My Possessive CEO: Trembling in His Arms-Chapter 198: Failed Escape

Renee Winslow didn’t go to the W&J Company interview. She used the excuse of going to the bathroom to dodge Benjamin Lane and Henry Hayes’ surveillance, and secretly ran off alone.

Luckily, she’d brought her ID card for the interview, or else there’d be no way to escape.

As long as she had her ID, she could catch a ride out of Northcity.

No way she’d make it in time for a flight, so she’d have to take the high-speed train. Tickets for short distances are easy to buy, so she’d first hop onto a train to the neighboring city, then buy another ticket to somewhere further away.

Renee sat in the backseat of the cab, nervously clutching her bag. Her voice was urgent: "Driver, I really need to catch my train, I’m running out of time. Can you take a shortcut?"

The driver asked, "Miss, what time does your train leave?"

Renee told him her ticket time, putting her hands together and begging: "Uncle, please, I’m really in a hurry."

Mainly, she was afraid Jack Yates would catch her and drag her back if she was too slow.

Driver: "Don’t worry, I’ve been driving for years. I promise I’ll get you to the train on time!"

When she got out of the cab, Renee sprinted like mad, rushing breathlessly into the high-speed rail security check.

But when she’d cleared security and entered the hall, walking up to the ticket gate, she saw Harvey Lancaster standing there with two cool, sharp-looking female bodyguards, all three waiting with cold faces, like a trap set just for her.

Renee gripped her bag tighter, as if she could squeeze out the strength to face Harvey from it.

Harvey spoke with a blank face: "Please go back."

Renee shook her head. "No, I won’t go. Please tell Jack Yates, I’m a free person. I have the right to go wherever I want, he has no right to stop me."

Harvey: "Please don’t make things difficult for me."

Renee shot back, "Don’t make things difficult for me, either."

She took a silver hairpin out of her bag and removed the paper wrapped around its base—she’d bought it at a jewelry shop while pretending to go to the bathroom.

You can’t get a fruit knife past security, but a regular metal hairpin under 18 centimeters isn’t a prohibited item, so she could take it on the train.

Renee gripped the pin tight, the sharp tip pressed against her own neck, and for the first time ever, she spoke to Harvey with deadly coldness: "Either you let me get on the train today, or you bring my corpse to Jack Yates."

A clueless rail worker saw what was happening and rushed over, just about to intervene—but another in-the-know staffer yanked him away.

No one among the bystanders dared to step up.

Harvey had no choice but to call Jack Yates: "Third Brother, she’s pressing a hairpin against her neck. I can’t take her away."

Jack’s voice was steady: "Have the staff confiscate her hairpin."

Harvey hung up, and before long, a staff member came over to take Renee’s hairpin away; if she didn’t hand it over, she wouldn’t be allowed on the train.

Renee argued her case: "I checked, hairpins aren’t prohibited by railway rules."

The staff smiled. "But your hairpin is too sharp, it could hurt others, so it’s a restricted item."

In the end, Renee lost the argument, because the hairpin really was sharp—otherwise she couldn’t have used it to threaten Harvey.

Her hairpin confiscated, Renee no longer had leverage to threaten Harvey. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

The two female bodyguards caught Harvey’s hint and walked straight toward her.

Before they could lay hands, Renee said loudly, "I’ll go myself!"

-

Her escape failed. Renee was locked up in Thatcher Manor once again.

She’d lost count—was this the third time, or fourth?

This time, she didn’t even know how long they’d keep her locked up.

Is this love?

If it’s love, why treat her like this?

She didn’t even have basic freedom—how could this be love?

So Jack Yates never actually loved her, did he?

If he truly loved someone, how could he bear to treat her this way?

On a summer afternoon, a bird flew out from between the branches, soaring into the sky, toward the blue and white clouds.

The sky was wide and high, free for birds to fly.

Renee sat on the stone steps in front of the villa, looking up at the bird flying farther and farther away, feeling a tide rising in her heart.

Just then, her phone rang. An unfamiliar number.

Renee didn’t pick up, letting it ring out until it stopped.

A while later, the phone rang again. Same number.

Renee answered: "Hello?"

"Hi, is this Renee, Miss Winslow?"

Renee recognized Sydney Thorne’s voice, her heart tightened, but she acted calm: "Is there something you want?"

Sydney’s voice was gentle: "Sorry to call you so suddenly. Here’s the thing—I just learned that you came to Starlight Media for an interview."

Renee: "You don’t need to apologize. I overreached—there’s nothing wrong with you not hiring me."

Sydney laughed: "I saw your resume. You’re an excellent girl. If you’re willing, I’d love to have you at my company. But that’s not why I called—the interview process will be handled formally with an offer."

Renee’s voice was indifferent: "Please just say whatever it is. No need for small talk."

Sydney: "I wanted to apologize, because I didn’t know you were Third Brother’s..."

She paused deliberately before finishing, refusing to say the words "girlfriend."

But that only made it more humiliating.

Then Sydney continued: "I was on the phone outside the interview room earlier—you must have heard what I said."

Renee stayed silent.

Sydney: "To be honest, Third Brother and I are only getting married for business. There’s no emotional foundation. His plan is: after marrying me and having the Yates Family heir, we’ll live separate lives, just keeping up appearances as a married couple, while he continues to keep you, just like now."

"It doesn’t really bother me, since it’s an arranged marriage. If not Jack Yates, it’d be someone else. But as a woman, I think it’s unfair to you. That’s why I’m calling you today."

"Renee, I’m eight years older than you. May I call you Renee?"

Renee’s tone was steady: "Sure."

In reality, her hand holding the phone was trembling.

Sydney: "I know you may not believe me—you might think I’m trying to stir up trouble. Here, I’ll add you on WhatsApp. Accept my request, I’ll send you some screenshots."

Renee looked at the screenshots Sydney sent—her whole body was shaking.

No wonder. No wonder on the second day of the New Year, Jack Yates cut her internet and banned her from going online. He was afraid she’d see the trending news of him flaunting his romance with Sydney Thorne.

Sydney: "On New Year’s second day, Third Brother said he wanted to take me out shopping, to let me save face. I said no—I was afraid being seen on the news would hurt you. But he told me he had ways to hide it, so I shouldn’t worry. I don’t know how he hid it—maybe you knew all along and didn’t care."

"If you don’t care, just forget what I said today. However you and Third Brother lived before, live the same way going forward."

"Don’t worry, I definitely won’t play the ’queen bee’ game and make things difficult for you. There’s no reason for women to make it hard for each other. I’d never stoop to that."

"I’m the president of an entertainment company—I wouldn’t compete with another woman for a man. That’s just pathetic, and I despise women who do that."

"Besides, all my male idols are signed to me—every one of them is handsome. Why would I ever be short on men?"

Renee, just a college student who hadn’t even graduated, was no match for Sydney Thorne, a boss in the entertainment industry.

Sydney fired off a string of half-truths, logical lies, giving Renee no choice but to believe her.

The key was—the trending screenshots were real, and on New Year’s second day, Jack Yates really did do the weird thing of cutting off her Internet.

Renee wanted desperately to call Jack and ask if it was true.

But she didn’t. First, the Yates Family was in mourning, and the deceased was a huge figure; calling to ask about relationship drama now was out of place. Second, even if she did ask, Jack would never admit it.

This wasn’t the first time she’d tried—she’d asked many times, and Jack kept lying to her.

When he cut her internet, he said it was to help her focus on studying. But really, it was just to keep her from seeing the trending news.

So that day when Sanga called and asked if she’d seen the net—was Sanga actually asking about the trending headline?

But Sanga had only gotten halfway through before the call was cut, and when she tried to call back, his phone wouldn’t connect.

The next day when she called, Sanga recited the same words Jack had said to her.

She didn’t suspect anything then, but looking back, it was all under Jack’s control.

Jack Yates was truly terrifying. And hateful.

Renee swallowed all her anger, resentment, and heartache—silently, without letting it show.

Endure. She could only endure.

She knew well—if she fell out with Jack Yates now, she’d really be locked up for life, or until he was completely bored of her.

But when would Jack tire of her? She didn’t know, and couldn’t afford to gamble on it.

So for now, she could only endure—lie low and hold back, like King Goujian biding his time!

Endure till graduation, endure till the right moment—then leave Jack Yates for good.

Only Renee didn’t know that her newly replaced phone, unbeknownst to her, had a surveillance chip installed by Jack Yates’ orders.