"Get in the car."

Not giving Wren Wynter a chance to react, Kaden Xavier pulled her into the car without another word.

"Kaden Xavier, what in the world are you trying to do?"

Wren Wynter used all her strength to angrily shake him off, glaring daggers as she furiously rebuked him.

"Eat in the car. I’ll take you home when you’re done."

"Kaden Xavier, don’t you dare go too far!"

"Finish eating, and I’ll take you."

Wren Wynter realized it was completely impossible to communicate with Kaden Xavier right now.

She tried to get out, only to find that Kaden Xavier had locked the doors at some point.

Wren Wynter glared at Kaden Xavier, her chest heaving with anger. "Kaden Xavier, do you have to be so ridiculously persistent, like a fly you can’t swat away? Don’t you know how annoying you’re being?"

Wren Wynter thought that after she’d said something so nasty, Kaden Xavier would surely stop pestering her.

But to her surprise, he remained completely unfazed, merely frowning slightly.

"I said, when you’ve finished eating, I’ll take you."

"This is false imprisonment! I’m calling the police!"

"Go ahead."

Seeing Kaden Xavier’s nonchalant attitude, Wren Wynter wished she could just slap him twice.

But confronting Kaden Xavier head-on right now would only put her at a disadvantage.

She took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the rage in her heart.

"Fine. I’ll eat."

Wren Wynter opened the food container. The congee inside was still steaming.

She perfunctorily took out the spoon, scooped up a mouthful, and drank it. Her tight brow relaxed, and even her anger subsided considerably.

’It actually tastes pretty good.’

"How is it?" Kaden Xavier asked earnestly.

"I don’t like it."

Saying this, Wren Wynter put it down, her words not matching her thoughts. Her coolly captivating eyes showed no sign of wavering.

’We’re divorced. I won’t let Kaden Xavier control my emotions anymore.’

"Mm. I’ll have them improve it next time," Kaden Xavier said nonchalantly, hiding the fleeting disappointment and pain in his eyes.

As he finished speaking, he moved to start the engine.

"Kaden Xavier, I don’t need you to take me, and I don’t want to share the same space as you," Wren Wynter said, looking at the man before her with perfect calm.

Her blunt and merciless words were like a sharp blade, stabbing precisely into Kaden Xavier’s heart and making it hurt so much he could barely breathe.

Their eyes met. The way Wren Wynter looked at him was devoid of any emotion, as if she were looking at a complete stranger.

The atmosphere in the car grew oppressive.

After a long moment, Kaden Xavier finally let a single word escape his lips. "Fine."

"Thank you." After offering her detached thanks, Wren Wynter got out of the car.

Who would have thought that after only a few steps, Kaden Xavier would follow her, falling into step beside her.

"Kaden Xavier, what are you doing now?"

"Taking a walk."

Wren Wynter laughed out of exasperation and stopped in her tracks. "Are you doing this on purpose? You said you’d let me go if I ate. Are you going back on your word?"

Kaden Xavier raised an eyebrow, tugging idly at his tie. "Is there some rule that says I can’t walk on this street?" he replied nonchalantly.

"..." Wren Wynter smiled. "Fine. Do as you please."

With that, she casually hailed a taxi, quickly got in, and shut the door. "To View Gardens, please."

"You got it."

Wren Wynter gave a smile that didn’t reach her eyes and waved through the window at Kaden Xavier, who was still standing on the roadside. She looked like a gloating victor reveling in her small triumph.

Watching Kaden Xavier’s face grow darker and darker, Wren Wynter felt an immense sense of satisfaction.

She completely missed the calculating look that flickered across the face of the driver in the front seat.

"Miss, are you heading to work or home?"

"Home."

"Oh, View Gardens is a nice area. That’s where all the rich people live."

"It’s alright." Wren Wynter didn’t particularly like talking to strangers, so she leaned back against the seat, closed her eyes, and pretended to rest.

The driver could tell she didn’t want to talk, so he didn’t press his luck. Instead, he kept glancing at Wren Wynter in the back seat through the rearview mirror, a sinister glint in his eyes.

The journey from the hospital to View Gardens wasn’t far—ten minutes at most.

But this trip had taken nearly thirty minutes, which made Wren Wynter feel that something was extremely wrong.

She quickly opened her eyes and sat up, looking out the window to find the surrounding buildings were unfamiliar.

’This isn’t the way to View Gardens.’

"Are you taking a detour?" Wren Wynter asked warily.

The driver just sneered, offering no reply as he stepped on the gas and accelerated.

"Please pull over and let me out," Wren Wynter said, feigning composure as she grabbed her phone to send a message for help, only to discover there was no signal in the car.

"Save it. I installed a signal jammer in this car a long time ago."

"What do you want?" Wren Wynter asked, getting straight to the point as she fought down the fear spreading through her.

But her trembling lips betrayed her.

"If it’s money you’re after, just name a price. I can transfer it to you."

If he was only after money, there was still room for negotiation.

’But if he was after something else...’

Wren Wynter didn’t dare to think any further.

She bit her lower lip hard, trying to stop her body from shaking.

Through the rearview mirror, she could clearly see his hand rubbing his pants repeatedly. His lust-filled gaze was like that of a monstrous beast, making her blood run cold.

She pounded on the window, hoping the noise would attract the attention of other passing cars.

But it was to no avail.

"If you let me go, I’ll let this slide and pretend nothing happened."

"Do you take me for a fool? If I let you go now, you’ll turn around and call the cops on me." The driver kept one hand on the steering wheel and picked up a small knife with the other, pointing it at Wren Wynter. "I suggest you behave. Don’t worry, we’ll both get to enjoy ourselves in a bit."

Wren Wynter’s face turned deathly pale. She felt a pang of regret for her petty spat with Kaden Xavier.

She’d refused a free ride only to end up in danger.

She dug her nails into her palm, racking her brain for a way to deal with this.

’Wren, don’t panic!’

’You can definitely save yourself!’

’It seems you can still dial 911 even without a signal.’

Thinking of this, Wren Wynter silently pressed those three digits on her screen. But just as the call connected, her phone died from low battery.

Wren Wynter’s mind went blank, and for a moment, she lost the ability to think.

’What do I do?’

’What am I going to do?’

’Is there any other way?’

The driver drove down a narrow path and stopped on a trail by a stream.

He got out, opened the door on Wren Wynter’s side, and dragged her out of the car, pulling her into the nearby bushes.

"As expected of a rich family’s woman, you’re so delicate and tender. This skin... tsk tsk..."

The driver’s greasy hand lecherously caressed Wren Wynter’s cheek.

A wave of physical revulsion surged in Wren Wynter’s stomach. She turned her head away, dry heaving, as she used both hands to push away the driver who was trying to force himself on top of her.

"Let me go, you animal!"