REBIRTH : Chasing The Limelight-Chapter 83: Let me teach you a small lesson.

Inside a dim room. Elara sat tied to a chair, her wrists bound tightly behind her. Her fingers had gone stiff from how long she had been struggling.

She pressed the rope against the leg of the chair again, moving her hands back and forth. But the wood was smooth and round so it offered no help at all. The rope did not loosen or even fray. It only burned deeper into her skin.

Sweat gathered along her forehead and slid down the side of her face as she breath heavily. She paused for a second and pricked her ears.

The place outside was still quiet.

She swallowed and continued. As she struggled again, her wrist brushed against something sharp. She froze for a second, then slowly shifted her hands, feeling it carefully.

There, just at the side of the chair, a small nail tip stuck out a bit from the wood.

Her eyes sharpened immediately. With effort, she dragged the rope upward inch by inch, until it caught against the nail. Then she began to work it back and forth.

Each pull made the rope bite deeper into her skin. Soon the skin broke. Warm blood mixed with the sting, but she did not stop.

Her teeth clenched tightly as she kept going. Then suddenly... the rope snapped and fell into the floor.

Elara did not waste even a second. She stood up instantly, her heart pounding hard against her chest. She flexed her wrists, ignoring the pain, and quickly looked around the room again.

Just as she had noticed before, there was no window or easy way out.

Her eyes moved quickly and stopped at a wooden rod lying in the corner. She walked over and picked it up, gripping it tightly in her hand.

She turned toward the door, ready to move. But then..

Footsteps suddenly sounded from outside.

She rushed back to the chair and sat down quickly, hiding the rod behind her. Her breathing slowed as much as she could manage, her face returning to its usual calm, as if nothing had happened.

A moment later, the door opened and one of the men walked in. He did not even look at her. He moved straight to a shelf on the opposite side of the room, his back turned as he searched for something among the items there.

Elara watched him quietly. Her heart began to beat faster again.

Her fingers tightened around the rod behind her.

Should she act now?

What if he turned around at the wrong moment?

What if she failed?

But then she looked at his back again, at how careless he was.

Her eyes hardened. She stood up slowly and carefully. Her grip still tight around the rod as she raised it. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

But her hand still trembled.

This was not something she had ever done before.

She hesitated. And in that exact moment, the man suddenly began to turn his head.

Elara did not think twice before she swung the rod down.

The man collapsed instantly, his body hitting the floor without resistance.

Elara did not stop to check. She moved straight to the door and leaned in to look through the peephole.

Another man was coming.

She stepped back quickly and pressed herself against the wall beside the door, lifting the rod again. She held her breath as she waited.

The door opened and the second the man stepped in. She struck down again.

The rod came down hard against his head. He let out a short cry before collapsing to the floor with a loud thud.

Elara felt the shock travel up her arms, making her grip loosen a bit. But she quickly inhaled sharply and stepped over him, moving toward the exit.

She had barely taken a few steps when she froze.

Three men stood ahead.

Her movement stopped completely as she stared at them in silence. Then slowly, she began to step back, lifting the rod in front of her as a warning. Her eyes moved around quickly, searching for space, for a gap, for anything.

Step by step, she retreated until she was close to the door again. Suddenly, she turned to run.

She hadn’t taken more than four steps before a hand shot out and grabbed her arm. She was yanked back with force, her body slamming hard against the wall. The impact knocked the air out of her lungs and sent pain through her head.

Before she could recover, the men had already closed in around her.

She clenched her jaw and looked up at them. But no words came out.

Because deep down, she knew she had been careless. From when they mentioned Ziva going to Rye, she should have suspected that something is wrong.

But she never did.

One of the men stepped forward and kicked her hard in the stomach.

Elara let out a low grunt as her body folded from pain, her hands clutching her abdomen tightly.

The man grabbed her again and pulled her upright, pressing her roughly against the wall.

"We wanted to let you go early, but since you’re this stubborn..." he said in a rough voice but before he could finish, Elara suddenly lifted her leg and drove her knee forward with all her strength, striking him at the place between his thighs.

The man choked and immediately let go. He collapsed forward as he clutched his lower body in pain.

The other men rushed forward immediately and grabbed her arms, holding her tightly no matter how hard she struggled.

The man she had hit slowly straightened up. His face twisted with anger as he reached for his belt and pulled it free. Then he moved closer slowly, step by step.

Elara struggled harder. Her body twisted, trying to break free, but the hands holding her only tightened.

He stopped right in front of her with a cold gaze."Let me teach you a small lesson," he said and reached toward her dress.

Elara’s movements turned more aggressive. Then...

The door burst open...