Third Person's POV
Cliff sneered, "If we send her to the police station for questioning, who knows how long it will take. My own methods are much faster."
Belinda was suddenly struck by a sense of foreboding.
Cliff turned to the Beta beside him, Elliot, and said, "Lock her in the black box. She can come out when she's ready to talk." In their line of work, there were always some shady methods at hand; this was a common one.
Beta Elliot immediately replied, "Yes, Alpha Cliff."
Belinda trembled all over and pressed, "W-what is the black box?"
"The black box is a pitch-black, windowless little room. The person is locked in a dog cage, with no water and no food. As for what's around... it could be rats, it could be spiders, or maybe even venomous snakes..."
"No! I don't want that! What you're doing is illegal! You..."
Before Belinda could finish, Cliff kicked her in the chest. "I'll give you one last chance. If you don't talk, you'll be locked up until you die. I promise, it'll be worse than any other way to die."
"No... don't! I'll talk, I'll talk!" Belinda panicked at Cliff's words—she didn't want to die, absolutely didn't want to die!
She trembled all over. "Y-you promise, if I tell you, you'll let me go... I'll tell you everything!"
"That I can't promise, but if you talk, I'll treat you a bit more politely."
Hearing this, Belinda's face turned pale in an instant.
This meant that no matter what she said today, they wouldn't let her off easily.
Cliff looked down at Belinda, who was slumped on the ground. "The police station, or the black box—you choose."
Belinda looked up and met his icy gaze. In the end, she gritted her teeth. "All of this... all of it was..."
Before she could finish, the office phone suddenly rang.
Beta Elliot picked up the phone, listened for a moment, then said, "I understand."
After hanging up, he looked at Cliff. "Alpha Cliff, Miss Coleman is here."
"What is she here for? I won't see her!" Cliff's voice turned cold.
The expression on Belinda's face froze instantly.
Cliff's gaze returned to her. "You may speak now."
"All of this... it was all my own idea! Because I owed gambling debts, I was scared... so I kidnapped Mrs. Todd! Please, I know I was wrong, don't put me in the black box, I'm willing to go to jail! I really am!"
Belinda begged for mercy over and over.
But Cliff narrowed his eyes dangerously. "Because of gambling debts, you kidnapped Vanya?"
"Yes! I couldn't possibly pay them back! I had no choice... that's why..."
"Liar!"
Cliff's voice grew even colder, scaring Belinda so much her face turned ashen. "My phone number, the location of the Todd family—how could you possibly know those?"
He stepped forward, leaning in close to Belinda. "I'll give you one last chance. If you don't tell the truth, I'll have someone cripple your hands and feet, so you'll never be able to gamble again."
For a gambler, how much torment would it be to lose their hands and feet?
Belinda panicked immediately. "You... you're breaking the law! You can't..."
"When you kidnapped Vanya, didn't you know that was against the law?" Cliff's gaze was as cold as ice.
All the strength drained from Belinda—this man had never intended to let her go.
Outside the door, Melinda had already run to the CEO's office. The security guards tried to stop her, but she kept peering inside. "I want to see Alpha Cliff! Let me in! Let me in!"
In the past, Melinda had been favored by Cliff, so the security guards didn't dare to stop her too forcefully, afraid of hurting her.
Inside the office, Cliff shouted coldly, "I said get her out of here! Didn't you hear me?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Melinda had already pushed the door open and entered.
She was wearing a simple, elegant dress—the kind Cliff used to like best.
Cliff frowned and said coldly, "Get her out."
"Yes!" Beta Elliot immediately stepped forward and grabbed Melinda's arm.
Melinda shook off his hand forcefully. "Let go!"
She turned to Cliff, mustering her courage and shouted, "None of you can touch me! I'm pregnant, and I'm carrying Alpha Cliff's child!"
Her voice wasn't too loud or too soft, but it was enough for everyone around to hear.
Outside the door, some employees craned their necks, trying to see what was happening inside.
Cliff's expression changed dramatically—making everyone think that maybe it was true.
Melinda walked up to Cliff and touched her still-flat belly. "Cliff, this is your child, your first child! Are you really going to treat him like this?"
Seeing her provocation, Cliff clenched his fists.
Belinda, lying on the ground, seemed to find her backbone after hearing this.
The more powerful the family, the more important the child.
If she was pregnant, how could she possibly not be accepted into the Todd family?
Her nerves relaxed, her fear vanished, and she even felt a little excited.
She was about to become the grandmother of the Todd family's eldest son—what was there to be afraid of?
Cliff let out a cold laugh. "You say you're pregnant?"
Melinda lifted her chin. "Don't you remember what you did? One night as a couple, a hundred days of affection. Now that I'm carrying your child, you can't let your men throw me out!"
Cliff narrowed his eyes dangerously.
Melinda's threat was blatant, but he wasn't buying it. He said to Beta Elliot, "Take her to the hospital. You personally supervise the examination and bring me the report."