Chapter 89 My Self-Rescue and Marco and Sara's New Engagement

Elena Garcia's POV:

"Elena, this is a great deal, right?" Caesar slung an arm around my shoulder. He had a face that could rival Marco's, but his lips were always curved into a wicked grin.

His mismatched eyes seemed to hold a black magic that could play tricks on people's minds.

Caesar yanked my hair, forcing me to look straight at him. "Let me tell you what's gonna happen next. Sara's got plans to bury you in a coffin. Once it's nailed shut, it'll be buried by the seaside, covered in sand. That'll happen within an hour, and then an hour later, according to the tide schedule, the water will come in."

Caesar continued, "The seawater will seep in through the cracks, taking away the air in the coffin within six hours until the tide goes out. You'll die in that cramped coffin, surrounded by darkness and cold, suffocating. You might think you have enough time to save yourself, but the seaside is remote, and no one will hear your cries for help through the coffin. The harder you scream, the more oxygen you use up, and the faster you'll die. The only way to last a bit longer in that coffin is to stay calm and wait for death."

Caesar sighed dramatically, pretending to be scared, and said, "Such a hopeless and desperate end, Elena. I really can't bear to let you face that, so if you agree to be my mistress, I can save you."

I bit my lip, glaring at Caesar without saying a word. Save me? How dare he act like he's doing me a favor?

This was a threat! He knew I had no other choice, forcing me to either choose death or submit to him!

Seeing I still wasn't talking, Caesar yanked my hair again, shaking my head. "What are you still thinking about? This is your last chance."

This madman's devilish eyes were full of anticipation.

I wasn't falling for Caesar's act. He had his own reasons for wanting to save me, probably because of Marco and Leonardo's interest in me. He saw some value in me worth exploiting.

Become his mistress to stay alive?

If I didn't know their relationship, if I were a coward, I might agree out of fear.

"Dream on!" I shouted, making sure he heard me right.

I taunted him, "Don't act like you're my savior. You disgust me! To be your mistress? I'm really afraid your dick can't even get hard! After all, you're a coward, aren't you? Otherwise, you wouldn't act like this, claiming to be just a bystander, distancing yourself from Sara! You're afraid of being blamed by your brothers. It's really funny. I thought you were afraid of no one. I still remember how you choked me in the banquet hall, but now it seems, you're just a waste!"

I knew provoking him wouldn't end well, but I was too angry to care.

Why should I bow to his humiliation? I was terrified of death, but if I had given in to every threat just because of that fear, I would've died in Chicago long ago!

Caesar's expression went from calm to furious. I had hit a nerve.

Caesar shouted, "You think I'm afraid of them? Nonsense. I'll kill them sooner or later."

"Really? Then why don't you kill me yourself?" I kept pushing. "Wouldn't it be better for you if Marco or Leonardo lost me? Giving me a choice only proves you're scared."

"You think I don't dare to kill you myself?" Caesar's face twisted, and he switched his grip, choking me hard with his other hand.

On the other side, Sara's men rushed to stop him. "Mr. Bianchi! You promised not to intervene, that's why Sara agreed to let you watch. If you kill her, the family elders will see Sara's actions as a deliberate attempt to provoke conflict between the heirs, and she'll face punishment!"

"Shut up! Do you expect me to listen to this bitch insult me and still smile like an idiot and forgive her?" Caesar, in his rage, choked me even harder.

Sara's men's panicked words confirmed something for me. Caesar wouldn't kill me, nor would Sara's men let him. Besides, he didn't dare.

And now, he didn't dare let me die at the hands of others either, because...

I sneered at Caesar, "You better hope those marks you left on my neck disappear within the hour, Caesar, or they'll be seen on my body after I die."

All of Caesar's claims of being a bystander went out the window the moment he put his hands on my neck and left new marks.

"Damn it!" Caesar realized my ploy. He angrily pulled his hand back, glaring at me with murder in his eyes.

I coughed painfully a few times, the terror of almost being choked to death still gripping me. My heart was pounding so hard it felt like it might burst out of my chest.

But I couldn't show any fear, so I did my best to hide my trembling, pretending to be calm.

Caesar cursed a few times, kicked the back of the front seat a few times, and then took a few deep breaths.

After a few deep breaths, he seemed much calmer. He sneered, "Elena, you're smarter than I thought. You almost made me a real fool. It looks like I'll have to chop off your head to clear my name right now."

I looked at him, mocking, "You wouldn't dare."

"Cutting off someone's head is extreme even in the mafia. It's cruel and full of warning, with humiliation. It might be an effective intimidation for ordinary people or other mafias, but for my brothers... it would only piss them off." Caesar looked at me, squinting, "They might accept you being locked in a coffin, drowned by seawater, but they wouldn't accept you being beheaded."

Caesar suddenly chuckled, "If your intelligence is the reason my brothers favor you, I think I can accept that. You're interesting, Elena."

I fell silent and didn't respond to him.

Caesar didn't know my relationship with Marco, nor did he know why Leonardo paid so much attention to me. He knew nothing, just guessing and speculating.

It was funny, but I didn't intend to clarify anything.

Caesar continued, "You're not afraid of death, so now it's my turn to choose. To watch you die with my fingerprints, bringing me danger, or to show some mercy and help you out."

Sara's men hadn't figured out what happened. They only saw Caesar let go, which made them breathe a sigh of relief. But then, a bullet pierced through his forehead.

"Now, I've made my choice." Caesar sneered.

And I was splattered with blood, my scream stuck in my throat, unable to come out.

Then, the driver, another of Sara's men, under Caesar's threat, took me and him to the planned seaside.

It was a remote place, covered with reefs and gravel, eerie and terrifying.

A coffin had already been placed by the seaside. Caesar threw the dead man into the coffin, then directed others to place the coffin where the tide would rise.

Caesar and I watched the coffin sink beneath the sea.

"I really wanted to see my brothers' reaction when they found you dead, but now I can't see that." Caesar rubbed my hair. He had completely calmed down, and his attitude towards me was entirely different from before. "Although I saved you, I still want to extend an invitation, Elena. Not in a threatening way."

"I really hope you become my mistress. It's a pity for you to be with Marco. He's not suitable for you at all." Caesar lowered his head and kissed the corner of my mouth, then I pushed him away.

Caesar uttered, "Marco deceived you too, didn't he? I'm different. I never give false hope. That's too cruel."

I said coldly, "Shut up, I have no interest in being a madman's mistress."

Caesar shrugged. "That's a pity."

Caesar told me he would wait here with me for either Marco or Leonardo to arrive, then tell them he saved me.

He still intended to portray himself as my savior and warned me not to tell the truth to others. I didn't know what else he wanted to do, but this was obviously easier for me to accept than his previous humiliating coercion to become his mistress in exchange.

"What excuse did you use to get Marco away?" I asked.

I was still eagerly waiting for Marco to arrive. Although we had a fight before, now that I was safe, the first person I wanted to see was still him.

I desperately wanted to see the man who made me feel safe. Despite our disagreements, I was eager to see him and hug him.

But Caesar's answer made me panic for a moment.

Caesar said in a mocking tone, "Of course, it was about the engagement with Sara. Upon hearing that Sara wanted to re-engage with him, Marco almost couldn't wait to leave the room."