Chapter 794

chapter794

Paul found the reports increasingly puzzling. Was Jenny really meeting someone else at those hotels?

It didn’t seem to fit her pattern. From what Paul knew, the only man occupying Jenny’s thoughts recently had been Joe. She had even turned Rowan down so decisively that he had gotten engaged to Minerva out of sheer disappointment. Given how much she had sacrificed to stay on Joe's radar, why would she risk it all by sleeping with someone else? Yet, her frequent hotel check-ins suggested a secret she was desperate to keep.

"Continue looking into this," Paul instructed his contact. "But if you hit a dead end, just let it go. We don't need to overreach."

"No problem!" came the reply.

Jenny hadn't gone to a hotel that day. Edwin was becoming increasingly vigilant; he knew that frequenting public hotels would eventually draw unwanted attention. Instead, he had demanded they meet at her house.

She had tried to refuse, but her protests were futile. Edwin’s phone was a vault of leverage—countless videos and images intended to keep her trapped. Even if he deleted one, he reminded her that there were always others. He sent them to her one after another, a digital leash that tightened with every vibration of her phone. She found herself compromising again and again, her resistance eroding until obedience became her only survival mechanism.

Strangely, Edwin had become more generous with money even as he became more demanding of her time.

After walking into her apartment, Edwin surveyed the decor with a critical eye. "So this is the place Joe bought for you," he commented, his voice laced with a strange edge. "It’s not very big, is it?"

Edwin felt as though he were undergoing a disturbing transformation. It was as if he had reverted to a reckless, youthful version of himself, one with no control over his darker impulses. The knowledge that Joe had gifted this sanctuary to Jenny only fueled his desire to desecrate it.

Jenny bit her lip, her voice trembling. "Joe gave it to me."

A wave of helplessness washed over her as she realized her home was being turned into a place of torment. She found herself fantasizing about Joe swooping in to save her. Would he pity me if he knew? she wondered. Would he see that everything I’m doing is against my will?

"Why the long face? Save your tears for later," Edwin mocked. His patience was wearing thin. He despised the way she still tried to play the role of the innocent, pitiful victim even after they had been together multiple times. To him, her resistance felt like a performance.

Two hours later, the evening was shattered by the sharp chime of the doorbell. Jenny jumped, the sound echoing like a gunshot in the quiet apartment. She tried to shove Edwin away, hissing under her breath, "Someone is here! They’ll hear us!"

Panic surged through her. She realized now that Edwin was far more dangerous than she had ever imagined. She finally understood why Joe refused to acknowledge him as a father; who would want to be linked to such a man?

"Jenny, I know you're at home. Open the door," a voice called out from the hallway.

It was Rowan. Edwin recognized the voice immediately, and instead of fear, a perverse excitement sparked in his eyes. "Rowan still has a thing for you, doesn't he?"

"Please, just let me go," Jenny begged through her sobs. "He has a spare key. If he comes in and sees us like this, it’s over for both of us!"

She was terrified. Rowan had been intent on ignoring her lately—why had he chosen today of all days to show up?

Edwin chuckled, a dark, unpleasant sound. "He has a key? Have the two of you played around in here before?"

"No! Never!"

"Well, it doesn't matter if you have," Edwin whispered, his grip tightening. He seemed emboldened by the presence of an audience on the other side of the door.

Jenny gritted her teeth, tears streaming down her face as she tried to remain silent. Outside, Rowan paused. He could hear muffled noises coming from inside—indistinct, but enough to prove that someone was definitely there. He frowned, his hand moving toward his pocket for the key.