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?"