Chapter 71: Angelique's POV

How am I losing a fight against a pregnant woman?

I know she's bad ass.

She's a foster kid. She probably had to fight for the last piece of bread or something.

Lauren told me that right before Charlotte punched her, she told her that she's beaten girls who were as tall and as big as fully grown men. When I comforted Lauren, I told her Charlotte lied to scare her, but now I'm starting to doubt that because this woman won't let me get in a single punch.

I didn't expect her to be this fast.

Are pregnant women supposed to be this fast?

I managed to stab her arm with the needle, but she yanked that thing out of her arm before I could push it down and inject the serum in her. I was too focused on getting that syringe back inside her arm. I thought she would throw it on the floor, so I was too slow to see her directing the thing right at me.

She buried that thing in my chest.

My legs almost gave out when I noticed that she had already emptied that serum in me.

That serum was supposed to induce a miscarriage. It was supposed to kill her baby before she made it to the operating table ... and now ... it's in me ...

What the hell will it do to me?

My eyes were still on the gigantic syringe in my chest when she suddenly covered my head with a heavy blanket. I struggled for what felt like the longest time to get that thing off of me and when I seemed to close to getting it off, I felt a hard object collide with my head and then heard glass breaking.

I stumbled backwards.

She hit me with a vase.

This bitch hit me with a vase.

I was about to go punch the fuck out of her, but I was too late.

A full grown man came out of nowhere and grabbed me by the neck, lifted me into the air and then slammed by body against the floor like I weighed nothing.

Everything felt broken. Everything hurt. Everything felt like it was bleeding.

I inhaled a difficult and raspy breath, but it sounded like an old ghost being awake after centuries.

I struggled to open my eyes against the pounding in my head, my eyes, my ears, my nose, my everything.

I found Christian Greyson's face when my eyes finally opened and was met by an evil smirk and his foot planted firmly in my neck.

"I should have recognised the stench of a whore the second I caught a whiff of your cheap perfume." He grinned. "Did you piss yourself?" He asked in a sudden amused voice and started laughing.

I hadn't felt it before, but now I could feel it. My pants were soaking wet. He slammed me so hard against the floor that I really did pee myself.

I saw someone pick up Char and carry her out of the riom out of the corner of my eye. I couldn't be sure, but it looked like she passed out.

If she passed out, it means just a few more seconds and I would have been able to kill that woman and her baby myself.

I was so close.

"Christian", I made a futile attempt to beg, "You're hurting me." I tried to speak when he kept his foot firmly on my throat.

I knew he wouldn't let me go, but I had to try.

Christian Greyson is known as the cruel Greyson brother. He's known as the Greyson brother who shoots first and asks questions later. For him, mercy is a luxury and he isn't known for dolling out such luxuries.

Once upon a time, I was foolish enough to think that I could at least get him if I couldn't get Lucas Greyson. He looks almost identical to his brother, except he has dark curly hair and sultry dark eyes instead of Lucas Greyson's trademark blonde hair and green eyes.

I've also heard that Christian Greyson is a good lover. Like his brother, he's only dated a few women, but the few he's dated have all boasted about how well-endowed and giving he is as a lover - both in bed and in other areas.

So he would have been perfect.

However, I couldn't get him.

There's a very odd trait that all the Greysons siblings have. They're too selective of their friends and especially selective of their partners.

Annabelle Greyson has only ever dated one man since she was sixteen years old - Roger Kiersten, some earl or Lord or Duke or something from England.

The two of them met in school and like idiots, they decided that they had found their soulmate. Roger's family has so much money that if he died and were reborn, he'd be able to live at least a hundred lives as a billionaire ... and of course the same goes for Annabelle.

So naturally, I've tried to befriend her and seduce him, but that didn't work.

Annabelle is timid like her mother and hates confrontation. I thought I could use my friendship with Lauren to get close to her and bully her into a friendship, but I could never manage to do that.

The girl never told me off or anything. She just always made sure I couldn't get to her. She stopped going to her favourite shops and restaurants when she noticed I was frequenting the places. She had random people gather in between us whenever I tried to get close to her at an event and then she had her mom tell me in the nicest way possible that I shouldn't feel too bad about her not being able to see me. She's just shy.

Shy my foot. She didn't even have the balls to tell me off herself.

When I couldn't get to her, it meant seducing her very rich boyfriend would be harder, but not impossible.

I expected Roger to be as timid as his girlfriend, but he was quite the opposite. In fact, his confrontational nature reminded reminded me of Christian.

He roared at me once when I made his girlfriend cry after I accidentally fell in his lap.

I tried to tell him it was an accident, but he wouldn't have any of it. That man pushed me off his lap. Yelled at me that next time I better accidentally fall on the floor and then he bent down and told me he probably got an STD from breathing the same air as me.

After that, he ran after his beloved and I was left astounded at how rude he was.

I thought that was the worst thing a man could say to me until I tried getting in bed with one or both of the Greyson brothers.

I knew Lucas Greyson would be a harder nut to crack because of his history with Char, but I was confident that I would break him eventually. Save for my face, I could be Char's double and the man clearly missed her because we all knew that the women who dated Lucas Greyson got nothing from him.

He didn't give them love. He didn't give them affection. He barely acknowledged them and didn't even allow them in the infamous Greyson mansion. All he gave them was the privilege of saying they were dating a Greyson.

Lauren pretended not to see me trying to get in bed with him or maybe she did. I'll never know because I'll never dare to ask.

Lucas Greyson grabbed my wrist when I pretended to fix his shirt collar at a charity ball. He knitted his brows and narrowed his eyes at me only to say one of the cruelest words that have ever been said to me. "You are not the woman any man who respects himself ends up with." He said calmly. "You're not even the woman that careless men sleep with, Angelique. You're the woman men look at and pray to whatever God they serve that none of their daughters or sisters end up like you."

He said those cruel words lowly enough for them to only be heard by the two of us. When people got closer to us, he told me to never touch him again or else we'd have a serious problem and then he walked away. That part he said loud enough for people to hear and snicker while I went to go cry in the bathroom.

That's when it dawned on me that getting close to the Greyson siblings wasn't an easy task at all.

"I'll give you a chance to fight for your life." His smirk grew. "Tell me what exactly was your plan with Charlie, Angelique and maybe I won't crush your windpipe right this very second."

"I-I don't know what you're talking about." I muttered, but he pressed down harder.

"Please!" I tries to beg again, but he just pressed harder.

"I'm surprised to find you in a room that doesn't have a man in it." He grinned again all the while crushing my throat. "You should only be in hospital to get medicine for one of your many STD's, Angelique. So, tell me why you're here or I'll show you why I'm known as the cruel Greyson brother."

Of course ...

Lauren may be my best friend, but she's nothing like me.

She's the romantic and I'm the realist.

I know that men who look, talk and walk like Lucas Greyson will all fall prey to a woman one day. I decided a very long time ago that I'd rather be the woman who lays the trap than be the one who sacrifices my youth to be with one man and one man only when I know that eventually he'll leave me for a younger and prettier version of me.

I refuse to let myself go through the disgusting and gruesome torture of childbirth only to bring kids into the world whose father will one day tell me he's found a kindred spirit in a child that is barely of legal age.

Christian Greyson is calling me a whore because I see men for what they are and will do anything to get the most out of them without giving too much of myself.

The wives can keep the empty marriages while I keep all the money, apartments, business and cars that were meant for their kids. I'll be the whore who is the reason why a family can't go on vacation or why a father can't pay his children's college tuition. I'll be the whore who sleeps with someone's husband because women should know better than to ever trust a man.

Mom taught me this lesson from a very early age. The woman even refused to carry me herself. She told me she got a surrogate because she wouldn't let another person wreck her body like that; not even her own child.

I don't know why dad stays with her, but I do know that mom has slept with enough married men to prove to any non-believer that men never truly love their wives and kids.

So, I'll take being the whore over the doting and loyal wife any day.

"Okay." I finally cried when I could feel myself about to pass out. "Okay, I'll tell you."

His foot eased up, but it was still on my throat.

I knew he wouldn't actually remove it. This man has rarely hidden the fact that he has no respect for me. He has literally chased me out of his apartments when Lauren invited me there and told me I made his place smell like a whorehouse.

I wouldn't have minded him doing that if it were the three of us, but there were around thirty people who were there for a party. He chased me out of his house while shouting that I was making his place smell like a whore house.

People were laughing and taking videos and pictures. I was mortified.

I hated that incident a hundred times than the incident with his brother. His brother was kind enough to hurt me in private, but Christian Greyson had to do it infront of others and have them laugh at me because the man is fucking cruel.

My experience with all three Greyson siblings has taught me that they are extremely particular about who gets to be in their close circle. Trying to get in their inner circle is not worth the trauma it causes.

"Talk." He ordered me and raised both brows.

"Lauren is planning on killing Char today." I started spilling the beans nervously.

"It's all a lie." My trembling hand went to my mouth while the ither went to my bruised neck."Char isn't sick or anything like that. Lauren got to the doctor and she agreed to Lauren's plan so Lauren can kill Char. The operation was going to be in OR 2A. Lauren is probably there right now, Christian! If you go now, you can catch her. She's the real culprit. She's so obsessed with your brother that she's willing to kill a pregnant woman and she's roped me into this against my will!"

I was trembling because I was still under his foot like some street dog.

"Look-" I tried to go on, but he pressed his foot hard against my throat again when the door to the suit creaked open and an old, but very fit old man walked inside with an emotionless expression on his face.

My vision was getting blurry, but I recognised that man.

I know him.

Lauren's dad got his men to hold this man captive. Lauren insisted on it because this man is Char's personal guard.

He shouldn't be here.

I saw him in a cell with my own two eyes.

I was told he was killed by putting a bullet in his head and his body parts being shipped to different parts of the world.

How is he here right now?

"How many?" Christian suddenly asked the man.

"Twenty four." The man answered calmly before his eyes shifted to me."We had twenty four traitors in our midst, but they've all been taken care of now."

Christian nodded.

"Are you okay?" He asked the man. "I tried to find you sooner, but-"

"That's okay." The man interrupted him. "I knew the dangers of letting myself get caught and made peace with the consequences that would ensue. This had to be done to had to root out the traitors. I wish it could have waited until after today, but I suppose the enemy had to force our hand so they could kill your brother's wife.

Don't worry about me." He directed a gentle smile at Christian. "I have a few scrapes and bruises, but I knew you'd find me. You and your brother are good at these kind of things."

No. Please. No.

Their eyes snapped to me and I knew while staring into Christian Greyson's dark brown eyes and this old man's grey eyes that I would come to understand the extent of Christian's cruelty today. I would be dead by the end of the day. I just know that.

I don't know how, but I know I'm dying today.

Mom always said only help someone if it doesn't inconvenience you or put you in danger.

That's been my rule for as long as I've been alive, but I broke that rule because I pitied Lauren. I knew that even if I got married, I'd sleep around like mom, but Lauren's different.

Lauren would never sleep around.

She's the type of woman to stay with a man who cheats on her openly because she would take her vows so fucking seriously. She's the type to tolerate being mistreated all in the name of love. She's the perfect girl for marriage. I felt sorry for her and wanted to help her make her dream come true.

Look where being a good friend has led me.

I'll never understand why someone like Char would want to play the part of a doting wife. She's too smart for something so meaningless. Lucas Greyson will trade her in for a twenty year old one day and never think about her again.

Someone as smart as her should know that.

So why would she want so badly to want something that only dumb girls like Lauren want?

I was starting to feel drowsy, weak and dizzy, but I couldn't stop asking myself why someone as smart as Char would ever want to get married and why she went as far as risking wrecking her body by getting pregnant.

"Please." I tried begging again. "Just let me go." I heard my words slurring. "Please."

He removed his foot, but I couldn't get up.

Why can't I get up?

Is it because of that serum I tried to inject into Charlotte?

"Please." I begged from the floor.

"You'll take Charlie's place." Christian's cold voice hit my ears as he put his hands in his pockets. "Let's hope Lauren has a change of heart on committing murder."

I still can't move.

I can't die like this.

Please.

I'll change. I'll stop sleeping with married men. I'll be a spinster or wind up married to some jerk and staying faithful to him. I'll ruin my body and have kids. I'll exhaust myself loving and looking after a man who will only grow to hate me for ageing with him.

Please.

I'll do whatever I need to do to not be in this moment right now.

I don't want to die.

I'm too young ... I'm too pretty to die.