Aspen and Nora were the first to step inside. As they looked around the empty living room, an intense sense of unease grew in Aspen's heart. She felt as though something important had slipped away, something she had failed to hold on to.

When she didn't see the person she was expecting, Aspen frowned deeply and turned toward Corey, who followed closely behind. "Where's Quill?"

Corey's smile faltered slightly as he raised a hand to gesture toward the sofa. "Isn't he just sitting right over…"

He intended to say Quill was still on the sofa, but when he turned his head, he found it empty. His expression froze momentarily before his gaze turned sharp, sweeping over the bodyguards standing nearby.

The bodyguards were equally startled by Quill's sudden disappearance. They shook their heads in panic as they tried to explain to Aspen. "Ms. Sanders, when we left, Mr. Milton was indeed sitting 

The first footage to appear was from the day Corey moved into the Sanders residence, showing the kitchen scene.

On the screen, it was clear that after Quill declined Corey's offer to help, Corey had deliberately ignored him. He grabbed the stew pot, and intentionally let it spill behind him.

When Aspen and Nora rushed in, Corey feigned a pitiful demeanor, claiming that Quill had intentionally poured the stew on him.

Next came the footage from the birthday banquet.

The video showed Corey receiving a drink from a server, then stealthily pulling a packet of powder from his bag and pouring it into one of the glasses. Later, he tearfully accused Quill of orchestrating the poisoning after his stomach was pumped and he regained consciousness.

Then, the footage shifted to the events after Aspen and Nora left the Hudson family villa the previous day.

The video showed Corey smiling warmly as

When Corey met Aspen and Nora's gazes, his eyes instantly reddened. "I wouldn't even dare step on an ant—how could I do anything excessive to Mr. Milton? I only want to reason with him and help him realize his mistakes…"

Though his words seemed sincere, Aspen couldn't shake an uneasy feeling.

Perhaps because she found his argument reasonable, or maybe because she didn't want to see him feel wronged, she reluctantly agreed in the end. However, she kept emphasizing repeatedly that Quill had to be returned after one day.

Even Nora was hesitant to leave, and she gave him a worried reminder. "Daddy, you have to return him safe and sound tomorrow, okay?"

"I will," Corey replied with a gentle smile.

But as soon as the mother and daughter left, his expression turned sinister.

Corey ordered his men to take Quill to the Hudson family villa. Once the doors were shut, Quill caught the unmistakable glint of malice in Corey's eyes.

With a simple gesture from Corey, the bodyguards understood. One stepped forward and delivered a swift kick to Quill, knocking him to the ground. Then they pulled out thick ropes and tightly bound him.

The kick landed with full force, sending a wave of searing pain through Quill's back as he crumpled to the floor. Before he could recover, Corey grabbed a whip from a bodyguard and lashed it across Quill's back, hard enough to draw blood in an instant.

"Argh!"

The burning sting made Quill cry out despite himself. He had expected Corey's ill intentions when he was taken but hadn't imagined Corey would be so eager to strike with such brutality.

The second lash came, followed by a third and a fourth in rapid succession.

"By beating me like this, aren't you afraid you won't be able to explain yourself tomorrow?" Quill finally asked, his voice trembling as he lay in a pool of blood.

Corey didn't flinch at the question. "Don't worry. As long as you don't vanish into thin air, I'll find a way to explain it even if you're on the brink of death."

His voice brimmed with confidence, but Quill chuckled softly.

How ironic. He really was about to vanish into thin air.

Corey didn't notice his laughter and continued mercilessly wielding the whip. Blood began to stain the leather, and the room echoed with the sound of insults and blows.

"You scum! How dare you try to take my woman!

"How dare you try to take my child!"

Quill's body was covered in bloody welts, but he didn't beg for mercy. Instead, he gritted his teeth and asked, "So, it really was you who poisoned yourself? But didn't you leave them first? Didn't you say you didn't want them anymore?"

Corey sneered at the question. "Even if I don't want them, they're still mine. How could someone like you take my place? Who knows what kind of trickery you used to make Aspen refuse to divorce you!"

The taste of blood filled Quill's mouth, and it was salty and metallic. Corey's complaints only struck him as absurd.

Wasn't Aspen unwilling to divorce him simply to give Corey the freedom he so cherished?

Corey had left willingly, yet now he resented Aspen for having someone else by her side. The contradiction was laughable.

Unaware of Quill's thoughts, Corey lashed out even harder, venting his frustration with blows that felt like they were meant to kill. He didn't stop until his phone that was left on the sofa began ringing.

It was a call from Aspen.

Corey's expression shifted as he abruptly stopped. He lowered the whip and answered the phone.

On the other end of the line, Aspen's voice was brisk and straight to the point, with no greeting. "Let Quill take the call."

Corey's face stiffened. He reluctantly handed the phone to Quill as his eyes flashed with malice. His lips moved silently, but Quill understood the unspoken threat from his mouth. He was saying, "If you dare say a word, you won't leave this place alive!"

"Corey didn't do anything to you, did he?" Aspen's rare tone of concern left Quill silent for a long moment. In the end, he chose not to complain and replied weakly with just a few words. "He didn't."

Through the receiver, Quill could hear Aspen sigh in relief. "I'll come to pick you up tonight."

"And me too!" Nora's childish voice chimed in just before the call ended.

Quill gave a wry smile, wondering what had prompted this sudden show of concern. Could it be that they somehow sensed he was about to leave?

His silence on the line seemed to unsettle Aspen. She started to speak again, but Corey snatched the phone and hung up. Tossing the whip to the bodyguard, Corey's expression grew darker.

"Leave him breathing, but barely."

"But Ms. Sanders said she's coming tonight to get him," the bodyguard hesitated as he held the whip. 

Corey glared at him sharply. "I'll head out right now and stall them. You just keep torturing him until morning."

Corey then left, but the torment didn't stop. The pain from each lash consumed Quill's consciousness entirely.

As expected, Aspen and Nora didn't show up that night. They broke their promise for Corey.

By dawn, the rotating bodyguards finally stopped their assault. Quill had been beaten to the brink of death, and his body was now a horrifying mess of blood and wounds. The sight of him was unbearable.

The distant sound of car engines outside the villa sent the bodyguards into a panic. They quickly summoned the house staff.

The maids dragged Quill into a room, hurriedly changed his clothes, and cleaned the blood off him. After propping him up on the sofa, they disappeared without a trace.

When the villa fell silent, a floating golden light suddenly appeared before Quill.

"Congratulations, Quill! The companionship mission is complete. Your family in the real world has been revived. Would you like to leave this world now?" said the system.

Quill's heart surged with excitement, but his body was too weak to show it. He raised his head slightly and asked the system, "Before I leave, can you do me one favor?"

"What would you like me to do, Quill?" the system's mechanical voice replied.

"Retrieve all the surveillance footage from the past few days—everything that shows Corey framing and torturing me. Let it be the last gift I leave behind for Aspen and Nora."

"Understood. Please prepare yourself, Quill. I'm taking you home!"

The golden light enveloped Quill, and he vanished without a trace in an instant. Left behind on the sofa was a single surveillance recording, lying quietly in his place.

The next moment, the door swung open!


Aspen and Nora were the first to step inside. As they looked around the empty living room, an intense sense of unease grew in Aspen's heart. She felt as though something important had slipped away, something she had failed to hold on to.

When she didn't see the person she was expecting, Aspen frowned deeply and turned toward Corey, who followed closely behind. "Where's Quill?"

Corey's smile faltered slightly as he raised a hand to gesture toward the sofa. "Isn't he just sitting right over…"

He intended to say Quill was still on the sofa, but when he turned his head, he found it empty. His expression froze momentarily before his gaze turned sharp, sweeping over the bodyguards standing nearby.

The bodyguards were equally startled by Quill's sudden disappearance. They shook their heads in panic as they tried to explain to Aspen. "Ms. Sanders, when we left, Mr. Milton was indeed sitting on the sofa!"

"Then where is he now?" Aspen's voice grew icy as her anger flared. She felt a wave o

Chapter 10