All Chapters of Forced into the Arena, I Made Her Join Me: Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

9 Chapters

Chapter 1

I held up the remote and yelled at the surveillance camera, "Sasha Fields! This is the master switch for the electric fence gates around every predator enclosure. If I press the buttons, it won't just be Caesar."Every animal in here will get out! This zoo is right in the middle of downtown. Think about the casualties. You and Hugh would both face the death penalty!"My voice shook with rage, but every word landed clean.The loudspeaker cut out for a beat, then Hugh Archer's terrified scream came through. "Lucian! Don't do anything stupid! Calm down!"Sasha Fields scoffed, nothing but contempt in her voice. "What are you so scared of, Hugh? He's bluffing! Only the actual zoo director has the master switch. You actually think an animal trainer like him could pull that off?"Alright, folks. Want to see me rile up the Lion King? Light up the live chat. Tip big, and I'll make it happen!"I almost laughed from pure rage. Keeping my eyes locked on Caesar, I shouted into the loudspeaker

Chapter 2

I never thought Sasha, trying to butter up Hugh, would lock me in Caesar's enclosure and then inject it with enough stimulant to make it go berserk."Ten! Nine!"I started the countdown, each number forced out between clenched teeth.In the enclosure next door, the tiger caught the scent of my blood and went crazy, slamming into the fence between the two enclosures until the whole structure boomed."Sasha! Sasha, do something! I'm terrified!" Hugh screamed, his voice so high it hardly sounded like him.Sasha panicked and babbled, "Honey! Honey, stop counting! Stop! The door's busted! I'll get a tech. I'll get someone to fix it right now!"I stopped the countdown.The gash on my arm burned hot. In the beat before Caesar lunged again, I scrambled up the ornamental tree set into the fake rock, hauling myself up with both hands and feet.Before I could catch my breath, Sasha's voice crackled through the loudspeaker, barely hiding the mockery."Oh, no, honey, what are we going to d

Chapter 3

When I fell silent, Sasha flashed a satisfied smile. "Lucian, you don't have parents or anyone else. You're an animal trainer. If the animal you trained kills you, people will call it a workplace accident, right?"So just die peacefully. I'll use what you bring in now to raise our kid."Our kid?My ears rang. I barely had time to process before Hugh eased up and settled a hand on Sasha's belly, casual as anything.His voice was syrupy and gross. "Lucian, relax. I'll take good care of Sasha and the baby for you. After all, they're both mine now. Oh, and when you're dead, the zoo should pay out a nice death benefit, right?"That's a tidy sum. I'll do you a favor and spend it for you."They played off each other, shameless as hell, and my stomach lurched. I swore if I made it out alive, I'd tear them limb from limb!Their shameless trash talk lit up the live stream, kicking off another wave of tips.To flatter the gawkers watching, Hugh grabbed a long pole and jabbed at me through

Chapter 4

Caesar shook his head in pain.I seized the opening, tumbled away, and scrambled up the nearest branch on all fours. The near miss left me gasping, and the searing pain tearing across my back nearly knocked me out.Then, Sasha's voice crackled over the loudspeaker, breathless with excitement. "It's raining tips, folks! Huge thanks to our top donor!"Hugh hollered up at me in the tree, "Come on down, Lucian! Didn't you say once you build enough trust with the animals, you can touch them? So why aren't you touching the lion now?"Come on down. Go bond with your precious boy, then!"Sasha's voice rang out again, cruel and almost cheerful, "Lucian, to make sure you're really enjoying yourself, I cleared out every staff member from the predator zone. Right now, it's just me and Hugh. No one else is here to save you."I lay sprawled on the rough branch, heaving and coughing up blood. The blood loss had my head spinning, but my will to live was razor-sharp.I had to stay alive.That t

Chapter 5

The tiger in the next enclosure caught the scent of freedom and crept toward the open gate."Lucian Hart! Are you insane? How dare you?"Sasha let out a bloodcurdling scream and dropped the phone she was using to live-stream onto the pavement. She spun to bolt, but the moment she looked back, she froze.Two hulking brown bears had already lumbered out of the enclosure behind her, risen onto their hind legs, and were watching them with beady, curious eyes.Sasha screamed again and grabbed Hugh beside her, trying to shove him in front of her as a shield. But Hugh wouldn't budge. He was already rigid with fear, his face white as a sheet.Fortunately, Sasha had closed the predator zone to visitors for the day, making sure no one could come to my rescue. This nightmare was theirs to bear alone.My eyelids grew heavy. The animals roared and bellowed, and the gut-wrenching screams of Sasha and Hugh rang in my ears."Help! Anybody out there?""Hurry! Let's find a way out!"They still

Chapter 6

I'd intended to give the zoo to Sasha, but it didn't make sense to keep it anymore."When this is over, call the lawyer and donate the zoo to the government at no charge. How are Sasha and Hugh?"Carmen paused, her voice a little off. "Sasha's got a few scrapes and a scare, but she's okay. As for Hugh, a tiger bit off three fingers on his left hand."I smirked and then broke into a harsh coughing fit.From day one at the zoo, Hugh wouldn't stop talking about petting a tiger with his bare hands. He finally got his wish."Do you want to press charges against them?" Carmen asked.I nodded. "Pull all the footage from that day. Charge them with murder and make sure they pay every dime in damages for this incident."I'd barely finished speaking when a coppery taste flooded my mouth. I coughed up a mouthful of blood. Carmen rushed over to wipe it away.Sasha only knew me as an animal trainer. She had no idea I actually worked in finance. Over the years, the companies I built from my i

Chapter 7

The comments under the video were already flooded with angry viewers."Lock up this power-abusing piece of trash!""Lucian's wife and coworkers have already spoken out against him. What else is there to say? He's a total scumbag!""Poor vet. His hand is ruined! Throw the book at the guy who did this!""He's a menace to everyone! I say give him the death penalty!"I stared at the three hypocrites on the screen—Sasha, Hugh, and Ronald—and the stabbing pain in my chest faded. In its place, a chill settled deep in my bones, and my anger surged.Fine. The real show was still to come.…The door to my hospital room burst open. Several officers filed in, grim-faced, with a crowd pressing in behind them.Flashes pounded the room like a downpour, so hard I had to squeeze my eyes shut. Sasha and Hugh muscled to the front, phones up, shoving their cameras in my face."Officers, it's him," Sasha said, her voice dripping with performative outrage.She pointed at me, all righteous, her wo

Chapter 8

I looked up and met Sasha's gaze, her face all righteous, like she'd throw her own family under the bus."Perfect. I want a divorce, too," I said, grabbing the pen, signing the divorce papers, and tossing them back in front of her. "Once we're divorced, I can actually hold you accountable."Her expression stiffened. She hadn't expected me to agree that quickly, and she definitely hadn't expected me to bite back.She raised her voice, as if she could steamroll me. "Lucian, what are you even talking about? You're the one who messed up! Everyone saw it!"Sasha's fans started buzzing behind her again, and their insults grew even louder.Even the nearby officer couldn't stomach it. With disgust written across his face, he pulled out a pair of handcuffs. "Save it. You're coming with us. Get ready to rot in prison!"Right before the handcuffs could lock around my wrist, a clear, crisp voice cut through the noise. "Please step aside."Carmen walked in with two bodyguards in black suits,

Chapter 9

That was an unprompted confession.The screen went black, and Sasha's bloodless face stared back at me in the reflection. "It's fake! It's all doctored! Lucian Hart, you animal! You even forged the evidence just to save your own skin!"With two black-suited bodyguards towering between us, she couldn't lay a finger on me. She thrashed and kicked, cursing me nonstop.Hugh had already collapsed at my feet. Snot and tears mingled, his whole face a wreck. There wasn't a trace of the so-called "heroic vet" left in him."Mr. Hart, I was wrong. I really was. It was her. Sasha's a snake. She forced me. She said you were just a hired animal trainer, and if you turned up dead, no one would come after us. I didn't dare cross her!"He reached for my pant leg. I jerked back in disgust, dodging his hand.The officer who'd been giving me a disgusted look a minute ago, the one who'd tried to cuff me, now looked embarrassed. "Mr. Hart, I'm sorry. We didn't investigate properly, and we misjudged yo

SCAN CODE TO READ ON APP