“Alright, we’ll do as you say.


    ” Danilo retrieved a sharp, newly purchased dagger from his pocket, cautioning, “This de is very sharp.


    Be careful not to injure yourself with it.


    ”


    epting the dagger, N yfully ki*sed his cheek, whispering, “I love you, dear.


    ”


    Securing the opportunity to confront Lucinda alone, N stepped confidently into the room, now her own stage.


    The door shut behind her, guarded by the bodyguards from the outside.


    Lucinda, still unconscious, Lay on the dusty floor, motionless.


    N knelt beside her, bringing the dagger’s tip to hover menacingly over Lucinda’s unblemished skin.


    She took her time, relishing the moment, not yet ready to mar such beauty.


    The slight sting of the de seemed to rouse Lucinda from her slumber.


    Her eyes fluttered open, meeting N’s gaze directly.


    “Well, Lucinda, it seems you’ve timed your awakening perfectly.


    ”


    Lucinda’s voice was steady, betraying no fear.


    “You’re behind this kidnapping? What have I done to earn such hatred?”


    N couldn’t mask her jealousy.


    “Yes, I hate you.


    A face as lovely as yours, scarred? That would be quite a sight.


    ”


    Gone was the facade of innocence.


    N’s true, malevolent self wasid bare.


    Yet, Lucinda met her with a smile.


    “I bear no grudge against you.


    There’s only one woman in the world who could hate me to this extent, and that’s Valerie.


    So, who are you, really?”


    N scoffed, her pride wounded.


    “Valerie is dead.


    She was nothing more than a bastard of the Simmons lineage.


    How could she ever stand against me? I am N Diaz.


    ”


    Lucinda’s disbelief was palpable.


    “Here I am, powerless before you, and still, you deny the truth?”


    N stood firm in her denial.


    “I’m not Valerie.


    Why s


    ould I concede to being someone I’m not?”


    With a fierce glint in her eyes, she aimed the dagger at Lucinda once more.


    “I’ll carve your face thirty times, and then, bearing those scars, you’ll be mine.


    I’ll strip you of your name and reduce you to servitude.


    You’ll be tasked with the filthiest, most exhaustingbor.


    Each day, you’ll feel thesh of the whip thirty times and spend the nights kneeling in punishment.


    ”


    Her words grew more venomous, her hatred more palpable, culminating in a wild, crazedughter.


    “Lucinda, these tortures you’ve inflicted on others, it’s time you experienced them yourself!”


    Lucinda faced her with an icy gaze.


    Despite being bound and at the mercy of N’s sharp de, not a hint of fear marred herposed demeanor.


    This unwavering calm only served to fuel N’s rage further.


    She gripped Lucinda’s face tightly.


    “What infuriates me the most is your perpetual calm, as if you’re in control, as if you’re above everyone else.


    What gives you the right to be so arrogant, Lucinda? Just because fortune favored your birth, you think you’re entitled to a life without hurdles, with everyone at your beck and call.


    But I refuse to ept that.


    I’ll drag you through the mud, turn you into an outcast, incapable of redemption!”


    Caught up in her fervor, N raised the dagger, poised to sh at Lucinda’s face.


    The dagger sliced through the air, honing in on Lucinda’s face with precision.This content ? N?v/elDr(a)m/a.Org.


    Just as it neared her skin, she seized N’s wrist with undeniable force.


    N’s surprise was evident, her eyes widening at the sight of Lucinda’s hands, which were supposed to be securely bound.


    “How are you not restrained?” she eximed.


    Previously, when N had used Lucinda’s thumb for her fingerprint signature, she had confirmed the tightness of the rope around Lucinda’s hands.


    Yet, there Lucinda stood, unfettered, presenting the small de concealed in her palm.