Chapter 324: Hatred
Esther remained silent. She? Who called her useless?
"Do you hate Ella, Esther?"
The mention of that name filled Esther with a burning poison and within an instant, she forgot all her other concerns.
"Hate? I want to kill her!"
Eli arched a brow as he looked at the young girl who was tied to the chair, "Isn’t she your big sister? Why do you hate her so much?"
"Hah~She stole everything. She stole everything away. Everything that was supposed to be mine ended up being hers."
Eli frowned, a thoughtful look crossing his eyes. But despite that, he did not interrupt the girl.
"She stole the life she has now. She..." A wave of dizziness hit Esther and suddenly, her blood seemed to boil even more.
Her rage was barely controllable at this moment. She curled her fingers till her nails dug into her palms, "Her man was supposed to be mine. All her glory was supposed to be mine. Everything of hers was supposed to be mine in the first place."
"Even her name... Hahah... Ella Yu... She received it in charity."
"What do you mean?" Eli took a step towards her.
Esther jolted to her senses suddenly, her eyes widening in horror under the black cloth, "This... This is no normal drug. What have you done to me?"
Eli’s frown deepened, "You were talking about why you hated Ella so much. And what do you mean her name is also a charity?"
Esther fell silent, "My fiancée left me because of Ella. Now, I have lost my role in the drama because of her. Time and time again, she harms me. Is that not enough to justify my hatred towards her?"
Eli looked at the girl thoughtfully.
But after a while, he did not pursue the topic.
Instead, he asked, "And what if I give you a chance to take Ella down?"
"What is in it for you?" Esther frowned under the black cloth.
"An enemy’s enemy is a friend."
"You seem influential. How can Ella possibly offend you in any way?" Esther laughed, "Are you really referring to Ella as your enemy or is it Adrian you are talking about?"
A dark look ghosted across Eli’s face. He s;lowly stepped closer to Esther.
Hearing the sound of footsteps approaching closer, Esther was suddenly alert, "What..."
All the breath whooshed out of her lungs when the man suddenly captured her throat.
"Mmmhmm...."
Eli tightened his grip on Esther’s throat.
Esther’s body rocked violently on the chair. After a moment, her body stopped moving.
Only then did Eli release her neck.
"It’s good to be smart..." Eli took a step back, wiping his hands with a handkerchief as he spoke, "But when your life and death is in another’s hands, you should be careful too."
Esther inhaled a shaky breath, her body still trembling from the shock.
Then, she heard the man say.
"Don’t ask questions you shouldn’t be asking.. Just remember being obedient to me benefits you too, in ways more than one."
...
"How did it go?" Lilith stepped inside the penthouse.
Eli smiled and bent down to place a pair of slippers in front of her feet, "Esther Yu is not that difficult to deal with."
Lilith looked at the slippers before she removed her heels, "I will still say that she is useless."
"A useless pawn can turn out to be an important one by the end of the game."
Lilith nodded, "I trust your judgement on this," She paused for a moment before looking around, "Where is that person?"
Eli led her to a side room and gently pushed open the door.
The room was dimly lit. But from where Lilith stood, she could see a lump in the bed. And long black hair was scattered across the pillow.
"She had been starving for the past two days when I found her," Eli gently closed the door and turned to Lilith.
Lilith glanced at the closed door and slowly smiled, "It is time Ella is uprooted from Ace’s life, for once and for all."
Eli looked at the woman, his expressions unreadable.
...
’Clang’
A knife landed on the stone floor, right beside Ella.
The squeaking sounds of rats filled the place and a piercing pain spread through her legs.
"Ah..."
She bit her bottom lip in utter agony as sharp fangs sunk into her flesh.
’It’s hard to endure, isn’t it?’ A voice reverberated in the dark.
With teary eyes, Ella slowly looked around the place but she couldn’t see anyone at all. It was pitch-black.
Everything was enshrouded in darkness.
All that she could hear was that aloof and deep voice of a man, ’When the pain becomes unbearable, pick that knife and kill yourself.’
Ella moved her hand in the darkness, grazing it across the floor.
Lumps of her flesh tumbled off as countless rats climbed on her body. Tears rolled down her eyes.
After a moment, her fingers touched something cold. She grabbed the knife and stabbed a few rats which still clung to her body.
"Day... What day is it... How many days it has been..." In a daze, Ella slashed the knife on her thigh, "8...? 9 days...?"
The agonizing pain faded a little as the strong odor of blood filled the prison cell.
Relieved, Ella leaned back on the nearest wall.
’Creak’
"Fill it quickly."
’Squeak... squeak...’
Countless rats filled the cell again and in no time, they climbed on Ella.
Ella shook them off, her breathing heavy. But the more she struggled, the more violently they acted.
Tears rolled down her eyes and blood trailed down her open wounds.
Ella wrapped her arms around herself, burying her face in her knees as flesh tumbled off every inch of her body, followed by an unbearable pain.
"Ahhhh!"
Ella’s eyes snapped open suddenly.
And the first thing that greeted her was the sight of a worried face.
Adrian’s brows were deeply taut, his lips were pinched into a thin line. And his forehead seemed to be covered in a layer of cold sweat.