Under the flickering, dim lights of the basement, Vivian Lim huddled in a corner, trembling with cold and fear. The heavy iron door groaned open with a chilling screech.

Vivian’s eyes lit up the moment she saw Julian Pierce step into the room. "Julian... I knew you couldn't leave me like this." She scrambled up, trying to throw herself into his arms.

In the next heartbeat, a brutal kick caught her in the ribs, sending her flying back into the stone wall.

"You viper," Julian hissed, his voice trembling with a mixture of loathing and newfound clarity. "How many things did you do to Clara behind my back?"

A smear of crimson leaked from the corner of Vivian’s mouth. She struggled to sit up, her breath coming in ragged gasps. "Julian, I don't know what you're talking about... Did you find Clara? Did she fill your head with lies?"

She reached out, grabbing his hand with desperate, claw-like fingers. "Julian, whatever she said, don't believe her! She’s just a broken girl looking for revenge!"

Julian wrenched his hand away and slammed his polished shoe onto the back of her hand, grinding it into the cold concrete. "Still lying, Vivian? Even now?"

"You bribed the staff at the asylum to break her until she jumped from that window. You framed her for your own 'miscarriage' to make her lose hope in me, to drive her away forever... every single move you made was laced with poison."

The agonizing pain in her hand made Vivian’s face contort into a hideous mask. "Julian, I'm sorry! I only did it because I love you so much!" She looked up at him, her eyes brimming with fake tears. "You love me too, don't you?"

Julian slowly knelt before her. He grabbed a handful of her hair and yanked her head back, forcing her to look into his murderous eyes. "Love? A monster like you doesn't deserve the word. The very thought of you makes me want to retch."

Vivian’s expression shifted from feigned sorrow to manic jealousy. "Julian Pierce... have you fallen for that little brat, Clara?"

Julian’s hand stiffened for a fraction of a second. Memories of the girl he brought home—her laughter, her brilliant mind, the way she used to look at him with pure adoration—flashed through his mind.

Yes. I love her.

"I love Clara Joy," he whispered, his voice resonating with a terrifying conviction. "I love her more than life itself."

Vivian froze in shock, then burst into a sharp, mocking laugh. "Julian Pierce! You fell for your own 'niece'! Do you want to be the laughingstock of North Bay? A sick pervert who couldn't even keep his hands off the child he adopted!"

CRACK.

Julian slammed Vivian’s head against the concrete wall. "Shut your mouth! I love her, and she loved me. No one in this city will dare say a word against us!"

Vivian wiped the blood from her lips, her eyes burning with resentment. "It's not fair! You only adopted her because of me! And now you're telling me you love that little bitch?"

Julian wrapped his fingers around her throat, his gaze lethal. "Do not speak her name with that filthy mouth. Clara is the only pure thing in this world."

Vivian spat directly into his face. "You’re a freak, Julian! A twisted man in love with his ward. It’s the funniest joke I’ve ever heard!"

Julian delivered a savage kick to her stomach. "I said, shut up!"

Vivian collapsed, clutching her abdomen, her eyes finally filling with genuine terror. "Julian, please... I’m sorry! I’ll leave! I’ll never show my face to Clara again! I promise!"

She saw his silence and tried to push further. "Julian, think of the years we spent together! Does that mean nothing compared to her?"

Before he could answer, the basement door swung open again. His assistant rushed in, looking like he’d seen a ghost.

"Sir... I just found out. Miss Joy’s father... his body was never cremated. It was 'donated' to an anatomy lab."

Julian took the documents from the assistant’s hand, his face turning a deathly shade of grey.

Julian stared at the donation agreement. His signature was at the bottom—a perfect, chilling forgery.

"We traced it back, sir," the assistant whispered, keeping his head low. "Vivian Lim forged your name six years ago. She recently reclaimed portions of the remains from the lab and... and..."

Julian’s heart skipped a beat. "Continue."

The assistant hesitated, his voice trembling. "According to the house security footage from last week... she appears to have fed those remains to... her dog."

A thunderous roar seemed to erupt in Julian’s head. The image of Clara’s devastated face in the courtyard—her look of absolute, soul-crushing despair—tore through him like a serrated blade. He couldn't breathe.

He turned and delivered a stinging slap to Vivian’s face. "I knew you were cruel, but I never imagined you were this demonic."

Vivian clutched her swollen cheek. "Julian, I just wanted to scare her! Besides, the old man was already dead! He couldn't feel anything anyway!"

Julian looked at her and felt a wave of pure, cold revulsion. This wasn't the woman he thought he knew. The fragile, helpless girl was gone; in her place was a hollow-eyed psychopath.

He signaled to a guard, who handed him a long, heavy whip soaked in brine.

"You aren't even human, Vivian," Julian said, his voice dropping to a terrifying whisper. "You murdered her father, and then you tried to erase his very existence from this earth. You’ve earned every second of what's coming."

He brought the whip down with a crack that echoed like a gunshot. Vivian shrieked, the salt-soaked leather stinging her flesh with the intensity of fire.

"Julian, stop! I’m sorry! I’ll apologize to her! I’ll do anything!"

The whip fell again. Julian looked like an angel of death. "An apology? No. I’m going to make sure you experience every single ounce of pain you inflicted on Clara."

He handed the whip to the guards. "Ninety-nine lashes. Do not miss a single strike."

Vivian screamed in terror, her body shaking. "Julian Pierce! You helped me cover it up! If I go down, you go with me! Let me go and I’ll keep my mouth shut!"

Julian didn't even look back as he walked toward the exit. At the doorway, he paused, his voice like ice.

"When you’re finished, send her to the asylum. Tell the director to give her the exact same 'lessons' they gave Clara. Double the dosage."

He stepped out into the night, leaving Vivian’s blood-curdling screams behind him.

The assistant followed closely. "Sir, we reviewed the wedding day footage again. There was someone else at the estate that day."

Julian stopped in his tracks. "Who?"

The assistant handed him a photograph. It showed a man with a sharp, aristocratic profile, walking toward a car. In his arms, he held a small, fragile figure. Even though her face was hidden, Julian would know that silhouette anywhere.

It was Clara.

Julian gripped the photo until the paper crinkled. The pain in his failing heart flared up, fueled by a sudden, explosive possessiveness.

"Arthur Knight!" Julian growled, his eyes burning with a dark, manic light. "How dare you steal my girl from right under my nose!"