"Mr. Howard!" She crawled to the front of Ryan palely. "Alex forced me. He wanted to use those photos and videos to become the Howards' son-in-law. He forced me to do that!"

She was crying and tried to hug Ryan's thigh, but was dragged to the side by the special assistant before she was close to him. She looked miserable and embarrassed.

Ryan looked at them blaming each other coldly. His eyes were full of sneer. Such nobodies actually dared to scheme against Jessica! Playing with fire!

Snap.

Nearby came the sound of taking a picture.

Ryan's face fell suddenly and looked straight at the person who was taking photo sharply. And then he chased after the man with a frown on his face.

"Stop!"

He shouted, and almost caught the man. However, the man tumbled down the stairs, got up, and ran away.

"Mr. Howard, what should we do now?" The special assistant followed closely behind him and asked breathlessly.

"Get some people to find the man as soon as possible." Ryan's face was taut and handsome, with hint anger over his brows.

"Yes. About Amy and Alex..." The special assistant looked at his face carefully and said with trepidation.

The person might have just taken some pictures, or he might have taken both pictures and a video. If those photos and video exposed to the public, the Howards would be implicated in it once Amy and Alex had any accident.

Most importantly, it may involve the history of Jessica and Alex.

Ryan's face grew colder. "Wait until we catch the person who took the video. Arrange for someone to watch them first. And, contact the media, if they were given any information about it. Stop them from reporting."

"Yes, I'll do now." the assistant said.

--

In the ward,

Jessica was tired and sleepy, but she dared not sleep. As soon as she closed her eyes, her mind was full of pictures of those harrowing scenes when Alex forced her.

She sat up, her face suddenly pale as her eyes fell on the sexy red marks on her legs, her stomach churning with a feeling of nausea.

Clara was really sorry to see that. She quickly stood up, and put down her trouser legs to cover those unbearable marks.

Jessica pressed her lips together and got out of bed.

"Why don't you lie down instead of getting out of bed?"

"Take a bath." Dirty, every part of her body which was touched by Alex was dirty.

Clara grabbed her and comforted her. "There are many wounds on your body, and they were just dressed. Taking a bath may cause inflammation and high fever. Hold up and wait for the scab to form before you take a bath."

Instead of struggling, Jessica clenched her fist and said in a bitter but calm voice, "Clara, do you know what it feels like to be forced by an unfaithful ex-boyfriend?"

"I couldn't look at him without feeling sick, but he pushed me to the ground, sat on me, kissed me, kneaded me, and pressed his disgusting thing...against me."

"My face was pressed against the ground. I wanted to struggle, but I couldn't. If I forced myself to get up, I would only press closer to his body. That sick feeling...I really thought, I would rather die..."

Clara couldn't listen anymore.

She felt her blood run cold, sick and scared when she was just listening, not to mention going through all this.

"Stop, stop! You don't have to take a bath if you think the places he touched were dirty. I'll get a towel to clean them by avoiding the wounds, ok?"

Jessica did not speak, but just stared at her. Her eyes which were always shining looked dull and startlingly empty.

Jessica's gaze depressed Clara, so she gritted her teeth and said, "Ok, take a bath! But after that, you'll have to let me take care of your wounds again!"

"Well." Jessica smiled at Clara, but it looked terrible than crying, which made Clara feel sad.

She was in a VIP room with a separate bathroom. She was supported by Clara, walking slowly toward the bathroom.

Just before they reached the bathroom, the door of the room was opened, and a cold voice behind them said, "What are you doing?"

Jessica stiffened and slowly turned to look at Ryan at the door. He stood at the door with the same cold look that he had always had, and the experience of her sister, who was not related to him by birth, seemed to have had no effect on him.

She felt a pang of anguish and did not want to speak to him with her head down.

"I'm asking you. Are you dumb?" Ryan walked a few steps to her. His eyes swept across the red marks on her neck and looked glaring.

Alex!

She was usually most afraid of him getting angry, but when he was angry now, in addition to being afraid, she was also angry and sarcastic.

"Take a bath." Her voice was cold and distant compared with usual.

He frowned tightly and said in a tough tone, "You've got a lot of wounds on you. Do you think you are not badly hurt now?"

Look, it was obviously his woman who did her a disservice. Not only had he shielded his woman, but now he was reproaching her as a victim.

Jessica smiled wryly.

"Why do you smile?" Ryan's eyes looked as dark as thick ink. Her smile was especially dazzling in his eyes.

"Do you care whether I smile or not?" She was extremely angry. When she looked up at him, her eyes were bloodshot and misty. "It's not good for me to take a bath, but what's it to you? Even if I'm dead, it's none of your business!"

Anyway, he didn't like her, and even hated her, so he should be happy that if she were dead.

They were at swords' points. Clara stood between them, looking at him, then at her, her head sweating with anxiety. She wanted to lighten the atmosphere, but she opened her mouth and said nothing.

"Jessica!" Ryan's face completely darkened, and every word was squeezed out from his throat. What did she mean by saying it was none of his business that even if she were dead? What did she consider him as?

Jessica would never answer back again in the past. But she was almost trapped and he just protected the wicked all the way. Anger, resentment, and grievance ran wildly through her blood, almost tearing her heart into pieces.

"Am I wrong? You don't even care if I'm raped or if I'm being schemed. Why do you care whether I will take a bath?"

"If my wounds were inflamed, it would be better that the pain kills me, so your good girlfriend doesn't need to scheme me anymore!"

Ryan just wanted to sound her out about her feeling to him and wanted to know if she would be jealous by asking Amy to be his false girlfriend.

Now he didn't sound her out, but things were in a mess.

When Ryan looked at Jessica's red eyes and swollen face, a faint ache flashed across his eyes, and his voice was softer than usual. "I never said l wound let Amy get away with it."

When Jessica heard his words, her look didn't change at all. "That's good. Then you tie Amy up, arrange a man to rape her, and take the video. Are you willing?"

The person who secretly took the video and the photos, now had not been caught, so it was not the best time to deal with Amy.

Ryan kept silent, his thin lips taut. He never liked to explain.