ログインMilaThe world stopped spinning as I stared at the man standing at the head of the long dining table.I stared at him until my eyes burned, waiting for the illusion to crack, waiting for the nightmare to be over and reveal the real monster hiding in this room.But the it didn't happen. And the man didn't disappear.It was Aaron.The billionaire CEO of the Empire Group. The quiet businessman who never raised his voice, never touched a weapon and spent his days in glass boardrooms while Ryan ruled the violent, bleeding streets of the southside.He looked perfectly fine. Even better. He didn't have a black eye. He didn't have bound wrists. There was no blood on his stark white collar.He didn't look like a hostage at all."I have been waiting for this dinner for a very, very long time, Mila." Aaron said. His voice lacked any trace of fear. It lacked any trace of surprise.My brain violently rejected what my eyes were seeing. He was there too, my mind screamed frantically. He was drove m
MilaThe dress fit as though it had been sewn directly onto my body. The long, fitted sleeves clung to my arms, acting as a soft armor, while the high neckline forced me to keep my chin tipped upward. When the maids finally zipped up the back, I turned to face the floor-to-length mirror in the corner of the room. The woman staring back at me didn't look like a captive. She didn't look like a terrified, pregnant girl who had been dragged out of a clubhouse.The maids guided me to a velvet stool in front of a vanity. They opened velvet boxes of expensive, untouched cosmetics."Nothing soft." I instructed before they could even touch me. "Do not make me look flushed or pretty. I want sharp lines. And I want red lips."They obeyed without a single word of protest. They pulled my dark hair back into an elegant twist that exposed the elegant line of my neck. They painted my lips the exact same shade of fresh blood as the gown, and lined my eyes until they looked feline and dangerous.Whe
ReaperI spent the next twenty-four hours tearing the underworld apart looking for that fucking anchor.I took photos of the bloody silk pocket square and sent them to every single contact I had. I woke up the head of the Irish mob in Chicago. I dragged our best hackers out of bed and ordered them to scrub every dark web database, every corporate registry, and every Interpol watchlist for a serpent wrapping around a golden anchor.I even swallowed my pride and went to the Russian Bratva. I sat at a table with men who would normally put a bullet in my back, slid the photo across the wood, and offered a million dollars to anyone who could give me a name.Nothing.Every single screen came back blank. Every old-timer I threatened swore they had never seen it. The crest didn't exist in any police file, any cartel ledger, or any military database.Whoever was behind this, he operated so far above the streets that my entire criminal empire looked like a sandbox to him.By the time the sun s
MilaI followed the maid up the sweeping marble staircase. The maid opened a set of double doors, leading me through my bedroom and toward another arched doorway.When I stepped inside, my breath hitched all over again.It wasn't just a bathroom. It looked like a private sanctuary built strictly for a queen. The floors and walls were made of white marble laced with veins of gold. A massive crystal chandelier hung above a sunken, circular bathtub that was big enough for four people. The tub was already filled to the brim with warm, steaming water and the surface was covered in white bubbles and floating white peony petals.The room smelled of expensive scent of jasmine and vanilla.But more weirdly, there were two other women who were standing quietly beside the tub.They were wearing the exact same black-and-white uniforms. One was holding a stack of white towels, and the other was holding a silver tray filled with crystal bottles of bath oils and sponges.I took a step back, my hear
MilaWelcome home, mi perdición. Rest now. I will be with you for dinner.I stared at the paper until the elegant black cursive began to blur into meaningless shapes. My thumb traced the sharp edge of the wax seal.Mi perdición.I whispered the words aloud to the empty room. The syllables rolled off my tongue. I didn't speak Spanish. I knew a few basic conversational words from living in the city but not this. Mi meant my. That's all I knew.I needed to know what it meant. If I was going to sit across a dinner table from the phantom who had orchestrated my kidnapping, I needed to understand exactly how he viewed me.I carefully folded the note and slipped it into my pocket. My fingers brushed against the kitchen knife I had hidden there earlier. I pushed myself off the velvet sofa and walked back out into the grand hallway. "Hello?" I called out.A few doors down, near the sweeping staircase, the young maid in the spotless black-and-white uniform stepped out of a side room. She kept
MilaI refused to accept the reality.I pushed myself off the grass and started to run along the boundary of the white wall. My breath came in fast gasps. My hand cradled my lower stomach to support the slight bump of my pregnancy as I forced my burning legs to carry me further.There had to be a break. A crack. A service gate. Something.I followed the curving stone barrier for what felt like miles. The sun beat down on my shoulders, making me sweat in the wrinkled clothes I had been wearing since the night of the attack. The yard was an endless maze of perfectly sculpted fences, marble fountains, and ancient palm trees but the wall never once broke its imposing height.Finally, through a line of thick cypress trees, I saw a massive set of solid iron gates."Hey!" I screamed as I immediately sprinted toward the driveway.Standing in front of the iron bars were four men.I slowed my pace as I approached them. My chest was heaving fast. But spotting them, the last hope in me died.T
RyanJustin barked a genuine, rough laugh. "A vegan bakery. Terrifying. I bet you have even been to a board meeting. Did you use a laser pointer? Please tell me you used a laser pointer.""I threatened to throw a VP out of a sixtieth-floor window if he didn't restructure the supply chain." I replie
MilaI had just crossed a big, invisible line, and I knew it.Aaron didn't look angry, nor did he look insulted me. But, a slow stillness settled over his sharp features. "Hate?" Aaron asked softly."Yes, hate.” I pushed, fueling my bravery. I took another step along the curve of the pond. "You sa
MilaI drifted out of my sleep when the car finally began to slow down. I blinked my eyes open and sat up slightly, rubbing the sleep from my eyes, and looked out the tinted window.I wasn't sure if it was real or a dream. We weren't just pulling up to his house. We were pulling up to a house that
RyanThe rain was finally starting to slow down. I parked my bike and stood across the sidewalk, ignoring the sharp pain in my body. In front of me stood the headquarters of the Empire Group.It was the tallest building in the city and the center of power in the country. The conglomerate owned ev







