Chapter 347 Desperate Measures
He never expected Faith to stoop to such petty tactics against him.
"Liam, if we pull out our investments now, it could hurt us too..."
"Are you not understanding me?" Liam cut Thomas off with an icy interruption before he could finish.
"Yes, Liam. I understand."
...
In another part of town, Douglas thundered down the streets in his black Range Rover, speeding all the way.
Diana sat next to him in the passenger seat, noticing his tight grip on the steering wheel—his veins pulsing with each heartbeat. His expression was tense and troubled as if a storm was brewing. Gripping the car's handle tightly, she felt afraid.Diana was beside him in the passenger seat, eyeing his white-knuckled grip on the steering wheel – veins throbbing with each heartbeat; his face, dark and stormy as if it could rain at any moment. With a fearful grip, she clutched the car's grab handle.
"Douglas, slow down."
He ignored her plea, pressing the accelerator harder still.
Diana was genuinely scared of crashing, scared he was driving them both to their demise. But she knew better than to intervene; it would only inflame his rage. Wisely, she opted to remain silent.Diana was genuinely scared – scared of crashing, scared he was driving them both to their demise.
But she knew better than to intervene; it would only inflame his rage.
Wisely, she opted to remain silent.
Eventually, a red light and a line of stopped cars forced Douglas to slam on the brakes.
Because of inertia, Diana lurched forward before her seatbelt yanked her back, her head thudding against the seat's headrest.
"Why didn't you answer my calls?" Douglas demanded, his eyes ablaze. He didn't even glance at Diana.
Diana winced at the collision, taking a deep breath to compose herself before turning to Douglas and saying, "I've been swamped. I left my phone in my desk drawer and didn't hear it. I rushed out so fast that I forgot to bring it with me. You don't believe me? Here, take a look."
She opened her purse to show Douglas.
Suddenly, Douglas's icy glare pierced her, his voice rising almost to a roar,: "Diana, tell me. Sleeping with Liam was your choice, but what about me? What do I mean to you?"
Meeting Douglas's bloodthirsty crimson eyes made Diana furrow her brow harshly, feeling a tremor in her heart.
She knew that this time, she had truly hurt Douglas.
"Douglas..." Diana tried to speak but found herself at a loss for words. She stated the truth, "I went to pick up Liam from the hotel, then we headed to the airport for a business trip. Who knew he'd been drugged by Faith, running out of her room? In that situation, Liam's options were the hospital or another woman. But our flight was..."
"So, you took matters into your own hands?" Douglas cut her off with a scornful laugh, "You really are a dedicated employee, always looking out for your boss."
"Douglas, I..." Diana could clearly hear the sarcasm in his voice.
She closed her eyes, bowed her head, and said with resignation, "I'm sorry, I know I was wrong, I wronged you. Whatever you want, as long as I can do it, I agree."
Douglas just looked at her with a chilling smile, not saying a word.
Just then, the red light turned green, the cars ahead started moving, and Douglas floored the gas and swerved into another lane, speeding towards a hotel.
In no time, they pulled up in front of a five-star hotel. Douglas grabbed Diana's arm and led her towards the lobby.
"Douglas, what are you doing?" Diana asked, struggling.
"Didn't you say you'd agree to anything you could do?" He glanced at her, a cold smile on his lips, "Then show it with action, not just words."
Seeing his extreme anger, Diana stopped struggling, letting him lead her to a room where they got into the elevator and headed upstairs.
Upon reaching the room, Douglas slammed the door shut loudly before forcefully pulling Diana to the edge of the bed and throwing her onto it.Reaching the room, Douglas slammed the door shut with a bang and then pulled Diana to the edge of the bed, throwing her onto it with force.
"Douglas, what the hell are you doing?" Diana's tolerance had reached its limit with Douglas's uncharacteristic brutality, her anger erupting in a challenging question.
"What do I want to do?" Douglas towered over her, a sneer pulling at his lips. "I want to find out exactly what Liam has been touching! Shall you undress yourself, or shall I do it for you?"
"Douglas, don't you dare go too far!" Diana propped herself up to a half-sitting position on the bed, glaring at him with palpable fury on her face.
"Diana, I've always been considerate of your feelings." Douglas taunted her with a cold laugh as he shrugged off his jacket and tossed it onto the carpet. "This time, it's your turn. If you can satisfy me, I'll let bygones be bygones."
—If you can satisfy me, I'll let bygones be bygones.
Staring at him, Diana scoffed, "Douglas, who do you think you are to order me around?"
"Who am I?!" Douglas's rage intensified without a doubt at Diana's provocation. "Diana, are you now refusing to acknowledge that I'm your boyfriend?"
"So what if you are my boyfriend? Does that mean you can do whatever you want with me?" Diana retorted, her voice marked by another cold laugh. "Even within a marriage, one partner can still sue the other for non-consensual acts. Just because you were my boyfriend doesn't mean you are now or will be in the future."
"So, are you saying you're unwilling?" Douglas's voice softened, his anger now mixed with pain as he looked at her. "Because you've got Liam in your sights now, you want to break up with me, is that it?"
His visible heartache was too piercing, and Diana, hardly daring to face it, turned her head away and said calmly, "Douglas, your sister caused a scene at my office this morning. She was adamant, and your parents clearly don't approve of our relationship."
"So, you're using that as an excuse to break up with me?" Douglas countered.
"If your family dislikes me so much, can we ever truly be happy together?" Diana faced him again, her question ringing out forcefully.
"If my family didn't object to our relationship and didn't dislike you, would you still choose to stay with me, to fall in love with me, to be faithful to me?" Douglas asked, the pain evident in his voice.
"Do you think that's possible?" Diana shot back with a scoff.
"Why not? You don't want to be with me anymore, do you?" In an instant, Douglas flared up with unchecked fury. He climbed onto the bed, and before Diana could react, he pinned her down, his eyes blazing with a bloodthirsty red as he demanded, "Diana, you have to have a conscience. Since I started pursuing you, how have I treated you? Don't you know that? Why would you betray me? Why would you cuckold me? Do you think I'm a fool to be messed with?"
"Douglas, just cool it!" Diana's voice quivered with a sudden fear as she watched him warily, trying to reason with him.
"Cool it?!" Douglas's roar was thick and fury as he bent down and pulled Diana's hands above her head. "How can I be cool when you're acting like this?"
"And what do you want from me?" Diana always carried herself with a superior air around Douglas, and even now, she refused to bow down to him truly.
"Treat me as you used to. Make me feel good," Douglas said darkly, each word heavy and deliberate as he glared at her.
"What if I refuse?" Diana challenged.
"Well, then!" Douglas smirked coldly, his eyes glinting with a chilling malice. "Neither of us will have it easy."
With that, he pressed his mouth against Diana's lips.
Diana considered resisting, but the fear of Douglas making things worse, along with the worry that Liam might not support her and the potential damage to her reputation, convinced her that fighting back would be pointless.Diana thought to struggle, but the thought of Douglas escalating the situation, coupled with the possibility of Liam not standing up for her and the resulting ruin of her reputation, convinced her that resistance would be futile.
Resigning herself to the inevitable, she closed her eyes...
