For Nora Lowell, this day brought a taste of unprecedented pleasure and, at the same time, an overwhelming sense of humiliation.

Sheldon Reid had taken her back to his residence—not the one she was used to, but a secluded villa outside the military district.

She had followed his steps in such a hurry that she hadn’t even noticed the villa’s decor. The only thing that left a deep impression was probably the large bed in the bedroom.

It was enormous, more than three meters wide. Covered in extremely rare and expensive black velvet, it made her involuntarily wonder just how many women had lain on it before.

But that was a question she had no right to ask.

The moment she had reached for the forbidden, she had already paid the price with her own body.

It wasn’t that she felt no shame.

She had always despised women who traded their bodies to get what they wanted from men. How could she have ever expected to become one of them herself?

But the arrow was already nocked; she had to let it fly.

To interrupt Sheldon Reid’s pleasure at a time like this would be tantamount to digging her own grave.

She couldn’t be kicked out of Military Command, nor could she bear her own downfall. The mere thought of being hunted by Shawn Monroe or Paige Summers’s people, forced to hide and live like a sewer rat, sent a chill down her spine.

She would rather climb into Sheldon Reid’s bed than face that.

So, the only thing she needed to do now was, at the man’s signal, strip naked and place her bare body in the center of that massive bed.

Against the black velvet, her skin appeared even paler. Her disheveled hair made her face seem smaller, yet her eyes seemed to grow wider.

She looked up at the man pressing down on her with a seemingly frail gaze, revealing a hint of pitiful charm.

The man instantly lost control...

In bed, Sheldon Reid was wild and passionate, even a little savage. It was a complete reversal of his usual cold and aloof demeanor. Like a beast, he tossed and turned her, over and over.

As she teetered on the brink of ecstasy, she was forced to utter countless lewd words.

And these words only served to further excite the man, making his movements even more violent. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

Whether it was being brought to climax by the man’s raw power or by his various other techniques, she had tasted complete and utter submission before half the night was over.

Amidst the man’s insulting words, she was on her hands and knees on the bed, enduring a seemingly endless, powerful assault. A dazed illusion began to form in her mind.

’Perhaps I really am the cheap bitch he says I am... How can I defend myself when I can still get excited, can still climax, while being treated like this?’

But even as she debased herself, a sliver of hope remained.

Hope that she was special to Sheldon Reid.

Hope that the carnal feast she offered would satisfy him.

Hope... that she would be under his protection from now on...

However, just as she was indulging in this beautiful dream, everything came to an abrupt halt.

His body satisfied, Sheldon Reid abandoned her without a second thought and went to the bathroom. Just as she, utterly exhausted and unable to move, was drifting into a stupor, his cold voice suddenly sounded from the foot of the bed.

"You have violated military discipline and must be punished. However, seeing as you performed quite well just now, I’ll give you two choices. Let Woody Warren take the punishment for you, or take it yourself. If you choose the former, I can smooth things over and let you stay in Military Command. If it’s the latter... Heh, I trust you’re not that stupid."

Her hazy eyes shot wide open, her expression stiffening into an ugly mask.

’How could he!’

To force her to make such a cruel decision just moments after they had been so intimate!

Sheldon Reid looked down at her, as if seeing right through her thoughts, and raised an eyebrow mockingly. "You don’t really think your body is that valuable, do you?"

"Do you have any idea who you tried to assassinate, slander, and frame? She’s an Artifact Maker recognized by the Mercer Family—The First Martial Clan. Whether she admits it or not, she is also the legitimate, biological granddaughter of Frederick Lowell, the Lowell Family Head. On top of that, she’s the stepdaughter of the late Grand Marshal Reid. My stepsister. Understand? She is not someone you, a cast-off abandoned by Gryphon Lowell, can touch!"

"You... had best stay far away from her. If there is a next time, believe me, your end will be even worse than Woody Warren’s."

As he finished speaking, Sheldon Reid’s footsteps echoed as he walked to the door, leaving her with one last sentence.

"Report to my office at nine o’clock sharp tomorrow morning. You will personally supervise the punishment. And one more thing: I despise last-minute surprises. Don’t give me a reason to make the punishment worse."

The sound of his footsteps descending the stairs seemed to trample on Nora Lowell’s heart, filling her with pain and rage. She had never believed there was any difference between her and Paige Summers. If anything, Paige was the one who was her inferior!

But Sheldon Reid’s words had shattered all her defenses, driving the thorns of jealousy straight into her heart.

A "cast-off" versus someone with a background glittering with endless titles. She had to admit it: the enemy she hated to the bone was now far, far above her.

Just as Sheldon Reid had said, she was no longer someone Nora could touch...

’What should I do?’

’What should I do now?’

’And what about the future?’

Waves of desolate sorrow surged in her chest, suffocating her. Her body had already reached its limit, but because of this sudden, cruel command, she could only let her empty gaze drift toward some distant, unreachable place.

An unknown amount of time passed before the sky outside began to brighten.

Nora Lowell slowly returned to her senses.

From head to toe, even her heart was ice-cold.

Only now did she notice the sticky feeling on her body. It was utterly nauseating.

She struggled out of the disheveled bed and stumbled into the bathroom.

No amount of hot water could wash away her urge to break down and sob. Under the cover of the rushing water, fat tears and suppressed whimpers filled the room.

Nearly an hour later, Nora Lowell emerged from the bathroom.

Aside from her swollen eyes and slow gait, her face betrayed almost no sign of what had happened.

She slowly put on her wrinkled clothes and walked out of the room that contained only a single bed.

It had to be said, in some ways, Nora Lowell was an incredibly resilient woman. Her ability to recover was astonishing.

Would a woman like her be so crushed by Sheldon Reid’s words that she couldn’t recover?

Not a chance.

’So Sheldon Reid played with her, scorned her, looked down on her?’

’It didn’t matter.’

’She could endure it.’

’Endure it until the day she truly took back Norgate!’

’She would make him see that the woman who had once submitted beneath him was not some weak little animal to be manipulated at will, but a fierce beast with fangs and claws!’

’Paige Summers’s status was higher than hers?’

’So what?!’

’She refused to believe Paige would be lucky forever!’

’She would lie in wait, using any means necessary, until the day she could drag her down and crush her underfoot!’

Due to the discomfort in her body, every step she took was exceptionally heavy.

And with each step, the situation before her became clearer and clearer.

Until she could escape Sheldon Reid’s control, she had no choice but to do as he said, however unwilling she was.

Sacrificing Woody Warren was inevitable.

With a sorrowful expression, she arrived at Woody Warren’s furniture shop.

The shop had only been able to open, of course, with help from Sheldon Reid’s subordinates.

The military subsidy wasn’t small, but it was far from enough for what she needed to do.

Woody Warren had voluntarily shouldered these expenses.

As an uncle, Woody Warren’s devotion to her was impeccable. As if to make up for the years he hadn’t been able to care for her, he always gave her the best of everything, from food to daily necessities.

He also trusted her words completely.

The journey from The Dead City to here had depleted nearly all his savings, but he never once complained.

As soon as the small shop opened, he hired staff and began soliciting business everywhere.

In a short time, it had become quite successful.

But the reality was that she, his most beloved niece, was about to send him to his death...

Nora Lowell’s heart felt as if it were being twisted by a knife.

’He was her only living relative in this world...’

"Nora? What’s wrong with you?!"

Woody Warren had just gotten up and gotten ready. The moment he came out of his room, he saw Nora Lowell’s disheveled and haggard appearance and was startled.

Nora Lowell shook her head, took his hand, and sat him down in the living room.

"Uncle, I... I need to tell you something..."

No matter how hard it was to say, it had to be said.

Skipping over the part about her sleeping with Sheldon Reid, Nora Lowell spoke haltingly, but in the end, Woody Warren understood what she meant.

In short, the assassination attempt and the series of plots against Paige Summers had been exposed. For some reason, Sheldon Reid was going to step in for her, but someone had to be handed over to close the matter. It was either him or Nora Lowell... And it wasn’t hard to imagine the outcome of that.

Nora Lowell wasn’t stupid enough to directly tell Woody Warren, "Go and sacrifice yourself." Instead, she placed the choice in his hands.

But how Woody Warren would choose was self-evident.

Could he really watch his sister’s only daughter go to her death while he continued to live?

In other words, if Nora Lowell hadn’t seen through his character long ago, why would she have put the "choice" in his hands?

There was a choice in name only. In reality, the path was already set.

The light in Woody Warren’s eyes dimmed, bit by bit. He pulled his hand from Nora Lowell’s grasp, patted her gently, and forced a smile. "Don’t be afraid, Nora. Don’t be afraid. Your... your uncle is here. As long as I go, he won’t make things difficult for you. You... you have to live a good life, understand?"

With that, he stood up, looking a bit dazed. "Come to think of it, I don’t have anything to pack. I’ll just go like this. Speaking of which, I’ve never seen what Military Command looks like. That time I waited for you, I only saw it from a distance. To be able to see it before... before the end... that’s not so bad..."

Tears streamed down Nora Lowell’s face. Crying "Uncle!", she threw herself into his arms and sobbed uncontrollably. But from beginning to end, she never once said the words, ’Uncle, don’t go. I’ll go.’

Woody Warren slowly raised his hand, as if to pat her on the back and comfort her.

But halfway there, it fell limply to his side.

His lips moved, but no more words came out.