"Oh... you're the daughter of that woman?"
The man who had just entered the dim hotel room spoke with a tone dipped in venom.
Inside, a young girl in a school uniform sat on the edge of the bed, eyes wide, dazed. She looked like she'd woken up from a nightmare—only to realize the nightmare hadn't ended.
"Who are you?" Isla asked, her voice trembled, fear crawling into her throat like cold air into cracked windows.
She didn't know how she'd gotten there. The last thing she remembered was getting on the bus she took every day to and from school and work. After that—blank.
The man, tall and composed in his perfectly tailored suit, shut the door behind him with the heel of his foot. The click of the lock sent a shiver down Isla's spine.
"You're asking me who I am?" he smirked, stepping forward slowly, like a predator savoring its kill.
He shrugged off his blazer, tossing it carelessly aside. "I'm surprised you don't recognize me. Though maybe... it's better that way." His voice dropped into something darker. "Maybe it's better you meet me like this, without filters, without titles."
Isla stood up, her breath shallow. She looked around, but the room offered no exits, no safety. "Don't come any closer!" she said, voice cracking as she backed away. Her knees bumped against the wall. There was nowhere left to run.
The man chuckled cruelly. "So easy to scare. Just like your mother when she finally realized what she'd done to my family."
His words struck something inside her.
"I-I don't understand," she stammered.
He tilted his head mockingly, like she was a puzzle he didn't care to solve.
"You don't have to understand. You just have to feel it. The humiliation. The helplessness. The weight of someone else's sins."
Isla's hands trembled. "I don't know you. I don't know what my mother did. I don't even know her that well!"
The man leaned closer, now standing directly in front of her. She pressed herself against the wall instinctively.
"Oh, but I know everything about you, Isla Hart." His voice was a whisper now. "Daughter of the woman who destroyed my family. Mistress to a married man. Leech to his wealth. Parasite on our name."
Currently, Allaric is still keeping a decent distance, of course, to clearly see how his target is frightened.
"It's also decent for an oil change, huh... even though it's still small." Allaric gave a smirk full of mockery toward Isla's frail body.
"Please don't come any closer!" Isla shouted as Allaric began to step toward her again. Meanwhile, she was no longer able to dodge anywhere.
"Stop right there!" Isla shouted again as Allaric closed the distance completely. Her frail body trembled violently, her knees growing weak.
"Who do you think you are to tell me what to do? Hmm?" Allaric barked directly in Isla's face, and of course, that made her tremble with fear even more.
She didn't recognize the man in front of her, and she felt she had no business with the man who was now intimidating her.
Isla couldn't move; her body was frozen against the cold wall behind her. Her body trembled violently, as if all her bones and muscles were no longer in their proper places.
Isla was terrified.
"Don't you really know me?"
Isla shook her head vigorously, tears blurring her vision. She was truly afraid, her wild thoughts no longer under control.
"Hmmm," Allaric repeated as he approached again. And at that moment, Isla was startled by who the man in front of her was.
"A... Al... Allaric Ashford?" Isla whispered, her voice trembling. She recognized the face that frequently appeared in business media and on television. Isla even covered her mouth in disbelief.
Isla's words made Allaric laugh loudly again, "Yes, no one doesn't know who I am. Or... do I resemble someone you often meet?"
Isla froze. Yes, she suddenly remembered that Allaric Ashford was the son of the man who frequently visited her mother, Charles Ashford. The wealthy man who kept showering her mother with gifts.
"I... I..." Isla stammered, trying to respond to Allaric's words but couldn't because of her fear.
The man nodded, extending one hand, gently touching Isla's hair. She wanted to avoid it, but she couldn't.
"You know? Your mother has become a demon in my family. I'm just returning what your mother gave to my family. What do you choose?" Allaric paused, "Between wounds, shame, or lifelong hatred?"
Isla shook her head firmly, "I... I don't know anything."
"Don't act so innocent. Didn't you also enjoy the wealth your father gave to you and your mother?"
"I don't..." Isla said quickly, holding Allaric's hand, which was still making patterns in her hair.
"Why are you so scared, little goose? Isn't this your family's specialty?"
"I don't understand what you mean, please step aside." Isla tried to push Allaric away, but of course, it was useless. Her strength was no match for Allaric's relaxed state.
"Act like your mother, who was the most skilled at seducing Charles, until that scoundrel forgot he had a family. We'll have fun, little swan. Act like a professional. I'm sure you've been trained to be as skilled as your mother at being a temptress and landing an extraordinary catch." A meaningful smirk was clearly etched on Allaric's lips.
"I don't, please... I don't know anything."
But Allaric didn't care, for in his mind, the young woman before him was an extension of the vengeance he sought to destroy, just as he and his mother had been shattered beyond repair.
"Come on, don't act so innocent." And with a light tug from Allaric, Isla could no longer resist.
Allaric could see that the window beside the room, which was currently letting in sunlight, was still open. And Allaric didn't bother to close it first.
"Please, I don't know anything." Those were the last words she spoke before Allaric replaced them with a scream filled with pain that echoed through the room.
Isla closed her eyes as the strong hands continued to force the bitter reality of her life upon her. Her tears could no longer produce a sound; this already cruel world was growing even crueler, and she began to refuse to step foot in it.
She didn't remember how many times the man had continued to push, but Isla was now like a living corpse. Unmoving, silent, even unable to blink.
Meanwhile.
Without bothering to remove his shirt, he revealed what he used to destroy the life of the young woman beneath him. Allaric continued to thrust, hoping that what he was doing would destroy the life of the woman who had brought ruin to his family.
"I await your destruction, even eagerly waiting for you to end your life. And I will make the day of your death the most historic day of my life."
Those were Allaric's final words after the heavy groan echoed once more. Before finally releasing himself, he cleaned himself up and left the room without uttering a single word.
And Isla.
She was still on the bed, in the same position Allaric had left her. She didn't even bother to cover her naked body.
Her soul was shattered.
Her life was shattered.
And Isla didn't know what she would do next.
Want to confide in her mother? That was impossible, especially since their relationship wasn't that close. She only knew that the woman named Marissa was her mother; beyond that, they were like strangers.
"Is this the life I have to live?" Isla whispered, her eyes once again welling up with tears.