CHAPTER 4

Tyler leaned back in his chair, his expression blank and unreadable as he listened to Landon speak with rapt attention.

He let him believe he was convinced, watching the excitement in his voice and the sparkle in his eyes as he continued to explain why Nora was a better hostage to her even stating Nora’s benefits to him as a woman.

His voice brimmed with confidence, his pitch exaggerated with excitement of his brilliance.

“You don’t understand, Tyler,” Landon insisted, almost rising to his feet. “She won’t resist. She has no choice! I have leverage over her; her mother is in my hands.” He leaned forward, his lips curling into a satisfied smirk. “She’ll do anything to keep her mother safe.”

“Not only that, she is also good in bed.” He winked at Tyler. Tyler threw his face away, remembering their fleeting moment of romance.

However, Nora felt her world collapse upside down. The breath in her throat ceased for a moment and she almost choked, her body locked in place as the weight of his words crashed into her. 

She was in a moment of shock and unbelief- both mixed and she could tell which was more.

The worst case was having the man she loved and she had trusted, sell her off with an enthusiastic smile on his face, and his confidence in his hold over her life.

He practically demonstrated a man disposing of his used belongings.

Her hands and body trembled as she fought to keep her composure, but the sorrow that gripped her was overwhelming. 

I hate you, Landon! She said in her mind over and over again. But she had no control! She was nothing more than a pawn in their games.

Tyler took a breath in, hesitating for a while, grave silence probing the room before he finally nodded.

“Fine. She has two hours to pack her things.” He stood, brushed an imaginary dust from his butt, and wore a clean shirt delivered to him before turning to Landon. “Let’s go finalize this contract.” 

Without another glance at Nora, he dragged Landon away by the collar of his shirt, leaving her to stand frozen in the room.

The moment the door shut behind them, Nora collapsed to the floor. Her breath came in short, sharp gasps, the agony of betrayal twisting her insides. The tears she had been holding streamed down her face.

“Mum!” She gasped, remembering her mum who was in the toilet.

Nora forced herself to move, pushing up onto trembling legs, stumbling toward the room where her mother was kept. 

Never had she been so grateful that the room was soundproof including the toilet.

“Mum…” she whispered, desperate for some form of reassurance. But her mother only babbles incoherently, lost in the madness that had claimed her mind long ago.

The last of Nora’s defenses crumbled. She pressed her forehead against her mum’s sweaty hand, silent sobs wracking her body. She was powerless at least for now.

_

Landon returned to their room hours later to say his farewell or at least he thought. He stood in the doorway, gazing at her with a feigned softness that made her sick.

"I don’t want to do this, but I have no choice. I’ll find a way to bring you back." He began, speaking in a seemingly caring manner but to her, it was all hypocrisy. 

There was nothing he could say that would change her views about him or clear the real Landon she had seen within twenty- four hours.

Nora lifted her head to meet his gaze, her eyes cold and hollow. “Don’t be upset,” she said, her voice devoid of warmth. “At least you and your mistress don’t have to hide your nasty little secret anymore.”

Landon stiffened. His heart skipped a beat and for a fleeting moment, guilt flickered in his eyes. But then, it disappeared as quickly as it appeared, this time replaced by fury.

“I gave you everything!” he snarled. “There isn’t a man in the world as good to you as I am!” His anger twisted into a sneer. “You’re disabled! You are blind! The only reason you matter is because of your connection to my family. What use do you think you have for Tyler? He’ll throw you away within three days. And you know what? I’m cutting off your mother’s medical expenses.”

Something inside Nora snapped and without thinking, she struck him across the face; the sharp sound echoing through the room.

Landon froze, his hand flying to his cheek. Then, slowly, suspicion dawned in his eyes. He grabbed her wrist roughly. “Have you regained your sight?”

Nora smirked, her lips curling with contempt. “Does it matter?” she murmured. “I don’t need to see to know you’re garbage.”

His grip tightened, his fury boiling over. He walked towards her in a rush and within a blink of an eye, he pushed her to the floor causing her to hit her back against the wall. “You must be mad,” he yelled at her.

“I'm not,” she screamed back, unbothered about the pain she felt. “The mad person is you and Josephine.”

Landon rushed to her side again but the arrival of Tyler’s men stopped him.

“It’s time to leave,” one of them announced.

Landon smirked triumphantly but it faded away when more of Tyler’s men entered accompanied by a medical team. Landon’s eyes widened. “What are you doing?” he demanded.

One of the men turned to him. “The boss has covered all of her mother’s medical expenses. She’s coming with us.”

Landon stood dumbfounded, his mouth opened, but no words came out. 

At that moment, Nora’s mother, who had been lost in incoherent mumbling, suddenly became lucid. Her eyes sharpened, her body stiffening as she held a

Nora’s hand tightly.

“Don’t take me away,” she shouted, her voice trembling. “I can’t leave…”