Chapter 61

Painkillers should never be taken on an empty stomach.

Susan swallowed a few pieces of soft pastry and drank half a bowl of hot soup before her stomach finally settled.

She took a moment to compose herself before picking up her handbag and heading upstairs.

The so-called lounge was nothing more than a luxury suite on the top floor of the hotel. Susan knew which room Vincent was in, but she wasn’t sure if she could enter.

Would the man who despised her even open the door?

She spent the entire walk rehearsing excuses, only to freeze when she reached the doorway—it was slightly ajar.

Susan knocked lightly before stepping inside cautiously.

"Vincent..."

Before she could finish, a tall figure loomed over her. Vincent stood before her, his once-starry eyes now filled with nothing but icy disdain.

Suppressing the ache in her heart, Susan forced a smile. "I need to talk to you about something important. Just a few minutes?"

Vincent stared at her in silence, his gaze unreadable.

Taking his silence as permission, Susan pulled Daniel’s notebook from her bag and flipped to the page covered in stars.

"This was Daniel’s last wish. He wanted to hear you sing 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star' one more time."

"I know it’s an unreasonable request. But if you remember…" Her voice trembled slightly. "During those four years in the dungeon, you sang it to him every night."

"Dungeon?" Vincent cut her off sharply. "What dungeon?"

"We were locked in a dungeon together for four years. Daniel was my child with Andrew. After he was born, we relied on each other to survive." Susan spoke urgently. "You taught him to read, sang to him… Do you really not remember any of it?"

"Pathetic." Vincent scoffed. "You’d stoop to making up such lies just to get close to me?"

"I did have four years of blurred memories, but that was from recovering in a sanatorium. Candy was the one who stayed by my side!" His voice rose suddenly. "There was no dungeon, no you, and certainly no child!"

Susan stared at him in shock. So it wasn’t amnesia—he’d been hypnotized?

The thought that Henry might have tampered with Vincent’s mind again sent a chill down her spine.

A sharp pain shot through her shoulder as Vincent’s fingers dug into her flesh.

"Susan, I’ve met plenty of women like you—willing to do anything to get what they want." His voice was frigid. "But the only woman I want is Candy."

"You’ve got it all wrong!" Susan hurried to explain. "I don’t have those kinds of feelings for you!"

"I just…" Her voice cracked. "Daniel suffered so much when he died. Thrown off a cliff, torn apart by wild animals…"

Tears blurred her vision. She turned her face away. "Maybe it’s better you don’t remember. At least you won’t grieve for us."

Vincent’s grip tightened unconsciously. He despised this persistent woman, yet hearing her claim she felt nothing for him stirred an inexplicable irritation.

"Still acting?" His voice was rough.

Suddenly, a wave of heat surged through him. Vincent immediately realized he’d been drugged.

That glass of red wine earlier—the server had said it was sent by "Miss Thompson." He’d assumed it was Candy, but it was this woman instead!

"You’d even resort to this to get into my bed?" He threw Susan to the ground and pinned her beneath him.

"Since you have no shame, I’ll give you exactly what you want."