"She absolutely would not have attend the dinner and would even resign and switch jobs as soon as possible.

The more she used to like James, the more she now despised him.

James didn't give her a chance to struggle. He dragged her all the way to the stairwell and slammed the door shut.

"Umm..." Aria was thrown against the wall, her lower back forcefully hitting it, causing immense pain that almost brought tears to her eyes.

James had no mercy at all.

"Emily, you're impressive. So impressive that you dare to play dead." James had always been calm and composed, but now his emotions were completely unleashed. He tightly gripped Aria's neck.

Before she could recover from the pain in her back, she was deprived of her breath. Aria grabbed his hand, trying to pry it open, but it was as futile as a mantis trying to stop a cart.

"I-I'm no-not Ke..." she tried to say ' Kelly,' but James exerted even more force. His crimson eyes were filled with raging fury and a merciless cruelty. Aria felt herself running out of oxygen; she couldn't say a single word. She stared intently at this madman, a mocking curve forming at the corner of her mouth. She stopped struggling.

Was she going to be strangled to death by his own hands now, just because she hadn't died five years ago?

A tear slid down from the corner of her eye, trailing along her delicate face and onto her neck, where it mingled with his bloodstained hand. The saline tang of her tears irritated the wound, and the slight stinging brought James back to his senses.