Chapter 89 Setup


    After sending me home, Charles returned to thepany for a meeting. His schedule was hectic. I


    could not understand why he insisted on watching me go upstairs when he had other things to do


    and somece to be.


    Before I could put down my bag, the director of the TV station called and invited Nina and me to


    dinner. It seemed we two got the chance to study abroad, and this was probably a send-off sort of


    thing. I must say, I was a little surprised. The director seldom made time for these things. If there


    was anything he wanted to say, he would always just tell us through his assistant.


    Nevertheless, I did not think too much about it. I figured he was only trying to be nice for once. With


    that, I changed my clothes and went to the restaurant. I was the first one to arrive at the private


    room. I had been waiting for a few minutes when I got a call from Nina. "Scarlett, I''m sorry. I won''t


    be able to make it to the dinner. There''s something wrong with the program, and I''m trying to fix it,"


    she anxiously said.


    Without waiting for my reply, she hung up the call. I felt a little uneasy when I realized that I would


    be alone with the directorter.


    Just as I was thinking about what I would sayter, the door of the private room opened, and two


    men, who I did not expect to see, came in. It was Nate and Mr. Valdez.


    I was stunned. Did the director also invite them?


    These people were evil. To think, they showed up at the same time. They must have ulterior


    motives.


    While I was contemting if I should leave or not, the director of the TV station called me, saying


    that something hade up. Since Nate and my father were old friends, he decided to ask Nate to


    apany me to dinner on his behalf.


    After hanging up the phone, I realized that this was a setup.


    Nina was meticulous and thorough. How could something go wrong in the program? The director


    must have made trouble for her, so I woulde here alone. My blood was boiling in anger. All I


    wanted at the moment was to stand up and leave.


    All of a sudden, Nate put his hand on my shoulder and smiled slyly at me. "Scarlett, aren''t you


    gonna say ''hello'' to us? You used to be a polite girl. Have you forgotten all the manners your father


    taught you?"


    I raised my head and stared daggers at him. He was a man who was not worthy of respect. What


    qualifications did he have to lecture me about manners?


    "I''m not in the mood for bullshit," I fired back. I wanted to leave, but Nate was pressing on my


    shoulder, stopping me from standing up.


    "Scarlett, long time no see. You haven''t changed. You''re still as beautiful as thest time I saw you.


    Since you''re already here, stay for dinner, will you?" Mr. Valdez invited, acting chummy with me.


    "Aren''t you afraid Charles will know about this?" I asked through gritted teeth. In the past, Nate


    would, at least, disguise himself and keep his filthy intention hidden. But now, it seemed that he did


    not care anymore.


    "So what if Charles finds out about this? There''s nothing he can do about it anyway. Besides, your


    father and I are old friends. Am I not allowed to invite you to dinner and have a chat with you?" As


    soon as Nate said these words, he ordered the waiter to serve the wine. He did not seem to take


    my words seriously.


    He even turned to Mr. Valdez and jokingly said, "Valdez my friend, don''t covet Scarlett in the future,


    okay? She''s my good friend''s daughter."


    Mr. Valdez nodded and bowed his head in agreement. "Yes, yes. I promise I won''t."


    The performance of these two made me sick to my stomach. I clenched my fists, and my mind went


    nk in anger.


    "Now that Valdez has promised he would behave himself, Scarlett, I''d like to propose a toast to him.


    Let bygones be bygones." Nate picked up the ss and gave it to me, asking me to drink it.


    "I won''t drink it," I firmly said. How I wished those two would disappear from my sight this instant.


    "Fine. I''ll make you drink it myself." Nate held the back of my head and forcefully made me drink the


    wine regardless of my protests.


    "Mr. Lively, behave yourself!" I shouted at the top of my lungs and shook off the wine ss in his


    hand at the same time. Nate was taken aback, and I took the opportunity to bolt to the door.


    Owned by N?velDrama.Org.


    Nate''s face was dark and gloomy as he stared at the shattered wine ss on the floor.


    "Scarlett, you''d better learn to be polite when I show respect to you." Nate sounded like the devil


    from hell—vicious and terrifying.


    However, I just ignored his threat and marched out of the door. But just as I was about to touch the


    doorknob, Nate pulled me back into the room. He even locked the door, so I would not escape.


    I was starting to panic, but I tried my best to calm myself down. "If you hurt me, Charles won''t let


    you go," I warned.


    "Ha-ha! You silly girl, are you threatening me?" Nate slowly approached me with a smirk, which


    highlighted his wrinkles and made him look more repulsive than ever.


    I was forced to retreat to the table. Unfortunately, I tripped over a chair, and it sent me stumbling to


    the floor. I happened tond on a piece of broken ss, which dug into my palm and made it bleed.


    Before I could react, Nate pulled me up again, threw me aside, and stared into my eyes. "I didn''ty


    a finger on you for the sake of the Moore family. You''d better not do anything stupid."


    My waist hit the corner of the table, and it sent a sharp pain to my side. I rubbed it to ease the pain


    and just turned a deaf ear to his empty threat.


    "Nate, calm down. Let''s have dinner first. I believe Scarlett won''t do anything stupid now," Mr.


    Valdez urged.


    "Stop pretending that you''re a good man. Both of you are filthy," I said with a sneer.


    "Since you keep misbehaving, I should let you know how cruel the world really is." Nate reached out


    his hands to me. I could see malice in his eyes, and I shuddered at the sight of it.


    Unexpectedly, a knock sounded on the door. The waiter hade to serve the dishes. I breathed a


    sigh of relief as I saw an opportunity to escape again.


    Nate must have seen through me that he pressed me down the seat and warned, "Don''t you dare


    y any tricks, or else..."


    When he opened the door, he did not once take his eyes off me. The waiter who was serving the


    dishes did not seem to notice anything unusual. Anxious, I tried to stand up and run away, but Nate


    pressed my injured hand on the table harder. The broken ss stabbed deeper into my palm. It was


    excruciating, but there was nothing I could do but grit my teeth and endure the pain. The waiter left


    the private room once all the dishes were served.


    Nate pressed me down on my seat the entire time. As a result, I did not find a chance to escape.


    At that moment, he put on a concerned look on his face and asked, "Scarlett, let me see your


    hand," He then reached out to grab my hand, but I moved it to the other side.


    "Disgusting," I muttered under my breath.


    Nate''s smile disappeared. He pointed at my nose and cursed at me. "You bitch, I''m not always this


    kind. Do you want to be beaten?"


    "Sure. I''ll show everyone how horrible the CEO of the Lively Group is." With a sneer, I took out


    my phone from my bag to do a live broadcast of the scene.


    "How dare you?!" In a fit of anger, Nate yanked my phone from my hand and tossed it away. Then,


    he pped me across the face. The sound of his palm hitting my face echoed across the small


    private room. As if it was not enough, he punched me square in the head.


    My head tilted sideways, and I felt a ringing in my ears. What was more, I caught a whiff of blood at


    the corners of my mouth.


    At that moment, my phone on the floor rang. It was Charles. I wanted to pick it up, but Nate stepped


    on it into pieces. A few secondster, the phone stopped ringing, and the screen went off. Now, my


    last hope was extinguished, and all that was left of me was despair.


    Meanwhile, Nate was fuming with anger. His eyes were bloodshot, and his expression was


    terrifying. Suddenly, he grabbed my neck and asked with a sneer, "Do you want to die? I can fulfill


    your wish."


    "Let me go." I pped his arm with all my remaining strength, but he only strangled me harder. I


    could not breathe, and the ringing in my ears grew even louder.


    "Nate, forget it. It''s not a big deal," Valdez persuaded Nate into letting me go.


    "No. This bitch deserves to be punished." Nate did not heed to Mr. Valdez''s persuasion and choked


    me harder. He looked like a blood-thirsty vampire that was about to devour his first victim for the


    night.


    His grip on my neck was increasing by the second. I was as helpless as an animal that got caught


    in a hunter''s trap. No matter how hard I struggled, I could not break free. My eyesight was starting


    to get blurry. Just as I felt that I was on the verge of death, Charles''s figure appeared before my


    eyes. Of all times, how I wish I could see him right now.


    God must have heard my pleas. I suddenly heard his voice, and I could attest it was real.