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A piercing cry echoed in the room as Adeline felt hands on her shoulder. Fingers were digging into her shoulder blades as she was being shaken hurriedly.

Adeline tried to lift the hands off of her. She tried to punch whoever was there, but her hands only hit the air.

A shiver of terror went through her body as her toes flexed in quick succession, her mind failing to comprehend anything other than the hand on her shoulder.

"Adeline, for fuck's sake!"

The voice was barely above a whisper in her ears, but she tried to hold onto the voice. Her body was still being shaken, and her mind was trying to grasp onto anything other than the feel of someone's hands on her.

"Adeline,"

Warm hands glided over Adeline's cheek, and a whimper fell from her lips.

"Adeline, listen to my voice. Breathe."

Adeline wanted to say that she was listening. She was trying, but she could not understand what was being said. She could only feel the fingers on her cheek. She could feel the presence of someone looming over her. She could feel all of it.

And she did not like it. Her body wanted to be far away from the warmth that was seeping into her skin. Her legs were stiff, while her ankles flexed continuously, wanting nothing more than to run.

As a thumb ran beneath her eye, she let out another whimper, and could only whisper two words, "Don't...please."

She felt another breath close to her ear as the air hit her cheeks. Adeline's body reacted by flinching away as she battled with herself to open her eyes.

In the next moment, however, the hands were gone. The warmth that was over her body was gone. And her mind relaxed for a second.

Maybe...it was all a dream.

Suddenly, piercing cold water splashed over Adeline, its icy fingers seeking to wake her from her paralyzed state. Adeline gasped as the frigid liquid made contact with her face, and it sent an immediate shock through her jumbled mind. The water felt like thousands of icy needles, stabbing her skin, jolting her nerves wake with an intense sensation of coldness.

Her eyes blinked open sluggishly, as she felt the water nestle into each strand of her hair. The coldness soaked her roots and sent shivers down her spine; the feeling alerting her brain into consciousness.

Adeline sat up and felt goosebumps rise on her skin. It felt as though an arctic breeze had swept through, leaving her upper body with an icy chill.

As she sat up, the water pooled on her chest, and the chill penetrated deep within her, wrapping around her chest like a vice, constricting her breath.

But the longer Adeline felt the cold, the more she felt herself rouse from her inert state. Water droplets clouded her eyelids, and she slowly raised her hand to wipe her eyes, attempting to remove the water and remnants of her sleep.

"Great, you are finally awake." Adrian's voice startled Adeline, as she looked at him standing a few meters away from her bed, a medium-sized bucket dangling from his left hand.

"Y-you did that?" Adeline whispered hoarsely, a sudden onslaught of tears clouding her eyes again.

"Yeah, well-" Adrian dropped the bucket on the floor with a thump and strode towards the wardrobe situated at the left corner of the room, a few feet away from the bathroom door.

"-I tried to wake you up like a normal person. You know, shaking, calling out a name."

Adrian paused again, and Adeline watched him with mouth open as he took a cloth and walked towards her.

Adeline looked at Adrian, who had his hand outstretched, the cloth held between his fingers. She slowly took the cloth from him as Adrian continued.

"You seemed to get more panicked as I tried to wake you like normal humans. So, here you are, looking like a wet otter."

"How do you know how wet otters look like?" The words came out of Adeline's mouth before she could stop it.

"Television."

Hearing this, Adeline looked at Adrian surprised. "You...watch television?"

Adrian furrowed his eyebrows, and Adeline cringed at the expression on his face. It was screaming, 'What the fuck is wrong with you?'

Adeline shrugged sheepishly and Adrian sighed, "Yes, I watch television sometimes."

Adeline's mind was blank, yet she asked the most bizarre question anyone in her situation could ask.

"Oppenheimer or Barbie?"

This time Adrian did not stop himself before commenting, "Seriously, what the fuck is wrong with you?"

"And Oppenheimer. Now get ready. I will wait for you."

For a brief moment, Adeline looked at Adrian. This was the most normal thing she had experienced in the past 24 hours. And for a little while, it felt good.

To forget.

But that was not her reality, and so, sighing, she got up and wobbled to the bathroom door.

"Fucking take some clothes, idiot."

Adeline shrugged weakly and stumbled towards the wardrobe and took some clothes with her inside the bathroom, wishing Adrian would have a change of heart after everything.

Except he did not.

After Adeline took a long bath and changed into her new clothes, she found Adrian sitting on the bed and scrolling on his phone. When she got out, he stood up and took her to his office.

The journey from the bedroom to Adrian's office was a blur to Adeline. Most of the time, she just looked at her feet and tried to match her pace with Adrian's. Her mind blanked everything around her.

Now, she found herself seated in the same chair she was in yesterday when he told her or threatened her to go back to Daniel.

"Daniel and his men are working on a case. Your job is simple, go back to him, tell him the story I making and spy for me."

"I can't do it, Adrian. Please, please don't make me do this."

Adeline looked at Adrian, her eyes wide as she swallowed harshly. Her lips trembling in trepidation.

Adrian sighed, and for a slight moment, hope bloomed in Adeline's heart, but he crushed it at the very second he started speaking.

"Sorry, Lina. But you are the best bet we have got. You are an insider. You are perfect for this job. Before you speak, let me finish."

Adrian sighed and leaned back as a tall man with handsome features sauntered in and kept a file in front of Adeline.

"Enjoy, doll."

"Noah, fuck off."

The man, Noah, grinned at Adrian and put his hands up in a surrender motion.

"Of course, boss."

He walked out whistling a tune, and Adeline sat there watching, her hands lying limp on her legs.

"Listen to me, Adeline, and listen to me well. Daniel works for the government, but he is neither with the secret service, nor is his company on the radar. They are government sanction, but they do the dirty work the government refuses to do. They were good, too good, in fact. But corruption is like wild grass, no matter how much you try to get rid of them, they will grow back- "

"So, like you?" Adeline rudely cut Adrian off, her heart beating wildly against her chest.

"I just use the corruption to my advantage. I actively do not need to corrupt anyone. But you here are an exception, of course."

"And how do I fit in?"

Adrian ran his hand through his hair and looked at Adeline, who shrunk back at the coldness in his stare.

"The men for whom Daniel works are a new recruiter. He's The Consortium's spy. The mission they are working on won't help the people at risk, even if your darling husband has the best intentions."

"What is The Consortium?" Adeline leaned forward, her fingers twitching in curiosity.

"They are the leading organization for child trafficking. The men who came yesterday were their men. They wanted your child." Adrian spoke dryly and Adeline froze in her seat.

"Before you go into your panic mode, listen to everything I say."

Adeline let out a shaky breath and nodded her head.

"Good. The Consortium and Coterie, a forced prostitution agency now, earlier women used to go there willingly. But in the past few years, they have changed their ways. Lyre, the creator of Coterie, used to be good friends with me. I will set up a meeting in a few days and see what is going on. But in a few days, there will be an exhibition, a joint venture of sorts, between The Consortium and Coterie. Daniel and his men will lead a rescue operation, just like they did last 2 times. Since the men working are not honest, and your husband is also a wimp, they let many members live. That's how those men found you yesterday. If. Her my men did not come in time, you'd have been...well, you know it.

"Better than me, since you killed your child over that. Honestly, a good move."

"You are a monster," Adeline whispered hoarsely. Her eyes were red as her mind tried to grasp all the information.

"Right. I am the monster." Adrian gave out a mocking laugh and stood up. Adeline looked at him fearfully as he came near her and leaned close to her. His arms were on either side of her body, caging her in.

"Did I touch you without your consent, Adeline?" Adeline whimpered as Adrian leaned closer to her. His nose brushing against hers.

Adeline parted her lips and saw Adrian's eye follow that movement. "Did I?"

"You stabbed me." Adeline spoke as a shiver went down her neck at the closeness with Adrian.

Adrian's lips lifted into a small smile as he dipped his head and spoke quietly beside her ear, "Yes, but did I touch you wrongly?"

"Stabbing is touching wrongly." Adeline spoke in a small voice, and she flinched in shock as she heard a warm chuckle.

"I guess I am a monster, huh?"

Adeline nodded her head, but then she looked at him, her eyes filled with tears again.

"Do I really have to do this?"

Adrian moved back and leaned against the study table, and Adeline's eyes followed the movement like a hawk.

"Yes, that's the sole reason you are here. Only the members of the Organizations have the locations, and I need that from Daniel."

"No, you need the exact coordinates of Daniel's location so that you can sabotage his plan."

A feral smile graced Adrian's face, and Adeline's heart twisted in disgust.

"You are catching up, Lina. Maybe you can work for the Crime Organizations now?"

"Never! I know you won't find it difficult to free those who are captured. You have better connections than Daniel does. With all the money, you can even buy them all. So, don't give me that crap, 'I am doing this because the government is incompetent.'You are doing this to spite Daniel."

Adrian's smile never once faltered, and Adeline felt her fingers turning cold from how hard she was pressing into them.

Adrian did not say a single word, and Adeline felt more scared. The man in front of her said nothing, but went back to his seat and sat comfortably. She saw him confused for a few seconds as he typed on his laptop.

"Adeline, you are a smart woman. Maybe if your husband had taught you self-defence, your child wouldn't have been dead, but alas. What can we do?"

Adeline opened her mouth to say something, but she quieted down when Adrian turned his laptop and on the screen, she saw her mother-in-law getting out of her car and going inside her house.

"Wh-what is this?" Adeline's voice wavered as she asked, her eyes still stuck on the screen.

"That would be the live footage of what your mother-in-law is doing right now. She will be preparing for the funeral of your child in a few hours. Cemeteries aren't best known for their security, you know?"

"If you say no, she will be the first to die, but she won't be the last."

"If you say yes, many will live and I'll be a very happy man."

Adrian grinned at Adeline, who shook in terror.

"Times running up, Lina. I have given very specific commands to shoot her in 2 minutes."

Adeline glanced at Adrian with a soft sigh, her feet pressed against the floor as her toes moved continuously.

"I will do it."