Iris Yates’s eyes widened in disbelief. "You monster..."
Hearing her words, William Quinn looked even more hurt. "Baby," he said with an aggrieved tone, "I’m worried about you, but this is how you speak to me."
Even though he looked completely disheveled right now—his short hair a mess and his clothes in tatters—his overly exquisite and handsome face made him look like an angel who had accidentally descended to earth. His blue eyes were as clear as the sky.
But Iris knew all too well that this was just his facade, a deceptive mask. He was a devil. He was ruthless and would stop at nothing to achieve his goals!
She took a deep breath, suppressing the anger and hatred churning in her chest. "Okay," she said.
She compromised. She didn’t dare to gamble. What if the person in the basement was really her friend or family member? If her stubbornness caused someone to suffer a fate worse than death, she would never forgive herself.
A huge smile appeared on William’s face. "Good girl," he said. "I’ll have someone bring up breakfast. I’m going to take a shower first." He got up and left the bedroom.
Iris’s taut nerves relaxed a little. She closed her eyes in agony, unsure if her compromise could earn her even the slightest bit of mercy from William.
Breakfast was soon delivered. She noticed that the servant who brought the food was a stranger, not one of the familiar faces from before. Curious, Iris took a few extra glances. This scene happened to be caught by William as he walked in.
His short hair was wet. His blue eyes, tinged with amusement and intense affection, gazed deeply at her. "Those people from before were too insolent to dare treat you like that," he said. "I threw them all into the sea to feed the sharks. Are you satisfied with this punishment?"
Iris’s face instantly turned pale. "How... how could you do that?!" She had only ever heard of his cruelty and bloodlust, but hearing it from his own mouth, combined with the fact that the previous servants were nowhere to be seen, made her believe him entirely.
William approached the bed, a look of heartache appearing on his face. He reached out and carefully touched her cheek. "How many days have I been gone? You’ve become so thin. If I hadn’t come back in time, you would have left me forever. Baby, they didn’t take good care of you. They deserved to die."
He spoke the most cruel words in the gentlest of tones.
Iris’s body trembled with fear. The way she looked at him was as if she were looking at a monster. The next second, his hand covered her eyes, and his voice grew inexplicably hoarse. "Baby, don’t look at me like that. Those who do wrong must be punished."
"You’re a murderer..." Iris’s voice shook. The fear breeding deep within her soul left her frozen in place, not daring to move an inch.
William simply pulled her into a hug. He had heard similar accusations many times before. Holding her tightly, his large hand gently stroked her tense back. "Don’t be afraid, baby," he said. "You have to get used to this life, and you have to get used to me being like this. After all, we’re going to be together for the rest of our lives. Even in death, we won’t be apart."
Iris squeezed her eyes shut, trying her best to control her emotions so she wouldn’t push him away. She couldn’t afford to be reckless right now. By telling her these things, he was warning her to be obedient. Otherwise, he would punish her—or the people she cared about—just as he had punished those servants.