Chapter 12 - ​Chapter 12: The Rival’s Deception

​Outside the fortress of the villa, Wei Chen stood in the rain, his expensive suit soaked through, but his smile remained dry and cruel. He held a phone to his ear, speaking to the local news stations he had already bribed. "Yes, he's kidnapped her. The monster Xuan has finally snapped. Save the heiress, that's the headline," he whispered, his eyes gleaming with a jealousy that rivaled Xuan's own. He didn't love Ning; he wanted to own the prize that Xuan cherished most. He knew that by saving her family, he had planted a seed of debt that would grow into a cage for her. He looked at Ning's father, who was pacing the wet pavement, wringing his hands in despair. "Don't worry, Uncle," Wei Chen said, his voice a silk-covered dagger. "I will bring her out. I will make sure he never touches her again." Inside the villa, the monitors showed Wei Chen's face, and Xuan's rage hit an extreme level. He watched as Wei Chen placed a comforting hand on Ning's father's shoulder, a gesture of "heroism" that made Xuan want to tear the screen from the wall. "Look at him," Xuan hissed, dragging Ning toward the monitor. "Look at your hero. He's out there playing the saint while he plans to put a ring on your finger." Ning looked at the screen and felt a wave of nausea. She saw the trap closing around her. She knew Wei Chen was a snake, but how could she tell Xuan when he was already convinced she was in love with the enemy? "He's lying to them, Xuan! He's using my parents!" she pleaded, grabbing Xuan's arm. But Xuan only saw her focus on the screen as a sign of her longing. "You're defending them again," he whispered, his voice dangerously low. "You're worried about his reputation while I'm losing my mind." He pushed her away, his jealousy turning into a cold, silent wall. He began to pace the room like a caged tiger, his mind spinning a web of extreme misunderstandings. He convinced himself that Ning had planned this "rescue" with Wei Chen, that her tears were a performance to keep him distracted while the gates were breached. "How long have you been planning this?" he asked suddenly, stopping in his tracks. Ning looked at him in horror. "Planning what?" "The escape! The reunion with your 'savior'!" he roared, throwing a glass of wine against the monitor, the red liquid dripping down Wei Chen's digital face like blood. "I haven't! I love you! I only love you!" Ning fell to her knees, her voice failing her as she succumbed to a fit of extreme coughing and crying. The pain in her chest was unbearable. She felt the love they shared being strangled by the very intensity that had once made it beautiful. Xuan looked down at her, his heart breaking at the sight of her misery, yet his mind refused to let go of the jealousy that sustained him. He picked her up, his touch both rough and desperate, and carried her toward the inner sanctum of the house, away from the windows, away from the world, and away from the truth.