After the sycophant took back his love, he went crazy with regret
Chapter 1
My fifth year as Jimmy’s lapdog ended with a kidnapping.
The thugs made me call him for a ten-million-dollar ransom.
Jimmy scoffed on the other end, “Ten million to save a lapdog? You’ve got to be kidding me!”
His sugar baby, a college student, cackled, “Seriously? Kidnapping in this day and age? Just…deal with him.”
Two months later, the cops rescued me.
But the very day I returned to LA, Jimmy’s bodyguard hauled me before him.
He stared at me, pale but otherwise unharmed, his disgust blatant.
“Kidnapped? Those kidnappers fed you well? No injuries, and you even gained weight?”
He didn’t know I was pregnant. His.
…
Back in LA, the tears I thought I’d cried dry started flowing again.
The police contacted Jimmy immediately after bringing me in.
I wasn’t surprised; everyone in LA knew I was Jimmy’s top lapdog.
Why me, out of all his lapdogs?
Because I was obedient, knew my place, and never caused trouble.
And most importantly,
I looked enough like his dead ex-girlfriend.
I sat nervously in the police station for six hours, until sunset brought snow. Then, Jimmy’s bodyguard finally arrived.
He drove me to the mansion Jimmy had given me; it was 9:30 PM.
I hesitated at the door, afraid to open it.
It looked too much like the room where I was held captive.
I was afraid that behind that door wasn’t Jimmy, but a bunch of livestreaming equipment, a hundred phones, and bright lights all pointed at me.
The bodyguard, sensing my hesitation, opened the door for me.
Inside, Jimmy sat on the couch with a girl, all smiles and cuddles.
The air crackled with an awkward intimacy.
I knew the girl – Lily Young, a sophomore at UCLA. The one who’d told the kidnappers to just “deal with me.”
Without Jimmy’s permission, I froze.
The bodyguard gently pushed me forward. Those few steps drew Jimmy’s attention.
He wasn’t surprised to see me.
He pulled out a cigarette; Lily instantly offered a lighter.
As he lit up, his gaze finally landed on me.
Through the smoke, his figure seemed blurry.
After a long pause, he stood, strolled over, and scrutinized me for half a minute before sneering, “So, you were kidnapped?”
My face automatically broke into that robotic smile. “Yes.”
During those two months, if I didn’t smile, I got a fast, hard slap.
Those thugs weren’t merciful; they loved watching their prey go from panic to despair.
My answer must have sounded official and weird because Jimmy frowned.
Seeing my silence, a smirk played on his lips. He leaned in, took a long drag, and exhaled the smoke in my face.
I coughed, and his expression instantly turned to disgust. His voice was sharper.
“Anna, lie convincingly.”
“Kidnapped? Which kidnapper let you eat so well? No injuries, and you even gained weight?”
My hand instinctively went to my belly.
He didn’t know I was pregnant before the kidnapping. His child.
But I didn’t want it. It was Jimmy’s.
I didn’t love him; I loved his money, his face.
When I didn’t respond, Lily laughed.
I looked at her, confused. She calmly walked towards me with her phone.
She held it up to Jimmy, her voice suddenly sharp. “Jimmy, she wasn’t kidnapped; she was doing private gigs.”
The phone played a high-energy, popular track.
Hearing it, I felt a sharp pain in my head, like it was going to explode.
My limbs started moving uncontrollably, flailing wildly, looking ridiculous.
Jimmy grabbed my wrist, stopping me. He snatched the phone from Lily.
“So, you were dancing this trash on livestream for two months?”
“And you claimed you were kidnapped? That you needed ten million?”
His rage snapped me back to reality.
Looking into his furious eyes, I knew he still didn’t believe me.
But it didn’t matter.
My gaze drifted to the phone screen.
It showed me in garish makeup, wearing a tight dress, dancing provocatively.
But I knew everyone watching was focused on my belly.
The dance was alluring, the expression, deliberately flirtatious, to highlight my slightly swollen belly.
This was a new market the thugs had discovered – the disturbing edge of pregnant women.
The first day, my livestream was packed. They made a fortune overnight.
All the donations came from older men, over fifty.
I thought I’d get paid and be released.
But I underestimated human depravity.
The deafening music continued. I grabbed the phone and smashed it on the floor.
Watching her phone shatter, Lily slapped me hard.
The force knocked me to the ground; my cheek and scalp tingled.
A sharp pain shot through my abdomen; a familiar pain.
It was my second miscarriage.
My first was the same.
I curled up on the floor, my hair hiding my face. They couldn’t see my pain and despair.
Jimmy frowned. “Stop playing the victim! Get up!”
I gritted my teeth, refusing to make a sound, even though the pain was unbearable.
Lily clung to his arm, whining, “Jimmy, she broke my phone! It was the new one you gave me!”
Jimmy chuckled and stroked her nose. “I’ll buy you another one.”
He glanced at me, his contempt practically killing me.
“Anna, if you lie about being kidnapped again, we’re done.”
He said that so casually because he was certain I couldn’t leave him.
But he was wrong.
I was once poor, so poor I couldn’t afford sanitary pads during my period.
Years of playing the devoted lapdog had made me rich.
The door slammed shut; the car engine faded into the distance. Silence returned.
My consciousness blurred; blood stained the floor.
I managed to call for help, praying someone was outside, even a bodyguard.
My hope revived when the door opened again.
Through the haze, I thought I saw Jimmy.
But it wasn’t him; he never cared, he wouldn’t have been so frantic, calling my name.
Someone scooped me up and rushed out, afraid of wasting a second.
I lost consciousness before reaching the hospital.
I woke up to the sharp smell of antiseptic and a white ceiling, reminding me I was in the hospital.
My hand gently touched my belly. It was flat, empty.
I felt no sadness; I always knew this child wouldn’t survive.
During my captivity, I’d repeatedly submerged myself in icy water, trying to miscarry.
I didn’t want to appear in public in such a degrading state.
But the thugs wouldn’t let me. They only saw the profits from the boundary-pushing livestreams.
So they only slapped me. If they sensed even a hint that I wanted to abort, their slaps would leave marks on my face.
I sat up and saw a new, unopened phone on the bedside table.
The bodyguard, hearing the noise, rushed in.
They inserted a SIM card, and the lead bodyguard handed me the phone.
“Ms. Meng, Mr. Ji asked us to get you a new phone.”
I looked up. “How long was I asleep? What happened to my old phone?”
The bodyguard shook his head. “Three days. Sorry, we don’t know.”
Panic seized me. I ripped the IV line out and tried to run.
The police had returned my phone the day I was rescued.
I’d had it with me. How could it be gone?
The bodyguards restrained me and called a nurse.
They tied my limbs, the straps digging into my wrists, but I wouldn’t stop struggling.
That old phone held my only memory, my only reason to live.
Without it, I didn’t know how I would survive.
I looked at the clock, watching time slip away.
Darkness fell; the room was dim, mirroring my future.
Endless darkness.
My stomach growled; I hadn’t eaten all day.
The door opened again; the bodyguard brought new clothes.
He laid them down emotionlessly. “Mr. Ji is waiting for you.”
They left after that, removing the restraints.
Five minutes later, the bodyguard knocked. “Ms. Meng, are you ready?”
I lay in bed, still in the position they’d left me, staring out at the falling snow.
They knocked, but I ignored them.
They pushed the door open; one was on the phone with Jimmy.
The other side said, “Anna, if you want your phone back, do as I say.”
The call ended.
I didn’t get a chance to speak.
Chapter 2
When I saw Jimmy, the noisy private room fell silent.
Then came the usual laughter and teasing.
Each man in the room had a woman with him, Jimmy included.
They laughed, one pointing at the others.
“I knew she’d come crawling back after two months! Remember to transfer the money later!”
The others, unfazed, smirked at me, pulling out their phones.
“Lost, lost. Who knew she’d be so money-hungry, coming back like this?”
“I thought she was tougher than this! That’s it?”
“Didn’t she claim she was kidnapped? That excuse is ridiculous.”
Someone nudged Jimmy. “You missed her, huh?”
“After all, she almost died for you once.”
I was surprised; someone remembered the time I’d risked my life for Jimmy.
Jimmy remained silent until his cigarette burned his hand. Then, he said, “All of you, get out.”
The laughter stopped. A long silence followed.
Someone tried to speak but was stopped.
After everyone left, I remained motionless.
He sat in the shadows, the overhead lights flickering, the atmosphere suffocating.
After a long while, he pointed to the seat beside him. “Come here.”
I sat, keeping a distance.
He checked the space between us, grabbed my arm, and pulled me closer. “Anna, you don’t have the right to ignore me.”
A loud banging came from outside.
It was the bodyguard and Lily.
At Jimmy’s signal, Lily went to the screen and fiddled with it.
The bodyguard held a stack of papers – documents or files.
Jimmy didn’t look; he took them and impatiently slammed the door shut.
The screen lit up.
Jimmy sat beside me again, seeming calmer. He looked at me.
“You said you were kidnapped, needed ten million. Was it true?”
Another wave of pain shot through my abdomen. The aftereffects of the abortion.
I forced a weak smile. “You won’t believe me anyway. What’s the point?”
“I’m here for my phone.”
The room was silent.
Jimmy’s face darkened. “The new phone doesn’t work?”
Before I could answer, Lily’s voice chirped, and the screen showed my worst nightmare.
The livestream video of me, pregnant, dancing provocatively.
One video was an hour long; there were 479 more.
A chill washed over me, followed by the abdominal pain.
I curled up on the couch, watching the screen, and laughed.
Jimmy’s face was grim; his eyes didn’t leave the screen. He didn’t say anything.
Lily crouched beside me, a triumphant smile on her face. “What’s so funny? Dancing like that, half-naked? Don’t you have any shame?”
The pain subsided, and I sat up straighter, confronting her. “What about you? What’s the difference between us?”
“Your designer bags, jewelry, luxury goods – weren’t they all gifts from men you slept with?”
She was taken aback by my retort. Her face turned red and white.
I used to have a reputation for being mild-mannered. I never fought back against Jimmy or his friends.
I wanted to stay with Jimmy.
Because he looked so much like Ling Yan.
Ling Yan, the man I loved with all my heart.
Just thinking of his name made me smile.
If he hadn’t died, we’d probably be happy now.
Even if we were poor.
Meeting my mocking gaze, Lily raised her hand to slap me. “Shut up!”
But her hand didn’t land on my face. I saw Jimmy grab her wrist.
He threw her hand away, stood up, and looked down at me, his eyes full of anger and disbelief. “You were pregnant?”
