"Hello, my dear Gina."

The eerily low yet seemingly playful voice was enough to make Gina Larson opened her eyes right away. She was lying on the bed and closed her eyes as soon as the Brigadier left. She usually did this when she was alone though she was hardly left alone.

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All at once, her body became tensed and she lay there, frozen. She didn't even need to look at the door to know who the man was. She would recognize him just from his footsteps! Her pupils dilated in fear and she hardly squeezed the blanket with her hands.

Gina could hear the footsteps that were closer and closer to her bed and in no time, the man was standing next to her. He glanced down at her and when she saw his usual face - playful yet intimidating, tears rolled down at the side of her face!

She wanted to scream. She wanted to call for help. She couldn't talk but she could at least make some noise to attract the attention of the staff outside her room but... one threatening glance from the man was more than enough to make her froze. She could felt a shiver running down her spine.

Observing the woman on the hospital bed with his keen eyes, the man's lips curved into a menacing smile. A smile that always made him resemble a psychopath! Yes. He was a psychopath.

Grinning from ear to ear, he didn't have any resemblance to his image among the people. Wasn't he a member of the royal family and a world-renowned artist? He might be troublesome but no one would have thought that he had this side in him.

"You give me quite a trouble, Gina." Prince Alonzo Vasari shook his head as if he was a father who was disappointed in his daughter.

Gina could only lay there; fragile, helpless and too scared to move. What's more worse? She couldn't utter a single word no matter how much she wished to!

"Get up," Alonzo commanded and turned his head away from her. His eyes swept around the room as if he was there for inspection.

Mustering all her strength, Gina pushed herself up and sat on the bed. When the Prince turned around and saw her sitting, he flashed a satisfying smile. "Good girl." He whispered but in a split second, his face darkened.

Taking one step closer to her, Alonzo reached out his hand and gently touched her face as he leaned his head closer to her. His cold touch made the woman shivered yet she couldn't do anything. She had no courage to stop him.

She had done once in the past and it became one of her biggest regrets!

Alonzo gently caressed her face as if he cared about her. Then all at once, he roughly grabbed her chin and his eyes were burning with rage. "You dare to defy me and attempt to take your life?! I think you have forgotten that your life is mine, not yours." His voice was eerily low which always made her shiver in fear.

With teary red eyes, all Gina could do was sit there and endure the pain caused by his rough grabbed on her soft chin.

"Why, Gina? Was it because I told you to do whatever it takes to shut up Lexus? You can't bear to do anything to him? You'd rather die than hurt him? After many years, did he finally win over your heart?" Alonzo sarcastically asked her with a mocking smile.

Roughly withdrawing his hand from her chin, he leaned a little more so that his lips were next to her ear. "You should just do as you're told. You have no choice but to obey me." He whispered.

Finally, she let out a little sob. She didn't dare to meet his gaze. After years of living under his control, her courage was already long subdued and she was helpless in front of him.

He pulled back and stood straight. "Too bad that you can't talk. It would be great to hear you beg for mercy and forgiveness like you always did. You know, I really enjoyed hearing that." The Prince deadpanned. "But I have no intention to let you off easily. You defy me and you have to pay for that." He added which made Gina repeatedly shook her head and rapidly.

She raised her head and look at him as she shook her head. It seemed like she was begging him to not do anything to her yet it made the Prince chuckled.

"Poor Gina." He sighed and clicked his tongue. "When did the only daughter of the Duke of Aswald became this lowly?" His eyes widened as if he suddenly realized something. "Oh! You're not the Duke's daughter, right? You're the child born between the late Duchess and her secret lover." He looked at her as if he pitied her.

Tears rolled down her face as his words broke her heart. She hung her head low as if she finally gave in to her misfortune.

Alonzo put his hand on her shoulder and grabbed her chin once again, forcing her to look at him. "I came to remind you of your place, Gina. You will be punished for this later. Defy me once again and it will become the thing you regret the most in your life."

"I own you, Gina." He released her from his not so gentle grip and placed both his hands on the bed. "You should consider yourself lucky that I don't see you as a woman. However, that doesn't mean that I couldn't touch you. It's your luck that I chose not to. But you must have forgotten that I can do whatever I want to you. There's really nothing that I couldn't do."

He narrowed his eyes on the bed and his face becomes unreadable. "I can even kill the woman I loved." He muttered in a low voice that could barely be heard. Was it a talking of regret? Doesn't seem like it but his demeanor drastically changed when he muttered the words.

Bending that way for a few seconds, the Prince finally stood up straight once again when one man came in and make his way to him. "Your Highness, Lord Philip will be here in no time." He informed the Prince.

The man who just entered didn't have any special features, except the scorpion tattoo on his neck.

Prince Alonzo nodded and narrowed his eyes on the woman in the bed. "I will come here again very soon and it will be so much fun if you recover from aphasia by that time." He turned around and left the room with the scorpion tattoo man following him behind.

The moment Alonzo stormed out of the room, Gina panicked. Pulling out all the IV drips injected in her veins, she attempted to get off the bed. However, her legs couldn't move and she ended up falling on the cold floors!

She must run away from this place but... she couldn't get up on her own. She lies there with her stomach on the floors. Her legs won't move and she wasn't still strong enough to even crawl! Feeling helpless, she cried as she slammed the floors!

Why didn't she die when she jumped off from the hotel that day?! She did that to put an end to this miserable life but... why was she still alive to only suffer again?! Now that she had provoked him, her life will be hell! Of course, it was already hell even before but now... she didn't even dare to think of what she might need to suffer in the future!

While she was lost in thinking about the only thing that awaited her - darkness, her eyes landed on one tempting thing. The syringe. It was there along with the IV drip she pulled out from her veins just a minute ago! What's more? It was within her reach.

She grabbed the syringe and put it next to her neck. If she was lucky, she might be able to end her life with this small thing!

Being completely convinced that death was the only way out, she was ready to inject herself and put an end to everything until... the door was suddenly opened. Her cousin and Sophie were expected but why was Lexus standing at the door? He also looked at her with a stupefied face!

Seeing the man who totally devoted himself to a woman like her, Gina clenched her teeth. Why was he so unfortunate? A great guy like him deserved better! Why must it be her?!

Tightening her grip on the syringe, she tried to inject it into her neck but she heard his voice.

"Gina, what are you doing?" Lexus took a step forward but she put the syringe nearer to her neck as her way of telling him not to come closer. The Brigadier immediately halted when he noticed her determined face. It was evident that she was not afraid to end her life!

Anxiety was running through his whole body! She barely recovered but she wanted to harm herself again! But why? She was fine just minutes ago!

"Gina." He reached out his hand to her though they were a few feet apart. "Please put that down. Don't do this."

The two quietly locked eyes for the next few seconds. He looked at her with a gaze that begged her not to do anything, not to harm herself again while she looked at him as if it will be the last time she would see him. Her gaze was fond yet apologetic at the same time.....