Quiet Devotion

“This was your idea, remember! To help you discipline that arrogant boyfriend of yours and make him behave while you’re away for three years, my sister and I have sacrificed plenty! But we agreed on this from the start — body as payment is fine, but the money must still be paid in full!”

The metallic taste in my throat surged up and I spat blood straight onto the window glass. Even through the crimson haze, I could still see Ryan’s hands roaming freely over Yumi…

In that instant, everything became clear.

No wonder that even when I’d threatened her, saying that if she left the country, I would find another woman, she had still chosen to go. It was because she was certain of one thing: I loved her.

She knew that no matter how heartless my words sounded, I would never actually break up with her. She was sure I would chase her overseas. And from the smallest hints in my words, she had already guessed I would come find her on her birthday.

So three months in advance, she found Ryan—all for the sake of teaching me a lesson for that cruel thing I said—that I wouldn’t wait for her.

Suddenly, a long needle pricked my thigh. “I hear you’re the only son of a billionaire? Haha, so what? No woman can escape my brother’s control. Don’t even think about her again!”

Gritting my teeth, I swallowed the metallic taste of blood in my mouth and obediently nodded.

In the end, the pain overwhelmed me and I fainted.

Luckily, Anne, worried something might happen to me abroad, rushed over as fast as possible.

After several twists and turns, on the third day, she managed to rescue me from a private dungeon.

Seeing me filthy and battered, she hugged me with heartbreak. But even her touch made my whole body spasm in pain.

Anne quickly rolled up my sleeves and when she saw the countless needle marks, she was furious, ready to go to war.

I hastily held her back. “A gentleman takes revenge—ten years is not too late.”

With bloodshot eyes, Anne bit her lower lip until it bled, barely restraining herself. She didn’t dare touch my wounds, treating me like a fragile doll and rushed me to the hospital.

The diagnosis revealed multiple injuries to my cartilage and thousands of needle marks all over my body.

Anne’s tears flowed uncontrollably.

I cried from the pain too. I didn’t even know how I survived those three days. Even though I said it a thousand times and promised again and again that I would have absolutely nothing to do with Yumi, Ryan’s sister still didn’t believe me.

To get back at them for me, Anne bought a whole villa for me to live in, with mercenaries armed to the teeth stationed inside and out. There were six days left before I had to return home. She said she would make everyone who bullied me pay. I didn’t object.

Ignoring her protests, I forced myself to start practicing shooting despite the pain. On the night with three days left on the countdown, just after Anne went in to take a shower, someone knocked on the door. From the security monitor I saw it was Yumi; I only opened the door after signaling the mercenaries to hide.

She eagerly locked the door behind her and rushed to embrace me. “Yale, I missed you so much…”

“Get out!”

Yumi didn’t listen — she leaned in and tried to kiss my lips. I opened my mouth and bit down with all my strength. The red lips that once fascinated me were shredded in an instant.

Yumi recoiled in pain and shoved me away. “Yale, let me explain. Sending you away was for your own good. Ryan’s family controls both the legal world and the underworld — you nearly killed him. I had no choice but to do that to protect you…”

I pulled a gun from my waist and, without hesitation, squeezed the trigger. Unfortunately, my wrist was too weak and the shot went wide. I swung the butt of the gun again and smashed it hard into Yumi’s face.

Perhaps because she’d been too confident, Yumi had completely forgotten what I was capable of.