Chapter 296

Caiden seethed with anger after Cedric flatly refused to send him back to Zentara.

With nowhere else to go, he crashed at a friend's house for a few days.

When Daniela came to pick him up, his face was twisted in frustration. "Daniela, you're really heartless. Do you actually expect me to face Katrina?"

Daniela didn't even glance in his direction. While playing on her phone, she replied, "You're a witness to this whole thing. You can't just walk away now."

She had limited Caiden to a mere five hundred dollars per month.

Broke and out of options, Caiden had no place to turn. Desperate, he even toyed with the idea of selling the villa.

However, anyone wealthy enough to consider buying it had already heard Daniela's ominous warning."Anyone who dares to purchase Caiden's villa is declaring war on Elite Lux." Despite the price had been slashed repeatedly, no one dared to finalizethe sale.

Once again, Caiden was reminded of the sheer reach of Daniela's power in Olisvine.

Feeling defeated, he abandoned his schemes altogether.

Late that night, as darkness cloaked the area, a car pulled up to the front gate of the villa.

It paused for just a moment before speeding away.

Curious, the security guard went to check and discovered a burlap sack lying on the ground.

When he opened it, he was horrified to find a woman inside, her hair tangled and a filthy rag gagging her. He aimed his flashlight at her face and recoiled in shock. He shouted, "Who the hell are you?"

By chance, Daniela was driving past at that exact moment. She recognized the woman as Joyce and called Katrina.

Joyce had passed out, and an overwhelming stench clung to her.

Katrina rushed over but quickly realized she couldn't move Joyce on her own. Reluctantly, she called Caiden for help.

As soon as he approached and caught a whiff of the foul odor, he couldn't hold back and vomited on the spot.

Ultimately, one of the guards stepped in, pinching his nose as he dragged Joyce into the villa, treating her as if she were nothing more than discarded trash.

"Joyce, Joyce?" Katrina's voice quivered as she took in the jagged cuts marring Joyce's once-smooth face. The evidence of Joyce's brutal torment was undeniable. When she finally regained consciousness, her mind seemed shattered.

She grabbed Katrina's arm tightly, her sobs erupting uncontrollably.

"Mom, please save me! Those people are monsters.They said if I don't pay by next week, they'll take me back. I'd rather die than face them again. Please,Mom,help me!"

Overwhelmed by panic, her body gave out, and she fainted once more.

As the harsh overhead lights illuminated Joyce's wounds, Caiden's eyes widened in horror at the word etched into her skin: bitch.

A sickening jolt struck his chest as he turned to Daniela, only to find her face devoid of any reaction.

For the first time, an unsettling fear of his own daughter crept into Caiden's heart.

Clenching his trembling hands into fists, he waited until Katrina escorted Joyce to the bathroom before leaning towards Daniela and whispering, "Did you have someone do this?"

Daniela cast a cold, indifferent glance his way.

Caiden was convinced that Daniela had to be behind this.Lowering his voice, he said, "Even if you have a grudge against Katrina, Joyce had nothing to do with it. Don't you think this is too far?"

Daniela let out a chuckle, her tone laced with mockery."Oh? You really think this is too much?"

Caiden gave a solemn nod. "Of course it's too much!If those scars on her face become permanent, her life will be ruined. How could you do something so heartless?"

Moments earlier, the sight of Joyce's mutilated face had shocked everyone. Yet Daniela's composure remained eerily undisturbed, her gaze chillingly indifferent.

The cold detachment in her eyes was nothing short of terrifying.

Daniela's cold smile lingered. "Heartless? Me? I wasn't always this way. I used to be hopeful, even innocent. Do you remember that? What Joyce suffered today might have been from a knife, but when I lost my mother, the wounds I endured were invisible yet far deeper. Did you ever stop to consider how broken I was back then? Of course not. I didn't scream or cry, so my pain went unnoticed. I was left to suffer alone, wasn't l? And yet, you seem to have forgotten someone who once loved me more than life itself. That person died because of you."

A fiery glint ignited in Daniela's eyes, her voice steady but charged with fury.

"The question isn't whether I orchestrated what happened to Joyce. What matters is that | could. You better hope you weren't involved in my mom's death,because if you were, I'll make sure your fate is far worse than Joyce's."

With that, she dismissed him entirely, her attention snapping back to the TV without a second glance. Caiden stood frozen, her words sending an icy jolt straight to his core.

His heart raced wildly, and his legs trembled so much he could barely keep himself upright. After a few failed attempts to speak, he finally stammered out a shaky protest. "I had nothing to do with it. I swear."

Daniela didn't even blink in response.

Upstairs, Katrina's muffled sobs echoed through the halls as she carefully bathed Joyce.

A maid descended the stairs, her face pale. She hesitated before telling Caiden, "Sir, the scars are not just on her face. They're everywhere."

Her voice dropped to a whisper. "Even her most private parts have been carved with the word 'bitch.'"