Chapter 5
“Since there were a bunch of people around, I figured it might as well be some fun for the crowd.”
Mateo glanced at the cage and hesitated for a moment.
But once he looked into Valerie’s eyes, his resolve faded.
“Alright, whatever you say, go.”
Catalina’s eyelashes trembled. As she stared at the cage, a memory surfaced.
Back then, he was like a beaten stray, beaten and humiliated by others. Catalina had pitted him and spent a large amount of money to take him away from that life.
Now, he wanted her to go through the same thing, locked in a cage.
With that thought, Catalina suddenly burst out laughing. Mateo looked shocked but quickly lowered his voice. “If f you just say sorry to Valerie and ask her to forgive you, and if she’s satisfied, maybe I’ll let you go. How about that?”
Catalina looked into his cold, shadowy eyes, and the smile vanished from her face.
“I didn’t do anything wrong. Why should I apologize?”
Her defiance made Mateo’s expression turn cold. He didn’t bother holding back anymore.
Right there, in front of the crowd, he ordered two guards to shove her into the cage.
The people surrounding them chuckled and jeered. Valerie stood close and leaned down to whisper, “This is what you get for trying to seduce Mateo. Don’t think I don’t know what happened between you two.
“I want everyone to see you crawling like a dog.”
She burst out laughing again, then strutted over to Mateo and shouted at Catalina, “Catalina, why don’t you bark for us a couple of times? If it makes me happy, I’ll let you out.”
Catalina stared at her with a chilling glare, but her eyes were full of burning fury.
The crowd around them began shouting, too. “Come on, bark for us!”
“Yeah! Let’s see how a fallen heiress plays the dog!”
***
Voices full of mockery kept echoing in her ears, but Catalina refused to make a single sound.
One person tried to force her mouth open, but she bit down hard, tearing into their skin.
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Chapter 5
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Others stepped forward, ready to hit her to force her into giving in, but Catalina gritted her teeth and took the pain without shedding a tear.
Mateo finally ran out of patience and snapped at Catalina, his tone sharp, “The tougher you act now, the worse I’ll make you suffer later!”
Thirty minutes later, he held an urn in his hands. As soon as Catalina saw it, her legs gave out and she fell.
She knew that urn. It was her mother’s urn.
Her body shook uncontrollably, panic flaring in her eyes like wildfire.
“What… what are you doing?”
Mateo laughed when he saw her reaction.
“Looks familiar? I had to work hard to dig this up.”
Catalina froze, her mind struggling to process what he’d said.
“You dug up my mom’s grave?” she asked, her voice barely a whisper.
Tears rolled down her cheeks as she trembled and dropped to her knees, pleading.
“I was wrong! I won’t do it again! Please just put my mom’s ashes back where they belong, okay?”
Mateo looked at her coldly and smirked. “And what about the barking? Where is it now, hmm?”
“Woof! Woof! Woof woof…”
The second her eyes landed on the urn, it was as if the last string holding her together was broken. Her spirit, once strong, completely gave out.
Again and again, she barked like a dog, shutting out the laughter and ridicule around her.
At that moment, her pride and will were crushed, beyond repair.
Mateo gave an approving nod, and just as he was about to set the urn down, Valerie suddenly bumped into him.
Catalina saw it happen and cried out, “No!”
Crash!
The ashes spilled out, scattering across the ground. Valerie walked right over them in her tall heels, looking regretful.
“Oh no! I didn’t mean to. I tripped…”
The sight felt like a wave crashing down on Catalina, leaving her completely breathless.
Her tears fell rapidly, and she cried out with a broken voice, “Mom…
“Why? Why are you doing this to me?”
