James’ men dragged Tessa up an abandoned building.

Since Tessa had acrophobia, the higher she climbed, the weaker her legs felt.

The concrete structure had no railings along the stairs, and there were no safety measures in place on the upper floors. Yet, Tessa had no choice but to follow James’ men up the stairs as they ascended, step by heavy step.

Tessa silently counted the floors. The person before her finally stopped when they arrived at the 26th floor. Thus, the goon keeping a hand on her also came to a halt.

“What time is it?” James inquired lazily.

“It’s 7:40 am, Mr. Fullerton,” replied the man who had abducted Tessa the night before.

Tessa had no idea who he was.

James arched an eyebrow upon hearing his response. Then, he turned his gaze to Tessa. “Say, do you think Stephen would come here and die for your sake?”

Tessa pursed her lips and lowered her eyes.

“Are you scared?” James smiled. “Don’t worry. If you really care about him that much, I’m sure I could find it in me to allow the recital of a tragic ending of two dead lovers.”

Tessa kept her head lowered and said nothing.

James scoffed, finding Tessa’s silence boring. A hint of impatience flickered in his eyes.

“Hey, I’m talking to you. Can’t you hear me?” James suddenly grabbed Tessa by the arm and yanked her over before roughly shoving her forward.

Tessa, who was caught off guard, stumbled and lost her balance. She swayed and staggered before finally falling to the ground.

As her hands were still bound, she couldn’t use them to stabilize herself. This meant that she couldn’t even brace herself for the fall.

she fe

As a result, she fell on the ground with a loud thud, her knees hitting the ground first. The sharp pain

made her face turn pale, and hermet

features contorted in agony. Then, her upper body came next. Still, didn’t scream despite the

she

excruciating pain, only biting her lip to endure it.

Tessa found herself at the edge of the building after her fall. When she realized just where she was, the terror in her heart threatened to consume her whole, and she started to tremble.

She found herself nearly hanging. over the edge of the abandoned building, looking down from the 26th floor, Her acrophobia caused her

vision to turn spotty, so Tessa chose

to close her eyes.

“Mute, are we?” James remarked, his irritation growing at her continued silence.

He suddenly kicked over a metal barrel nearby.

The sound of the barrel crashing and rolling on the concrete was jarring and painful to the ears.

James’ men held their breaths, not daring to make even the slightest bit of sound.

Tessa furrowed her brow, unable to understand why James was being so erratic. He had seemed happy enough moments before, smiling oh-so innocently. Yet, now he was all worked up and enraged, like a mad dog frothing at the mouth.

“Fine, if you won’t speak, I’ll just have to make you talk.” James’ face twisted into a fearsome scowl. He stared at Tessa before abruptly breaking into a sinister smile.

“Say,” James drawled as he approached Tessa.

He looked at her as though he was a predator eyeing his prey. A spirited smile played at his lips as his eyes turned aggressive. Then, he continued, “How do you think

Stephen will act when he sees you

being violated? Any thoughts?”

Tessa shuddered at his words, her body trembling with a mix of fear and disgust.

Her complexion paled further at the implication.

James noticed the change and seemed very pleased, the smile on his lips deepening.