Chapter 1

Rebecca Sawyer was infamous for being the most promiscuous woman among all the socialites in Nurano. She was haughty, domineering, beautiful, and alluring. Her reputation was so terrible that no man dared to marry her. Everything changed after she was abducted in a ten-billion-dollar kidnapping case that rocked Nurano. She wasn't the only one who was abducted—James Heaton, an upright man who was famous for having no interest in women, was also abducted with her. They were strapped to the same bed in the filthy and abandoned house for a whole week. On the first day, they were whipped for three hours. James had shielded Rebecca with his own body and suffered the abductors' abuse in her place. On the second day, the abductors stripped them of their clothes before throwing them into a pool. Rebecca had only survived because James had carried her on his back the entire time they were treading water. On the third day, the abductors drugged them both with something that made them want to satisfy their desires. James was breathing heavily as they lay in their dark and dirty prison. "Don't worry, Rebecca. Even if I die here today, I won't lay a single finger on you without your consent." However, the drug was just too strong. Tears streamed down Rebecca's face as she willingly tilted her head back to kiss James. "I'm the one who dragged you down from your pedestal, James." They had no choice but to sleep with each other. After the deed was done, they came to rely on each other to survive as their lives hung in the balance. They were finally saved by the police a week later. Later, a video of Rebecca began to spread like wildfire online. She was completely nude in the video, her beautiful face twisted in passion. A topless man had her trapped under him on the filthy ground. Everyone criticized Rebecca for being immoral, claiming that she had shamelessly slept with the abductors just to survive. After James found out what was going on, he immediately stepped forward to clarify that the man in the video was none other than himself. However, none of the netizens believed his words. Just as the chaos reached its peak, James dropped to one knee in front of Rebecca in a grand proposal. "Marry me, Becca. I promise to protect you for the rest of my life!" Rebecca's eyes reddened as James slipped the eight-carat pink diamond ring on her finger. From then on, the promiscuous woman and the upright heir became entwined with one another. However, according to the Heaton family's rules, every member of the family had to vote to approve of the heir's marital affairs. It was why James was severely punished for the next two years. When the voting failed during the first year, he was forced to kneel outside the villa and starved for five days. When the voting failed the second year, he was locked in a dark room and whipped 99 times. Rebecca couldn't take it anymore during the third year. She followed James' car and tailed him back to the Heaton residence. It had been three years. She had given her heart to James a long time ago. This year, she was determined to take him with her no matter what happened. She would tell the Heatons that she was willing to learn the rules and etiquette that was expected of a woman for James' sake. If they still refused to accept her into their fold, she could accept not being married to him. All they needed was each other's love. However, when Rebecca rushed into the Heaton family, she saw the other Heatons just sitting around. There was no voting going on at all. James' mother, Alicia Morales, smashed her cup on the ground as she screamed, "It's been three years, James! Is your plan to anger us to death? You're well aware that the Heaton family will never accept Rebecca. "The abductors had their way with her for a whole week, and the videos are all over the internet. However, not only did you falsely claim that you're the man in the video, but you also declared that you're going to marry her. "You're clearly just taking revenge on us because we forbade you from marrying Penelope three years ago. That's the only reason you're insisting on marrying the worst woman in Nurano. You keep using Rebecca to anger and corner us so you can force us to agree with you marrying Penelope, right?" Rebecca's mind went blank as she remained rooted to the spot beyond the door. What was Alicia talking about? James was just using her? Who was Penelope? Meanwhile, James didn't say a word in response to Alicia's accusations. Instead, he rose to his feet before kneeling on the ground. "You're right, Mom," he said coldly. "I am taking my revenge on you. Let me ask you a few questions instead. What's wrong with Penny? She was born into a prestigious family in Besavia. She's gentle, kind, eloquent and elegant. "You forbade me from marrying her just because there was a conflict between our families that happened decades ago. You even told me that I could marry any socialite except her." James let out a mocking laugh before continuing, "Fine then. I went and found the worst socialite in our circle. How will you protect your reputation now?" "How dare you?" James' grandfather, Jeremiah Heaton, hurled his cane in James' direction in a fit of rage. James didn't try to dodge it. It collided against his forehead with a resounding thud. Fresh blood began to trickle down from the point of impact. He didn't seem to be fazed as his lips curled up into a nonchalant smile. "Let me repeat myself one more time. If you want me to break up with Rebecca, you have to let me marry Penny." A commotion broke out among the members of the Heaton family. For the first time in Rebecca's life, she felt the strength drain out of her body as she stood outside the door. She wanted to rush in to express her frustrations, but her legs were quivering in her high heels. She had been in love with James for three years. She never could have imagined that he treated her as nothing more than a pawn to further his goals and take revenge on the Heaton family. Her eyes were bloodshot as she turned around and gripped the window frame. She had to find out what was going on. James' car was parked next to the curb outside the Heaton residence. Rebecca made a beeline for it. She swung her bag overhead and began to repeatedly smash it onto the hood of the car like she had lost her mind. The driver nearly jumped out of his skin when she began vandalizing the car. By the time he exited the car, the hood was already severely dented. Meanwhile, Rebecca glared at the driver. "How long have you worked for Mr. Heaton?" she demanded. "I… I've worked for Mr. Heaton for eight years… Ms. Sawyer." She let her bag hang by her side as she asked, "Do you know who Penelope is?" The driver's expression stiffened. The guilt festering in his heart made him unable to shake his head. Rebecca's voice was trembling when she spoke again. "Tell me everything you know! If you don't, I'm going to set fire to James' car!" she gritted out through clenched teeth.