chapter 10: Set-up

Kimberley's POV

She lied to Alexander, that she followed me and got the clips from the hotel, but she set me up.

She even told Alexander that she had to hire some guys to bring me to an old abandoned room , so I won't escape and now Alexander's me, they have found me.

That moment they found me, I knew I was doomed.

Alexander's men didn't even give me a chance to explain.

They stormed into the abandoned room I'd been locked in like a wild pack of animals, their rough hands clamping down on my arms, dragging me forward with a force that left no room for resistance. I was nothing more than a rag doll in their grip.

My chest heaved as I tried to fight against the dizziness from whatever Vanessa had drugged me with, but it didn't matter.

I was too weak to even stumble without feeling like I was about to collapse.

The last thing I wanted was to let them see how much I was suffering, how utterly powerless I felt.

Every step I took was a struggle. My wrists ached from the tight grip of their hands, pulling me along as if I weighed nothing at all.

My legs barely functioned, my body dragging behind them like a lifeless thing.

I wanted to scream, to shout that this wasn't my fault, but my voice felt foreign, weak.

The fog in my mind swirled like poison, but amidst the haze, I knew one thing for certain: this was all part of Vanessa's plan.

She'd set me up. She'd led me into this trap, knowing full well that Alexander would never believe me. Not now. Not after what she'd done.

I was being dragged back to the mansion, and all I could do was hold on to the shred of hope that maybe, just maybe.

There was something, anything that could prove I wasn't guilty.

That Vanessa had framed me. But deep down, I knew it was hopeless.

The cold silence of the mansion greeted us.

As we entered, the heavy weight of everyone's gaze felt like it was pressing down on me. I could almost hear the thoughts running through their heads:

What did she do now? Why is she back here, after what she did? I could feel the judgment in every inch of the air around me.

No one would believe me. No one would care.

And there he was. Alexander. He was already standing there, waiting.

I tried to gather myself, to find some strength in the moment, but I could barely stand on my own. I wasn't sure if it was the drugs or the fear that kept my knees trembling, but I couldn't let him see me break.

Not yet.

His eyes swept over me, and for a brief moment, I thought I saw something close to disdain across his cold gaze.

His lips twisted into something like a sneer, and his eyes narrowed as if I were nothing but dirt on his shoes.

I opened my mouth to speak, but my throat felt raw, my voice barely a whisper.

"I didn't do anything with that guy," I managed to say, my words weak but trying to be strong. "Vanessa…."

A mocking laugh escaped him before I could finish.

I felt my heart plummet to my stomach.

"You expect me to believe that?".

He took a slow step toward me, his eyes burning with a cold fury that made my skin crawl.

I clenched my fists at my sides, trying to gather what little strength I had left. "It's the truth. She…"

"Enough." His voice was an order, final and cold. He didn't even allow me the chance to finish, the way his words cut through the air like a blade.

"You ran away. That wasn't my problem but you stole from me and wanted to run away with a guy.

And now, when you get caught, you suddenly have someone else to blame? Do you really think I'm that stupid?"

My body was trembling under his gaze. I knew Vanessa was behind this.

She had planned it all. She kidnapped me, she injected me , then had some random man whoever he was, and made it look like we were… close.

But I had no way of proving it. No way of making him see that I was telling the truth.

"Where's Vanessa?" I demanded, trying to keep my voice steady despite the lump in my throat. "Where is she? I need to talk to her.

She's the one that did all this, I only tried to run away, I didn't steal anything or sleep with any guy.

For a moment, Alexander's expression shifted but for a second.

Without a word, he reached into his pocket, pulling out his phone. My heart stopped as he tossed it onto the table in front of me.

The screen flickered to life, showing a video. A video of me, the same video Vanessa showed me.

I gasped, my hands shaking as I tried to process what I was seeing. This wasn't real. He has also saw the video.

Vanessa, she's behind all this, she twisted the truth, and made it look like I'd been with some random man.

But I couldn't explain that now. The damage was done.

Alexander's voice, sharp as ice, cut through the silence. "Still want to tell me it wasn't you?"

My heart thundered in my chest. I shook my head, frantic. "I don't even know who that is! I swear, I wasn't….."

His smirk was slow,"Lies. And I don't tolerate liars."

Before I could muster another word, he turned to the guards standing beside us this whole time.

"Take her," he commanded, his voice filled with finality. "Take her to the dungeon. She will work and be punished without food for three days."

The air left my lungs in a rush as the guards moved toward me. Their hands grabbed me again, dragging me away.

My mind screamed, my body fought, but I was too weak. The punishment had already begun. No one would hear me. No one would help me.

"Am I cleared?" Alexander's voice rang out from behind me, loud enough to make the floor tremble beneath my feet.

And right now, I had no idea what was coming next.

But one thing is that it would be worse

More worse than anything I had ever faced in my entire life.