MasukHAZELI noticed the cars right away. Several of them, parked under the trees, were hidden well enough that you wouldn’t see them unless you knew where to look. Everything about this place was planned and controlled.We reached one of the cars, and the light flicked on as we approached. The tattooed man got into the front seat without a word. I opened the back door and slid inside, careful of my leg.The door shut, the engine started, and then we were moving. No one spoke. No music played. There was nothing but the sound of the engine and the tyres against the ground. I turned my head toward the window, watching the trees pass by in the dark.I was leaving this place, and I couldn't hide the sadness or the disappointment that came with it. This place was beautiful, and had I not seen the other side of it, it would have been magical. This was the best place I had ever been in my life, and had it not been for Axel, I would have enjoyed it more.But deep down, I knew something else too...
HAZELMy hands clenched slightly.“The forest....” I said quietly. “After everything that happened there with him… I’m still… I’m still not okay.”Silence.“The last thing I want is to be alone with him for hours..... What happened still haunts me, Axel....”“You did that to yourself,” Axel said coldly. “Just like you did this to yourself. You weren’t supposed to go into the forest for a lot of reasons. But you still went anyway.”"That doesn't help what I experienced with him...."“He was trying to teach you a lesson,” he added. “He didn’t touch you.”“He didn’t.....”Axel raised his hand slightly Cutting me off.“If you don’t want to go with Luca,” he said, “fine.”Relief hit me instantly.“Okay,” I said quickly. “Then I’ll just go back to the beach house. I’ll wait for you, and when you’re ready, we’ll leave together.”“No.”The word was immediate and Final.“You’re not spending another minute on this island,” he said. “As I told you....you’re going back home.”And just like that T
HAZEL“No…” I shook my head, stepping back, my body going weak. “No....”“The moment I found out,” he continued, his voice steady, “I didn’t question it or think twice. I killed each and every one of them.”Everything inside me dropped. My legs gave out, and I reached blindly for something, anything to hold onto until I hit the sofa and sank onto it, my hands trembling, my breath uneven.“Their… blood is on your hands,” he repeated, “I didn’t kill them,” I said, barely able to get the words out.“You didn’t have to,” he said. His tone was firm and final.And that was it. No explanation. No regret. Nothing.Silence filled the room, and my tears came faster now, no matter how much I tried to stop them. My chest hurt, and my head spun. I couldn’t breathe properly.Five men. Dead. Because of me.Because I walked out.Because I ran.Because I didn’t think.Axel let the information sink in before, he said, “Now sit down.”But I was still crying. Still trying to process what he had just to
HAZEL“Within reason?” I repeated, disbelief rising again. “You told me, you owned this island. You told me I could go anywhere. You told me to explore.....and that’s exactly what I did.”My voice rose despite myself.“And then you had your men follow me, chase me, lock me up in here....”“Hazel,” he said My name is soft. But firm enough to cut through everything. "You came in here without even knocking. You can't just walk into people's homes without permission...." He took a breath. " Now listen to me."I stopped. Not because I wanted to But because something in the way he said it demanded it. His eyes held mine.“You weren’t followed,” he said quietly. “You were protected.”A hollow laugh almost left me.“Protected?” I echoed.“Yes.”“Is that what you call being locked in a room with men who look like they wouldn’t hesitate to kill me?” I shot back.His jaw tightened—just slightly. The first crack in that calm.“They didn’t touch you,” he said.“That doesn’t make it better!” I sna
HAZELA sharp knock against the door made me flinch.It wasn’t loud But it was deliberate. And that alone made it worse. The last time that the man in charge had come here, he didn’t knock; he just walked in. So why was he knocking now?Why the hell would he knock?My thoughts spiralled, my nerves firing all at once, every instinct screaming at me to be ready, to expect the worst. Before I could even react, the door opened.One of the men from the kitchen stepped inside. Not the man in charge, another one. He was taller. Broader. His face was completely unreadable as his eyes swept over me, quick, sharp, calculating.I straightened instantly, my back stiff, my arms dropping to my sides.“Move,” he said. No explanation. No warning. Just a command.“Where are we....” I started, the words slipping out before I could stop them.Because suddenly, all I could think was that wherever they were taking me… I wasn’t coming back. I had heard enough stories of kidnapping to know that once they m
HAZELThe man moved fast.Not toward me but his hand came up sharply, pressing a finger to his lips in a silent command. "Sssh..." Quiet.I slapped my own hands over my mouth instantly, choking back the rest of the scream, my chest heaving as panic clawed its way up my throat. I couldn’t afford to make them angry. I didn’t know what they would do and I didn’t want to find out.Once I forced myself into silence, he didn’t move. He just stood there, in front of the door, watching me. The door behind him was shut but I hadn’t heard it open. I hadn’t heard him come in or close the door behind him. That alone made something cold slide down my spine.The way he looked at me didn’t help. It wasn’t rushed. It wasn’t aggressive. It was… measured. Like he was studying me. Taking me apart piece by piece. Deciding something.And I just stood there, unable to speak, unable to think, my mind racing through every worst possibility imaginable. Kill me. Hurt me. Use me.Every horrible thought came ru
HAZELBut I don't have the strength or the will to....When I wake up the next day, I'm surprised I even slept at all. But I guess I did after all. I wake up in a dark room, and I think it's the middle of the night, until Angela walks in and says, “Oh good, you're awake. I will order brunch for yo
HAZELNico Stiffens.I hold eye contact..... Say Something.He doesn’t.So I start with a hot stone massage. A long, slow, glorious hour where the masseuse works every knot out of me until I melt into the bed. Then a deep cleansing facial. Then a full-body scrub with Himalayan salts. Then a steam r
HAZELBy the time people have finished with the clothes, I mean really finished, the presidential suite looks like a fashion battlefield after an apocalypse.Garment bags are empty. Hangers are bare. The staff keep thanking me as I’ve personally solved their financial problems for the next decade.
HAZELI take a much-needed breath, but that does nothing to reduce my anger. "I can't fucking believe this." I snap at him.“Don't push it,” he says.I laugh again, sharper this time. “I just want to go to the gym. Or at least I plan to. Please do not make this harder on me.”“You're not leaving t







