Chapter 281

At the Starlight Hotel, Elodie ended the call and walked over to the round bed, where Nina lay soundly asleep. As she gazed down at Nina, Elodie's long, sharp nails traced lightly across Nina's face. With a sneer, she muttered, "Richard actually likes this?"

A knock came at the door, and shortly after, a young woman in a mask entered. Kaja Pedersen carried a tray with a white nightgown on it and stopped behind Elodie.

Elodie glanced at Kaja and instructed, "Change her into this."

With that, Elodie turned and left the room.

When Richard arrived at the Starlight Hotel, Kaja, still masked, was waiting by the door. Recognizing her instantly, Richard marched up and grabbed Kaja's arm with a fierce grip. The force made Kaja flinch, but she held back a gasp.

Kaja looked up at Richard's icy gaze and braced herself as he demanded, "Where's Elodie?"

Kaja lifted her other hand and gently patted Richard's, her eyes soft with a silent apology.

Richard snapped back to reality and released her, murmuring, "Sorry."

Kaja said nothing in response. She gave Richard one last look before turning and heading into the hotel.

Richard followed her.

In the elevator, they ascended to the top floor. Kaja guided Richard to a closed door and then stopped.

Richard pushed the door open, stepping into a pitch-black room. The door slowly closed behind him, and a faint, intoxicating fragrance filled the air. Just a few breaths of it made Richard's pulse quicken.

As someone accustomed to operating in the shadows, Richard recognized the ploy immediately. He fumbled for the wall switch, but it was malfunctioning; the room remained in darkness.

Heavy blackout curtains shut out all sunlight, leaving only a sliver of light seeping through. Richard moved swiftly towards this narrow beam and drew the curtains apart.

The sudden influx of light shattered the darkness, but the lingering, entrancing aroma still hung in the air. Richard opened a window, letting the fresh air blow in and disperse the bewitching scent.

At that moment, he felt a sudden warmth on his back as a soft, heated body pressed against him. Arms wrapped around his waist, holding him close.

Richard's reflexes were sharp. He seized the wrists and spun around, coming face-to-face with a naked body.

Elodie stood before him, completely unclothed. Despite being restrained, she leaned in closer, her breath coming in short, rapid bursts. Her face was flushed, clearly affected by the lingering scent.

"Richard, I've finally found you. I've missed you so much," she breathed, her voice thick with longing.

Richard held Elodie's wrists with one hand and grabbed a blanket from the back of a chair with the other. He spread it out and draped it over Elodie's shoulders, wrapping her tightly. Then, using the edges of the blanket, he expertly tied a secure knot behind her back before pushing her down into the chair.

Leaning over the sides of the chair, Richard's cold gaze fixed on Elodie. "Tell me where Nina is."

Elodie struggled, but the blanket was constricting her too much for her to escape. She could barely move, panting heavily and sweating from the effort.

When she heard his question, Elodie paused, catching her breath. She looked up at him with a smirk. "Richard, why would you settle for someone as old as Nina? She's not worthy of you!"

"Whether she's worthy or not isn't for you to decide!" Richard's brow furrowed with frustration. He knew Elodie all too well and was aware of what she was capable of. Every second wasted increased Nina's risk. "Elodie, let her go. I'll pretend this never happened!"

Elodie let out a derisive laugh. Instead of answering, she glanced provocatively behind him.

Richard turned to follow her gaze, which was directed at a projector. On the large white screen, a scene from another room was being projected. The camera was focused on a round, lavishly decorated bed. As Richard saw Nina lying unconscious on the bed, his eyes widened in shock.

Nina had been dressed in a white outfit that barely qualified as sleepwear; it was more like provocative lingerie.

The camera angle shifted to reveal two men approaching the bed. Both men were only wearing black shorts, and their sinister smiles grew as they drew closer to Nina.

The screen was silent, but just seeing the scene was enough to make Richard's blood boil.

Elodie's laughter echoed in the room. "Richard, you can hold yourself together; Nina might not be able to. It's quite the show-care to join me?"

"Elodie!" Richard spun around and, with a powerful swing, aimed a punch at Elodie's face.

Elodie's eyes widened in fear and disbelief.

As the punch came closer, she could do nothing but watch it descend towards her. The blow stopped just inches from her face, the rush of air from the impact palpable, and her heart pounded loudly in her ears.

Richard pulled back his fist, his face a mask of restrained fury. He straightened up, gave Elodie one last icy glance, and without saying a word, stormed out of the room.

Elodie slumped into the chair, feeling like a puddle of soft, yielding clay. Her mind was consumed with the memory of Richard's gaze. If Richard had lost his composure just moments ago, or if she weren't one of the Black family, that punch would have surely landed. She could almost guarantee it would have been fatal.

"Richard." Elodie's voice quivered, reverberating through the empty room.

Outside, Kaja remained.

When Richard emerged, Kaja's worried expression slightly eased.

Richard ignored her, heading straight for another room in search of Nina. But despite his thorough search through the entire suite, Nina was nowhere to be found.

Just then, Richard felt a tap on his back. He turned to see Kaja standing there, gesturing rapidly. Unfortunately, Richard didn't understand sign language.

So Kaja turned and headed to the elevator, pressing the button.

When the doors opened, Kaja stepped inside, keeping the door open with the "Open" button pressed. Her gaze remained fixed on Richard, as if she was urging him to join her.

Richard finally grasped her intent. Without hesitation, he strode into the elevator.

The lift descended several floors and stopped.

As soon as the doors opened, Richard bolted out, not waiting for any further instructions from Kaja.