Chapter 51: Chapter 51: Depraved
Even so, Adrian Quincy didn’t dare to stop or make any rash moves, because the girl in his arms was not like him.
He took the elevator straight to the underground parking garage and got into the car.
The moment the car door shut, Adrian Quincy remained perfectly still. He ordered through gritted teeth, "Drive. Back to the mansion, now."
...
Sometime later, Claire Sinclair awoke in a large bed that felt both strange and familiar. Her head was spinning, and the back of her neck ached terribly, as if she’d slept on it wrong.
As she tried to sit up, her arm brushed against an unusually soft mattress. The sensation was foreign. ’This isn’t my bed!’
A man’s voice suddenly spoke beside her. "You’re awake?"
Claire Sinclair’s heart seized. She whipped her head around and saw a handsome man’s face.
’Why is he here???’
Claire Sinclair’s face instantly flushed red. She looked away, not daring to meet his eyes. "Wh-what happened? Why are you here?"
In truth, the answer was obvious. She remembered what had happened last night; she just didn’t dare to admit it.
The man sat on the edge of the bed with his back to her. He asked casually, "Who knocked you out?"
Even though there was distance between them, Claire Sinclair felt completely on edge. She didn’t even dare look at his back. Face red, she mumbled, "I don’t remember."
Adrian Quincy suddenly turned back to face her, their eyes meeting.
"Scared now, are you? Then what were you thinking last night?"
"I..." Claire Sinclair faltered.
’If I tell him that my father was the one who knocked me out and put me in that room... will he be disgusted? Will he think my blood is as filthy as his?’
’I never wanted to sink to his level, but his blood flows in my veins.’
"Hmm?" The man deliberately drew out the sound, a nasal hum that was surprisingly pleasant to the ear.
Claire Sinclair bit her lip and decided to just come out with it. "My dad knocked me out. The next thing I knew, I was waking up in that room. I don’t know what happened in between... I only remember you taking me away."
"Your father did this?"
"Mhm," the girl nodded.
"To do that to his own daughter... He’s a complete monster!" The man’s hands clenched into fists, his expression grim, like a tyrant on the verge of erupting.
Claire Sinclair flinched timidly, not daring to speak.
’He’s terrifying when he’s like this.’
Adrian Quincy realized he was frightening her and softened his tone. "I hope you’ve learned your lesson from last night. Anyone who approaches you for no reason might do something far more vicious than what your father did. Next time, it might not be me who shows up. It could be some other man."
As he finished speaking, Adrian Quincy stood up and walked into the bathroom.
A moment later, the sound of running water echoed from the bathroom...
Feeling helpless, Claire Sinclair curled into a ball. She squeezed her eyes shut, but all she could see were the events of the previous night.
’How could her own father do this to her...’
’What did family even mean?’
’It was all so hopeless.’