“Business?” My voice cracked with disbelief. “I don’t recall Sebastian ever making deals with terrorists.” His smirk deepened, dangerous. “Oh, Olivia. Terrorists are sloppy. I am a businessman. If your husband does what’s required, you’ll leave this place untouched.” “And what exactly does he want?” I spat, my fear laced with sarcasm. “To divorce you,” he said matter-of-factly, “and marry my daughter. He owes me a debt, and that’s the only way to repay it.” I froze, staring at him like he’d just sprouted horns. Divorce me? For his daughter? “What the hell are you talking about?” My voice cracked into a laugh, brittle with disbelief. “What kind of debt forces a man into marriage? Are you insane?” His chuckle was colder this time, sharp as a blade. “Not insane. Practical. Sebastian made a choice to save someone he loved. And now, the price has come due.” My heart slammed against my ribs. “Save who?” Silence. It wasn’t him who answered. The woman stepped forward at last. Her e
Olivia I jolted awake with a violent shiver, the sting of cold searing straight through my bones. Water clung to my skin in icy rivulets, soaking my clothes until they felt like heavy, suffocating rags plastered to my body. My teeth chattered uncontrollably, each breath leaving pale fog curling in the air. For a moment, I prayed it was a nightmare. God, let this be a nightmare. But no dream ever felt this mercilessly real. The chair beneath me was hard, unyielding, its edges digging into my thighs. My wrists throbbed, skin raw where the ropes cut deep. Every time I tugged, the fibers only bit harder, cruelly reminding me that whoever tied me wasn’t sloppy, they wanted me to suffer. My ankles were bound too, cinched so tight I could barely move a toe. Something heavy weighed down the legs of the chair, chains maybe. I was trapped, locked in place like an animal waiting for slaughter. “W-Where... where am I?” My whisper cracked in the silence, swallowed by the suffocating dark.
Sebastian “Lena's gone.” The words didn’t hit at first, they slid into the room like smoke, quiet and deadly. I blinked, trying to process. “Wait… what? Mom, what the hell are you talking about?” My mother was pacing the living room like a caged animal, her silk robe dragging across the polished floor. Her hands shook as she clutched her phone like it was a lifeline. “She called me last night,” she stammered, voice high, frantic. “She said she was with Olivia. But this morning, nothing. Then Julian…” She froze, her throat tightening before she forced the words out. “Julian called me. He said he has Lena. And he gave me twenty-four hours to get you to sign the divorce papers.” My stomach lurched. I shot to my feet so fast the chair scraped back with a screech. “What?” “He sounded… cold, Sebastian. I know Julian’s cruelty, this wasn’t bluff. If you don’t do something, he’ll hurt her.” A bitter laugh escaped me, sharp and humorless. “Lena’s his daughter too. He wouldn’t—” “Do
Kaylee New York had always been loud, horns blaring, headlights flashing, sidewalks choking with people who acted like the city belonged to them. But beneath all that chaos, there was another noise I couldn’t un-hear once I noticed it: the silent hum of surveillance. Cameras were everywhere. And then the realization hit me like a sucker punch, if every street corner had an eye, then the Red Carpet gala from last month definitely had them too. Which meant that maybe, just maybe, the cameras had captured her. The masked model. The one who had stolen my night. The one who had stolen everything. I shifted in the backseat of the van, tapping my nails against the cracked leather while glaring at the guy sitting across from me. My hacker. My last resort. Hoodie pulled up, laptop screen casting him in blue light, fingers flying over the keys like he’d done this dance a million times. “Didn’t your best friend’s parents just die?” he asked casually, not even looking up. “Shouldn’t you be
“You won’t be alone when you do,” Lena murmured, her voice low but fierce. “We’ll catch you before you hit the ground.” The quiet that followed wasn’t the suffocating, coffin-lid kind—it was softer this time, like a blanket laid over a wound. I didn’t hold back anymore. The tears spilled hot and fast, each one prying apart the iron band that had been squeezing my chest for days. “Okay,” I breathed, barely audible even to myself. “Take me to them.” Sebastian’s mother turned from the window, her face a careful blend of gentleness and steel. “We’ll go in the morning,” she said. “Tonight, you rest. You’ll need every ounce of strength you can get.” I nodded, slower this time, letting the weight of her words settle over me. “Thank you… both of you.” Lena pressed her lips to my temple, and for the first time in days, I felt something close to relief. Tomorrow, I’d finally stand before my parents. Tomorrow, I’d silence the vultures whispering that I hated them. --- Morning came too fa
Olivia A soft knock broke the quiet, hesitant like the person on the other side wasn’t sure if they should even be here. The door eased open, and Sebastian’s mother peeked in, her expression tentative, almost apologetic, before stepping inside. Lena trailed after her, both of them moving like the floor might crack under their weight, careful, slow, deliberate. Sebastian’s mom perched on the edge of my bed, her movements delicate, as though afraid one wrong shift would shatter me completely. Lena slid into the space beside me, her presence warm but fragile, like she was holding her breath. “Olivia…” his mother began, her voice thick with something between sympathy and sorrow. “I wish I could tell you it’s going to be okay, but I can’t. Losing both parents…” She exhaled slowly, shaking her head. “There’s no easy way to survive that.” I forced my hands to still, but they wouldn’t listen. My fingers trembled as if my body had decided to betray me in front of them. Lena’s cool, soft