The Billionaire's Kidnapped Bride[English]

07

Chapter 7: A Web of Lies and Betrayal

Rory gasped as the man shoved her against the wall. Her body stiffened, and she forcefully commanded him to leave her alone.

"Scared of your fiancé seeing us?" the man sneered. Rory tried to push him away, but her strength seemed to fail her. Her ankle throbbed from the heels she was wearing.

"Santino."

Rory turned to see Santino. She managed to push him away, but before she could run, Santino grabbed her waist and pulled her close.

"Behave, or I'll drag you back to the venue and kiss you in front of your beloved fiancé," Santino threatened. Rory stopped, her voice laced with anger as she called him shameless.

"Pervert."

Santino laughed and extended his hand. The guy who had arrived earlier handed him a paper bag.

Santino knelt before her, causing Rory to step back. But Santino quickly grabbed her ankle.

"I'll break your leg. One more step back," Santino warned, his voice sharp. Rory couldn't help but be amazed by the rapid shifts in his mood and expression.

Rory stopped when she saw Santino pull out a pair of flat sandals from the box. They were beautifully designed and perfectly matched her outfit.

Santino pulled Rory towards him, and she found herself sitting on his lap. She instinctively clung to his neck, fearing she might lose her balance.

Santino removed Rory's heels. They were clearly too tight, causing blisters on her feet.

"You had the audacity to run from me and play the victim while I was holding you, but you can't even complain about your aching feet or make an effort to change your shoes," Santino said, then slipped the flat shoes onto her feet. Rory immediately stood up and told Santino to leave her alone.

"You're such a pushover."

Santino remained kneeling, his eyes fixed on Rory, who seemed on the verge of tears.

"This... this is the first time my mom chose a dress for me. You don't understand," Rory said, her voice choked with tears as she clutched her dress tightly.

Rory ran away, leaving her shoes behind. Santino stood up and put his hands in his pockets.

"What's the update?" Santino asked his friend, who was standing not far away, the paper bag still in his hand.

"Are you a fortune teller?" the man asked. Santino looked at him.

"Just like you said, there are people targeting Miss Rory, and they're already making their move. We don't need to make any effort to get her on our side; they're doing it for us," the guy said, then chuckled. He was happy because it meant less work for him.

"I'm curious how she'll handle this situation without shattering her current self," Santino murmured, then turned away. He instructed his friend to keep a close eye on Rory.

"Don't let her out of your sight for a second," he added before walking towards the venue, followed by his men.

The opening and the party began. Rory's parents and her future in-laws showered her with flattering words.

As Rory was about to walk up with Anthony, everyone was shocked when a video appeared on the large screen. Rory saw herself in the video, engaging in s****l acts with multiple men.

"Oh my gosh!"

Gasps filled the venue. Anthony dropped Rory's hand and moved away from her, who was now frozen in shock.

"Who played that video! Turn it off!" screamed the old madam, the first to react after seeing the video.

Rory's senses returned only when a chair flew towards the large screen, shattering it.

"Oops," Santino reacted, drawing everyone's attention. He had thrown the metal chair, as easily as if he were throwing a pillow.

"Rory! What does this video mean!" the madam yelled, grabbing Rory.

Rory was still in shock and couldn't speak.

The head of the Alto family slapped Rory and berated her.

"Who are the men in the video!"

Rory screamed that she didn't know and that it wasn't her in the video. She collapsed to the floor, clutching her hair. She was sure it wasn't her in the video. She had no memory of it happening.

Samira quickly approached and tried to calm her parents.

"Mom, Rory is also a victim. We need to understand her and not judge her," Samira said. Rory stood up and shouted that she wasn't the one in the video.

"Mom! It's not me," she said, trying to approach her mother, but her mother stepped back, saying that if Rory had told them what happened earlier, they could have found a way to fix it.

"Look what happened, Rory!"

Rory cried, insisting that it wasn't her in the video. Nothing like that had happened, but no one listened to her, not even Anthony, who abruptly pulled her hand away when she tried to explain herself.

Even if it were true, shouldn't her family be the ones to help her? They should trust her and understand her.

Rory flinched when she saw the disgust and disappointment directed at her by her family and Anthony.

The party ended in that way. Rory returned home, her heart heavy. Upon arriving at the Alto mansion, her father told her that if she wanted to stay, she should never go out in public again.

"Act like you don't exist," the old man whispered, causing Rory to shiver. Her parents went upstairs, leaving Rory in the living room.

Trembling, Rory sat on the sofa, repeating that she wasn't the one in the video. Nothing like that had happened when she was kidnapped.

Rory's mind flashed back to Anthony's cousin. She stood up, her anger boiling over, and walked out of the Alto mansion.

It was late at night when Rory arrived at the Balthazar mansion. The guards at the gate let her in, and as she was entering the mansion, she knocked on each room until she opened a door—and stopped.

She saw Anthony and Samira making out. Samira screamed and covered herself.

"What the f*ck, Rory!" Anthony yelled, quickly pulling up his pants and standing up.

Rory exploded and charged at Anthony. She slapped him hard and called him a pig.

"Our wedding isn't canceled yet, Anthony!" Rory screamed. Anthony's face darkened, and he shoved Rory.

Rory fell to the floor with a thud when Anthony pushed her hard.

"Who in their right mind would marry you, Rory? You've been with so many men, and you couldn't even protect dignity! What kind of woman are you!" Anthony yelled, saying that every time he saw Rory, he was reminded of the video. He felt sick.

"Don't worry, I'll still marry you, but let me make this clear: our marriage is just a formality, and you have no right to interfere in my life anymore," Anthony said angrily. Rory cried, calling Anthony a monster.

"Why won't you believe that it wasn't me in the video!" Rory screamed. Samira called out to Anthony, saying she was scared.

"Rory might get angry at me. She's still my sister."

Rory trembled as she stood up. Anthony hugged Samira, then yelled at Rory to leave.

Rory turned away, clutching her arm, her heavy legs carrying her away.

"Don't worry about Rory, she can't do anything anymore. Her reputation is ruined, and I'm the only man willing to marry her," Anthony said. If it weren't for Rory's assets, he would have second thoughts about marrying her.

The rain was heavy as Rory stepped out of the mansion. Some of the staff tried to stop her, but she ignored them and walked straight out of the villa.

"I've never stepped on anyone, I've never claimed what wasn't mine, and I've always been honest. So why are they doing this to me? I haven't done anything wrong, and why can't they trust me?" Rory sobbed. She collapsed to the floor and, overwhelmed with frustration, screamed.

She hugged her knees and looked up slightly when she saw a pair of shoes.

A man stood before her, wearing a red coat and black sleeves. He had a gentle face, tousled hair, and beautiful eyes. If Rory didn't know him and didn't have the impression she had from their first meeting, she would have thought he was an angel, so genuine was the concern she saw in his eyes.

"You," Rory whispered, her voice laced with emphasis and anger. She stood up and slapped the man hard. The men behind Santino gasped when they saw their boss being slapped.

"Seems like your fear is gone after our second meeting, so you've have a guts to slap me now," the man said, holding his jaw and looking at Rory with no emotion.

Rory didn't care about the idea that her reputation was ruined. No one believed her, and her career was over.

"Did you release the video! Is it real?" Rory screamed. She cried, hitting the man's chest, who didn't even try to push her away or move.

"I just want a simple life, like normal people. I want a family, a good career, and a peaceful environment. I haven't asked for anything more, why are you doing this to me! What have I done wrong!" Rory screamed, looking up with tears streaming down her face.

"You bastard, if you were going to do this anyway, you should have just killed me," Rory cried, about to collapse to her knees when Santino caught her. He pulled her towards him angrily, dropping his umbrella, and now they were both under the rain.

"You're too quick to trust, too weak, and have no sense of will. People like you are easily consumed by society, so I can't help but be amazed that you're still alive and kick in," Santino said, then abruptly grabbed Rory's jaw.

"If someone's done something to you, you need to figure it out yourself. I hate being blamed for things I haven't done."

Rory winced as Santino tightened his grip on her jaw. She struggled to break free, fear in her eyes as she looked at Santino.

"Instead of complaining and crying, find out the truth and do something to clear your name."

Rory collapsed to the floor when Santino finally released her. She clenched her fists.

Santino lowered himself to Rory's level and took hold of her hair. Rory looked up, and their faces were inches apart.

"Aren't you curious, sister, why your grandparents, who raised you, suddenly abandoned you? Why are the Altos treating you so badly despite you being their biological daughter? And what's Anthony's real motive for insisting on marrying you? He wouldn't waste half his life dating you if he could have married you when you were 25," Santino asked. Rory's lips closed, followed by a torrent of tears. She stared into Santino's eyes.

"I'm alone now, and I'm scared."

Santino slowly released Rory and took off his coat. He wrapped it around Rory and held the sides firmly. Her grandparents were gone, she had no one to return to, no home. She didn't know what to do, especially with the video circulating, not only ruining her career but also her confidence, her family, and her dignity.

"Accept my arrangement, sister, and I'll help you," Santino said, but Rory weakly pushed his hand away. She asked bitterly why she should trust him.

"You kidnapped me, you want to use me in your plans, you're playing me. What's the difference between you and my parents and Samira? Why should I trust you, you jerk."

Rory met Santino's gaze. The rain gradually stopped, and a cold wind blew.

"Because you have no choice. If you don't agree, I'll have to kill you. You've seen my face, you know about my plans, I won't let you live for long."

Rory shuddered when she saw Santino's terrifying expression. He raised his hand to touch her, but she ran, bumping into his shoulder and leaving without looking back.

The coat fell to the ground. Santino's friend approached him.

"I don't understand why you're wasting time trying to convince that woman. I don't see anything in her personality that's worth the attention you're giving her," the friend said boredly. This was the second time that woman had rejected their offer, and his friend wasn't the type to have endless patience.

The man couldn't help but be curious why his friend was so fixated on the woman, seeing nothing special or unique about her. He knew they should be using her in their plan, so why was everything different now? It seemed like his friend was planning to use himself as a shield and offer her every chance to get her.