Chapter 3

Nora's POV

"Julian, go! Now!"

I immediately yanked my hand away from Julian's grasp, my voice laced with uncontrollable panic.

Julian followed my gaze and also noticed the dangerous man radiating menace on the steps.

He frowned, then warned with concern, "Call me immediately if anything happens."

"Okay." I urged him into the car, and only after watching his car disappear from sight did I take a deep breath and turn to face the source of my fear.

I walked up the steps one by one, my heart pounding wildly in my chest.

I was terrified, afraid that he would lose control in a fit of jealousy, as he had countless times before, drag me into a room, and punish me in the most brutal way.

However, Caleb merely looked down at me, his eyes cold, his tone filled with undisguised reprimand.

"A housekeeper standing at the employer's door? Do you have no shame?"

With that one sentence, the tension in my chest suddenly vanished.

I exhaled in relief. It seemed... he really didn't remember.

That familiar look from earlier was probably just my imagination.

I lowered my head and obediently replied, "I'm sorry, sir. I know my place."

Then, I walked past him and quickly entered the living room.

Inside, the entire family and Vanessa were present.

Vanessa, in an exquisite Chanel suit, sat elegantly on the sofa. Seeing me enter, a cold smirk played on her lips.

I felt a little uneasy as I approached, greeting them as per protocol.

"Mr. Harrison, Mrs. Harrison, Chloe Harrison, Ms. Vance."

Vanessa picked up a teacup from the table, slowly sipped it, then stood up.

As she passed me, she extended her foot, seemingly by accident.

Completely unprepared, I was tripped fiercely, falling forward uncontrollably.

Vanessa also let out a feigned gasp, tumbling to the ground, while my forehead slammed hard against the sharp corner of the marble coffee table.

A dull thud echoed, and my vision instantly blackened.

"Ah!" Chloe shrieked. She rushed over - not to help me, but to slap me again.

"Nora, you bitch! You did that on purpose! You just can't stand seeing Caleb and Vanessa happy together, can you?"

She helped the feigning Vanessa up and immediately turned to Caleb, who had just walked in.

"Caleb! Look at her! She's jealous of Vanessa, so she pushed her! She's a psychopath. The other day I found some of your old things in her room - she wants to seduce you!"

Vanessa leaned weakly into Caleb's chest, her voice trembling with a soft sob. "Caleb, it's alright...It's just...this housekeeper...I think she may have misunderstood me somehow."

A perfect performance.

I clutched my bleeding forehead, a cold, mirthless laugh rising inside me.

Caleb despised nothing more than women who tried to scheme their way into his bed.

Sure enough, his face turned terrifyingly dark, and his eyes, as he looked at me, were like he was staring at a pile of repulsive garbage.

He held Vanessa in his arms, his voice utterly devoid of warmth.

"Take her away and teach her a good lesson."

With that, he carried Vanessa directly upstairs, instructing the housekeeper to call a doctor. From start to finish, he didn't spare me another glance, nor did he give me any chance to defend myself.

His words were like cold knives, piercing my heart.

I was dragged mercilessly by the bodyguards to the courtyard outside the villa, forced to kneel on the hard flagstones.

Chloe held a golf club, her face alight with uncontrollable excitement and malice.

This club was once Caleb's prized possession, now it had become her tool of vengeance.

"Nora, I've been waiting for this moment."

She raised the club and swung it with all her might, bringing it down hard on my back!

"This one's for stealing twenty years of my life!"

A dull thud echoed sickeningly in the empty courtyard. I let out a choked cry of pain, almost collapsing on the spot.

But Chloe didn't stop. A second swing followed immediately, landing on my leg.

"This one's for shamelessly seducing Caleb!"

"This one's for being a pathetic, ungrateful parasite!"

...

"Why aren't you screaming? Where's your arrogance now? No one's going to save you this time! You imposter!"

I bit down hard on my lower lip, refusing to make a sound.

But each time that hard club came down, it felt like my bones were shattering.

The intense pain made my vision blur, and cold sweat instantly soaked my clothes.

Blood trailed down my back, my arms, my legs... dripping onto the cold concrete.

Chloe seemed determined to unleash years of resentment, hitting harder and harder. By the end, my consciousness began to fade.

All I could hear was her sharp cursing and the dull thud of the club tearing through the air.

When the final strike landed, I couldn't hold on any longer and collapsed heavily into a pool of my own blood.