He snatched a remote, and the chair suddenly reclined, spreading my legs apart. The abrupt shift caused the metal cuffs to scrape harshly against my skin. He grabbed a fistful of my hair—
"Ah—!" I cried out in pain.
Without a shred of pity, he ripped off my robe and tore open my nightgown, leaving me in nothing but panties.
"Kholod... don't..."
"Don't?" He bent over me. "When your father sold me out and your mother basked in the protection I provided, did they ever think 'don't'?"
"I didn't deceive you!" I cried. "Kholod, please..."
He sneered, his fingers clamping my chin, forcing me to meet his gaze. "Noelle Bellucci, thinking back, every glance, every word, every act of submission was just mocking me."
"It's not..."
"When you initiated that kiss, were you celebrating how your performance had fooled me? When you said you wanted me, were you scheming to extract even more?"
"No! Kholod, that's not it! I like you! I love you, Kholod!"
"Noelle, you really think I'll believe that now?!"
My mouth opened, but no words emerged.
"Kholod..." I choked out. "Let me explain... I always thought... you were the one who killed my dad... that's why I..."
He seemed to have had enough, turning to the cabinet and yanking open a drawer. Inside were neatly arranged whips, candles, and other tools I'd never laid eyes on.
Fear surged through me like a tidal wave.
"Kholod... not like this..."
"I'll make you understand," he said, selecting a black leather whip and weighing it in his hand, "the cost of betraying me."
He pressed the whip against my collarbone, sliding it downward slowly.
"See this?"
I shook my head desperately, terror rendering me nearly speechless.
"Answer my questions honestly," he murmured, "or you'll regret it."
"I'll tell... anything..."
"Good." He smiled, a grin more terrifying than any scowl. "First question—what exactly was your father's plan?"
"What plan? I don't know—"
The whip lashed down across my chest, slicing precisely over the right peak. It wasn't like any whip I'd imagined—this one seemed specially made, not excruciatingly painful, but delivering a sharp sting laced with a tingling numbness that rippled through me.
I screamed, the bizarre sensation tearing a cry from my lips.
Kholod leaned in closer, his voice a menacing growl. "Tell me what your family's been plotting, Noelle. All the schemes, the betrayals—spill it."
Tears poured down my face. "I don't know! I swear, I have no idea!"
"You're lying." He swung again, this time striking the left peak. That same odd blend—pain buzzing into an electric thrill, making my body arch against the restraints.
I yelped, gasping for air. "I'm not lying!"
