Even as curiosity and nervousness pricked beneath her skin, Selina suppressed them, unwilling to ask about his intentions. His ruthless warning was still fresh in her mind as she silently followed him until they entered a basement on the mansion grounds.
As they moved further in, she noticed six men standing guard at the corners, with a familiar figure sitting on a wooden chair and being tied around it in front of the empty sofa.
It was her father.
Fear twisted her expression as she rushed past Zane toward him. She dropped to her knees in front of Hudson, narrowing her brows in worry at the sight of his bruised face and swollen cheeks.
There was a trace of strained blood on his lips and face. He looked almost unrecognisable, as if beaten into pulp.
"Father, what are you doing here? How come you're in this situation?" she asked, concerned threading through her voice as she lifted her trembling hands.
Her hands could barely touch his face, worried she might hurt him more.
Hudson, who looked shocked at Selina's presence, glanced around at the men before answering in a hoarse voice. "I was abducted on my way home by these men who said they were from Mr. Zane." His voice trembled.
Hudson's head was hammered with the tormenting beating he received last night from Zane's men while Zane just watched him emotionless. Unease wrapped around him like a drenched cloak, wondering what the vengeful man wanted to unleash on him this time.
When she understood the situation her father had endured the previous night, her chest tightened with a dull ache coursing through in shame. She was ashamed of herself because his suffering was from the man she liked and wanted to be part of her life.
"I'm sorry you had to bear this," she whispered, tears welling in the corner of her eyes.
When his mind drifted to Selina's safety as panic surged in, he urged, "You can't be in such a dangerous place. Leave now, quickly."
"Mr. Zane brought me here, too," Selina replied, confusion crossing Hudson's face.
Hudson quickly scanned her body for signs of injury. Worry crept into his voice as he asked, "Did he hurt you?"
Selina shook her head. "No. He didn't hurt me. But I don't know if I should believe..."
Before Selina could complete her sentence, Zane's chilling presence drew closer, and the sound of his boot interrupted the somber air.
The atmosphere shifted, thickening with uncertainty as he settled into the sofa, crossing one leg over the other in front of them. His intense gaze fixed on them.
Hudson's heart skipped a beat while he begged, "This conflict is between you and me. Please don't drag your daughter into a place like this. Let her go. I've given you what you wanted, and if you still need more, I'll give it to you."
Zane clenched his jaw tightly, his brows narrowing at Hudson's offer, which made the blood in his veins boil. "I'm not interested in your charity or compensation. Your life isn't enough, though," he rebuked, glancing at his men.
His men, standing beside Hudson, threw another ruthless punch at his bruised, bloodstained face. He couldn't cry out anymore as he only coughed hard.
"Cough! Cough..." Her father, Hudson, cried in a raw and brittle voice.
"Stop this! He's bleeding already, he might die! Don't do this again!" Selina begged, her voice cracking with exhaustion at his ongoing pain.
She pushed away his men who hit her father, alerting others. They rushed towards her, seized her and pressed her down harshly, sensing the strength within her.
"Let me go!" Selina growled, struggling to break free. But it was futile.
"He won't die so easily. Not under my watch when I'm not content," Zane, murmured. His voice was low and dangerous, thick with both pleasure and grief, pulling Selina's attention from her weary father to him.
As she met the eerie smirk tugging at the corner of his lips, a shiver ran down her spine.
"Why are you hurting him? What wrong did he do?" She inquired again, recalling every unsettling words he told her the previous night.
A brief silence fell. No words from Zane.
Hudson forced a word out his weak mouth, "I killed his family. I did." he confessed, his voice heavy.
Those words sounded like a thunderstorm, Selina widened her eyes in disbelief mixed with confusion.
She shook her head in disagreement. "No way! You can't commit such an act. Tell you didn't do it! You can't harm anyone for any reason!" She retorted, her voice cracked.
Selina stared at her father, waiting for him to deny it. At least prove his innocency that this was a misunderstanding.
But when she saw the deep-seated guilt in his eyes, her desperate expectation crumbled to dust.
Her father was a murderer—responsible for her secret crush's family tragedy.
Now, he wants to unleash his revenge on them.
"Hit him again," Zane ordered, containing the emotions that were already on its verge of spilling. He had been waiting for this day that finally did come.
"I'll take the punishment instead! Do whatever you wish with me—but please, spare him!" she cried out desperately.
"Why should I spare him when he never stopped that day?" Zane's voice cracked like thunder in the dimly lit basement. "That night I was forced to watch my family die. Slaughtered. Burned. Like they were nothing!"
His glowing amber eyes, glinting with deep-seated grudges, didn't flinch from hers. His fists trembled at his sides as the weight of his horror memories threatened to slip loose. The shrill, dying screams of his family echoed in his head, sending hot beads of sweat trickling down his back.
Selina's body shook with silent sobs, bound by the grief he emanated. How had something so horrific happened without her ever knowing?
"I'm sorry he caused you pain. I truly am. But this… this isn't justice. Please, don't take him like this. He's the only one I have," she whispered while tears stung in the corner of her eyes.
With his body quaking in numbing pain, Hudson forced his gaze up at Zane, eyes full of guilt. "I don't care what happens to me, but Selina is innocent. Don't make her carry my sins. Take my life if you must. But let her go."
She shook her head violently, stomach churning. "I'm not letting you pay with your life! You can't leave me. Not now, not like this!" she choked out.
Hudson smiled weakly while he stretched out his hands in the air towards Selina across him. "I only wanted the best for you. But I got you trapped instead. I'm sorry… I shouldn't have done it," he whispered and his tears fell freely.
Zane could feel his chest tightening at the sight of that raw remorse lingering in Hudson's gaze. But it changed nothing and regret can't bring his family back.
It was too late. He can't waver now, not over a flow of bitter tears.
He clenched his jaw and slipped his hand into the pocket of his black trench coat draped on his broad and towering figure.
When Selina saw the object pulled out, her eyes widened in utter shock. Her breath caught.
The gun glinted in his hand. And it was aimed at her father.
"No!" She growled.
With a swift surge of desperation, Selina stomped hard on her captor's foot. As they recoiled with a grunt and the grips on her arms faltered for a second just enough for her to pull free, she lunged forward.