The Wife He Dumped, The Queen She Returned As novel Chapter 234

He was arrogant, cold, and entirely above it all. There was absolutely zero trace of fear in his demeanor.

Chloe felt herself being tossed onto an incredibly plush sofa.

Her wrists were pinned behind her back, the black hood still tightly bound over her head. She struggled to breathe through the thick fabric, barely able to catch the faint slivers of light bleeding through.

"Who are you?" she demanded, speaking out loud.

There was no reply. Instead, she heard the rustle of a phone being dialed, followed by a low, measured voice speaking in English.

"Mr. Sterling, come here."

A short while later, the door clicked open and shut, and the sound of steady footsteps approached.

"Chloe?"

It was Julian Sterling.

He let out a low chuckle, practically dripping with amusement. "What a surprise. You were acting so high and mighty a few hours ago, and now look at you. What a tragic mess."

"Chloe, you truly never fail to keep things entertaining."

He turned his attention to someone else in the room. "Leave her to me."

Footsteps quietly retreated into the distance.

The room descended into a suffocating silence.

With her vision completely cut off, Chloe's remaining senses went into hyperdrive.

She could vividly feel Julian looming over her, his predatory gaze slithering over her skin like a cold snake.

"Chloe, agree to the terms I mentioned before, and I'll save you."

His icy fingertips gently traced the curve of her neck.

Chloe flinched violently, snarling, "Get the hell away from me! If you touch me, I swear I'll chop your fingers off!"

"Tsk, so aggressive."

Julian chuckled. "I offer you nothing but kindness every single time, and this is how you repay me. To be honest, it really hurts my feelings."

"If you won't let me save you..." he mused to himself. "What are we going to do? Should I just leave you to rot out here in the middle of the Pacific? Wouldn't that be a little too cruel?"

Click.

The line went instantly dead.

Even Julian looked genuinely surprised. He clicked his tongue. "So ruthless?"

He immediately dialed the number again, murmurs slipping from his lips.

"Well then, Chloe, it looks like you've completely outlived your usefulness."

His voice took on a sinister edge. "If Preston doesn't pick up this time, I'm going to let you sink to the bottom of the Pacific."

It was delivered so casually, yet devoid of any trace of a joke. The threat sent a bone-deep chill through her.

Right before it went to voicemail, the call finally connected.

Julian jammed the phone against Chloe's lips, his tone hard and commanding. "Speak. You only get one shot at this."

A heavy lump formed in Chloe's throat. "Preston..."