She was still fully dressed; the girl was still wearing the dress from yesterday's event. She quickly got out of bed, her body barely steady; she clutched her head and held onto the table not far from the bed.

"Be quiet," Rovano's firm, cold voice made Valerie immediately look towards the source of the sound.

"W-why... A-am I here with-w-with you?" Valerie, frightened, tried to ask, though her words came out stammering; tears began to well up, then streamed down her cheeks.

Valerie had never imagined she would be in the same room with the stranger whose proposal had been rejected by her father the day before.

"Calm down," Rovano said firmly again, but Valerie's tears continued to flow.

Rovano continued to stare at Valerie with a cold, piercing gaze, but his expression softened when Valerie suddenly took his hand.

"I w-want to go home... Mr Morvane, please take me back to the mansion," Valerie pleaded with him.

"No, you are my prey," Rovano replied, clasping Valerie's hand; the girl gazed at him sadly, her sobs still unceasing.

"Raven, remember? A raven never lets go of its prey."

"You're not a raven! You're a human! I-I want to go home!"

Valerie was terrified; she'd seen films about kidnappings that ended badly. Now she was experiencing it herself, but she couldn't escape because she knew nothing of the outside world.

She'd never set foot outside the mansion's gates. But at the very least, she had to try to escape from here, even if she didn't know what fate awaited her.

Valerie quickly pulled her hand away, then ran towards the nearest door and grabbed the handle; she tried to open it but couldn't.

The girl could only lean against the door as Rovano caught up with her.

The man pinned Valerie's body against the door; her eyes were shut tight and she was breathing heavily with fear. Rovano then took hold of the door handle, pressed it down, and pushed the door open.

The door swung wide open and Valerie nearly fell backwards as her back hit the door. Instantly, the girl's eyes flew open, and Rovano was still staring at her blankly whilst holding her body in place.

"If you keep pulling it, this bathroom door will never open, no matter how long you try. You're supposed to push it inwards to open it, Valerie."

Valerie's eyes widened; the girl was both startled and felt foolish and embarrassed.

Valerie felt Rovano's arm, which had been on her back, now slide down to her hips and wrap tightly around her. They locked eyes; Valerie felt her chest rising and falling rapidly as her breath came in gasps. Fear, confusion and nervousness all mingled together.

First, she had dashed from the bed to this door, violently yanking at it with all her might, trying to open it but to no avail; in her panic, she hadn't even noticed which way the door opened.

Secondly, Rovano had scared her half to death, then made her look like a complete fool for not being able to open the door.

Why the bathroom door? Why hadn't she found the exit door? And was it because Valerie was so panicked that she hadn't realised the door clearly needed to be pushed? Even though the position of the tiles made it obvious.

Valerie's body slumped there; she sat limply on the floor, unable to support herself for the moment.

Rovano observed the girl's expression, trying to figure out what sort of girl Valerie was.

"Please tell me where this is?" Valerie asked softly. "I haven't been out of the mansion for a long time-almost my whole life..."

"Sweden," Rovano replied briefly.

The man then walked towards another door at the far end of the room, leaving Valerie behind.

Valerie just stared at him in disbelief, "S-Sweden? Europe?"

Valerie whimpered, clutching her cheeks, unable to believe that she had not only left the mansion, but her own country.

"Have I really left the mansion?"

Valerie could only watch Rovano's back as he walked further and further away. What was she supposed to do now? How could she escape and get back home when she was already abroad like this?

"I'm not there anymore, so there aren't any high walls blocking my way," Valerie muttered, then slowly got up to follow Rovano.

As if forgetting the fact that she had been kidnapped, Valerie turned towards the balcony door; she was panicked at first, but a moment later, her eyes still swollen, she broke into a light jog.

Once again she was stunned; before her lay a vast expanse of ocean, the wind whipping against her body and hair. Valerie stared in disbelief at what she saw, her jaw dropping, then her sadness turned into a broad, beaming smile.

"Mr Morvane, is this the sea? Are we by the seaside?" the girl asked innocently.

Rovano paid her no mind at all, merely staring at the girl impassively and watching to see what else she might do.

A moment later, Valerie jumped for joy, scampering around the small balcony, feasting her eyes on everything within her sight. She was so overjoyed she lost all sense of self.

Seeing the white sand of the beach made her want to walk there, but the distance turned out to be far too great; they were on the top floor.

Valerie sighed, a little disappointed, but a sense of joy still tickled her heart.

As soon as she turned around, Rovano was already standing behind her, arms folded across his chest, staring at Valerie with furrowed brows in surprise.

The girl wasn't the least bit afraid now. Yet just a moment ago she'd been hysterical, begging to go home.

In fact, just a few minutes ago she'd been sobbing uncontrollably, but now she was jumping for joy like a madwoman, and Rovano felt he'd chosen the wrong victim.

The girl was shamelessly cheering in front of him as if she'd won the lottery, even though she was the victim of a kidnapping.

The girl stood there, silent for a moment, wondering why Rovano had brought her to a place like this.

Slowly, she stepped towards the cold-hearted man, who didn't so much as crack a smile at her.

The lines on the man's face seemed to deepen as he frowned in confusion at Valerie's behaviour.

"Mr Morvane, why did you bring me here?" asked Valerie, the girl gazing gently at Rovano; though she was still a little afraid, she felt she had to ask.

Rovano did not answer; the man merely stared at Valerie, his gaze becoming slightly sharper.

"I want to thank you. All my life I've longed to leave that mansion; I want to see the real sea, the people, and the life that exists in this world. All this time I've been locked up there like a prisoner," Valerie continued.

"You've never gone out even once?" This time, Rovano was intrigued and asked Valerie.

Valerie nodded, then the girl gave a small smile. "I spent my time indoors, even went to school at home, only seeing the outside world through the television screen and the internet. They say Dad took me out once when I was four, but how could I possibly remember?"

Rovano thought hard; it turned out the Ashford family were quite cruel-they didn't need to lock the girl away to such an extent, when there were plenty of other ways to hide her.

"How sad," muttered Rovano, so softly that Valerie couldn't hear him.

"In that case, can we go for a walk along the beach?" asked Valerie, her eyes sparkling.

Rovano felt annoyed hearing this; the girl wasn't thinking straight, even though she was in the middle of a kidnapping.

The man dragged Valerie into the room and then threw her body onto the bed. This left Valerie utterly shocked.

"Do you think I'm here to play with you?!" snapped Rovano at her.

The bed creaked as Valerie was thrown effortlessly onto the mattress. Her body ached; she felt a slight twinge of pain in her back and the back of her head.

Valerie was shocked; Rovano was treating her-very roughly. This was no way for a man to treat a woman.

Rovano pulled out a pocket knife; his face was icy cold and Valerie felt that grim aura return.

The girl was still wincing because Rovano had thrown her down so hard.

Once she felt a bit better, she hurried to get as far away as possible when she saw Rovano playing with the knife. She backed away with difficulty, her body feeling heavy with fear.

What does he want with that knife?

Rovano's sly gaze and smirk caused a cold sweat to suddenly trickle down Valerie's temples.

Valerie's heart was pounding so hard, fear spreading through her, as if pumping through every vein in her body; all she could think of now was that she might die-at the hands of this madman.

Rovano managed to get on top of Valerie in a single leap onto the bed; the folding knife was now almost touching Valerie's right cheek. She was gasping for breath, and the girl swallowed hard with great difficulty.

Her eyes kept darting to the tip of the knife; now her body began to tremble with fear.

Panic, clearly. Who wouldn't panic in her position? The man before her was impossible to read.

"Please, don't hurt me," Valerie pleaded again, her tears flowing once more.

The happy gleam in her eyes that had briefly been there now vanished, replaced once more by the look of fear she'd had when she first met Rovano.

"Didn't you tell my father you liked me? You even kissed me on the lips in the back garden, you've even slept with me up here, you're even the first man to take me away. Put that knife away!" Valerie screamed in panic.

Rovano's hand froze just as the tip of the knife was about to touch Valerie's cheek. The girl's hands were also almost clutching Rovano's broad chest. It seemed Valerie intended to fight back but was too afraid to move.

"Shh, no need to shout; we're in a guesthouse, not at a concert."

Valerie turned her face to the side, but Rovano pulled her chin again so her head was tilted back, staring straight at him.

The man loomed over Valerie's body; a grin reappeared on his face, his gaze like that of a hungry lion ready to pounce on its prey.

"Usually I execute my prey without mercy, using a larger knife and locking them in a dark room."

Valerie was even more panicked now; she felt her chest tightening. Was her life going to end here?

"P-please, I don't want to die, Sir..." Valerie whispered so softly that Rovano had to lean in even closer.

"Didn't you just say you didn't care whether you were kidnapped or not? So shut your mouth," Rovano ordered in a very firm tone.

His expression changed drastically; what had been like that of a starving lion was now flat, his gaze cold and piercing.

It was cold; Valerie felt the other side of the pocket knife pressed against her cheek. But Rovano hadn't yet drawn the sharp edge across her skin.

Rovano lowered Valerie's arms so they lay at her sides. He stroked her cheek gently.

Valerie was wearing a pale pink dress that had now slipped down to reveal her smooth, white thighs.

Rovano's eyes shifted there for a moment before fixing on Valerie sharply once more.

"Have you never interacted with a man before?" Rovano asked with his infuriating smirk.

"Of course I have; some of the servants in my house are men, but they're not like you," Valerie replied smoothly.

"My personal servant touches me gently, not roughly like this."

The knife now moved up to the cleavage of Valerie's dress.

"All this time you've been living with your grandmother and your stepmother-where is your mother? Where has Alice gone?" Rovano asked again.

Valerie was startled; that was the name of her biological mother. How could Rovano know the name of a woman whom Valerie herself had never even met since childhood?

All this time, Valerie had been looked after by Silvanna-her grandmother-and Natasha, the lawful wife of Nolan Ashford.

The man didn't know why he kept asking such trivial questions instead of simply executing his prey. But it seemed that asking a lot of questions was a better way to distract the girl.

But Valerie was actually feeling terribly distressed there; the girl looked terrified, with cold sweat and tears streaming down her face, her gaze never leaving Rovano's eyes, hoping he would grant her mercy.

His psychopathic lust easily reached its peak just by seeing Valerie in this state. Valerie's despair, distress and sobs were like a fulfilment of his evil desires.

Rovano took a deep breath; his mind was in turmoil simply from looking at Valerie.

For a moment he stopped what he was doing, allowing Valerie a moment's peace so she wouldn't disturb his focus again.

Valerie was reluctant to speak after hearing the final question about her mother's whereabouts.

Her gaze now fell to the side, her expression sorrowful. She had resigned herself to her fate, for there was nothing more she could do.

Rovano had taken complete control of her body. As soon as he sensed Valerie had calmed down a little, the man resumed his actions.

Srett!

Rovano tore Valerie's dress from top to bottom; the girl immediately turned to face him and covered her chest with both hands.

Valerie's pale, smooth body was laid bare after Rovano forcibly pushed the dress aside. Valerie could only offer him a pleading look, shaking her head.

The girl was unable to speak. Rovano tore everything to shreds and used some of the fabric to tie Valerie's hands behind her head, keeping her still.

Rovano touched Valerie's flat stomach, the surface of her skin soft; the man closed his eyes for a moment.

What was this sensation? He had never done anything like this before; he usually felt repulsed by women who flirted with him, even going so far as to push them away roughly.

But now he was the one touching a woman; Rovano had even kissed Valerie. Now his hand was on her stomach.

Why was this happening? Was Rovano still in his right mind? Valerie was his prey, but why was he actually enjoying touching every inch of her body? He shouldn't be this depraved!

Valerie stared at him in silence; her tears were flowing in an endless stream, her legs were pinned in place, and her hands were tightly bound.

"Let me go!" Valerie struggled again, but Rovano held her legs down to keep her still.

Rovano slapped Valerie's left thigh hard until it turned red, and Valerie screamed. Rovano tore a little more of Valerie's dress and stuffed it into her mouth, so that when she screamed loudly, her voice would be muffled.

"Hold on, I'll give you a mark," said Rovano; he then moved to the side of Valerie, who was lying on her back with her clothes torn and her body completely exposed.

Only her bra and knickers remained on.

The tip of the folding knife had already touched the skin of Valerie's left thigh; the man seemed to be gauging the size of the gash he was about to make.

It didn't take long for fresh blood to flow from the wound, trickling down onto the mattress. Valerie screamed loudly, her leg kicking out at Rovano as she struggled to break free, writhing in agony.

"Be quiet or the wound will get deeper!" Rovano snapped as Valerie tried to struggle.

"Hhmmmh!!!" Her gagged mouth screamed in pain, unable to bear the deep agony.

Help me! It hurts so much! Valerie's heart was screaming.

The man carved a name onto Valerie's thigh, which was already covered in blood. The carving of a name was a sign that Valerie was Rovano's prey. The girl belonged to Rovano, forever.

When he was finished, Rovano removed the gag from Valerie's mouth and wiped his pocket knife; the sound of her heart-wrenching sobs rang out clearly, and Rovano was thoroughly satisfied.

He was extremely aroused now; he took pleasure in seeing Valerie suffer so terribly, even though the wounds he had inflicted were nothing compared to those of his previous victims.

Perhaps because she was a woman? Usually, Rovano executed men who were tied to a chair, skinning or stabbing his victims' hands and thighs; once he was satisfied, he would stop. He would then call for the doctor and his assistant to attend to his victims.

Rovano put his pocket knife away in a drawer and tossed the torn fabric from Valerie's dress onto the floor. The girl was wincing in pain from the throbbing cuts.

Rovano climbed back onto the bed and untied Valerie's hands. The girl was crying, still lying down, her hands reaching out for Rovano as he touched her body. Rovano wiped away the blood that had begun to stop flowing.

"Be still, don't move about too much, so the bleeding stops," Rovano brushed Valerie's hands aside.

Valerie was still trembling; her sobs turned into choking gasps as she babbled, "It hurts, it hurts, it hurts."

"It hurts, sir. It hurts so much," she whispered through her sobs.

Rovano smiled, but his smile sent shivers down Valerie's spine. It was the smile of a psychopath, satisfied with his deed.

"Nice body."

"It... it hurts... It stings..." Valerie's faint voice could be heard again.

Rovano was still cleaning the remaining blood from every part of the girl's body. Then, once he was done, he leaned in close to Valerie's face, kissed her thin lips, and wiped the tears from her cheeks.

"Be quiet," he said once more before stepping back, "you must learn to endure it, for this will become a regular occurrence for you in the future."

Valerie shuddered in horror; how could that man remain so impassive and calm? Valerie felt her wounds were excruciatingly painful and stinging, especially if anything touched them.

Rovano brought a towel, warm water and a first-aid kit. He cleaned Valerie's wounds quickly and immediately bandaged them so they would dry fast, allowing him to see the carving without blood.

Usually he would call a doctor, but this time the victim wasn't a man, nor was she a girl he could simply discard after bringing her here. Rovano felt a flicker of emotion taking hold of him; he wanted Valerie to be his, yet with an unfamiliar feeling.

Once finished, Rovano helped Valerie sit up and slowly stand. Valerie's sense of shame had vanished the moment Rovano stripped her; all she felt now was pain.

"Drink this, painkiller," he ordered Valerie.

Rovano gave her a painkiller at double the dose; at least that would keep Valerie quiet for a while, though the girl herself wasn't sure if the medicine would actually ease her pain.

The bed was in disarray and covered in blood; Rovano then dragged Valerie into the bathroom after she had taken the medicine he'd given her. The girl limped along as Rovano dragged her.

"Wash your face, tidy your hair. Change out of everything you're wearing into what I've prepared," Rovano ordered firmly.

Valerie remained silent, staring at the large mirror before her. She was a mess; her whole body was a shambles.

"Why?" Valerie whispered, breaking down into tears once more.

Rovano merely raised an eyebrow. Valerie now turned to him with a wounded look in her eyes.

"Why are you doing this to me?" Valerie asked again.

"You are my prey. My target. You are mine forever. That wound is a mark of my ownership," replied Rovano, "hurry, we're leaving here soon."

"Why me..." Valerie whispered again, as if unsatisfied with Rovano's answer.

The man sighed again; he approached Valerie once more until she stepped back and her shoulder touched the bathroom wall. Rovano gently cupped Valerie's cheek; their eyes locked.

"Because you are meant for me. You should be grateful I didn't kill you," hissed Rovano.

His gaze dropped to the two mounds of Valerie's breasts, which were not as small as they appeared beneath her clothes. They seemed quite proportionate and just right for him to hold?

"I think I need to mark you again."

Rovano's head dropped; he bit and sucked the top of Valerie's right breast rather hard, and the girl groaned as she felt the sting and pain again. Before Valerie could resist, the man quickly pulled away once he felt it was enough.

"Ahh!!" Valerie groaned, clutching her breast which felt as if it had been stung.

"I can give you anything, even the world itself. You just need to obey," said Rovano with an even more satisfied expression; the man licked the top of his lip and then grinned at Valerie again.

"I'm not your slave!" Valerie's voice finally came out more firmly.

At the very least, she managed to muster the strength to retort to Rovano, even if only with words; her legs were throbbing, her chest ached, and her spirit had been utterly shattered by that man.

'BUGH!

Valerie was utterly shocked; Rovano had just punched the wall, injuring his hand, fresh blood flowing from the man's right hand.

He glared at Valerie fiercely, his emotions rising to his head and boiling over the moment he heard Valerie say the word 'slave'.

That word was too sensitive and carried a terrible connotation. He hated it; Valerie was not his slave.

"Who said you're a slave? You're mine! Valerie, YOU'RE M-I-N-E, YOU'RE NOT A SLAVE!"

Rovano shouted loudly right in front of Valerie's face, so the girl could only turn her face away and close her eyes, her body trembling with fear once more.

Rovano grabbed her chin, forcing her face to look at him. Then he gripped her cheek.

"Open your eyes!" Rovano snapped again, and Valerie flinched once more.

"Open your eyes and look at me, Valerie!"

Her lips trembled as she held back her tears; slowly she opened her eyes and Rovano was staring at her intently, tears beginning to well up again, filling her green eyes.

"You are mine, forever."

Valerie's mouth opened; she wanted to speak but her voice suddenly failed her and she could only sob.

Rovano remained like that, staring intently at her whilst Valerie continued to sob, her tears flowing ever more freely.

She could smell blood, though she wasn't sure whether it was from the cut on her leg or from the wound on Rovano's hand.

The grip on Valerie's cheek began to loosen; she could feel a dull ache in her cheek once the grip had fully released, and she could only look down afterwards, staring at the tiles-watching her tears fall to the floor.

Her body jolted again as Rovano stroked the top of her head; this man seemed to have a split personality. Now he was stroking the top of Valerie's head with tenderness.

He touched her chin again, making the girl look up at him.

"Stop crying and get ready, Valerie."

The man then left; the bathroom door slammed shut so hard that Valerie was startled.

Finally, she could cry her heart out in there, pouring out all her sorrow until she was satisfied. Valerie walked towards the mirror; she stared at her pitiful reflection before her.

It had all happened so quickly, and Valerie had no choice but to obey Rovano's orders because she didn't want to die in vain at the hands of that man.

Besides, the girl had no one now; she was alone here, without a mobile phone, without anyone she knew, as she had always been confined to the mansion.

In a situation like this, who could she possibly ask for help? Valerie wasn't even very good at speaking foreign languages.

Valerie wondered what the situation was like at her family's mansion now that she was gone.

Was Nolan looking for her? Was her grandmother-Silvanna-crying for her? What about her stepmother, Natasha? She missed her terribly; Natasha had looked after her since she was a baby, even though the girl wasn't her biological daughter.

And what was the state of her grandfather-Jaden? Her head was throbbing again; Valerie couldn't stop thinking about her family.

The wound on her leg began to throb once more, but she had to clean herself-she was sticky with sweat, tears and traces of blood that smelled of iron.

Click

The bathroom door swung open again; Rovano came in carrying a towel and hung it up. Valerie, who was turning on the hot water in the shower, was startled, whilst Rovano stared at her impassively.

He looked Valerie up and down; the girl, who was not wearing any clothes and was only in her underwear, looked pitiful.

The bloodstains on the back of her body bore silent witness to the wounds she had sustained.

Rovano sighed; he thought hard, his heart suddenly softening at the sight of Valerie's condition, even though it was his own doing.

The man stepped closer, but Valerie trembled instantly; she began to back away, retreating until finally Rovano stopped in his tracks, then wondered again why the girl was moving away from him.

"I'll help you clean yourself up," said Rovano innocently.

The girl's green eyes widened in surprise; Rovano was driving her nearly mad with every move that was completely beyond her comprehension.

"No!" Valerie cried out softly, "S-sir, you don't need to do that, I can-I can manage on my own."