Luana remembered she had hidden the dagger behind the pillow. All she needed to do was move to the pillow to retrieve it and cut the zip tie.
She immediately used her legs to push herself towards the headboard.
Just as her head was about to touch the pillow, the man suddenly pressed down on her body.
She felt the man's weight press down, and then his hoarse voice whispered in her ear, "You invited Travis to the hotel and drugged the wine. What does this mean?"
Luana was stunned. Shouldn't he just commit the perfect crime? Why ask about matters unrelated to him?
Could it be that Travis had seen through her plan and deliberately sent this man to test her?
No way! Given Travis's personality, if he knew she wanted to kill him, he would have already sent people to tear her limb from limb.
"Just some mood-enhancing drugs," she replied, feigning composure. She had no idea who this man was and would not tell him the truth.
The man seemed to let out a cold laugh, "Role-playing and drugging, it seems you guys have quite the thrilling times."
Seeing that he believed her, Luana pressed her lips together and offered no response.
Her silence seemed to anger the man, and her chin was suddenly gripped by a cold hand.
Just as Luana thought the man was going to strangle her, a phone ringtone broke the silence.
The man released her chin and picked up her phone. Luana, sensing he was about to answer the call, pleaded urgently, "It's Mr. Elan's call. He has urgent matters to discuss with me. Please let me answer it."
The man, observing her anxious expression, responded in a cold, hoarse voice, "Why? Afraid he'll discover your affair?"
"No!" Luana was frantic, trying to control her emotions as she said, "Please, let me take the call. If I don't answer his call, my friend will be in danger. Let me finish this call, and I'll do whatever you want afterward!"
Her constant pleading seemed to sway the man.
Luana thought he would untie her, but instead, he just tapped the answer button and put the call on speaker.
Before she could speak, Travis's furious shouting came through the line, "Luana, you bitch, you dare to deceive me. Believe it or not, I'll have your friend and her husband die on their wedding night tonight!"
The deafening voice seemed intent on devouring her alive.
Luana's heart trembled with fear for Clarissa and Albert. She quickly composed herself and spoke in a conciliatory tone, "Mr. Elan, I was just about to send you the address. I'm at ColdGold Hotel, room 2088, waiting for you. Please come soon."
Travis was seething with rage, "Bitch, I've already sent my men to Clarissa's bridal chamber. If I don't see the contract at the hotel, I'll have them killed immediately, the woman raped and killed, the man chopped into pieces. Do you hear me?"
"Okay," Luana responded, and the man hung up the call.
She couldn't see the man's expression, but she pleaded anxiously, "Sir, you heard him. Lives are at stake. Whatever you're impersonating Travis for, please do it another time. I must see him tonight and hand over the contract, or he will kill my friends!"
In contrast to Luana's desperation, the man remained calm and composed. He asked, "What contract?"
Reluctant to discuss matters related to Cline, Luana only said, "It's a project contract."
The man toyed with the phone and said nonchalantly, "If you don't explain clearly, let Travis explain it."
With no other choice, Luana recounted how Travis wanted to possess her and how she managed to extricate herself from the predicament, omitting her plan to kill Travis and focusing only on the contract issue.
"I had no choice but to deceive him by saying I could get the western land project, just to buy time for my friend's wedding. But he's too difficult to deal with. I had to create a fake contract to appease him."
After listening, the man was silent for a while. Seeing his silence, Luana was on the verge of tears, "Sir, everything I said is true. Please let me go!"
The man remained unmoved and asked inexplicably, "You and Travis never slept together?"
"Of course not!" Luana retorted angrily, "His methods with women are so cruel. How could I possibly sleep with him?"
Thinking of Travis sending people to Clarissa's bridal chamber, she lost her mind and even her initial pretense.
Seeing her anger, the man finally took out a golden knife and cut the white zip tie on her wrist.
Freed from her restraints, Luana quickly removed the tie from her eyes. The room was still dark, and the man hadn't removed his mask, so Luana still couldn't see his face.
She didn't care about his appearance. She just wanted to get rid of him and proceed with her plan against Travis.
"Sir, please leave now. Mr. Elan is not someone to be trifled with. If he sees you here, he will definitely hurt you!"