Chapter 4

Sebastian's POV

‘I’m not here for your entertainment,’ she shot back at Jaxon words.

He stepped closer, slow and deliberate. ‘You will be. No.’ He smirked, ‘You already are.’

Lucien took the seat beside her, his eyes on her face. ‘I think she’ll need… correction.’

Rafael said nothing, only watching her the way a predator watches prey.

I placed the pen on the table between us. ‘Sign.’

She didn’t move.

‘You have five minutes,’ I said. ‘After that, my offer expires.’

The clock on the wall ticked. One minute passed. Then two. She reached for the pen with a shaking hand.

Her signature was small and bent around the edges from her shaky hands.

‘Good,’ I said, taking the papers. ‘Now, your first test.’

She looked up, wary. ‘What?’

‘You’ll follow Jaxon. He’ll give you an order. You’ll obey it without question.’

Her lips parted. ‘What kind of order?’

‘You’ll find out.’

I nodded to him. He grinned, moving to stand in front of her. ‘On your knees.’

She froze.

‘You heard him,’ I said softly.

Her jaw clenched. For a second, I saw that flicker of fire i always thought she had. Her eyes blazed. Her fists clenched by her sides. I thought she was going to refuse, but then, as if remembering something, she sank to the floor. 

‘Good girl,’ Jaxon murmured.

Her face burned, but she didn’t look away from me. She wanted me to see her anger. Her humiliation.

And I did, a slow smirk forming on my face. I wanted her to know this was only the beginning.

Ivy's POV 

The carpet was soft under my knees, but it felt like something hard against my pride. I stared at Sebastian, my chest rising and falling too fast. 

His face was calm. Too calm. And smug. Like he’d been waiting for this moment.

I never thought his idea of doing whatever he wanted me to do included humiliating me in front of his business partners.

“You pass for now,” he said finally.

Jaxon stepped back, looking almost disappointed.

‘And oh, you belong to them too. You would do everything they ask of you, or they'll punish you.’ He said coldly like he wasn’t talking to a person. Like this was initially in our agreement. My heart stopped.

‘Wait—what? What do you mean I belong to them?’ I felt my world tilt as I stared at the mention around me, looking as equally as scary as him. ‘This wasn’t in our agreement!’ I screamed. 

‘Sure. Sure it was. Unfortunately, you didn’t bring out the time to read it. You were simply too desperate.’

‘Because you pressured me to hurry!’

‘Too bad.’ He tutted.

Sebastian rose from his chair. ‘Rafael will take you to the penthouse. Lucien will bring you your schedule in the morning. From this point on, your life belongs to me. And them.’

I stood, my legs stiff. ‘You think you’ve won.’

His mouth curved, but it wasn’t a smile. ‘I don’t play games I can’t win.’

The elevator ride to the penthouse was silent. My reflection in the mirrored walls looked like someone else. I was beginning to turn pale, my wet hair plastered to my face, my eyes too wide.

I told myself I would find a way out. That I’d bide my time until I could run. Sebastian Wolfe and his damn associates think they can cage me down however they liked. Sebastian thought that tricking me was the best card he'd play, but I'd get my revenge on him. I would do everything I could to destroy that calm facade he always carried. 

The elevator doors slid shut with a heavy, final sound.

I gripped my arms, pressing my nails into my skin as if pain could keep me steady. My mind kept circling back to Emily. It kept replaying the nurse’s quiet voice yesterday, the way she had leaned in close like she didn’t want anyone else to hear.

“It was a hit-and-run,” she’d whispered. “Big black SUV. No plates.”

There were no plates. No cameras catching it. Just a witness as she had said. That wasn’t an accident. That was someone's hardwork. To try to cover it up. 

My stomach twisted. If I ever found the person who put my sister in that bed… I would destroy them. Even if it killed me.

The elevator slowed, stopping at the top floor. The doors opened to the penthouse. Glass walls, sharp lines, gold designs. It didn’t feel like a home. It felt like a place people came to make deals. 

Rafael stepped out without looking at me. He moved like a shadow, tall, dark, broad shoulders cutting through the light. His silence was worse than Sebastian’s sharp words. Or Sebastian was worse than him…I couldn’t tell.

‘This way,’ he said at last, voice low and deep.

I followed him down a hall that felt too long. The carpet muffled our footsteps, and the air smelled faintly of expensive cologne and something colder… like gunmetal and powder.

He stopped at a door, pushing it open. The room was beautiful with a king-sized bed, floor-to-ceiling windows showing the city lights. Everything was spotless. It should have felt safe. It didn’t.

He stepped aside, letting me in.

I waited. I thought maybe he’d say something maybe try to assert his dominance or something. But Rafael just stood there, unreadable, hands in his pockets.

For a second, I let myself hope he’d leave without a word.

Then he spoke.

‘You don’t belong here.’

My stomach dropped.

He stepped closer, just enough that I could feel the weight of him. His voice stayed calm, but the words cut.

‘You try to play a game here, you’ll lose. I’ll crush you before you even get a move in.’