Her fluffy, sheer white dress reached down to her ankles. As she was dragged forward, the hem swayed back and forth behind her.

The tall, upright man in front of her held both her wrists tightly, taking huge strides; it was almost as if he were carrying her along, with her toes occasionally tapping the ground.

Her black hair streamed behind her, sweeping from shoulder to waist and then back again with each unsteady step.

Maria was still being supported at the doorway, with two bodyguards on either side gripping her arms. Her knees were weak, and her body kept slumping downward—only the guards’ firm hold kept her from collapsing to the floor.

Tears finally welled up in Maria’s eyes and silently trickled down her cheeks, dripping onto the floor.

The bodyguards stood at the door, perfectly straight, hands clasped in front of them, gazes fixed ahead; none of them looked upstairs. They were professionally trained. Over the years they’d served the boss, they’d never seen a woman by his side. There had been those who recklessly tried to get close, but even after warnings, nothing changed—they were thrown into the red-light district to work as prostitutes.

Since then, no woman had dared approach the boss again. But this woman… When had she become the boss’s woman? It seemed she must have done something wrong, yet the boss wasn’t killing her—why not? Perhaps the boss had brought her upstairs just to cut out her tongue and chop off her hands himself?

These thoughts raced through the bodyguards’ minds, but their faces remained expressionless. They still held Maria firmly in place; the boss had only ordered them to stop here, without saying to let the maid go. They would wait for the boss’s explicit command.

Vio pushed open the bedroom door and pulled the girl inside. The door clicked shut behind them.

The corridor light was cut off, plunging the room into darkness, with only a sliver of moonlight seeping in through the curtain cracks.

Then Qin Qinxi was flung onto the bed. The mattress bounced once, and she sank in before springing back up.

The girl quickly turned over, bracing herself with her arms and scrambling backward.

Vio stood at the foot of the bed, bathed in moonlight that cast his silhouette starkly and coldly. He reached behind his waist and unbuckled his belt.

The leather strap slid out from his pants, which he gripped in his hand, folded in half, and tightened.

Qin Qinxi trembled all over in fear. She thought he was going to whip her with the belt.

She scrambled backward, her back hitting the headboard, with nowhere left to retreat.

But the man leaned down, grabbed her ankle, and yanked her back from the foot of the bed.

She slid down, her back scraping against the sheets, until she ended up beneath him.

Vio seized her wrists, wrapped them several times, and pulled tight.

Qin Qinxi bit her lower lip hard, tears welling up in her eyes.

Vio raised her hands above her head and pinned them there.

“Rip!” A sharp tearing sound rang out in the quiet room, splitting the fabric from the neckline all the way to her chest.

Qin Qinxi shrank her shoulders, and the torn pieces slipped off her shoulders, draping over her arms and exposing her collarbone and the edge of her underwear.

“Please don’t do this! I’m begging you… please don’t!”

“Please don’t! No! Vio!” The girl cried with her eyes closed, her voice frantic and broken.

Hearing her call his name made Vio’s heart itch.

He paused, looking down at the sobbing, rain-streaked woman trembling on the bed.

It had been so long since anyone had called him by his name—and no one dared.

So long, in fact, that even he was beginning to forget what his name was.

His subordinates called him “the boss.”

People in the business world called him “Mr. Mansero.”

When Dmitri called him “Vio,” it was through gritted teeth—after all, they were rivals.

And now, here she was, calling his name on the bed.

This time, it was her initiative—not something he had asked her to do.

End of Chapter 64: Chapter 64