Chapter 3

"Stop him! Don't let him ruin the prank game!"

The moment she saw me, my mother-in-law was so overcome she nearly wept.

Dominic had me pinned, blocking my way.

"Rod, save your mom!"

"These people have no respect for the law. They treat me like dirt. They say they're going to torment me to death."

"Who are they? Why are they only picking on me?"

They had me caught fast, unable to move. All I could do was roar at Dominic, my face flushed with fury.

"Let my mom go!"

Dominic not only ignored me, he hummed a little tune and winked.

"Ms. Harding said your mom's worth nothing. We can do whatever we want to her."

"And we're not done having fun yet!"

Hearing this, my mother-in-law knitted her brows and demanded of Dominic,

"This Ms. Harding you keep talking about, is she Edwina Harding of Harding Corp?"

Dominic shot her a contemptuous glance. "That's right!"

"She lost the game, and per the bet, she gets to let us torment you."

"How about it, you old hag! Bet you're furious!"

"See this? We took plenty of nice photos of you too. Step out of line, and we'll post them, let the whole world see what a shameless slut you are."

My mother-in-law was so enraged she nearly fainted. She never imagined these people had actually photographed her.

She had never swallowed the smallest indignity in her entire life, and now she had been brought down at her own daughter's hands.

I fought with everything I had, desperate to rush over, grab the phone, and delete those photos.

But Dominic had someone fetch a rope and tied me up.

"Dominic, you despicable snake."

"At the office you were always undercutting me, stealing my credit, and now you've got the nerve to break into my home and torment my mother!"

"I'll report all of you for illegal trespassing and for deliberately abusing an elderly woman."

Dominic dug at his ear with an arrogant, swaggering air.

"Report us? You and your mother think you can go up against Harding Corp?"

"One word from Ms. Harding and you're both dead. Understand?"

Then, on purpose, he lifted his hand to show the couple's ring on his ring finger.

That ring had been Edwina's custom-made anniversary gift for the two of us. Now the man's band was sitting on Dominic's finger.

"See that? Bit by bit, I'm taking your place in Ms. Harding's heart."

"All I have to do is ask, and she gives."

"So even if we play your mom to death, she won't blame me."

"Because she likes me a lot!!!"

Hearing that, my mother-in-law was filled with guilt toward me, and just as furious at her own daughter.

But I only stared hard at Dominic, and something deep inside me stung, a pain I couldn't shake.

My mother-in-law didn't dare come out, trapped inside, cursing Edwina at the top of her lungs.

"Edwina, you animal!"

"You hire a man like this as your assistant, you wrong Rod, and now you let him torment me like this. Once I get out, I'll beat you to death, you beast."

Those words set Dominic off.

His face went dark as he charged toward the bathroom and kicked my mother-in-law out of it.

He walked over and grabbed a fistful of her hair.

"You old hag, who are you calling an animal!"

Blood ran from her mouth and nose. I couldn't imagine how much it hurt.

I struggled as hard as I could, and it did nothing.

"Dominic, let go of her!!"

"My mom has a heart condition. She can't take your violence."