Ten Knives for His Perfect Girl

My former fianc, who once adored me more than life itself, tied me to a dartboard in an underground gambling den, using me as a living target for his perfect girl.

Ten knives, grazing my skin, pinned themselves into the wooden board.

He watched me bleed from above, a cold sneer on his face. Audrey, you owe this to Serena. Your greedy father stole her father's life-saving heart, so you should pay with your life.

I bit my lip, enduring the excruciating pain, all for the money to keep my brother in the ICU.

But later, when the truth came out, when he learned my father was the benefactor who voluntarily donated his heart, and had even died tragically in prison for it...

He knelt before my brother's grave, slapped his own face until it was raw, and cried like a madman who'd lost everything.

Yet, I couldn't even spare him a glance. I walked away, hand in hand with another man, towards a tomorrow that didn't include him.

The air in the underground gambling den was thick with the sickening smell of blood and cheap cigars.

I was tightly bound to a huge round wooden board.

My limbs spread wide, like a rag doll waiting for sacrifice.

"Mr. Hayes, are you really going this far?" A rich heir beside me rubbed his hands, his eyes glinting with excitement and cruelty.

Ethan Hayes sat on the leather sofa in the center of the room.

His long legs were crossed, and he toyed with a gleaming throwing knife.

Serena Vance nestled delicately in his arms, her nails painted crimson.

"Ethan, maybe that's enough. Miss Davis looks so pathetic. What if she gets a cut on her face?"

Ethan scoffed, his gaze sharp as a knife, cutting across my face.

"A murderer's daughter like her? Pathetic? She doesn't deserve it."

He stood up and walked five yards away from me.

"Audrey, ten knives. For each one that doesn't hit a vital spot, I'll give you ten thousand."

"One hundred thousand after all ten. That should be enough for your sick brother's surgery."

My cracked lips moved.

"Deal."

No hesitation, no begging.

A flicker of savagery crossed Ethan Hayes's eyes.

Three years ago, I was the pampered Audrey Davis, held in his palm.

Now, I was a pathetic stray, willing to throw my life away for money.

He flicked his wrist.

*Whoosh---*

The first knife flew past my cheek, slicing off a strand of hair, and embedded itself firmly in the board next to my ear.

The cold edge sent shivers down my spine.

I didn't blink.

"Ten thousand," I calmly reported.

Ethan Hayes clenched his jaw, his jawline taut.

The second knife grazed my neck.

The third, brushed my side.

Each knife cut through the air, carrying his hatred, a desire to rip me to shreds.

The surrounding crowd erupted in cheers.

I stared intently into Ethan Hayes's eyes.

Those eyes, once filled with deep affection, now held only disgust and perverse pleasure.

As the eighth knife flew, Serena suddenly let out a gasp, pretending to lose her balance and bumping Ethan Hayes's arm.

The throwing knife veered off course.

*Thunk.*

The blade plunged directly into my left shoulder.

Blood gushed out instantly, staining my faded shirt.

The searing pain tore at my nerves. I let out a muffled groan, cold sweat instantly soaking my back.

"Oh dear! I'm so sorry, Miss Davis, I didn't mean to!" Serena covered her mouth, but her eyes were full of triumphant malice.

Ethan Hayes froze for a moment, looking at the blood on my shoulder. The hand holding the last two knives trembled slightly.

But he quickly masked it, staring coldly at me.

"Does it hurt?"

"When your dad bribed the doctor and stole Serena's father's heart, Serena hurt a thousand times more than you do now."

"A daughter paying for her father's sins. Just bear it."

I looked at him, forcing a pale smile.

"Mr. Hayes, does this one count? If so, that's eighty thousand."

Ethan Hayes's eyes fixated on the smile at my lips, the corners of his eyes reddening.

He violently slammed the remaining two knives to the ground.

"Audrey, do you enjoy debasing yourself like this?!"

I was still bound to the board, blood dripping down my arm.

"Mr. Hayes, if I don't debase myself, my brother will die."

"Just pay the money."

The air in the private room instantly solidified.

Ethan Hayes stared at me intently, his chest heaving.

He strode over, grabbing my chin with a grip so strong it felt like my bones would shatter.

"Are you that desperate for money? So desperate you'd throw away all your dignity?"

I was forced to look up at his furious face.

"Can dignity save my brother's life?"

"If it could, Mr. Hayes, name your price. I'd sell it by the pound."

Ethan Hayes's pupils constricted sharply.

He flung his hand away as if he'd been burned.

"Let her down," he commanded the bodyguards, his voice hoarse.

The moment the ropes were untied, I collapsed to the ground, drained of all strength.

The wound on my left shoulder was still bleeding, dripping from my fingertips onto the expensive carpet.

Ethan Hayes pulled a check from his pocket, quickly wrote a hundred thousand, then walked over to me.

He didn't hand it to me.

Instead, he loosened his grip, and the check fluttered into an ashtray filled with shattered glass.

"Get it yourself," he said, looking down at me.

I said nothing.

Kneeling on the ground, I reached out my right hand, probing into the ashtray full of glass shards.

Sharp glass pierced my fingertips, mixing blood with cigarette ash.

I found the check.

Clutching it tightly in my hand.

"Thank you, Mr. Hayes, for sparing my life."

I swayed as I stood up, clutching my left shoulder, and walked step by step towards the exit.

"Stop right there," Serena suddenly interjected.

She clicked across the room in her high heels, her eyes scornful.

"Audrey, you soiled Ethan's carpet. You think you can just walk away?"

"Kneel, and lick the blood clean off the carpet."

I stopped, turning to look at Ethan Hayes.

He stood in the shadows, saying nothing to stop her.

He was silently condoning it.

I looked at the blood-stained check in my hand.

A hundred thousand.

My brother was in the ICU, waiting for this money to save his life.

I closed my eyes, bent my knees, and knelt heavily on the ground.

Just as I was about to bend lower.

The door to the private room was kicked open with a bang.

Daniel Miller, dressed in a black trench coat, stormed in, radiating a chilling aura.

His eyes immediately landed on me, kneeling on the ground, and the shocking bloodstain on my shoulder.

"Audrey!"

Daniel rushed over, pulling me up from the floor and wrapping his trench coat around me.

He turned, his gaze fierce, and glared at Ethan Hayes.

"Ethan Hayes, are you even human?!"

Ethan Hayes saw Daniel grabbing my hand, and his eyes instantly turned to ice.

"Mr. Miller, this is a private matter between Audrey and me. It's none of your business."

"Private matter?" Daniel scoffed. "Injuring someone like this? That's assault! Audrey, let's go, we're calling the police."

I grabbed Daniel's arm, shaking my head.

"Daniel, just take me to the hospital."

"My brother is waiting for me."

I couldn't call the police.

If I did, Ethan Hayes would have a hundred ways to ensure I never got that money.

Daniel looked at my pale face, a flicker of heartbreak in his eyes.

He swept me into his arms, then turned and walked out.

"Audrey, if you dare to leave with him today, you won't get a single penny of this money!" Ethan Hayes roared behind us.

Leaning weakly in Daniel's arms, I spoke.

"Mr. Hayes, I already have the check. We owe each other nothing."

Outside, the rain was pouring down.

Daniel put me into the car, stomped on the accelerator, and sped towards the city hospital.

The car's heater was on, but I was still shivering uncontrollably.

The wound on my left shoulder was numb.

I clutched the check tightly, as if holding onto Leo's last hope.

"Audrey, are you insane? He told you to be a live target, and you just went along with it?" Daniel roared while driving, his voice laced with suppressed trembling.

I looked out at the blurred night scenery.

"Daniel, I had no choice."

"The hospital gave a final ultimatum. If the money isn't paid tonight, they'll pull the plug on Leo's ventilator."

"My dad already died in jail. I can't lose Leo too."

Daniel slammed his hand on the steering wheel, his eyes red.

"I told you I'd find a way to get the money! Why won't you just take my money?!"

"Because I can't pay you back," I said softly.

Three years ago, when the Davis family went bankrupt and my father was imprisoned, everyone shunned me.

Only Daniel, the poor student I once sponsored, now an elite lawyer, stood by me, battling against Ethan Hayes's oppression, trying to help me.

I already owed him too much.

The car screeched to a halt at the hospital entrance.

I pushed open the door and stumbled into the lobby.

"Nurse! I'm here to pay! A hundred thousand, arrange my brother's surgery immediately!"

I rushed to the payment window, slapping the blood-stained check onto the glass.

The nurse on duty glanced at the check, then at my blood-soaked appearance, startled.

She quickly took the check to verify it.

A few minutes later, the nurse returned with the check, her face somewhat troubled.

"Miss Davis, this check... it's been frozen."

*Boom.* My mind went blank.

"What did you say? Impossible! This is a Hayes Group check!"

"The bank just informed us that the issuer revoked the payment order," the nurse said, looking at me sympathetically.

Ethan Hayes.

It was him.

He still wouldn't let me go.

All the strength in my body seemed to drain away in an instant, and I slid down the cold wall to the floor.

"Audrey!" Daniel rushed over to support me.

I grabbed Daniel's collar, tears finally streaming down my face.

"Daniel, he stopped the check... he stopped the check..."

"What about Leo? What will happen to Leo?!"

Just then, my phone rang.

It was a voice message from Serena.

My hands trembled as I opened it.

"Audrey, Ethan said if you want the money, crawl back to the Hayes family mansion."

"As soon as you crawl to the door like a dog, that hundred thousand will be instantly transferred."

In the voice message, Ethan Hayes's cold scoff could also be heard.

I gripped my phone tightly, my knuckles white.

"Audrey, don't go! I'll contact people to borrow money right away!" Daniel snatched my phone.

I pushed him away, helping myself up by leaning on the wall.

"There's no time. Daniel, please watch over Leo for me."

I turned and ran back out into the rainy night.

The Hayes family mansion was located halfway up the mountain.

I didn't take a taxi, because I didn't even have money for a cab.

I dragged my injured body, walking for two hours in the heavy rain.

By the time I reached the mansion gates, I could barely stand.

The iron gates were closed tight.

The mansion inside was brightly lit.

I took a deep breath, bent my knees, and knelt on the cold asphalt.

Rainwater mixed with mud flowed into my eyes, stinging terribly.

From the gate to the main villa, it was over a hundred yards.

My knees were bleeding profusely.

Finally, I crawled to the living room's floor-to-ceiling window.

Through the glass, I saw Ethan Hayes sitting on the sofa, holding a glass of red wine.

Serena leaned in his arms, pointing at me outside the window, laughing hysterically.

Ethan Hayes's gaze pierced through the rain, landing on me.

His eyes held an incredibly complex mix of satisfaction, anger, and a hint of panic he himself hadn't noticed.

I stopped, looking up, staring at him through the glass.

Blood from my forehead blurred my vision.

I opened my mouth, silently saying,

"Give me the money."

Ethan Hayes abruptly stood up, his red wine glass smashing to the floor, shattered into countless pieces.

He strode to the floor-to-ceiling window and flung open the glass door.

Wild wind and heavy rain swept into the living room.

"Audrey, you're truly debased to your core!" Ethan Hayes looked down at me, his voice colder than the icy rain.

I lay in the mud, looking up at him.

"Mr. Hayes is right to scold me. The money?"

Ethan Hayes looked at my lifeless eyes, his chest heaving violently.

He suddenly grabbed my collar, pulling me up from the ground.

"You care that much about that bastard?!"

"He's not a bastard, he's my brother," I calmly corrected him.

"Good, very good." Ethan Hayes laughed in rage.

He pulled out a document and flung it at my face.

"Sign this, and the hundred thousand will be instantly deposited into the hospital account."

I used the living room light to make out the words on the document.

A "Confession of Guilt."

It stated that my father, Richard Davis, had used his position to maliciously tamper with the organ donation list, leading to Serena's father's delayed treatment and death.

My father admitted to all his crimes and stated he deserved to die.

My breathing instantly hitched.

"Ethan Hayes, are you insane?!" I looked at him, trembling.

"My dad never did such a thing! Back then, the Vance family..."

"Shut up!" Ethan Hayes sharply cut me off. "The evidence is conclusive, and you still want to argue?"

"Sign it, admit your dad was a murderer, and I'll save your brother."

I looked at that document as if it were a venomous snake.

If I signed it, my father would forever bear the stigma of a murderer, never resting in peace.

If I didn't, Leo would die tonight.

"Ethan, don't force her," Serena walked over, feigning concern as she held Ethan Hayes's arm.

"Miss Davis is so proud, how could she possibly admit her father is a murderer for money?"

"It seems her brother's life isn't that important to her after all."

Serena's words were like a sharp knife, plunging into my heart.

I closed my eyes, tears finally mixing with the rain.

"I'll sign."

I reached out a trembling hand.

A flicker of disbelief crossed Ethan Hayes's eyes.

He handed me a pen.

My right hand, cut by glass when I picked up the check earlier, couldn't hold the pen properly.

So I bit my left index finger, and at the bottom of the document, I pressed my bloody fingerprint heavily.

"Audrey..." Ethan Hayes looked at the bloody fingerprint, his voice trembling slightly.

"The money, transfer it," I stared fixedly at him.

Ethan Hayes took out his phone and dialed his assistant.

"Transfer the money to the city hospital, Leo Davis's account."

After hanging up, he looked at me.

"Get out."

I didn't linger for a second, turning and rushing back into the rainy night.

I practically stumbled and crawled back to the hospital.

Soaked to the bone, my face covered in blood, like a demon that had just crawled out of hell.

"Leo! Leo's money has been paid!"

I rushed to the ICU door, only to find the room wide open.

It was empty.

Only a few nurses were tidying up the bed.

"Nurse! Where's my brother? Where's Leo?" I rushed in like a madwoman, grabbing a nurse's arm.

The nurse looked at me, her eyes full of pity.

"Miss Davis... you're too late."

"Patient Leo Davis, ten minutes ago, due to cardiopulmonary failure... was pronounced deceased."

*Buzz.* My mind went blank.

The whole world instantly fell silent.

I couldn't hear what the nurse was saying, couldn't hear the bustling sounds in the hallway.

I stared blankly at the empty bed.

The white sheets had been replaced with new ones, without a single wrinkle.

"Impossible..."

"You're lying to me! I paid the money! A hundred thousand! Ethan Hayes transferred it!"

I screamed hysterically, tears streaming uncontrollably.

"Miss Davis, the money did arrive five minutes ago."

"But... but Miss Vance sent someone half an hour ago and forcibly took the special medicine originally prepared for Leo, claiming Mr. Vance urgently needed it."

"Leo couldn't hold on until the next batch of medicine arrived..."

The nurse's voice grew fainter and fainter.

But I heard every word clearly.

Serena Vance.

Serena took the medicine.

Ethan Hayes made me sign the confession, delaying my time.

And Serena seized the opportunity to pull Leo's last life-saving straw.

They conspired together to kill my only family.

I suddenly burst out laughing.

Laughing until my heart ached, laughing until my whole body trembled.

I sold my dignity, I sold my father's reputation, I sold half my life.

All I got in return was a cold corpse.

"Audrey!"

Daniel rushed from the end of the hallway, catching me as I swayed.

"Where's Leo?" I gripped Daniel's clothes tightly, as if clutching a last piece of driftwood.

Daniel's eyes were red, his voice choked.

"In... the morgue."

I pushed Daniel away, walking step by step towards the morgue.

The corridor on the second basement floor was chillingly cold.

I pushed open the heavy door.

Leo's small body lay on the cold metal slab, covered by a white sheet.

I walked over and pulled back the sheet.

He lay with his eyes closed, his face pale, as if he were just sleeping.

"Leo, I'm here."

I reached out and touched his face.

So cold.

Cold as ice.

I took off my soaked coat, wanting to cover him with it.

"Don't be afraid, Leo. I'm taking you home."

I murmured, tears streaming down onto his face.

"Audrey..." Daniel stood behind me, unable to bear watching any longer.

Just then, the morgue door opened again.

Two police officers in uniform walked in.

They looked at me, their expressions serious.

"Are you Ms. Audrey Davis?"

I turned my head mechanically.

"We're from the City Police Department's Criminal Investigation Unit."

The older officer stepped forward, handing me a manila envelope.

"Regarding the case three years ago, where your father, Mr. Richard Davis, was suspected of tampering with the organ donation list, we have new evidence."

"After investigation, Mr. Richard Davis did not tamper with the list that year."

"On the contrary, he voluntarily gave up his own treatment opportunity after a successful match with the former CEO of Hayes Group, Mr. Hayes, and donated his heart to him."

"The Vance family, in order to get a huge reward from the Hayes family, bribed the attending physician and falsified medical records, changing the donor to Serena Vance's father, who was brain-dead from a car accident."

"Mr. Richard Davis, in the detention center, was beaten to death by inmates bribed by the Vance family because he refused to sign the false confession they fabricated."

The police officer's voice echoed in the empty morgue.

Every word, like thunder.

"Ms. Davis, your father was not a murderer."

"He was a hero who saved a life."

I stared blankly at the manila envelope.

I didn't take it.

The truth had come.

My father's innocence had been revealed.

But my father was dead.

My brother was dead too.

What good was this belated truth?

Could it bring back their lives?

*Thump.*

A faint sound came from the morgue door.

I didn't turn around.

But I knew who it was.

Ethan Hayes stood in the shadows outside the door.

In his hand was the "Confession of Guilt" that I had just signed with my bloody fingerprint.

Now, that document had fallen to the ground.

He stared fixedly at the archive bag in the police officer's hand, his face ashen, like a dead man.

His lips trembled violently, his voice so hoarse it was almost inaudible.

"What did you... just say?"