Chapter 1
Letitia Sanders was eyeballing a meaty bone before a stay mutt in the filthy and messy backyard at the AquaCity Psychiatric Institute.
She had gone three days without so much as a crumb to eat. If this continued sheâd be at risk of starving It was getting to the point where sheâd have to grapple with the dog just for a bite to eat
Since Elgin Ramirez chucked her into this madhouse two years ago, Letitiaâs daily gund had been about staying alive.
The Ramirez farmily, the big shots of AquaCity with Elgin as the heir His word was the final soy pretty much controlling the pulse of the city
Letitia could still remember how Elgin had gripped her throat like he was trying to choke the life out of her, his eyes filled with venom. âYouâre going to suffer every single day Youâll be begging for the relief of death, but itâs not going to come Youâre going to pay off your familyâs debt to me!
The more miserable her life was, the more Elgin seemed to get his kicks.
Two years back. Elginâs father, Marcel Ramirez, had a car wreck and was rushed to the hospital in critical condition.
The doctor on call was Preston Sanders, Letitiaâs dad Something went wrong during the emergency operation, and Preston messed up with the medications, leading to Marcel bleeding out.
The cops got involved and pinned the blame on Preston for cutting comers. He got slapped with a life sentence
When Malinda, Letitiaâs mom, got wind of the news, she had a stroke that turned her into a vegetable.
From that day on, Letitiaâs world had turned upside down
She didnât buy that her dad couldâve done such a thing, but her pleas fell on deaf
With just a flick of Elginâs wrist, Letitia was tossed into the mental hospital like yesterdayâs trash, and he made sure nobody gave a damn whether she lived or died.
Since then, her life had been worse than a stray dogâs. But she swore sheâd cling to life Her folks were still out there waiting for her. Only by staying alive did she stand a chance!
Suddenly, the sound of a lock turning snapped her out of her thoughts
âLetitia Sanders, someoneâs here to pick you up the head of the mental hospital announced
Letitia froze. âWho?â
After her dad got locked up, her friends and relatives scattered like roaches. Who would come for her?
âYouâll see when you meet them.â
Letitia never thought she could get out of this hellhole. Without Elginâs say so, who would dare spring her?
With jitters and hope, Letitia stepped out of the mental hospital, only to be greeted by a van pulling up in front of her.
Before she could get a good look at who was inside, a couple of burly guys leaped out, threw a black sack over her head, and snatched her up!
âHelpâ¦â Before she could scream, a heavy blow to her neck sent her into darkness
When Letitia woke up, she found herself tied to a bed in a hotel room, unable to move a muscle.
What the heck was going on? Where was she? The last thing she remembered before blacking out gave her a bad feeling
A bold and chunky old guy in front of her was rubbing his hands with glee. âSuch an innocent young thing. I canât wait anymore!â
Crap! Letitia realized she had been fooled!
No one had come to get her. The director had given her to this old creep!
Chapter 1
âStay awayâ¦â Letitia clenched her teeth. âBack off!â
âPamper me, and Iâll make it worth your whileâ¦â
As the old man lunged at her with a lecherous grin, Letitia thought fast and retreated, shouting, âWait!â
âWhatâs up?â
Letitia forced a giggle. âEasy there, my lord. How about you untie me first, then we can have some real funâ¦â
âAlright then. Itâs not like you can make a break for it.â
The moment the ropes were loose, Letitia kicked him in the balls and bolted as he howled in pain.
âGrab her!â
She could hear footsteps chasing after her. If they caught her, sheâd be toast!
Panicking. Letitia spotted a door ajar, dashed in, and slammed it shut.
As she was gasping for air, a manâs arm with distinct knuckles suddenly wrapped around her waist.
âA woman? A husky male voice pierced the dark
Letitia felt his burning hot body and frantically asked, âWho are you? What do you want?â
To get rid of this drug in me with you. Without another word, he hoisted her up and dumped her on the bed
Letitia couldnât see the manâs face, but his familiar scent made her think of Elgin.
No, it couldnât be Elgin!
âDonât! Please let go!â Letitia struggled, her voice tearful. âDonât⦠Iâm not that kind of girlâ¦â
The man whispered in her ear, âIâll marry you.â
He silenced her protests with his fervent kisses.
By dawn, the man was sound asleep.
Letitia, aching all over, had thought she could escape unscathed. Instead, she lost her virginity.
Her life was tragic enough. When would fate ever cut her a break?
Though this guy was leagues better than the old man and had even promised to marry her, she knew saying âI doâ would drag him down into Elginâs pit of fire with her She couldnât do that to him.
With that thought, Letitia quietly left the hotel, dressed and bewildered.
She could have slipped away, but she knew AquaCity was Elginâs turf, every exit locked tight. Even if she ran, where could she possibly hide?
Besides, her parents were there, and she couldnât bail on them.
In the end, Letitia returned to AquaCity Psychiatric Institute. At least she had to get the scoop on the directorâs schemes to watch her back.
Just as she reached his office, she overheard a heated argument
âThe old goatâs got his eye on my daughter. How could I bear to give her away? The only choice was to hand over Letitialâ
âAre you nuts? Mr. Ramirez put Letitia here himself, and youâre messing with his property?â
âMr. Ramirez? Heâs forgotten about her. As long as sheâs accounted for, weâre golden. We need to find her, stat!â
it was all the directorâs doing, just as she suspected! Fuming, Letitia clenched her fists, ready to burst in, but the director came out looking all worned
He looked up and saw Letitia, but before he could fake a smile, he spotted the love bite on her neck
âYou slut, who did you shack up with last night? he cursed, red-faced with rage. You nearly got me killed
Letitia had no clue who that guy was and might as well chalk it up to some ridiculous dream.
She drilled the director with a frosty question. âWhat gives you the right to pawn me off?â
âPawn you off? Youâre spouting more and more nonsense, and your madness is getting worse! Quick, lock her up in the ward!
Lettha shot him a chilly look âLet go. I can walk on my own.
Meanwhile, Elgin woke up at the hotel, rubbing his temples as he sat up and swept over the messy bed, flashes of memory racing by
He couldnât stop thinking of the girlâs silky smooth skin, her whispers, and her first time in bed.
But next to the bed, there was nothing but air. Gosh! Did she sleep with him and bolt?
She was nothing like those gold digging chicks who throw themselves at him.
It was a setup the night before. A woman happened to burst into his room and helped relieve the drug coursing through
Elgin dialed a number, commanding. Find out the woman who crashed my room last night.â
âRight away, Mr Ramirez
He had promised to marry her, and he intended to keep it. He would track her down even if she ran to the ends of the earth
Elgin swung out of bed, eyeing the empty glass on the nightstand.
His stepmom couldnât give it a rest, always seizing every chance to shove a woman his way, even stooping to drugging him
He thought it was time to secure a Mrs. Ramirez to end his stepmomâs schemes.
âMr. Ramirez, today is your fatherâs death anniversary, the assistant reminded him as they got into the car.
âGot it, same as every year
Once a year, Elgin made his pilgrimage to his fatherâs grave, and it was time to see Letitia, the woman heâd dumped all his hatred on
A luxury car pulled up at the entrance of AquaCity Psychiatric Institute, with Elgin casually sauntering in.
Seeing Elgin arrive, the mental hospital director nearly pissed his pants âMr., Mrâ¦â
âWhereâs Letitia? Elginâs eyes were icy
The director scurried off to the ward, warning Letitia, âKeep your trap shut tight. If Mr. Ramirez finds out youâre no longer a virgin, weâre both dead meat!â
As Letitia was about to respond, a tall figure appeared.
it was Elgin. He was as handsome and aloof as in her memories, oozing with an air of superiority, someone born with a silver spoon
An overwhelming presence hit her, and Letitiaâs nerves instantly were on edge âMr. Ramirezâ
âAre you so scared of me? He teased with a smirk.
Yeah she was so scared that she barely dared to breathe, let alone meet his eyes. She kept her head down silently with
be strands of hair ticklinger cheeks, resisting the urge to brush them away
Let s been two years, but you havenât changed. How duft. Elgiris tone was even, but Letitia felt bone-chilling cold
ETH
Che wasnât the mess he expected, which had disappointed him. Little did he know that she had fought tooth and n only to survive and keep a shred of humar, dignity
Those first few months were worse than an animalâs life.
âSo, game over.â Elginâs gaze nanowed, somewhat enigmatic âYouâre free nowâ
Free? She even couldnât believe it
Letitia knew too well that he had some new method up in his sleeve to torment her. She couldnât help but tremble, retreating step by step as Elgin advanced
âKeeping you under my thumb for my amusement will quench my thirst for revenge his words were chillingly cold. âFrom now on, Letitia, youâre nothing but a dog at my side
Elgin tumed, his figure resolute Follow met
Confused, she asked. âWhere to go?
âThe city hall