In the coveted River City, the opulent mansion of the wealthiest family, the Cunninghams, perched halfway up a prime location in the southern part of the city, standing tall like a palace.
As night fell, piercing screams echoed from this grand estate, particularly harsh and unsettling.
"Hit her, beat her hard..."
A bloodied whip lashed against Eliana's body, her delicate skin, now covered in coarse fabric, already torn and bruised.
"Madam, I didn't steal anything from Ms. Eastwood..." the pain was unbearable, and Eliana weakly clutched the whip, her breath as fragile as a strand of silk.
Smack...
Another resounding slap struck her face. "It was just the three of us in the living room earlier, not you. Could it have been my aunt?" The imposing young woman delivering the punishment was none other than Mrs. Cunningham, a distant niece of the Cunninghams and the supposed victim of the missing earrings, Ms. Eastwood.
"No remorse, just like the rest of the Randle Family... always coveting what's good, like mosquitoes drawn to blood... Keep beating her... beat her to death..." Mentioning the Randle Family, Mrs. Cunningham's eyes filled with a bloodthirsty crimson. The hatred she held had festered in her heart for over a decade, just like her disfigured face.
For someone as lowly as Eliana, this kind of abuse had become routine. Whenever Mrs. Cunningham was displeased, Eliana became the outlet for her anger.
Eliana hadn't done anything wrong. If anything, her only crime was being born with the surname Lin, the sworn enemies of the Cunningham Family. In their eyes, she deserved every beating she received.
This was Eliana's tragic life, a life that had been sealed the moment she entered the Cunningham Family's mansion three years ago.
"Aunt, she says she didn't steal. We should at least give her a chance to prove her innocence. Whether she stole or not can be easily determined..." Rose suddenly stopped Mrs. Cunningham and whispered into her ear.
As they spoke, a wicked smile crossed both their faces, sending shivers down anyone who witnessed it.
In the Cunningham Family, the truth had never mattered. Mrs. Cunningham didn't care if Rose had lost something or not. All that mattered was causing discomfort to the Randle Family and tormenting Eliana. At some point, torturing Eliana had become Mrs. Cunningham's greatest pleasure in life.
Those bloodthirsty eyes, fixed on the enemy's daughter, were filled with venom, harboring an unrelenting hatred for Eliana.
"Strip her for me. I want to see just how filthy the Randle Family is on the inside!"
Mrs. Cunningham's command prompted several maids to press Eliana to the ground and violently tear at her clothes, as if handling a dog.
"Let me go. There's no need for you to undress me; I can do it myself..." Eliana had been pushed to a dead end, and she didn't want these people to defile her body.
Pushing away the maids, she stood before Mrs. Cunningham, covered in wounds, and one by one, she peeled off her tattered clothes.
Eliana wasn't refusing to resist; she simply knew that all her resistance would eventually rebound on the Randle Family. She chose to bear it alone, minimizing the harm.
After a moment, she was left with only her undergarments, barely covering herself. However, it seemed that the Cunningham Family's matriarch on the sofa wasn't satisfied.
"Take her clothes off... continue..."
Eliana took a sharp breath; Mrs. Cunningham indeed wouldn't leave her any dignity. With all eyes on her, she was about to remove her last shred of modesty when...
Suddenly, a deep male voice came from outside the door.
"What are you all doing?"
A man entered the room, putting an end to the commotion.
His name was Dylan, the son of Mrs. Cunningham and the heir to the Cunningham Family, the wealthiest family in River City and the youngest tycoon the city had seen in years.
He was with an air of royalty, and as his gaze swept over Eliana, who stood exposed before him, her face turned beet red. She wished she could find a hole to hide in.
"She stole Rose's earring, and I was just giving her a small punishment," Mrs. Cunningham said with a hint of disdain.
She spoke casually, but in reality, Eliana's battered body was nearly impossible to ignore, marked with fresh and old wounds that would make anyone's skin crawl.
"I didn't do it, I really didn't!" Eliana said, tears welling up in her eyes as she looked at Dylan.
"Stop with that pitiful act; it's nauseating to watch," Dylan said, picking up Eliana's coarse clothing from the floor and tossing it onto her face.
He never showed an ounce of pity towards her.
"Cousin, she's nothing but a shameless thief. We can't just let her go like this!" Rose, who had meticulously set up this situation, didn't want to let it go so easily.
"Then kick her out; the Cunningham Family doesn't harbor thieves!" Dylan said, pulling Eliana out of the room roughly.
This wasn't what Mrs. Cunningham wanted. She had Eliana in the Cunningham Family to vent her frustrations, and if she left now, who would be her target for venting?
"Wait, my son. Kicking her out would be letting the Randle Family off too easily," Mrs. Cunningham stopped Dylan.
"Or we could call the police and let them investigate the theft. If she's found guilty, she deserves at least three years in prison. If she didn't take it..." Dylan trailed off, leaving the rest unsaid.
However, this alarmed Mrs. Cunningham and Rose. They knew that the accusation of theft was just a pretext, a way to torment Eliana. If the police actually got involved, it would be embarrassing for them.
"Forget it; it's just an earring. Since we've already punished her, let's just end it here," Mrs. Cunningham said, trying to diffuse the situation.
Dylan's intervention had helped Eliana escape further harm. Mrs. Cunningham had also had her fill of tormenting Eliana, as she was merely a tool for venting her anger. But Ms. Eastwood, who had lost the earring, wasn't pleased.
"Dylan, she's a thief. Are you just going to let her go like this?"
"What else do you suggest, call the police for an investigation? What if she didn't steal it?" Dylan's gaze turned cold as he looked at Rose, clearly irritated by her assertiveness.
"Heh, right, cousin is right. We'll do as cousin says!" Rose, fearing the consequences, didn't dare to push her luck any further.
"I’m tired. Go prepare a bath for me," Dylan said coldly, casting a disdainful glance at Eliana before heading upstairs.
Today, Dylan had saved Eliana from this ordeal, but in his eyes, she was just a dog of the Cunningham Family, a dog seeking redemption.
Eliana entered Dylan's room. It was spacious, so large that one could get lost in it. Everything in this room, from the towels to every detail, exuded luxury and sophistication, in stark contrast to her tattered appearance.
Everything here reminded Eliana of her past, when she was a pampered heiress, living a life of privilege where everything was handed to her on a silver platter. Her parents had cherished her like a precious jewel.
Perhaps, as with Queen Marie Antoinette, everything that Heaven gives you already has a price tag attached.
Three years ago, when their family fell from grace, their enemies came knocking at their door. She had to package and sell everything she had to ensure her family's survival.
"What are you thinking?" The man suddenly spoke, interrupting Eliana's thoughts.
"N-Nothing," she replied, returning to reality and clumsily tiptoeing toward him.
It had been nearly three years, and even though their relationship had always been complicated, she couldn't bring herself to look directly into Dylan's eyes. She couldn't tell if it was fear, nervousness, or something else entirely.
"Do you feel wronged?" Dylan pinched her chin, his grip a bit forceful, causing Eliana to tear up.
"No..."
"Hmph! Compared to what your father did, what's happening to you now is nothing. Here, you must endure whatever I decide because you are the Cunningham Family's dog, a dog that shouldn't have any complaints!"
Dylan's words were icy and realistic. She was no longer the pampered young lady.
"I know."
Her eyes blurred with tears, and even though she had known her place from day one, his words still tore at her heart.
Their proximity allowed Eliana to understand what this meant. She felt nervous and scared, her hands trembling uncontrollably. This apparent change in her startled Dylan.
"What did you say? Say it again." He grabbed her arm and pulled her back into his embrace.
"I said, since you hate me, why bother touching me? I'm just a dog of the Cunningham Family. I don't want to be yours anymore..." Eliana's words insulted herself and, in a way, insulted Dylan. What was he in her eyes if not someone she wanted?
"What, you don't want to anymore? But don't forget, you once knelt before me, begging for mercy for your family. Eliana, I can do whatever I want to you. You are the Cunningham Family's dog, a dog that shouldn't have any complaints!" He said and then, as if she were a dead dog, pushed her into the bathroom.