, stop this," Hope said, almost in a whisper.

"The little lamb is crying. That's what you get for aggravating me and entering the wolf's den." Tom burst into an evil laugh again. He was too adamant about punishing her.

To make the game more engaging, he initiated an insane suggestion. With that, he put on a blindfold before shooting another dagger. The motive was to scare the hell of her.

He was the game master and could play it even with closed eyes. It was the final blow, and the apple hit square, breaking into parts. Whereas Hope stayed still, the crowd roared in a boisterous chant.

The atmosphere became suffocating for Hope. People gathered around her like moths to the fire, took their mobile phones, and started to film her. She became a freaking show. The center of attraction. The entertainment.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Stan was with a group of friends in one of the VIP rooms on the third floor. He was fiddling with the cigarette between his fingers, and his expression was stoic. Stan was notorious for hiding his emotions, leaving him a mysterious impression.

"I heard you are going to the nightclub for the Williams Group?" Ashton Maxwell queried, grinning.

His voice was low yet controlled. "It's not certain yet."

"I can see that you're staying. What? Do you need to accomplish something here?"

Stan remained silent. He tapped the cigarette butt with his fingers, giving him a hard, serious look. Ashton was about to say something when they heard a loud thud followed by a scream. The guy was alarmed, but Stan kept his posture. He was so cool. He could freeze anything alive.

"What the hell was that? Is there an initiation happening somewhere?" Ashton kept on blabbering.

He then motioned for his bodyguard to check what was going on outside. Shortly, the bodyguard reentered and told them everything. With him was a phone.

"Look at what this jackass was doing to this girl. But why the hell engaged herself in this kind of game?"

"Give me that!" Ashton grabbed the phone and watched the video intently.

A gorgeous, youthful girl was standing behind a platform with an apple in her head as the target to be shot. And then his eyes shifted to the blindfolded man preparing to shoot arrows.

Shaking his head, Ashton cussed as he played it again. "Who the fuck organize this dangerous game?! They could kill this gorgeous lady in no time! Such beautiful DNA to lose."

"What happened?" The unbothered Stan dared to ask but didn't take a step forward.

Ashton handed him the phone. "Here. See for yourself."

Stan reached for the gadget and frowned once he saw the girl on the screen. He recognized that this was Hope Lancaster. The nerve of this girl to lie to him. She told him that she was here to attend a classmate's birthday party.

More so, he never knew someone not important would bother him—so much that it hurts.