As Soha ran desperately through the service corridor, she thought she had finally escaped Adriq's clutches. But she had forgotten that Adriq was no ordinary man; he was a vengeful monster.
Despite being blue with pain, Adriq composed himself within minutes. Picking up the red belt lying on the floor, he stood up on unsteady feet. His eyes held no trace of lust—only a bloodthirsty rage.
The moment Soha stepped out of the hotel's back gate toward the parking lot, she saw rain pouring down from the sky. Just as she was trying to hail a taxi, she heard the heavy thud of boots behind her.
Soha turned around, and her heart nearly stopped. Adriq stood right behind her, his body drenched in the rain. His white shirt was unbuttoned, and the scars on his chest glistened in the rainwater. In his hand was that red leather belt, which he whipped against the wet ground, creating a terrifying sound.
Adriq (In a cold, diabolic voice): "Is the run over, Soha? Did you really think you could escape by hurting this body? The fire you've ignited within me—even this rain cannot put it out."
Soha backed away until she hit a wall. There was no one around, only the sound of the rain and Adriq's heavy breathing.
Adriq: "You kicked me, Soha... You kicked Adriq? Tonight, I'll show you the real meaning of my 'Miss You'."
With a sudden jerk, Adriq grabbed Soha by her hair and began dragging her toward his car. Soha tried to scream, but Adriq muffled her voice.
Adriq: "Shut up! If you utter a single word, I will break those soft legs of yours with my own hands. Get in the car!"
He threw her violently onto the back seat. Pushing the driver aside, Adriq took the wheel himself. The car sped like the wind through the slippery streets of Seoul. Adriq kept glancing at Soha through the rear-view mirror, wearing that strange, psychotic smile.
Adriq: "Let's go home. Our game was interrupted halfway. The pink handcuffs are waiting for you, Soha. Tonight, there is no mafia before you—only a primitive beast."
When the car entered the penthouse garage, Soha realized there was no one to save her. Adriq stepped out and tied Soha's hands with the belt. But just as he was about to drag her out, a black Mercedes pulled up. A tall, grave man stepped out—Adriq's father, the true emperor of this underworld.
The car's headlights blinded Adriq. His father walked up to him slowly, his face etched with pure hatred and annoyance. Before Adriq could speak, his father delivered a resounding slap across his face. The sound echoed through the garage walls. Adriq staggered back against the car.
His father roared in a deep, harsh Russian voice:
Adriq's Father (In Russian): "Ты идиот! Ты хоть понимаешь, что делаешь?" (You idiot! Do you even realize what you're doing?)
Adriq stood stunned, clutching his cheek. His father looked at Soha once, then turned back to Adriq, continuing in Russian:
Adriq's Father: "Her father, Alexander, is my longtime business partner. Don't you know how deep our connection is? By playing your filthy games with this girl, you've put our entire empire at risk!"
He grabbed Adriq by the collar and shook him.
Adriq's Father: "Did you think you could do whatever you wanted just because you're in Seoul? You've kept Alexander's daughter captive. If this gets out, there will be a river of blood by tomorrow morning. Do you want to start a war?"
For the first time, Soha saw Adriq humiliated. The man who considered himself the god of this world now stood with his head bowed before his father. Yet, in his eyes, a strange resentment began to flicker.
Adriq's Father (Pointing at Soha): "Release her now. Alexander sent word; he will arrive here tomorrow morning. Make sure the girl is found in good health before then."
Adriq gnashed his teeth. His father's command felt like a defeat. He thought to himself, "Father, you don't know that Soha is my addiction now. You want to save the empire, but I don't know how to let go of my prey."
His father's slap and the mention of Alexander acted like fuel to the volcano erupting inside Adriq. He jerked his father's hand off his collar. His eyes were bloodshot, and wet hair clung to his face. He began screaming in a mix of Russian and Bengali.
Adriq (Screaming at the top of his lungs): "Business relations? Empire? Friendship with Alexander? For all of this, you took my mother away from me! Don't you remember? For your filthy business, you handed my mother over to someone else!"
His father's face went pale for a moment. But Adriq wasn't going to stop. He poked his father's chest repeatedly as he spoke.
Adriq: "You've come to discipline me today? You taught me that love doesn't exist, only power. Now that I'm showing my power, you're talking about ethics? My mother gave her life for your empire and relations! She escaped by dying, but she left me behind as a living corpse!"
Soha stood trembling in a corner of the garage. She saw the immense void hidden behind Adriq's monstrous persona. Adriq leaned in close to his father's face.
Adriq (Low but terrifying): "Mother died because of you. And today, if you try to take Soha away from me, remember—I won't just kill Alexander; I won't hesitate to finish you too. Soha is my property. She isn't my mother that I would share her or let her go."
His father stood frozen. He realized that the monster he had raised was now beyond his control. Losing all sense of reason, Adriq walked toward Soha and swept her up in his arms.
Adriq (Looking at his father): "Tell Alexander not to come empty-handed tomorrow. Because in exchange for his daughter, I will want his heart."
Adriq walked toward the elevator with Soha. Behind them lay a defeated emperor and the continuous sound of rain. Tonight, Adriq would brook no interference. He took Soha into his bedroom and slammed the door shut.
When Adriq kicked the bedroom door shut, he wasn't just burning with lust, but with a terrifying fire of revenge. The slap from his father and the memories of his mother's death had driven him into a frenzy. And Soha was the only one in front of him to bear the brunt of his rage.
Adriq (Gnashing his teeth): "Everyone thinks I understand empires and business. But no one knows that Adriq only understands his own obsession. My father wants to save Alexander? Then watch what price you have to pay for your father today!"
Adriq held nothing back. He pulled out the pink handcuffs and the red belt from the drawer. There was no hidden tenderness in his actions—only demonic hatred.
The New Levels of Torment:
The Bind: He tied Soha's hands to the two corners of the bed so tightly that her shoulder bones felt like they would snap.
The Red Belt: Adriq whipped Soha's waist with the belt. Through her wet clothes, the strike felt like fire against her skin. Soha screamed in agony, but Adriq wasn't there to stop.
Mental Trauma: Adriq leaned into Soha's ear and whispered harshly, "Your father is coming tomorrow, right? I want him to see every blue bruise on your body with his own eyes. Let him understand the cost of crossing Adriq!"
Soha writhed in pain. She realized Adriq no longer saw her as a human being; she was merely a 'weapon' to be used against her father. Adriq bit hard into her neck, as if trying to quench the sting of his father's insult with her blood.
Adriq: "You're crying? Crying makes you look weak, just like my mother. I won't let you be weak; I'll turn you into stone just like me!"
All night long, the penthouse was filled with Soha's screams and Adriq's madness. Adriq seemed determined that before Alexander arrived, he would erase the identity of 'Alexander's daughter' from Soha and carve the identity of 'Adriq's property' into her soul.
Chapter 96: Stillness After the Storm
As the morning light filtered into the penthouse after that horrific, stormy night, the scene inside was a strange contrast. The demonic screams and cries of the previous night had turned into a deep, mysterious silence.
Soha was in a deep sleep. Her body was so broken by exhaustion and pain that she was oblivious to her surroundings. Her pale face rested on Adriq's broad, firm chest. In her sleep, her shallow breaths fanned against Adriq's warm skin.
Adriq was awake. He was half-reclining on the bed, holding Soha close to his chest with one arm. His other hand moved gently through her messy hair. The blood-sucking monster from last night was now completely calm. There was no sleep in his eyes; he stared intently at Soha's peaceful face.
What was going through Adriq's mind:
He knew the extent of the brutality he had inflicted on Soha. The bluish bruises on her neck and the marks on her arms were even more prominent in the morning light. But there was no remorse in his heart—only a strange sense of possessiveness. He thought to himself— "Soha, let your father come, let the whole world come, they won't be able to pull you away from my chest."
Just then, the sound of several black SUVs pulling up below the penthouse echoed. Outside the door, the activity of Adriq's bodyguards increased. Alexander had arrived.
Adriq (Whispering in Soha's ear): "Soha... wake up. Your savior is here. But he doesn't know that today he has come to see his own destruction, not his daughter's freedom."
Soha stirred slightly in her sleep. A sense of unease hit her from the familiar scent of Adriq's body, but she didn't open her eyes. She seemed to feel safer within this sleep, for opening her eyes meant facing that hell all over again.
Adriq placed a long kiss on Soha's forehead. That devilish smirk returned to his lips. He didn't move away from her; instead, he prepared to wait for Alexander—with Soha still pinned against his chest.