My Fiancé Betrayed Me, My Brother Took Me Home

My fianc took me to Las Vegas.

I thought it was a vacation.

A week later, I was locked in an underground casino, beaten bloody, and left behind to pay off his debt.

He ran away with my foster sister.

They thought I was finished.

But when we met again,

I kissed the casinos owner

right in front of him.

"Where's that bitch? Bring her to me!"

I cowered in the corner of the room, trembling. The locked door was being kicked in, one forceful blow after another.

A week ago, I never would have imagined that the Las Vegas trip my fianc planned would lead me to an underground casino. He and Vivian gambled recklessly day and night, but in the end, I was the one who suffered the consequences.

With a loud crash, the door flew open. Several burly men in black clothes rushed in.

I held up a lamp to shield myself, looking at them fearfully. "Please don't come any closer. Ethan has gone to get money. He'll pay off the debt soon!"

The leader spat on the ground contemptuously. "Stop lying to me, girl. I fell for your trick last night, thinking they'd pay up if we kept you here. But that bastard ran off with his girlfriend!"

"What? They abandoned me and ran away?"

"Don't play dumb. I bet you're all in on this scheme together!"

Cold sweat trickled down my forehead. The "bastard" their leader mentioned was my fianc Ethan, and the woman who left with him was Vivian, my foster sister who had taken my place in the family for over a decade.

They had actually conspired to leave me stranded here alone?

"Boss, stop wasting time talking. Let's teach this little bitch a lesson."

At the leader's signal, several thugs surrounded me. With a flick of their wrists, they knocked the lamp out of my hands and roughly pinned me to the table.

"Don't touch me! Get away!" In my struggle, I accidentally kicked one of them in the shin. Immediately, a hand slapped me hard across the face.

My cheek swelled instantly, and I tasted blood in my mouth. These men were brutal - if I didn't think of something fast, I might actually die here!

The leader approached me with a whip, tapping my face with the handle. "Behave yourself. I'll show you what happens when you don't pay your debts!"

"Please, I have money! I can pay off the debt, just let me go!"

"You think I'd still believe that crap? If you really had money, why would they leave you behind?"

As I frantically searched for a way out, I noticed the leader's phone screen. There was a contact labeled "Casino Owner". When I saw the number, my eyes widened in shock.

I knew that number by heart - it was Julian's!

Julian was my adoptive parents' biological son. Before I was reunited with my birth family, he had cherished and spoiled me for over a decade. He even plastered his room with my photos without my knowledge, harboring secret feelings for me.

"Your boss is Julian?" I blurted out.

"Well, well, you've done your homework. This whole casino is the boss's private business. Not many people know that."

My heart steadied. I shouted at them, "Julian is my brother! We're on the same side! Let me go now, and I can explain this misunderstanding to him!"

The leader exchanged glances with his men, their faces twisted in mockery. Then, he kicked me hard.

"How dare a piece of trash like you pretend to be the young miss! You don't know your place. The young miss is the boss's weak spot. You know what happened to the last person who tried to use her name? It'd scare you to death!"

"Jay, bring me my club. I'm going to teach this audacious woman a lesson for the boss!"

The kick left me dizzy, but I persisted through the pain: "I am your young miss! If you don't believe me, call Julian here to see for himself!"

Just then, the leader's phone rang. The caller was Julian.

I broke free from the thugs' grip and lunged for the leader's phone. "Give it to me! Let me talk to Julian. He'll recognize my voice!"

The leader slapped me hard and pointed at me, ordering me to shut up. His men pinned me down again. He gave them a look, then answered the phone obsequiously as he walked out.

"Hello, boss. I was just dealing with a deadbeat gambler. What can I do for you?"

I tried to shout, but only got half a syllable out before a rag was stuffed in my mouth.

"We told you to shut up, you stubborn bitch!"

Someone shoved me to the ground, and the others started kicking and punching me. I curled up in a fetal position, nearly passing out from the pain. The gag in my mouth prevented me from even crying out.

Julian had always pampered me since childhood. He'd worry for days over a tiny scratch on my hand. His indulgence had made me proud and willful. Even after I returned to my birth family, I never suffered any hardships due to my personality.

I wondered how Julian would react if he saw me in this pitiful state.

Just as I was about to lose consciousness, the leader returned with his phone, looking anxious.

"Stop! Stop right now!"

The rain of fists finally ceased.

"What's wrong, boss?"

The leader gave me a contemptuous look. "Don't waste any more time on this woman. The boss says the young miss is missing. She was last seen at our casino. Gather all our men to search for her immediately."

I was stunned, my head still spinning from the beating. Julian had been keeping tabs on my whereabouts even after I left, and he noticed I was missing?

I propped myself up on shaky arms, making muffled sounds through the gag.

One of the thugs kicked me. "Quiet!"

"Boss, what should we do with this woman?"

The leader's face was grim as he pondered. "The boss is already on a plane, coming to look for the young miss himself. This woman claimed she was the young miss earlier..."

My face lit up with excitement. Great, Julian was coming! He would not only rescue me but also punish these blind fools.

But the leader continued: "We absolutely cannot let the boss see her. He's already anxious about not finding the young miss. If this crazy woman jumps out claiming to be her, it might set him off and he'll take it out on us."

"You're right, boss. Should we get rid of her?"

The leader grabbed my chin, examining my face. "She is quite pretty, though."

"Lock her in solitary confinement for now. After the boss finds the young miss and leaves, we'll train her to be a dealer to work off the debt."

I shook my head frantically upon hearing this. They wanted me to stay and become a dealer? I'd be trapped on this island forever!

But no one cared about my opinion. They dragged me away like an animal, heading for the solitary confinement cell.

No, this couldn't happen. Julian was coming soon. I had to find a way to see him. This was my last chance. Once I was locked up, it would all be over!

As the two men were about to lock me in the cell, I stumbled to my feet and used all my strength to slam into the door before it closed completely. Then I grabbed a metal pipe from the ground and swung it hard at one man's head.

He clutched his head and collapsed in pain. Before the other could restrain me, I smashed the pipe into his face.

After dealing with these two, my adrenaline surged. I ran forward at an incredible speed, as if my life depended on it.

The sound of a helicopter came from above.

It was Julian. He had arrived!

I ran like a madwoman towards where the helicopter was landing. I saw the cabin door open.

Julian slowly descended the steps.

My heart was racing, but before I could make a sound, a rough hand clamped over my mouth. Then my hair was yanked back violently.

"You little bitch, how dare you hit me! You must have a death wish!"

It was the man whose head I had struck earlier. He had caught up!

The leader was respectfully waiting to receive Julian. Noticing the commotion, he frowned and looked our way.

He silently shook his head at the man holding me.

I was immediately dragged behind a wall.

Not far away, Julian had come down. He looked travel-worn and worried.

The leader immediately went to greet him: "Boss, we've pulled all the surveillance footage as you instructed. We'll definitely find clues about the young miss's whereabouts."

"Take me to the surveillance room."

Julian strode forward, passing within arm's reach of me. We were separated by just a wall.

He suddenly paused, clenching his fist.

As if speaking to me, or perhaps to himself, he said: "Elena, please be safe."

My face was covered in tears and blood. He was right in front of me, but I couldn't make a sound.

In the end, I was thrown into solitary confinement.

To prevent me from escaping, they dislocated my arms, tied my legs, and gagged me tightly again.

For the next few days, Julian didn't come.

The underground casino was dimly lit, and Ethan had kept me confined to the hotel room during our stay. My face probably wasn't captured on any surveillance footage.

My hope was slowly fading away.

But early one morning, I heard hurried footsteps and Julian's voice.

"Boss, how can you be sure that person is the young miss just from seeing her back? Could you have made a mistake? She's just a nobody left here to pay off a debt."

Julian's voice was agitated and slightly panicked.

"Enough! Where are you keeping her?"

"In... in the solitary confinement cell up ahead."

He recognized me!

Hope surged within me. I tried to make muffled sounds to get Julian's attention.

But the footsteps stopped about ten paces away from me.

"Mr. Ashcroft, we just confirmed with the young miss's fianc. He said she's already back in the country. She was never missing."

It was Julian's assistant's voice.

"Where does her location show?"

"Also in the country. It shows she returned three days ago, but it just synced up due to signal issues."

Ethan had taken my phone when he left with Vivian. It had a tracker Julian had installed.

Now he was using the phone's location to mislead Julian!

The leader eagerly persuaded him: "Boss, you must have been mistaken. I knew that woman couldn't possibly be the young miss!"

Julian instructed his assistant: "Contact the pilot immediately to prepare for our return. I need to see Elena with my own eyes to be sure."

"Yes, sir."

Hearing Julian about to leave, I threw caution to the wind.

I used all my strength to slam my head against the iron door of the cell, making a loud "bang".

Julian's footsteps halted. His tone turned cold:

"Who exactly is locked in there?"

The gang leader forced a smile. "Boss, it's just a troublesome woman. She's not worth your attention. You should go find the young miss. I'll deal with her later."

But Julian didn't leave.