RUNNING AWAY

Luna sighed as she started to find the bathroom to get changed.

“Change here,” he demanded, sending shivers down her spine. Even a simple hiss from his mouth was enough to make her worry to no end.

“I…” She blinked rapidly, not knowing what to do. Keeping her head lowered, she whispered, “I don’t feel comfortable…” exactly what she shouldn’t have said—and she knew that.

“Did I buy you to comfort you?” He raised his brow. The only thing he found annoying about Luna was how she kept lowering her eyes rather than looking at him.

“I’m sorry,” she mumbled, tightly holding onto the lingerie. Her heart almost jumped into her throat as she tried to argue with someone who could literally kill her without a shred of remorse.

“Sorry for what?” he asked, sighing and rubbing his temples. “Fine. Make it quick, or I might come in there and make you wear it myself.”

She raised her head slightly. “Y… Yes, sir…” she stuttered before quickly walking toward the bathroom with the help of the wall.

He watched her walking as though her legs might give out any second. Scoffing, he muttered, “What did I even buy?” before resting himself on her bed.

Luna took five minutes to figure out the lingerie and put it on properly. But even then, she wasn’t sure if she had worn it correctly. Her collar made it even harder to breathe.

She walked out of the bathroom, dressed in the revealing thongs. She wasn’t used to such clothing. Timidly, she approached Carson, trying to cover as much of her skin as possible with her hands.

Carson was too stunned to utter a word. She was something else. He hadn’t thought she would look so captivating in those thongs—but she did. Now he knew exactly what he had bought.

Her innocence wasn’t helping. The sudden heat that surged through him was unlike anything he had ever felt before. No woman had ever made him feel this way.

‘She’s hella tempting,’ a thought crossed his mind subconsciously. He shook his head slightly, brushing the foolish idea away.

“Come here,” he instructed, gesturing to his lap. Luna wasn’t sure what he meant. Somehow, she moved closer and stood beside him.

He sighed, grabbing her wrist and pulling her onto his lap. “It sure was a good investment,” he murmured into her ear.

She froze. What the hell did he mean? ‘Am I just an object to him? Was he pretending to be different at the auction house?’

Suddenly, she felt his palm on her breast. Acting on instinct, she slapped Carson across the face—hard.

His jaw clenched, and she immediately covered her mouth, horrified by what she had just done. ‘Fuck!’ she cursed herself as a tear rolled down her cheek. She knew she was as good as dead.

“You fucking bitch!” he growled, grabbing her chin. Yet, he didn’t let her leave his lap.

“I… I’m sorry,” she stammered, her voice trembling with terror.

“You sure are,” he hissed, his tone devoid of any mercy.

Before he could act on his rage, a knock on the door stole his attention, though his gaze remained fixed on her.

“Boss, it’s Code Red!” Drake shouted from the other side. He knew better than to open the door. Years of working for Carson had taught him to respect certain boundaries.

“You’re lucky,” Carson smirked. “But not for long.” He shoved her onto the bed and stood up, fixing his clothes. “See you tonight, little feisty kitten.”

She couldn’t see the evil grin on his face, but she could feel it. As he walked away, she lay there, her heart pounding in terror. All she could do was curse herself for being stupid enough to slap the heir to a mafia empire.

“What is it?” Carson asked, his face icy as he walked down the hallway with Drake beside him.

Drake opened his tablet, which he always carried. “Russians,” he said, knowing the keyword would suffice.

“Do we have the blueprint yet?” Carson asked, hurrying toward the meeting room where the higher-ranking members, including his father, were waiting.

“It’ll be here in two days,” Drake replied, adjusting his glasses. He glanced back at the door to Luna’s room.

Carson suddenly stopped in front of the meeting room door, his hand resting on the handle. He stared at it, unmoving, until Drake grew concerned.

“Is something wrong?” Drake asked, a hint of apprehension in his voice.

“Get her into my room tonight,” Carson said, his gaze shifting to Drake.

“Who?” Drake asked, feigning ignorance.

“The one I bought,” Carson replied coldly. “She needs to learn her lesson before she gets out of hand.”

“But didn’t you buy her to marry? Don’t you think spending a night with her like that would—”

Before Drake could finish, Carson grabbed him by the neck. “Am I your boss, or are you mine? Don’t ever question my orders again. Got that?”

“Yes, boss,” Drake replied, unfazed by the treatment. He had endured worse and knew why Carson’s heart was so hardened.

“Let’s go, then.” Carson released him and entered the meeting room, where his father and the others waited.

Carson greeted the cold stares from the division heads with indifference. He was, after all, the elite of these meetings.

“Do you have an explanation for this?” Russell, Carson’s father, asked, his tone heavy with disappointment.

“What’s so complicated?” Carson replied dismissively. “The Russians were always a problem.”

“We worked with Yakim for years without issue. Now he’s furious enough to start a war?” one of the division bosses huffed.

Carson chuckled but didn’t respond. He picked up the file in front of him and began to read.

“Boss, Yakim was trustworthy. I don’t think your son understands how this association works,” another division boss added, fueling the fire.

Carson sipped his water, pretending to focus on the file as accusations flew around him.

After the room fell silent, Russell cleared his throat.

“When are you finding a girl to marry?” Russell asked suddenly, steering the conversation in an unexpected direction.

Carson glanced up. “Already found one.”

“Did you force her?” Russell asked, his eyes narrowing.

“Not exactly,” Carson replied with a smirk.

“What did he do?” Russell turned to Drake, who froze under the scrutiny.

“He…” Drake hesitated.

“It was his idea,” Carson interjected, smirking.

Drake shot him a glare but quickly adapted. “To get him a girlfriend.”

Russell raised an eyebrow. “Did she agree willingly?”

“Yeah… she did,” Drake chuckled awkwardly.

Before the tension could escalate, “Boss!” The third division leader finally lost his patience, his voice laced with frustration at their pointless, irrelevant conversation.

“Carson.” Russell leaned back in his chair, his calm demeanor showing his confidence in his son’s ability to manage business affairs.

Carson gestured to Drake. “Drake, turn on the projector.”

Drake nodded, swiftly setting it up.

“Look here.” Carson began as a series of slides appeared on the screen, showing Yakim accepting bribes from the Italian mafia and providing them with confidential contractual information.

The third division boss huffed dismissively. “What are we looking at? Yakim handling his business? Seems pretty standard to me.” He rolled his eyes, attempting to downplay the severity.

Carson smirked, his expression mocking. “Oh, you could call it that. Peacefully running a smooth operation—selling our contractual information to the Italians while pocketing bribes. And here…” He clicked to the next slide. “You might find this one interesting—Yakim looting our products and selling them under his name. Recognize that truck? Isn’t that the same one under your division that got intercepted by the police during transport?” Carson raised a brow, tilting his head slightly, his playful tone only adding to the third division boss’s growing embarrassment.

The room fell silent, tension thickening.

“So, Yakim’s loyal followers…” Carson’s glare swept across the room, his voice sharp. “He’s been robbing you for years, and all you’ve done is cling to your idiotic loyalty and ‘friendship instincts.’”

Heads bowed in shame as the weight of Carson’s words sank in.

“Did you know about this?” the first division boss muttered, turning toward the second division boss.

The second division boss shook his head, his embarrassment evident.

Carson scoffed, his tone dripping with disdain. “Of course you didn’t, not with that dull mind of yours. I’m not the least bit surprised.”

Embarrassed murmurs spread through the room. Russell finally spoke. “Anyone else doubt my son’s business abilities?”

No one dared to.

“Well then, I have other business to attend to. Enjoy your time, gentlemen.” Carson adjusted his coat with a sharp tug, nodding curtly before striding toward the exit.

As he reached the door, Russell’s firm voice cut through the room. “I want to meet the girl this weekend—no excuses.” Without waiting for a reply, Russell exited from the opposite side, his presence commanding even as he left.

Carson rolled his eyes in irritation and stepped into the hallway. “What’s the schedule?” he asked Drake, his tone clipped.

Drake fell into step beside him. “Two offsite clubs need inspection. There’s unusual drug activity happening—stuff we didn’t authorize.” He kept his explanation brief, knowing Carson preferred essential details over unnecessary elaboration.

Luna’s swollen eyes were filled with terror and tears. All she could think about was last night. Changing into a proper dress, she realized she couldn’t find any shoes.

Time passed, and no one came. She decided this was her only chance to escape.

Slowly, she opened the door, relieved to find no one outside. Retracing her steps, she reached the back door.

As she stepped outside, a sudden shock of electricity coursed through her body. It felt like lightning had struck her.

She collapsed, unconscious.