He Does Not Deserve My Devotion-Chapter 40: Humiliating Me Every Day

The car sped along, a phantom in the night.

The air in the car was oppressive. Nina Walsh sat in the passenger seat, her eyes fixed on the receding streetlights outside, her heart as calm as still water.

’So what if Aiden Sinclair heard what I said?’

’So what if Aiden Sinclair found out that everything yesterday was just an act?’

’Didn’t he always think I was a liar with ulterior motives?’

’I’ve already experienced his cold-blooded revenge.’

’When you have no expectations of someone, you have nothing to fear.’

Nina Walsh wasn’t scared at all. She leaned against the window and even started to doze off.

Some time later, Nina Walsh woke from her sleep to the sight of a hundred-meter-tall Ferris wheel.

A chill shot through Nina.

"Awake?" Aiden Sinclair turned to look at her, his expression dark and unreadable. "Where did you go this afternoon?"

Nina had braced herself, but she hadn’t expected him to ask about that.

"I was at the office. I sent you my location."

That afternoon, Nina Walsh had given her phone to Leo Lloyd and had him periodically send her location.

"Really?" Aiden Sinclair shot back.

"Really," Nina Walsh answered without hesitation.

CLICK. A flame flared to life. Aiden Sinclair lit a cigarette, the brief glow revealing his sharp, severe features.

"I hate it when people lie to me. I’ll give you one more chance. Answer again. Where were you this afternoon?"

The acrid smell of tobacco filled the car, making Nina feel nauseous and irritated. "Does it matter? Who do you think you are to me? Where I go and who I see has nothing to do with you. Or what, have you fallen in love with me, Aiden Sinclair? Are you afraid I’m going to see other men?"

"Answer my question!" Aiden Sinclair merely repeated his demand.

The tobacco smoke was becoming unbearable for Nina. "Don’t you already know the answer? Since you already know, what more do you want me to say! Do you just want to see me squirm after being exposed? Aiden Sinclair, do you get that much pleasure from humiliating me? From the very beginning, for two whole years, you’ve humiliated me every single day!"

Nina pushed the door open, got out, and slammed it shut behind her. She then broke into a run.

Aiden Sinclair caught up to her in just a few steps. He grabbed her by the hand and dragged her into one of the Ferris wheel’s cabins.

Nina instantly panicked, pounding on the glass door. "Let me out! Let me out!"

"This is your punishment for lying to me!"

Aiden Sinclair coldly shut the cabin’s glass door.

The Ferris wheel started to move. The glass cabin rose, bit by bit, until it stopped at the very apex.

The all-glass cabin swayed gently in midair. Below her feet was a distant blur of lights and buildings.

Nina broke out in a cold sweat, the hair on her skin standing on end. Her legs grew so weak she couldn’t stand. Not daring to open her eyes, she collapsed into a heap in the corner of the seat. Even so, she felt a force pulling her down, as if trying to drag her into an abyss.

Her heart hammered, fast and erratic. Her chest heaved violently, yet she still felt dizzy and suffocated. Nina couldn’t help but cry, and pained whimpers escaped her lips.

Watching the woman huddled in a ball on the surveillance monitor, Aiden Sinclair pressed the intercom button.

"Nina Walsh, where did you go this afternoon?"

Overwhelmed by her extreme acrophobia, Nina’s mind was in chaos. Hearing Aiden Sinclair’s voice was like grasping a lifeline, and she immediately answered truthfully.

"This afternoon, Julian Sinclair and I went to Northgate Women’s Prison."

Aiden Sinclair’s voice came through again. "Two years ago, why did you approach me?"

"Two years ago... I approached you... to secretly gather your company’s intelligence..."

"I copied the Breyven bid proposal from your study... put it on a USB drive... and sent it to Brian Sherman..."

"Please... let me down..."

In the cabin, the woman begged pitifully, her face deathly pale.

Aiden’s face was an icy mask. "Bring her down."

The Ferris wheel completed its descent. When the glass door opened, Nina was slumped in the corner, her hair and clothes soaked with cold sweat. Her face was paler than a sheet, and her gaze was vacant, as if she had just returned from death’s door.

"This humiliation... Mr. Sinclair, are you satisfied now?"

Nina looked at Aiden Sinclair standing outside the door, looming over her like a master of the universe. Her voice was as faint as a thread of silk, yet it carried with perfect clarity in the dead of night.

Aiden met her gaze, which was filled with resentment and pain. His heart felt as if it were being squeezed by an iron claw, the pain nearly suffocating him.

’She was clearly the one in the wrong, so why did he feel as if this was all his fault?’

Aiden’s gaze darkened. He bent down and lifted her into the car.

The car tore toward the coast like the wind. Nina was so quiet it was as if she wasn’t even there; her breathing was inaudible.

Aiden glanced at the back seat in the rearview mirror. From the moment they got in the car, she had remained in the exact same position, utterly still, like a corpse.

Aiden Sinclair took Nina to Cloudcrest Manor. The estate sat on a coastal hill, nestled between the mountains and the sea in a tranquil, secluded setting. It was one of Aiden’s private, unlisted properties.

As soon as they entered, the housekeeper, Mrs. Lane, came out to greet them. "Sir, you’re back. Dinner is ready."

Aiden waved her away and took Nina to a bedroom first.

"We’ll be staying here for a few days. Everything’s been prepared for you."

Aiden opened the wardrobe. It was filled with a dazzling array of clothes and jewelry. He casually picked out a white dress.

"Go take a shower and change."

’What was this? A slap in the face, followed by a sweet gesture?’

Nina ignored him. She silently walked to the edge of the bed and sat down, her back to Aiden.

Aiden tossed the white dress onto the bed. "You have ten minutes. Shower, get changed, and come down for dinner. Otherwise, I’ll make you spend the entire night in the bathtub."

With that, Aiden shut the door and went downstairs to the dining room.

"Sir, all the dishes have been served," Mrs. Lane said, stepping forward.

Aiden glanced at the lavish seafood feast on the table. "Take away the sashimi and king crab. Replace them with some hot soups."

"Yes, Sir."

Mrs. Lane took the king crab and arctic surf clam sashimi to the kitchen, unable to keep from wondering.

’Sir specifically instructed me to prepare a seafood feast. This king crab and sashimi were pre-ordered, caught just this morning and flown in. Why would he want them taken away?’

Although Mrs. Lane was confused, she still worked deftly, taking a previously stored stock from the refrigerator. She brought it to a boil over high heat, added fresh mushrooms, and served a pot of fresh mushroom soup.

"Did you find out why Julian Sinclair went to Northgate Women’s Prison?"

Aiden Sinclair was on the phone with Jay Keane. As his biggest competitor, Aiden had always kept tabs on Julian Sinclair. He only knew Nina wasn’t at Maelie because one of his men had reported Julian’s visit to Northgate Women’s Prison.

Jay Keane replied, "We’ve found out. Julian Sinclair went to see a woman called ’Third Aunt.’ This woman used to be on a racing team with Julian’s mother, Diana Dalton."

Aiden asked, "Can you find out what they discussed?"

Jay Keane said, "It’s impossible. Julian already beat us to it. He deleted all the surveillance footage and audio recordings from the visitation room."

Aiden said, "If he’s being that cautious, he must be hiding a big secret. Do a thorough investigation on that woman, Third Aunt."

Aiden was about to hang up, but Jay Keane hesitated on the other end. "Is there something else?" Aiden prompted.

Jay Keane said, "Mr. Sinclair, Julian Sinclair gave Nina Walsh six million in funding."

Aiden paused. "Understood."

Jay Keane said urgently, "Last time, Nina Walsh leaked the secret about your insomnia for three million, and Julian Sinclair nearly staged a coup. Who knows what kind of deal they’ve made this time? That woman is too good at faking it, Mr. Sinclair. You need to be careful..."