Chapter 1

Tyler sat in his sleek black Rolls-Royce, the purr of the engine humming beneath him as he waited for the traffic light to change. The tinted windows shielded him from the chaos outside, but his sharp gaze was fixed on the world beyond the glass.

He was a man of power — a global business tycoon, the heir to an empire built not just on corporate brilliance but on blood. His father, once the feared Mafia boss of the East Coast, had died in the infamous clash between two warring crime syndicates in the '90s. That war had left a trail of fire — and Tyler had inherited the ashes... and the throne.

The engine growled, ready to surge forward with the traffic. But suddenly, Tyler leaned forward, his eyes narrowing.

“Wait,” he barked, halting the driver with a curt gesture.

There, just beyond the crowd — a woman moving fast, clutching her handbag tightly. She didn’t glance around. Her head was down. But there was something in her walk. In her profile. In the way her hair brushed against her cheek in the wind.

It couldn’t be.

Could it?

Anna.

The name slammed into him like a punch to the gut.

He hadn’t seen her in years — not since she disappeared without a trace.

But that woman…

His heart thudded, something unrecognizable crawling beneath his skin. The traffic surged again, the blaring horns pulling him back. They were boxed in. No way out.

The car moved with the flow. The mystery woman vanished into the crowd.

Minutes later, the car rolled into the circular driveway of his penthouse mansion in Manhattan. Towering over the city, it was a fortress of glass and steel — but even within its walls, Tyler felt unsteady.

He stormed into his room, stripping off his jacket, loosening his collar. His jaw clenched as the scene replayed in his mind like a ghost refusing to be forgotten.

If that was Anna… I swear, I’ll kill her if I ever lay my hands on her.

His fists curled at his sides.

Memories uncoiled, dragging him backward…

---

Years Ago

It had been a night of celebration.

“Don’t you think we should toast to this insane deal of yours?” Abel, one of his closest friends and oldest enablers, grinned as he raised his glass.

Tyler had just sealed a multi-billion-dollar contract. Money. Power. Influence. Everything was his for the taking.

So they did what men like them always did — they celebrated.

They ended up at a high-end but cozy restaurant downtown. Laughter and alcohol flowed freely.

And that was when Tyler saw her.

Anna.

She wasn’t dressed to impress — black skirt, white shirt, hair tied up — but she had something. A quiet fire behind her eyes. A kind of beauty that didn’t need to scream.

“I want her,” Tyler had said simply, eyes locked on her as she walked past their table.

Abel, ever the clown, whistled and waved her over. “Hey, gorgeous. Over here.”

Anna approached, professional, her expression unreadable. She held her pen and notepad firmly.

“Can I take your orders, sir?” she asked, her voice calm.

But Abel leaned forward, smirking. “Mind if he has you for dinner instead?”

The table went still.

Without missing a beat, Anna slammed her hand on the table — not loud enough to cause a scene, but hard enough to rattle their glasses.

“The next time you say something like that to me,” she said coldly, “I’ll make sure someone cuts your tongue out.”

And just like that, she turned and walked away.

Abel laughed nervously, but Tyler didn’t.

His pride — his ego — shattered.

No woman had ever dared speak to him like that. He was Tyler Moretti. Rejection wasn’t in his world.

He watched her walk away, her spine straight, her defiance clear.

It wasn’t just an insult.

It was a declaration of war.

Tyler’s lips curled into a cold smile.

He stood, walked over to another waitress, leaned in close, and whispered something into her ear. He slid a thick envelope into her apron.

Her eyes widened. She nodded.

That night, the trap was set.

Anna had just stepped out of the restaurant when a pair of strong arms grabbed her.

It was too late to fight as they shoved her inside a black sleek car that had been waiting.

Her eyes met with the waitress who had taken a tip from Tyler, a silent plea in her eyes.

Anna shook her head, tears pooling at her eyes at the doom that waited for her.

____

Anna woke up to the suffocating scent of leather and cigar smoke.

Her head pounded. Her hands were tied. Her mouth—gagged. Panic surged through her as her eyes darted around the dimly lit room. Cold concrete walls. A single, flickering lightbulb overhead. No windows. No escape.

She tried to scream, but the cloth jammed between her teeth muffled everything. Her breathing turned ragged as the heavy metal door creaked open.

Footsteps.

Heels clicked slowly against the floor.

Then—Tyler.

He stepped into view like a shadow taking form, his tailored suit pristine, his expression unreadable. A glint of triumph danced in his cold, calculating eyes.

"So we meet again, " he said coolly, crouching in front of her.

She flinched.

“Did you really think you could humiliate me and walk away?” His voice was soft. Deadly.

She struggled against the restraints, glaring at him. Even gagged, her eyes spat defiance.

Tyler chuckled.

"I admire that fire in you," he said, brushing a strand of hair from her face. “But let’s be clear about something—there are rules in my world. And you broke one.”

He stood slowly, adjusting his cuffs.

“You disrespected me. In front of everyone.”

He paced now, the sound of his shoes echoing off the walls.

“I don’t tolerate disrespect. Not from anyone. And definitely not from a waitress.”

His words stung more than the ropes.

Tears welled up in her eyes—not from fear, but from fury. From betrayal. From the cruel twist of fate that had placed her in this monster’s path.

But Tyler didn’t care.

To him, this was justice.

“Don’t worry,” he added, pausing at the door. “You’ll be here a while. Time enough to think about the choices that led you here.”

He left the room without another word, the door slamming shut behind him with a bone-chilling finality.