Chapter 5

I sent the link and waited. It was radio silent on Tia’s end.

Instead, a message from her popped up on my work account.

“Levi, do you have a metal allergy?

“Don’t take this the wrong way. The company is putting together anniversary gifts for everyone, and the idea was to give out gold bracelets. Before we finalize anything, we’re checking whether anyone has any metal allergies or sensitivities.”

How sweet of her.

If only her thoughtfulness was reserved for me.

Overwhelmed by my bitter envy, I responded to her text with utmost respect, “Ms. Hart, I don’t have any allergies.”

Tia went quiet thereafter. I didn’t get any response from my alt account either.

I went to bed in absolute tatters.

When I went to work the next day, Tia suddenly went completely out of character. She dragged me all over the city for a day of sightseeing and asked, “Was it fun?”

I nodded.

Tia chuckled. “I’m glad you enjoyed yourself. It’s not every day you get a view like this.”

I looked at her soft facial features as a wave of heartache swallowed me as a whole.

Was Tia scouting locations for future dates with her crush?

Why was she using me as a stand-in?

The worst part was that she made me catch all types of feelings I wasn’t supposed to have. I was reluctant to let Tia be with the one she loved.

Nevertheless, I knew that I could no longer be near Tia the moment I told her how I felt.

Never mind. Nothing mattered more than staying by her side.

I kept myself together. “Ms. Hart, it’s the end of the workday. If there’s nothing else, I should get going.”

Before Tia could respond, I practically fled the scene.

I failed to notice that the look Tia gave me from behind was one of determination.

Here I thought I would have trouble sleeping at night, but I crashed out.

I woke up and felt something was off. A cold, metallic weight pulled against my bare ankle.

My gaze dropped, and my eyes widened in surprise.

My recommended chain was now clamped around my leg. It was a perfect fit, made to my dimensions.

I snapped my head up and checked out my surroundings.

The furniture was familiar, so was the décor.

I had seen this layout through my spy cameras before. This was Tia’s manor.

My brain was fried. Stunned was an understatement.

Hang on. Was the script even right?

Why was I the one being held captive?

Just as I was reeling from the shock, my alt account, silent for the entire night, received a notification. It was a text message from Tia.

“Your set of chains came in handy, but sorry, I can’t date you.”

I was dumbfounded to say the least.

My mind quickly caught up with the situation.

So I was the one Tia had been pinning over.

Little did Tia know, I had been blowing up her DMs.

The door slid open.

Tia walked in against the light, her eyes locking onto me.

“Do the shackles fit? I had them customized to fit your ankle measurement, babe.”

I could barely stop myself from grinning widely. However, I quickly picked the perfect character for the narrative.

Hiding the delight in my eyes, I played a terrified victim, my voice shaking.

“Ms. Hart… W-What are you doing?”