After dinner, the atmosphere relaxed slightly, and the three women—Xuyana, Fengning, and Anya—sat on the plush velvet sofas of the living room. Zain and his father had headed to the study for business discussions.
Outside, it was a moonlit night, and the garden lights filtered through the glass walls. Fengning looked a bit dejected, resting her face on her palms.
Fengning: (With a long sigh) "Bhabhi, what should I do? Ever since you came here, Lu Wei has stopped looking at me, let alone talking. I went to his cafe this afternoon, but the moment he saw me, he switched counters. He seems even more annoyed with me now!"
Anya sat back on the sofa and thought to herself, "My poor brother! Where can he even run to escape the sister of this Dragon?" But outwardly, she maintained the face of a wise 'Bhabhi'.
Anya: (Smiling) "Fengning, don't worry. Boys are like that. The more you pull them toward you, the further they run. Lu Wei is a bit stubborn, but he isn't a bad person at heart."
Madam Xuyana: (Taking a sip of tea) "Anya is right. The women of the Yan family must know how to keep their men in check. Look at Zain—he was so stern and stone-hearted, but see how Anya has him dancing to her tunes! He was being so 'sweet' at dinner today."
Anya's throat went dry. "I have him dancing? Auntie, he is the one making me dance, and I am nothing but a puppet to his whims!"
Fengning: "But sister in law, tell me some trick so that Lu Wei calls me himself. Should I buy all the muffins in his cafe? Or should I book the entire stock?"
Anya shook her head vigorously. "No! Absolutely not! If you do that, he will despise you even more, thinking you are just a 'rich arrogant girl'. He loves simplicity."
Suddenly, Xuyana took Anya's hand in hers. There was a newfound seriousness in her eyes. "Anya, Fengning is still a child... but you are a grown woman now. Living with Zain is not easy. He is very obsessive. Has he ever... troubled you? I mean, his anger doesn't fall on you, does it?"
A sudden silence blanketed the living room. Anya recalled Zain's rules regarding 'Physical Ownership'. She felt as though Zain was still watching them from the study upstairs.
Anya kept her voice steady and lied while looking into Xuyana's eyes, "No Mom, Zain doesn't trouble me at all. In fact... he takes great care of me. His sternness is only for the world; for me, he is very soft."
Xuyana breathed a sigh of relief, but little did she know that behind the closed doors of the study upstairs, a terrifying and poisonous conspiracy was being brewed.
The Scene: Zhenyu's Study (The Dark Secret)
The smoke from a cigar drifted through the study. Zain's father, Zhenyu, stood with his back to the window and began speaking in a very cold and grave voice.
Zhenyu: "Zain... what do you think? Do you think I know nothing? That girl, Anya... she is Lu Kang's niece! She carries the blood of the man who wrote the script for our destruction."
Zain's fists clenched. The 'Icy Wolf' suddenly woke up in his eyes. His voice was so low that even the walls of the room seemed to shiver.
Zain: "I know, Dad. How could I ever forget? Lu Kang and his men destroyed my real family. They left me to rot in that hellish orphanage amidst torture. I still have the scars on my body that remind me of that hatred every single night."
He slammed his wine glass onto the table.
Zain: "I will give Anya a punishment so severe that she will forget her own name. I have kept her in this golden cage as my 'wife' only so I can make her mine... and when she becomes completely dependent on me, when she starts to love me, that is when I will leave her agonizing. Her ruin is my true objective."
Zhenyu turned to look at his son. "She hates you, Zain. Do you think you will be able to control her?"
Zain: (With a diabolical smile) "That hatred is my strength, Dad. Her mother and her brother 'Lu Wei' are her weaknesses. I will give her so much pain that even if she wants to, she won't be able to run away from me. She is my 'slave,' and I will make her realize that every single moment."
Return to the Living Room
Downstairs, Anya suddenly felt a sharp chill, as if someone had placed ice on her back. She had no idea that the man she considered 'strange' and 'stern' had actually sworn to wipe out her entire lineage.
Just then, Zain descended the stairs. His face wore that same 'fake' gentlemanly smile.
Zain: "Mom, it's getting late. Anya must be tired; she has to go to the office tomorrow. If you are finished talking, may I take my wife upstairs?"
Xuyana smiled, "Of course, son. Go."
Zain stepped forward and grabbed Anya's hand. His grip was so tight that Anya felt pain, but she didn't let a flinch show on her face. As they climbed the stairs, Zain whispered into her ear:
"Tonight's 'punishment' quota is still pending, Anya. The safety of your brother Lu Wei and your mother... now rests on your 'performance'."
Anya's heart sank. Did Zain find out that Anya was playing a game against him? Or was the truth about Lu Kang about to destroy Anya's life?
The Confrontation Behind Closed Doors
While climbing the stairs, Zain's grip on Anya's wrist was so tight that blue finger marks began to appear on her delicate hand. As soon as they entered the bedroom, Zain slammed the door shut and pinned her against the wall.
The 'White Wolf' had awakened in Zain's eyes. He didn't mention Lu Kang or the past, but his words were laced with poison.
Zain: "What did you think, Anya? That by playing the 'good daughter-in-law' in front of my mother downstairs, you would melt me? Your simplicity, these innocent eyes... they are all useless before me. You are only here because I chose you, like a toy."
Tears welled up in Anya's eyes. She squeezed her eyelids shut so they wouldn't fall. Zain's indifference and hateful words pierced her like arrows. Her heart screamed—what was her fault? Why was she being crushed under the weight of this hatred?Then Zain moved even closer, his breath scorching Anya's face. He reminded her of Rule Number 7—the night where she had to be completely under his control. Zain's hand moved slowly to Anya's face, but there was no love in it, only a terrifying sense of ownership.
Anya: (In a trembling voice) "Zain... please... it hurts..."
Zain jerked her face toward him and said in an icy tone while staring into her eyes:
Zain: "Zain? Who gave you the right to say my name? Remember, even inside these walls, you are just an 'employee' who sold her will into my hands. Do not call me 'Zain'... call me 'Boss'."
Anya's heart shattered into pieces. The man she was living with under the same roof didn't even consider her human.
Zain: "Say it! Call me 'Boss'... or tomorrow morning, you will find Lu Wei's cafe razed to the ground."