The bright screen of the smartphone lit up the dark corner of the massive bedroom. The name flashing on the screen—Kelvin—was like a sudden spark of fire in the freezing cold.
Nicole stared at the phone. Her heart, which had felt completely dead just moments ago, suddenly began to beat wildly against her ribs. Her trembling hand reached out, her pale fingers wrapping around the cold metal of the phone. She took a deep, shaky breath and pressed the green button to answer.
She brought the phone to her ear. For a second, there was only silence. Then, a familiar, gentle voice came through the speaker.
"Nicole... are you there?"
It was him. The sweet, comforting voice of the boy she had loved since childhood. The moment she heard it, a fresh wave of hot tears welled up in her eyes. But these were not tears of pain; they were tears of desperate hope.
"Kelvin," she whispered, her voice cracking, afraid that if she spoke too loudly, the walls of the terrifying mansion would hear her. "I'm here."
"Are you okay? Did that monster... did he hurt you?" Kelvin's voice sounded incredibly anxious and full of worry.
Nicole closed her eyes, a sharp pain shooting through her heart as she remembered the coldness of John's touch and the blood on the white sheets. But she forced herself to be strong. "I'm alive," she replied quietly. "He left. He went to the company."
A heavy sigh of relief came from the other side of the phone. "Thank God. Listen to me, Nicole. You have suffered enough. I hate myself for not being able to protect you from this forced marriage, but we are going to fix this today. Do you remember what we talked about?"
"Yes," Nicole said, her voice growing slightly firmer. "I remember."
Her mind instantly flashed back to a rainy afternoon exactly one month ago.
She remembered sitting in a small, hidden coffee shop at the edge of the city. She had been crying uncontrollably, telling Kelvin about her mother's suicide threat and how she had no choice but to marry the ruthless CEO.
Kelvin had reached across the small wooden table and held her cold hands tightly in his. He looked deep into her eyes with a determined, burning gaze.
"I am not powerful enough to fight John's empire directly, Nicole," Kelvin had said gently, wiping the tears from her cheeks. "If I try to stop the wedding, his men will kill me, and they will still force you to marry him. But we can outsmart him. He is arrogant. He thinks money can buy everything, even your soul."
Kelvin had leaned in closer, his voice dropping to an urgent whisper. "Let the wedding happen. Let him think he has completely won. But after the first night, when his guard is down and he leaves the house... you run. He is careless with his wealth at home. Take whatever you can find—cash, cards, anything of value. Then, you escape to the rendezvous point. We will take his money, leave this city forever, and start a new, beautiful life together, far away from his control."
That secret plan was the only thing that had kept Nicole sane during the horrifying, grand wedding ceremony. When she wore that heavy diamond dress, she kept telling herself: Just one night. Endure just one night, and then I will be free.
"The plan begins now, Nicole," Kelvin's voice brought her back to the present. His tone was sharp and urgent. "I am already preparing the car. I will wait for you at the abandoned warehouse on the edge of the west district. Nobody goes there. But remember, we need money to disappear. Don't leave empty-handed. Find his safe."
"I know. I'll get it," Nicole promised.
"I love you, Nicole. Hurry."
"I love you too, Kelvin," she whispered softly.
She hung up the phone. Suddenly, the suffocating atmosphere of the bedroom no longer scared her. Adrenaline rushed through her veins, washing away her fear and disgust. She had a mission. She had a way out.
She quickly got off the massive king-sized bed, ignoring the soreness in her body. She went straight to the large walk-in closet. Throwing aside the expensive, glittering designer dresses that John had bought for her, she found a simple, dark-colored long-sleeve shirt and a pair of comfortable black trousers. She put them on, tied her long dark hair into a tight ponytail, and slipped into a pair of quiet, flat shoes.
She slowly turned the golden handle of the bedroom door. It clicked open.
She peeked out into the hallway. The mansion was deadly silent. John's villa was ridiculously huge, spanning over three floors, and it felt more like an empty museum than a real home. Most of the servants and guards were stationed on the ground floor or outside in the gardens. Up here, on the top floor, John demanded absolute privacy.
She stepped out, moving quickly and quietly down the long corridor decorated with priceless antique vases and expensive oil paintings.
She knew exactly where she needed to go: John's private study.
A few days before the wedding, John had brought her here to show her around his "domain." He had arrogantly boasted about his extreme wealth and power. During that brief tour, he had mentioned that his most valuable personal assets were kept right here, in this very house, locked inside an ultra-high-tech safe.
She pushed open the heavy oak doors of the study. The room was dark, filled with the smell of old paper, leather, and John's distinct, cold cologne. The walls were lined with floor-to-ceiling bookshelves. In the center sat a massive, intimidating mahogany desk.
Nicole quickly began her search. She checked behind the thick velvet curtains, under the heavy desk, and behind the rows of thick books. Nothing.
Her heart beat faster. Where is it? Where is it?!
Then, her eyes caught something strange. On the far wall, there was a large, classic oil painting of a dark ocean storm. But unlike the other paintings in the hallway, the frame of this painting was completely free of dust, as if it was touched and moved very often.
She rushed over and carefully grabbed the edge of the heavy wooden frame. She pulled it to the right. Smoothly, silently, the painting slid aside on hidden metal tracks.
Nicole gasped.
There it was. Embedded deep within the thick wall was a sleek, modern steel safe. It looked indestructible, built with the most advanced security technology in the world. In the center of the dark metal surface, a small digital keypad glowed with a faint, cold blue light.
She stepped closer. The small LCD screen above the keypad displayed a chilling, unforgiving message:
[ ENTER 8-DIGIT PASSCODE. ]
[ WARNING: 3 ATTEMPTS REMAINING. SYSTEM WILL LOCK FOR 365 DAYS UPON FAILURE. ]
Nicole stared at the blue numbers, her hands trembling. She only had three chances to buy her freedom. If she failed, she would be trapped in this nightmare forever.