Chapter 5. Your Body Is Mine

After getting dressed, Winona was surprised to see her own reflection in the mirror. She didn’t look like herself. Clad in an elegant ivory dress with her long hair flowing slightly wavy, she looked like an elegant top model.

“Now you are ready. We will leave you,” said Lana.

After saying that, she and the other servants immediately left her.

“W-wait!”

Lana ignored Winona’s words and immediately left her room. Now Winona just stared at the closed door with a pounding heart. She didn’t know what to do now. However, after just a few minutes, the door was opened again, and this time Richard Lerroy came in.

The man’s appearance made Winona swallow her saliva. He looked very handsome in a semi-formal gray suit and with neatly combed hair. His dark eyes stared at Winona like he was about to pounce on her alive.

“Why are you looking at me that way?”

Winona was unable to answer that question.

“Hurry up because the press conference is about to start. I’m waiting downstairs,” he said before Winona could reply. The man then just walked away.

Winona took a deep breath to calm her pounding heart. She was so nervous because of the press conference, and also because of this handsome man who was now her husband. Winona forced her feet to walk out of the room and down the stairs. Richard Lerroy was waiting for her at the bottom of the stairs. Winona couldn’t understand the look in his eyes, but his dark beads watched her until she reached the bottom of the stairs.

“Do your job well,” he said in that low voice. Winona felt her heart tremble at the mere sound of his voice. Winona couldn’t answer; she could only nod.

Richard grabbed her wrist and led her to the car quickly. Winona was a little taken aback, and her hands felt as cold as ice, but she complied and got in the car. Winona didn’t have much choice now but to follow Richard’s orders.

The luxury car drove quickly to a hotel booked to hold a press conference. When they arrived, reporters had already filled the place. Winona felt so nervous that her body tensed up. She knew a lot of people who were gathered because usually, she was one of the crowd media covering press conferences. It felt very strange when she was the one being covered.

One of Richard’s men opened the door for Winona, and they got out of the car. Richard Lerroy looked at Winona and motioned for her to hold his hand. The glare of the camera’s lights that snapped endlessly made Winona narrow her eyes. She couldn’t even see the red carpet clearly, so she couldn’t help but tighten her grip on Richard’s hand, letting the man guide her steps toward the stage. Winona felt calmer when she got to the chair that was reserved for her. Winona tried to smile as she faced the media, trying to cover up her nervousness.

“I am Richard Lerroy today to provide clarification regarding all the news that has been circulating lately. I want to make it clear that it is not true that I have harassed actress Gina Jade. She has accused me without clear evidence. Next to me is my wife, Winona Wilde. We were married, and she knew fully well that I didn’t do it.”

After Richard said his opening lines, boisterous voices erupted from among the journalists. They scrambled to ask Winona. The moderator immediately intervened and gave Winona a chance to say something before the question-and-answer session started.

“I believe in my husband. He wouldn’t have done something like that,” Winona said. She tried to remember what words to say. All of this was so difficult because she had just received the script from Lana this morning.

“I recently married Richard, and we are enjoying a wonderful time in our marriage. I’m sure the news is not true. I apologize because we have not opened our relationship to the public so far, as we feel our personal relationship is private. Again, we are not celebrities, so please understand,” continued Winona. She secretly sighed as she finally managed to remember what she should properly say.

“After this, we hope that there will be no more gossip linking us to celebrity life. I am a businessman, so I hope this is the last time I do a press conference about my personal life,” said Richard. If it weren’t for his stocks, which continued to drop due to this news, Richard would have been very reluctant to hold a press conference like this.

After the question-and-answer session, Winona chose to remain silent, letting the lawyer or Richard answer all the questions. However, during the press conference, Winona felt something strange among the journalists. There was a man staring at her unblinkingly, and he didn’t even turn on the camera he was carrying. Winona had never seen the man before.

Without realizing it, the question-and-answer session ended, and Richard immediately grabbed Winona’s hand and led her away from that place. They were directed to the back of the hotel, where their car was waiting. The bodyguards blocked the journalists who were trying to follow. Richard and Winona walked hand in hand toward their car, but suddenly a man appeared in front of them out of nowhere. Winona widened her eyes as she recognized the man. It was the man who had been watching her unblinkingly from among the journalists just now.

Quickly, the man extended his hand toward Winona. Richard swiftly turned Winona’s body behind him so that the man’s attack hit Richard’s back. In a situation like this, Richard couldn’t use his powers or resort to violence, as that could create problems. So he just used his body as a shield.

Winona closed her eyes in Richard’s arms because she was afraid, but a moment later, Richard widened his eyes as he saw the light emitting from Winona’s body, making the man behind him fall backward immediately. Richard was very sure the light had come from Winona’s body.

Security and bodyguards immediately ran to secure the man, but he quickly broke free and ran. Richard stared at Winona with wide eyes, making Winona frown in confusion.

“Quick, get in the car!” Richard said as he put his arm around Winona’s shoulders and led her to run into the car. Camera shots still followed their every move.

The car immediately drove away from the press conference and brought them back to Richard’s house. As soon as they arrived, Richard immediately pulled Winona inside.

“Let go!” Winona cried because Richard was pulling her so fast that she was having a hard time keeping up with him.

Richard then looked at Winona angrily and lifted her body as if she were a pile of cotton. Without speaking, he quickly carried Winona upstairs and threw her onto the bed. He closed the door and locked it tightly.

“Tell me exactly who you are, or I will have to find out myself!” Richard exclaimed.

“I don’t understand what you’re saying!” Winona replied.

“Okay, if you still don’t want to admit it, your body is mine now. Let me prove it myself: are you really human or not?” Richard said as he opened his jacket and threw it on the floor. Only through intimacy could Richard find out whether Winona was human or not. He believed that by doing so, he could feel the true power that was stored in Winona. Winona trembled as she inched backward, but there was absolutely no way she could dodge now.