Chapter 3

She was indeed a beautiful woman, but at the same time, she was also a very charming woman, and the key point was that she was very good at giving men oral sex.

He'd known about the kid. Every time he thought about it—about her sleeping with some other man, carrying his child—Jacob's stomach turned.

Sleeping around young enough to have a baby with someone else. What the hell had Gray been thinking, trying to set them up for marriage?

If it weren't for Gray's dying wish, he wouldn't spare a woman like Elizabeth a second glance.

His fingers threaded through her hair, but his hips moved roughly, making Elizabeth gag repeatedly.

If she knew the real reason he was being so brutal with her, she'd probably cry injustice, this was literally her first time attempting this!

When thick warmth finally flooded her mouth, Elizabeth's first instinct was to spit it out. But remembering Jacob's domineering attitude, she forced herself to swallow every drop.

She'd done everything she could to please him.

That only made Jacob despise her more.

"There are clothes by the bed. Put them on. Tina Rivera will take you home." He released her abruptly, his voice cold and dismissive.

Elizabeth's breath caught for two seconds.

This man was impossibly arrogant and absolutely infuriating.

But at least the torture was over.

Elizabeth quickly gathered herself, not daring to remove the blindfold as she fumbled around in the darkness.

Jacob mercifully allowed her to take it off temporarily.

Elizabeth dressed in record time.

The moment she opened the door to leave, she couldn't help glancing back.

In the darkness, Jacob sat shirtless, dominating her entire field of vision.

His build was massive—twice the size of a normal man—with dark ink sprawling across his back and arms.

He lit a cigarette, the ember flaring red as he inhaled. Smoke curled from his lips—he was awful, but damn if he wasn't annoyingly attractive.

The thought had barely formed when his eagle-sharp gaze cut to her. "Get back to where you belong."

She must be exhausted to let her mind wander like this.

As she was leaving, Tina spoke. "You may make one request, Ms. Windsor."

A bitter thought rose in Elizabeth's mind. She'd serviced the man, and now he was throwing her a bone.

He really did see her as some kind of whore.

Elizabeth wasn't stupid enough to argue about Jacob looking down on her. She simply nodded slightly. "I need a gun. Is that possible?"

Tina looked mildly surprised. "Please wait. I need to check with Mr. Alexander."

She returned quickly, bringing Elizabeth an elegant ladies' pistol.

"Do you know how to use it?"

Elizabeth stared at the gun, mesmerized, and reached out to grip it.

"I don't." She stroked it gently, her eyes taking on an almost obsessive gleam.

If she'd had a weapon like this in her past life, she would've put a bullet in both Henry and Vivian without hesitation.

One bullet each.

The humiliation of being dragged here for Jacob's abuse melted away once she had this beautiful gun in her hands.

She was in surprisingly good spirits when she reached the gates of Windsor Estate—until someone immediately ruined her mood.

"Elizabeth, where were you today?" Henry asked, displeasure written all over his face.

Elizabeth raised the gun and pointed it straight at him.

The cold metal barrel aimed directly at Henry's forehead.

The irritation on Henry's face froze instantly, morphing into shocked horror. He stumbled back half a step, hands flying up, his voice cracking. "Elizabeth! What the hell are you doing?! Put that down!"

Elizabeth watched him fall apart, a cruel satisfaction blooming in her chest.

Too bad she slowly lowered her arm, unmistakable regret flashing in her eyes.

What a shame she didn't know how to use this gun yet.

Otherwise, in that moment, she might not have been able to resist pulling the trigger and ending this bastard's life ahead of schedule.

Henry, still shaken, only lowered his hands once the barrel moved away. Anger quickly flooded his features. "Elizabeth! Have you lost your mind?! Who are you trying to scare with a fake gun?!"

He tried to salvage his dignity, stepping forward to grab her wrist.

The instant he got close, memories crashed over her like a tidal wave.

His cold mockery. His fists and feet were raining down on her. The disgusting sight of him tangled up with Vivian...

Elizabeth's eyes hardened. Without hesitation, she lifted her foot and kicked him square in the shin with all her strength.

Henry yelped in pain, stumbling and nearly falling.

Clutching his throbbing leg, he stared at Elizabeth in shock and fury. "How dare you—"

"Stay away from me." She looked at him with pure revulsion, like he was a pile of rotting garbage. "Don't touch me with your filthy hands."

Henry was momentarily stunned by the undisguised hatred and ice in her eyes, but he quickly recovered. His face twisted into an expression of wounded devotion.

Fighting through the pain, he straightened up, his voice taking on what he clearly thought was a gentle, understanding tone. "Elizabeth, I know you're upset. Mr. Tudor just passed, you can't accept it yet—I get that you're not yourself. But you don't need to hurt yourself like this, or hurt people who care about you."

He paused, his gaze sliding to the gun in her hand, wariness flickering in his eyes. "It was Jacob, wasn't it? He forced you? Did he do something to you? Elizabeth, he's too dangerous—he's a monster! You won't be happy married to him! Listen to me. Come with me. I'll take you away from here right now. We'll go somewhere no one knows us and start over—"

Listening to his pathetically fake speech, Elizabeth nearly laughed out loud.

Start over? So she could repeat her past life—let him bleed her dry and then discard her like trash?

He kept rambling about how terrifying Jacob was, painting pictures of their supposed beautiful future together. Every word was like a key, unlocking more painful memories buried deep in her mind.

Elizabeth stopped looking at his nauseating performance. She gripped the gun tighter and walked right past him, leaving him and his empty words in the dust.

Henry watched her walk away with such finality. He wanted to say more, but the throbbing pain in his leg and the unfamiliar, bone-chilling coldness radiating from Elizabeth kept him rooted in place.

He just stood there, his expression gradually darkening.

Elizabeth returned to her room and locked the door behind her.

She held up the gun, studying it carefully. Sleek lines, precise construction, radiating power.

"I need to learn how to use you. Fast." She murmured, her fingertips trailing along the cold metal.

After all, next time, she might not stop at just scaring them.

Whether it was Henry, Vivian, Charles, or Sophie—they all needed to pay for what they'd done to her in her past life.

But before that, she needed power. She needed weapons. And she needed patience.

Jacob might be dangerous, but maybe, just as Tina had implied, even his casual assistance could prove useful.