Filed to story: My Husband Regrets Divorcing Me (Audrey & Cornell)
To make things easier, Elin had even found an apartment close to the office.
Crescent’s HR team was on a hiring spree.
With the studio flourishing, Audrey felt a deep sense of fulfillment.
She dreamed of Crescent’s reputation reaching every corner of the world, maybe even reaching her mother, hoping it would bring her back.
This dream kept Audrey motivated.
Audrey stayed at work until late. She offered Elin a lift, but Elin chose to stay behind to wrap up some tasks.
Thus, Audrey set off for home by herself. It wasn’t until she left the office that she noticed the evening had turned to night.
The road outside her workplace was empty, dimming her mood slightly.
She guessed Cornell, who had stormed off earlier, wouldn’t come back, and she had forgotten to arrange a ride with her family’s driver for the evening. If she called her driver from West lake Villa now, she’d have to wait for a while.
So, Audrey chose to book a ride online.
The taxi driver soon called Audrey, saying he couldn’t get to her exact location and asked her to meet him at a nearby traffic light.
As Audrey walked to the spot, focused on her phone, something felt wrong. It was as if someone in rubber-soled shoes was echoing her steps from the beginning.
Audrey sped up, faking a phone call. “Hello? You’ve arrived? Where are you?”
Not far away, there was a white sedan.
Audrey added, “Oh, is that the white car over there? I’ll be right there.”
The person following Audrey seemed to pause, thrown off by her words.
Feeling a bit safer, Audrey didn’t dare to glance back and quickened her pace toward the sedan.
Then, shockingly, the person in the white sedan started and drove away, revealing her bluff.
Audrey’s heart raced as she sprinted.
“Clack!” The sound of those rubber-soled shoes followed, getting faster.
Audrey hadn’t gone far when someone yanked her hair forcefully.
“Ah!” Audrey let out a scream, clutching at her hair and shouting for help, “Help!”
Her assailant pushed her to the ground and knelt over her, quickly silencing her with tape and whispered angrily, “Quiet, you little bitch!”
Audrey finally saw the situation for what it was. She was being held captive by two men. They were both clad in black, their identities hidden behind masks and caps.
“Hmm… Audrey’s sound was muffled, the result of tape placed over her mouth. With her hands securely tied, she was reduced to emit muffled noises.
One of the men dragged Audrey to a dark, secluded corner. There, she felt a slight prick on her finger. It appeared they were taking her blood.
After they had collected her blood, one of the men carefully stored a small vial of it in a backpack. He whispered urgently, “Let’s go before we get caught.”
Yet, upon laying eyes on Audrey’s beautiful and delicate face, the other man, driven by desire, paused.
The one who had left, noticing his partner’s absence, doubled back.
He found his partner’s lustful gaze locked on Audrey. “Aren’t we leaving?” he questioned.
The man captivated by Audrey chuckled. “You go ahead. I’ll catch up after having a bit of fun!”
The intent behind his words was unmistakable.
The one who had turned back for his partner, now taking a moment to assess Audrey in the dim light, could not deny her striking beauty.
She possessed features reminiscent of a fairy, accompanied by a captivating figure. Such beauty was usually out of their league.
However, leaning on the side of caution, he suggested they steer clear of trouble, “We weren’t told to touch her. It’s better we just leave.”
But the man, clearly driven by lust, protested, “I’ve never been with a wealthy woman before. Her beauty’s driving me mad!”
As he clumsily unbuckled his belt, he tried to reassure his partner, “Don’t worry. I’ll make it quick. Just wait in the car for me.”
The cautious man cast a regretful glance at Audrey, pondering the potential dangers of surveillance cameras and the pressing time.
Under different circumstances, he might have succumbed to temptation.
With a heavy sigh, he gave in, albeit reluctantly. “Fine, but I’m leaving in five minutes, with or without you.”
“Go on, then.”
As the man intent on raping Audrey was halfway through disrobing, he suddenly produced a knife and held it to Audrey’s throat, hissing a warning, “Behave. Don’t make a sound, or I’ll use this.”
Audrey felt the chilling touch of the blade and, trembling, nodded her head frantically, her eyes brimming with tears, her silence a desperate plea for mercy.
The sight of Audrey’s tear-streaked face struck a chord within the man. Her vulnerability, framed in the dim light, seemed to him a perverse kind of allure. Overcome by his baser instincts, he peeled the tape from her mouth, preparing himself with one hand while suppressing Audrey with the other.
He mocked her, peeling off his clothes down to his underwear. “You rich girls, pretending to be all innocent, but deep down, you’re just party animals, aren’t you? Always hopping from one bed to another.”
Audrey’s cheeks turned ashen with fear. In a desperate bid, she offered, “Please, I can pay you, a lot. Just don’t harm me.”
He stopped, his interest piqued. “You’re carrying money?”
Audrey nodded fervently. “I can transfer five hundred thousand to you.
Would that be sufficient?”
The man paused, quickly calculating. The amount Audrey proposed could provide far greater luxuries than what they would otherwise gain from their current deal. Considering their day’s earnings would be divided, his share would only amount to three hundred thousand. Keeping an extra five hundred thousand for himself could lead to endless pleasures.
Audrey’s allure was otherworldly, her beauty a glaring contradiction to their grim reality. But when faced with the choice between immediate satisfaction and the allure of future luxuries, the man knew the better option. “Transfer it now, then!” he commanded.
Audrey, tears streaming down her face, bargained, “You’ll need to free my hands so I can make the transfer.”
The man pressed the knife slightly against Audrey’s neck, drawing a small drop of blood as a dire caution. “Any tricks, and you’re done for!”
Audrey’s response was hushed. “I wouldn’t dare. I promise!”
Unconvinced by her plea, the man snatched Audrey’s phone over and demanded the password.
Audrey was caught off guard by the man’s shrewd move to transfer her money himself.
She relayed the password, but as soon as her phone unlocked, it vibrated with an incoming call.
It was Cornell on the line.
However, Audrey hadn’t saved his contact, so it appeared as an anonymous string of numbers.
The man, flustered, attempted to dismiss the call.
Audrey protested, “Don’t hang up!”
The man pressed the knife a bit more firmly against her, suspicion in his eyes. “Why not?”
“That’s the driver of the taxi I had booked online. If you end the call, it’ll automatically notify the police.”
The man was skeptical. “You’re trying to trick me?”
Audrey insisted, “I wouldn’t dare! If you’re doubtful, just check at the app. I did order a ride, and it includes an emergency alert feature.
Though the man had never personally booked a taxi online due to his profession in shady dealings, he was aware of such features. He knew of someone who tried to rob a driver, only for the driver to alert the police covertly, leading to an immediate arrest before any money was even touched.
Eyeing the phone number, now suspicious of its unusual all-eights sequence, the man challenged Audrey again, his knife still threatening against her skin. “Why does this supposed driver number is all eights? That’s the kind of number someone would pay millions for!”
Audrey responded quickly, “It’s not a real number. Drivers use virtual numbers for their calls, and they often look unusual.”
She met his gaze, a mixture of fear and urgency in her eyes. “You haven’t booked a taxi online before, have you? You could verify this with your friend if you’re unsure.”
Audrey wagered that such desperadoes wouldn’t book taxi online, leaving behind a digital footprint. So, she took a gamble and fabricated a story.
The man, unwilling to reveal any lack of knowledge, muttered a curse, “Fuck you! Who do you think you’re talking down to? I’ve used them before!”
To calm him down, Audrey offered, “Let me handle it. I’ll just tell him the ride isn’t needed anymore.”
The man, not fully trusting Audrey, cautioned her with a slight nudge from his knife, “Don’t even think about any funny business!”
Audrey gave a meek nod, signaling her agreement.
The man reluctantly hit the answer button, putting the call on speaker.
“Hello,” boomed a deep, authoritative voice through the speaker.