Chapter 40: The Madman’s Game

She didn’t dare show the slightest concern for Jonathan because Shane’s greatest pleasure was tormenting people. He loved watching the struggle of human nature. The more someone cherished or cared about something, the more he wanted to destroy it, relishing in their repeated agony until they finally gave up.

It was unclear whether Shane believed her act. He looked toward her for a moment, then smiled faintly and said, “Your brother personally called us to help ‘discipline’ you. Tell me, how should I about it!”

At that moment, Sierra clearly heard her breathing quicken, but within seconds, she regained her composure. Her eyes returned to their calm, indifferent state, as if she were resigned to whatever they decided to do with her.

Shane seemed bored by her lack of reaction. He tapped on the car window and said, “Go.”

The car quickly pulled away. Sierra kept her head down, not daring to look outside. She knew Shane was watching her, so she didn’t dare show even a hint of emotion.

The car was eerily quiet. Shane looked at her for a while, then suddenly grabbed her chin and turned her face toward him. After a long pause, he said, “I didn’t notice before, but now that I look closely, you’re not bad.”

As he spoke, his index finger brushed against her chin. In that instant, Sierra’s entire body broke out in goosebumps. The spot where Shane had touched her felt icy cold.

Noticing her reaction, Shane gave a strange laugh and leaned closer to her ear. “Scared already!”

“I heard you’re being sold to Kason. Do you know what kind of person he is?”

“Remember inmate 00060?”

Sierra’s pupils contracted sharply. Of course, she remembered 00060. Their inmate numbers were close, and the girl had been imprisoned just a few days before her. Like her, she was innocent, and the two had quickly formed a bond. She remembered the girl was around her age, arrested for embezzlement. The girl had a younger brother and a bedridden mother to support. She had embezzled funds because her brother had been in a car accident, and the driver had fled. She had no choice but to use the money for her brother’s surgery. Sierra recalled how the girl had worried about her brother’s recovery and her mother’s condition.

Less than two weeks later, inmate 00060 told Sierra that something had happened to her family and that she had begged for permission to leave. Thereafter, Sierra never heard from her again.

Seeing her reaction, Shane said coolly, “If you end up with Kason, you might get to join her underworld.”

Sierra’s head snapped up to look at him. Is he saying what I think he’s saying?

Shane smirked. “Kason’s… preferences are well-known in upper circles. Why do you think no one wants to marry into the Richardson family, despite their wealth and power?”

Sierra felt a chill run through her. The car’s air conditioning might have been set too low, but no amount of warmth could dispel the coldness she felt inside. If everyone in the upper circles knew, then the Xander family must have known too.

All the doubts she had harbored were now resolved. So that’s why she had always wondered why the Xander family had chosen her, rather than Denise, to marry into the Richardson family. Now she understood. It was because she could endure the abuse. Her life was expendable. All the kindness the Xander family had shown her was nothing more than an advance payment for her funeral.

Hatred burned in Sierra’s eyes. Even after three years of torment in prison, she had never felt such hatred. Seeing her reaction, Shane’s eyes gleamed with satisfaction. His grip on her chin loosened slightly, his rough fingertips now gently stroking her jawline, savoring the softness of her skin.

Sierra turned her head slightly, avoiding his touch. Over the past three years, Shane had tormented her in many ways, but he had never touched her like this. The unfamiliarity made her uncomfortable, but more than that, it made her nervous.

When his hand left her face, Shane’s expression cooled. He was about to say something when his phone suddenly rang. The caller said something that made Shane’s smile fade, his lips pressing into a thin line. The whole car is getting depressing. Sierra didn’t know what had happened, but her entire body tensed in alertness. When this madman was unhappy, she was always the one who suffered.

After hanging up, Shane turned to look at her directly. Every cell in Sierra’s body was on edge. After a long pause, she heard him say, “I didn’t expect… He has some skills after all.” Sierra was confused by his words, but before she could process them, she heard what Shane said.