Chapter 514: Give Him Hope and Crush It
Pedro felt like he was dying.
Ever since Benjamin's last visit, no one else had shown up-not a soul.
At first, his lower half had been submerged in water.
Later, though-maybe to keep him from actually drowning-the water level started to drop, probably being pumped out from somewhere outside.
But still, nobody came to let him go.
He'd just been left there and tied up, day after day.
He had no idea if it was night or day anymore, gr how many days he'd even been trapped.
Exhaustion, hunger, and thirst, all ate him alive.
If nobody let him out soon, he really was going to die down here.
Lost in that hazy, half-conscious state, Pedro suddenly heard a door open.
Light spilled in from outside.
Pedro forced himself to look up, and there was Benjamin, standing in the doorway.
He wanted to scream at him and curse him out.
But he realized he didn't even have the strength left for that.
All he could do was croak out, barely audible.
"Benjamin, just kill me already. Stop torturing me."
Benjamin gave a small, pleasant smile. "Mr.
Livingston, what a thing to say. How could I ever bear to kill you?"
Pedro thought that was a sick joke, but he didn't have the strength to argue.
He was sure Benjamin was just here to mess with him.
But then, he heard Benjamin say, "Go untie Mr. Livingston. Bring him upstairs."
Pedro's eyes went wide.
He thought, "Did I hear it right? Is Benjamin
actually letting me go?"
It wasn't until he stepped outside and felt the sunlight hit his face that Pedro realized he really was free.
Benjamin had actually let him out.
The relief was so overwhelming that he nearly forgot every bit of suffering Benjamin had put him through. For a split second, Pedro almost wanted to thank him.
But that feeling didn't last long-he was so dizzy, so weak, he almost collapsed right there.
Benjamin caught him quickly.
"Easy now," he said with almost exaggerated concern. "You look terrible, but it's no wonder.o You're probably starving and dehydrated. Come on, I've got food and something to drink for you."
The thought of food made Pedro giddy.
He forced himself to stay upright and followed Benjamin into another room. The second he walked in, he caught a whiff of something delicious.
He looked up and saw a table absolutely loaded with food and drinks.
He rushed to the table, grabbed handfuls of food, and started stuffing his face, not even bothering with utensils.
He wolfed down a few bites and gulped down some water, almost choking in his rush.
"Slow down. There's plenty," Benjamin said with a big, fake-friendly smile. "It's all yours. Nobody's going to take it from you."
Pedro didn't even hear him. He just kept shoveling food into his mouth like a man possessed.
Only after the worst of his hunger faded did a sliver of rational thought return.
Swallowing, Pedro looked up nervously.
"What's this about? Why are you suddenly being nice to me? You didn't poison the food, did you?"
Even as he said it, he couldn't stop eating. He just couldn't give up all this amazing food.
"You're overthinking it," Benjamin replied.
"What would I get out of poisoning you?"
He looked up and saw a table absolutely loaded with food and drinks.
He rushed to the table, grabbed handfuls of food, and started stuffing his face, not even bothering with utensils.
He wolfed down a few bites and gulped down some water, almost choking in his rush.
"Slow down. There's plenty," Benjamin said with a big, fake-friendly smile. "It's all yours. Nobody's going to take it from you."
Pedro didn't even hear him. He just kept shoveling food into his mouth like a man possessed.
Only after the worst of his hunger faded did a sliver of rational thought return.
Swallowing, Pedro looked up nervously.
"What's this about? Why are you suddenly being nice to me? You didn't poison the food, did you?"
Even as he said it, he couldn't stop eating. He just couldn't give up all this amazing food.
"You're overthinking it," Benjamin replied.
"What would I get out of poisoning you?"
Honestly, Pedro had no idea what
Benjamin got out of locking him up in the first place.
He didn't say any of that, though. At this point, he was ready to just let everything fall apart.
He'd already eaten so much.
If it was poisoned, it was too late to stop now.
So he just kept eating and drinking until he was stuffed.
Finally, he slumped back in his chair, totally spent.
He had no clue what had gotten into Benjamin.
Pedro thought, "Why did he suddenly free me, o feed me, and treat me like a guest?"
He was too tired to care, honestly.
As long as Benjamin didn't lock him back up, that was all that mattered...
Just as Pedro started to drift off, he heard Benjamin's voice. "Had enough, Mr.
Livingston?"
The words jolted Pedro awake. He nodded, off guard. "Yeah. I'm full."
After a moment, he asked, "So... when are you calling my people to come pick me up?"
"Pick you up?" Benjamin's mouth curled into a sneer.
"Mr. Livingston, aren't you dreaming a bit too big?"
Pedro's face froze.
He stared at Benjamin in shock. "What are you doing? You just let me out. Aren't you done? You..."
Benjamin snapped his fingers.
Instantly, two burly men appeared, one on each side, grabbing Pedro by the arms.
"Take Mr. Livingston back to his old place,"
Benjamin said with a cruel little laugh. "And make sure he's tied up good and tight."
Pedro's fear morphed into panic and then to full-blown despair. He never expected he'd end up right back in that hellhole.
Benjamin never meant to set him free.
Why drag him out, treat him, feed him, just to throw him back? Was this whole thing just to give him hope and then rip it away?
Pedro screamed and thrashed, but one of the men clamped a hand over his mouth.
Even now that he was fed and rested, he was no match for them. They dragged him off, chained him up, and locked him in that windowless, godforsaken room again.
Ever since Adeline told Harrison they could go public with their relationship, he'd acted norma! on the surface, but Adeline could see that he was absolutely buzzing with excitement inside.
Once, when she brought some documents for him to sign, she watched as he absentmindedly scrawled "Adeline" on the dotted line instead of his own name.
Even knowing how wound up Harrison was, Adeline nearly fell out of her chair when she saw it.
"What are you doing?" she said, tapping him on the forehead. "Seriously, Mr. Thomson, signing the wrong name on a contract? If word gets out, you'll have to move to another planet."
Harrison didn't care in the slightest.
All he could think about was announcing to the world that Adeline was his girlfriend and that he was her boyfriend.
How should he do it? What was the best way to tell everyone? He needed to plan it right.
"Harrison!" Adeline grabbed his ear in exasperation. "Are you even listening to me?"
Harrison snapped back to reality, "Yes, yes, l'mo listening."
Adeline could only rub her forehead. "If I'd known you'd turn into this, I never would've said that..."
Harrison's expression changed in an
instant. "You promised. You can't back out now."
Adeline rolled her eyes. "I'm not backing out. But Adeline rolled ner eyes. I’m not backing out. But can you at least try to act normal until then?"
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