Chapter 6
"Mr. Watson, thank you for today."
Kimberly collected her thoughts and smiled at Vincent.
"Thank me for what?"
Vincent rested one hand on the steering wheel, his gaze slowly moving up from Kimberly's legs before finally settling on her face.
"Thank you for driving me home."
Kimberly paused slightly, her expression unchanged, not responding to Vincent's words.
"If you want to thank me, show some real sincerity."
Vincent raised an eyebrow, turned to start the car before Kimberly could reply, and then said, "Don't let your thank-you gift disappoint me."
With that, the car sped away in front of Kimberly.
Last time he wanted sincerity, this time he wanted something tangible. Kimberly knew what he wanted and was glad she hadn't spoken up earlier.
Once Vincent's car was out of sight, Kimberly took a deep breath and pushed open the door to the mansion.
Sure enough, Maya was already waiting for her in the living room.
Not only had Kimberly not let Daniel take advantage of her, but she had also kicked him. Maya, not getting the benefits she wanted, was naturally going to settle the score with her.
Kimberly walked up to Maya, quietly waiting for her punishment.
"Susan, has the pool water been changed?"
Maya glanced at her coldly, but her voice was directed towards the backyard of the mansion.
"Yes, Madam, it's been changed."
Susan hurried in from the backyard upon hearing the voice, looking at Maya with a fawning expression while casting a sympathetic glance at Kimberly.
"Let's go."
Maya stood up upon hearing this, squeezing out the word to Kimberly.
Kimberly resignedly nodded and walked step by step towards the backyard.
From childhood to now, this place had been her nightmare.
Every time she made a mistake, Maya would bring her here for punishment.
Several bodyguards were already waiting by the pool, with cameras set up on all sides, aimed at the center of the pool.
"Take off your clothes."
Maya leisurely walked to a lounge chair by the pool and sat down. Kimberly paused, then slowly unzipped her clothes.
The marks on her body were fully exposed, making her feel ashamed, but she had no choice but to accept the punishment.
Since childhood, Maya had been particularly attentive to her training in all aspects, not allowing her to have any external injuries. Therefore, the punishments were always methods that caused her pain without leaving visible marks.
The pool water wasn't deep, calculated each year according to Kimberly's height, not enough to drown her but just enough to cover her nose. She had to stand straight, tilt her head back, and stand on tiptoe to avoid choking on the water.
In the open-air pool, four cameras recorded all her humiliation and disgrace.
Maya sipped her wine, coldly staring at Kimberly, and said word by word, "Tomorrow, personally apologize to Daniel."
Kimberly didn't respond, looking at the gloomy sky, silently closing her eyes.
In the early autumn of the North, the daytime wasn't particularly cold, but at night, the temperature could drop by over 20 degrees Fahrenheit.
Soaking in the pool, maintaining one position, Kimberly soon felt her body stiffen. If she tried to rest, the water would cover her nose.
She kept choking on water, enduring for three hours until she was about to pass out. Only then did Maya order someone to pull her out of the water.
Kimberly was thrown by the poolside, the bodyguards had already left. She curled up naked, shivering uncontrollably.
She had to hold on. As long as she passed the overseas company's final interview, she could leave here and never come back. Even if what Maya had could ruin her, it didn't matter; Maya's reach couldn't extend overseas.
After easing her stiff body, Kimberly stood up, leaning against the wall as she walked to her room.
The mansion was pitch dark; everyone was already resting.
Kimberly randomly pulled a nightgown from the wardrobe, put it on, and buried herself in the blanket.
This couldn't go on. If Maya kept tormenting her like this, she might not survive to go abroad.
Thinking of this, Kimberly took out her phone from her bag and sent a message to Vincent on WhatsApp.
"Mr. Watson, do you have time tomorrow? Thank you."
"No."
The reply came almost instantly, surprising Kimberly that he wasn't asleep yet, but the response on the screen made her a bit annoyed.
"What about the day after tomorrow?"
"We'll see."
Vincent didn't give a direct answer. No matter what Kimberly sent next, there was no further reply. Thinking about Maya making her apologize tomorrow, she anxiously called him.
The call went through, but no one answered after two rings. Just as Kimberly was about to hang up, Vincent's voice came through.
"In such a hurry?"
Kimberly was momentarily speechless, then chuckled lightly, "Yes, Mr. Watson, your skills in bed are impressive, and you're kind-hearted. I'm eager to repay you."
This time, it was Vincent who paused. Kimberly's voice sounded a bit off, with a slight nasal tone, making it sound somewhat muffled.
"I have work tomorrow. Wait for my message."
With the conversation reaching this point, Kimberly couldn't say much more and softly replied, "Alright, Mr. Watson, have a good rest."
Vincent didn't respond, directly hanging up the call.
After the call ended, Kimberly couldn't help but sneeze several times. She had been holding it in earlier, but now, feeling relaxed, her head felt dizzy.
It seemed she couldn't avoid the apology tomorrow.
Kimberly unknowingly fell asleep, waking up the next afternoon.
Maya stood by the bed, frowning, looking down at her. Susan stood beside her, holding a cup of water and some medicine, looking at her helplessly.
"It's already three o'clock. How long are you going to pretend to sleep? Take the cold medicine, freshen up, and go see Daniel."
Maya said, glancing at her watch before speaking again, "Dinner is at six, don't be late."
Hearing this, Kimberly was stunned for a couple of seconds, then looked at Susan. Her thoughts gradually cleared, and she reached out to take the pills, swallowing them with a couple of sips of water.
Her throat burned painfully. Kimberly freshened up, applied light makeup as Maya requested, and wore a knee-length dress, making her look much more innocent.
"Go on, have a good dinner with Daniel."
Before leaving, Maya slipped a room card into her bag, her tone warning.
"Got it."
Kimberly nodded, pretending not to see anything, and got into the driver's car.
The car drove towards the hotel. She occasionally took out her phone to check, but there were no messages from Vincent. She no longer had the courage to call him directly.
How was she going to get out of this?
While she was thinking, the car had already stopped at the hotel entrance. Kimberly came back to her senses, reluctantly getting out of the car.
The driver watched her walk in before taking out his phone to report to Maya.
Kimberly took the elevator to the third-floor restaurant, where Daniel was already waiting at the table.
She bit her lip, slowly walking over. Just as she was about to sit down, Daniel grabbed her wrist and pulled her to sit beside him.
"Kimberly, sit here so I can take care of you."