Five

KAIDA REED POV 

I slowly let go of the wheels, the sound of my pounding heart drowning out that of the rain.

Then I blinked, my eyes moving in the direction of the car I’d almost hit. I couldn’t see much of anything, but I could tell they were reversing. 

My heart skipped a beat. 

Were they coming to check on me...or for something else?

The car slowed, then stopped a few feet from me.

I sucked in a sharp breath and held it as I heard them open the door.

Was I in danger? This road was eerily empty and I was all alone. I also didn’t know where the hell I was.

A figure stepped out of the car.

I noticed his height first, then his build—it was the kind of build that belonged to someone who could crush you without effort—but it wasn’t that that froze me in place.

It was the way he moved, measured and hungry, like a hunter savoring the moment before the kill.

It wasn't very comforting.

I clutched at my seatbelt, my mouth drying as I waited.

He stopped in front of my car and even though there was a barrier between us, I could feel the power rolling off him in waves. 

I couldn’t tell what he was thinking as he stared at me—or through me. It made my pulse stutter, even as my instinct screamed 'danger.'

He tilted his head slightly, as if weighing me, then without a word, he raised his hand and tapped the hood of my car once, his knuckles rapping against the metal like a warning.

My mind screamed at me to get my phone and call the cops, but my body refused to move. 

This place was deserted. If I did anything stupid, no one would find my body for days.

He waited a beat then bent down, low enough to peer through my windshield, his eyes digging into mine.

Then he smiled. It wasn’t kind, but it wasn’t cruel either. 

It was almost as if he was impressed.

But all too soon, the smile was gone, and then he mouthed the words, "Get out."

It was an order.

I hesitated. He could be a serial killer for all I knew.

He watched me for a few seconds, then deliberately let his gaze flick to my car’s handle before moving back to me. It was a silent warning. As if he were saying, 'Get out, or I'll get you out.'

Taking a deep breath, I grabbed my phone with a trembling hand, unlocked my seatbelt, and pushed the door open. 

The cold rain soaked me instantly, my dress clinging to my body, sharp and humiliating as I stepped out of the car.

He was standing close—so close that I could smell the faint, clean scent of smoke and rain on him.

I slowly raised my chin, forcing myself to meet his haunting gaze.

He was even more overwhelming up close.

He stood just short of touching me, but his presence pressed in all the same and it made me nervous.

He didn't speak. Just watched. And I got the distinct, dangerous feeling that if I ran, he would let me—just so he could follow.

"I'm sorry," I stuttered out. "I was driving without paying attention and almost—"

"Are you hurt?" he asked, cutting me off.

I blinked, the sound of his voice messing with my mind for a second. It was low. Rough. Dangerous.

"I'm fine," I answered carefully. 

He smirked. "No. You're not." his face dropped between us. "See, you're clenching your phone so tightly while your other hand is trembling." Then he looked up, his eyes locking onto mine. "Do you think I am going to hurt you, Kaida?"

My pulse jumped. How the hell did he know my name?

I opened my mouth, the question of who he was on the tip of my tongue, but he cut me off by stepping too close all of a sudden.

I took a sharp step back and gasped, my eyes widening in alarm as my back pressed against the car door.

"What do you think you're doing!" I gasped, then flinched as he slammed his hand beside me, his towering frame blocking out my view as he leaned in.

"You drove into my alley, right into my territory, and almost crashed your car into mine... You were driving," he murmured, his voice a dark caress, "like you were running from something." The rain beat harder against us, thunder rumbling overhead. "Or toward it." He cocked a brow. "Were you, by chance, looking for me?"

I blinked, shivering. Could he hear just how loud my heart was beating?

"No." I wet my lips, heat coiling low as his eyes followed the movement. "I don't even know who you are."

He smirked. "You don't? Hmm," he tilted his head. "I find that hard to believe, Kaida. Everyone knows this alley belongs to me. They also know to stay away if they want to keep breathing."

I stared at him, my eyes widening as I realized who he was. 

There was only one man in the city who had an alleyway to himself. Zavian Nolven. The man who ruled with unrivaled authority over most of the corporations in the city. He was a billionaire, but what he was most known for was his ruthlessness. There were even rumours that he was part of the Mafia. 

I suddenly remembered rumors about people going missing after using his alleyway. 

Could those rumors be true? Was that what was going to happen to me?

He let the silence stretch until it tangled around me like a noose, every second making it harder for me to breathe.

Then just like he'd invaded my space, he stepped back as if granting me a mercy I hadn't earned.

"I'll let you go tonight Kaida. But if we meet like this again, I won't be so forgiving," he said, his gaze moving deliberately past my face and down my body.

Then, without another word, he turned, entered his car, and vanished into the alley's darkness.

I watched him go, warmth flooding my skin from his proximity.

Then I remembered something, my heart suddenly kicking up hard.

Zavian Nolven was Lucien's ultimate rival.

But in three years, with Lucien taking over my family's company and merging it with his, he will finally be able to beat Zavian and become the owner of the biggest corporation.

I could also remember that after Lucien became the biggest corporation, Zavian got into a horrible accident that left him in a coma. 

So, that was Zavian Nolven.

The pounding in my chest got louder as I stared at the road that I knew led to his mansion.

"Should I just go to him right now?" My hands curled into fists, nails pressing into my palm. It would be dangerous, but I already died once. I shouldn't be scared to use someone like him to my advantage.

"Yes, Kaida, you have to be as ruthless as they were to get what you want, and if using Zavian is the only way, then that's what I am going to do."