Chapter 108
Chapter 108
VENUS
The room was a tomb. Still. Stale. Stifling.
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Thicker now, the scent of rot and rust hung like a noose around my lungs. The air didn’t just sit, it suffocated. Each breath tasted of decay and metal, and each time I exhaled, it felt like a small surrender.
But I wasn’t dead.
Not yet.
The ropes had left my wrists in ribbons. Torn skin, crusted blood, veins screaming from lack of circulation. My ankle weren’t better. Swollen. Purpled. As if they were slowly forgetting they belonged to a body still alive.
Food had been dumped hours ago-greasy, wrapped in a crumpled paper bag that smelled more like oil than anything edible. No water. Nothing clean. But when I was sure no one was watching, I forced a few bites down. Not because I wante to survive. But because I refused to die like this. Not here. Not in this dungeon made of mold and madness.
I curled onto my side-knees pulled to my chest, back to the wall. That was the only position that didn’t scream.
That’s when I felt it.
The chain.
The necklace.
“For when the world forgets who you are… remember I never did p>
The inscription on the tiny gold plate Aaron gave me.
Yeah right. And yet he didn’t even trust me when it mattered.
I’d forgotten it was still on me. Through all the chaos-the betrayal, the drugging, the blackout and this hellhole-it had stayed. Warm from my skin. Cold from the concrete.
I curled my fingers around it.
Not for comfort.
For clarity.
Because this pain? This mess? This entire collapse of everything I’d built?
It didn’t own me. Not the bruises. Not the hunger. Not the voice in the dark.
I had been poisoned by my mother. Bound by a man who called himself family. Betrayed by the one person I thought would tear down the world to protect me.
But I was still here.
And I wasn’t going to die in this fucking basement.
I was still trying to think, to focus, when I heard it.
Footsteps.
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Chapter 108
Different this time. Not the impatient thud of Dain. Not Billy’s omping drag. These steps were slower. Deliberate. Confident.
Measured like someone who believed the world would wait form to speak.
Then a knock.
Soft. Like it was polite. Like this place wasn’t a prison.
A pause.
Then the unmistakable scrape of a key in the lock.
I tensed.
The door opened.
A man stepped in, and even in the flicker of the overhead bulb, I knew-
This wasn’t one of them.
Not Billy. Not Dain.
He was taller. Leaner. His silhouette wore tailored edges, his steps were soundless. Like a wolf in Italian leather.
His voice was the first thing that truly chilled me.
“Idiots,” he muttered to himself, stepping into the room with a disgusted glance around. “Absolute fucking amateurs p>
He moved like he owned the ground. Like the walls obeyed him A predator that didn’t need to roar.
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He knelt beside me. My vision blurred. My body screamed. But some primal part of me knew that this man-this man wasn’t here to check on my wellbeing.
He was the reason I was here.
Not the tool.
The architect.
He hovered a hand near my throat. Not touching. Just… assessing. His cologne hit next. Sharp. Citrus and steel. Clinical. Cold.
“Christ,” he murmured, scanning my face. My split lip. My hollow cheeks. “This wasn’t part of the plan p>
His fingers brushed my jaw. Not gentle. Not violent. Just clinical. Like checking a car part that was rusted out.
“They were supposed to keep you healthy. Presentable. Awake.
He stood again, hands behind his back, pacing. “They’ve jeopardized everything. Both of them. And they think they’ll get a ransom? Idiots. Greedy little parasites p>
My heart was pounding. My body was weak, but something deep inside me coiled. Instinct. Rage,
I gripped the necklace.
He noticed.
And in one fluid motion, he walked back
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And yanked it off.
The chain snapped. The sound was louder than a scream in that quiet room.
I gasped. Not from the pain. But from the loss.
It was stupid. Sentimental.
But it was mine.
And now it dangled from his fingers.
He held it up to the light like it was a piece of trash.
“That?” he said coolly. “That won’t save you. He won’t save you. You still don’t understand, do you, Venus p>
My mouth tried to form a word. My throat rasped something day and broken.
He crouched again. This time closer. His eyes found mine.
They were dark. Too dark. But intelligent. Focused. Controlled.
“You were never meant to be his,” he whispered.
My heart froze.
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“Do you know how long I’ve been planning this?” he asked, voice soft. “You think this is about money? Or revenge? No, baby. This is about you. It’s always been about you p>
My blood ran cold.
He stroked a strand of hair behind my ear. Almost… lovingly.
“You’re mine, Venus. You always have been. Aaron Sinclair just borrowed you. But he never deserved you p>
He stood again, his expression morphing into something colder
He walked across the room, and without a glance, threw the necklace into a shadowed corner.
Then he turned, came back, and without warning, lifted me.
My body screamed. I tried to fight, but I couldn’t.
“Shh,” he said, carrying me like I weighed nothing. “No point resisting. We’re moving locations. Billy and Dain are liabilities
now p>
My vision spun.
I opened my mouth. Tried to ask his name. Tried to say anything.
But my throat betrayed me.
He looked down. Smiled.
Not wide. Not cruel. Just a thin line of satisfaction.
“You’ll be unconscious before we arrive,” he said. “But don’t worry. I’ll take care of you. I’ll fix you p>
That was the last thing I remembered before the world went black.
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But even in the dark, one thought burned.
This wasn’t just a kidnapping.
This wasn’t random.
Billy and Dain were pawns.
This man? This stranger with familiar eyes?
He was the hand moving the board.
And the game?
Had only just begun.
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Ruby Walker
Ruby Walker is a rising voice in the world of romance and spicy fiction. With a gift for weaving deep emotions, sizzling chemistry, and unexpected twists, her stories are a blend of passion and drama that captivate readers from start to finish. Ruby’s writing style is bold and irresistible—perfect for those who crave intense, addictive love stories.