All Chapters of Owned by the Wrong Man: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

Ethan drove through the city with the windows slightly down, letting the cool early morning air brush against his face.The road was quiet, lit by streetlights that blurred past him like distant stars.Annie’s face kept appearing in his thoughts.Her name stayed on his mind, the memory of her voice, the way she tried so hard not to take up too much space in the world.This wasn’t how he planned his life.He had offered her the job because she deserved stability. He had protected her because it was right. But somewhere between watching her walk into the office that morning and standing up for her without hesitation, something had shifted.He cared. Deeply.When he arrived at the office building, sunlight reflected off the glass walls, turning them gold. Employees were already arriving, coffee cups in hand, greeting one another as the day began. Everything felt normal.Ethan parked and headed inside, nodding at the security desk before stepping into the elevator.When the doors opened,

The office was beginning to empty when Annie finally saved her work and shut down her computer. The hum of printers faded, replaced by softer sounds, heels clicking toward elevators, murmured goodbyes, the quiet settling of another workday ending.She stood and smoothed her skirt, letting out a breath.“Long day?” Ethan asked gently.She turned and found him standing by her desk, jacket folded over his arm, his expression calm but warm. The tension in her shoulders loosened immediately.“A bit,” she admitted. “But… it was good.”He nodded, stepping closer.“I’m glad,” he said. “You did really well today.”Something about the way he said it made her smile. She looked up at him, and for a moment the rest of the office disappeared.“Thank you,” she said softly.His hand lifted, hesitated, then rested briefly at her lower back.His thumb brushed lightly against the fabric of her blouse.“Are you heading straight home?” he asked.“Not exactly,” Annie replied. “Tasha asked me out for a girl

Annie woke up slowly.At first, she thought she was dreaming. She felt pain all over her body, when she to moved.She opened her eyes.Darkness.Not complete darkness more like a dim, shadowy space where shapes existed but refused to become clear. The air smelled like a mix of dust and something metallic that made her feel nauseous.Her heart began to race."Where am I"? she asked herself.She tried to lift her hand. It barely moved. A sharp pain shot through her arm, and she gasped softly. The sound of her own voice startled her it came out weak.Memories rushed in all at once.The knock.The door.The gun.Tasha screaming her name.Her chest tightened as the memory of the impact replayed in her mind.“No…” she whispered.She forced herself to slow it down. Panic wouldn’t help her. Panic had never helped her before.She focused on what she could feel.Her wrists were tied.Not painfully tight, but firm enough that she couldn’t pull free. The rope or tape pressed against her skin, gro

Ethan’s hands were still shaking when he finally dialed Tasha’s number.The phone rang once. Twice.“Tasha,” he said the moment she answered. “It’s Ethan.”“Did they call you”? She asked.“Yes.” He replied placing his hands on his head.“What did they say?” she asked.“They want thirty million,” Ethan said. “Cash. No police. No tricks.”“Oh my God…”“I’m handling it,” he said calmly, though his chest felt like it was caving in. “I’m already on my way to the bank.”“You’re… you’re really paying them?”“Yes.”“Ethan”“I don’t care about the money,” he cut in. “I care about her coming back alive.”Tasha nodded even though he couldn’t see her. “What can I do?”“Stay where you are. Don’t answer unknown numbers. If they call again, tell them nothing.”She hesitated. “Ethan… please bring her back.”“I will,” he said. And this time, it wasn’t a promise made from hope.It was a vow.He ended the call.The city blurred past as Ethan drove.Red lights. Headlights. The hum of the engine beneath h

The sirens screamed through the night as the ambulance sped forward, moving through traffic like it had somewhere urgent to be because it did.Annie lay on the stretcher, her body still, her face pale beneath the harsh white lights. Blood stained the side of her sleeve where the bullet had torn through,she was on oxygen.“Stay with us, Annie,” a paramedic said firmly, pressing gauze against her arm. “You’re doing great. Just stay awake.”Her eyes fluttered, unfocused.Ethan ran beside the stretcher until the doors slammed shut between them.“No wait” he shouted, his voice breaking as the ambulance pulled away.He stood there in the flashing red and blue lights, breathing hard, his hands clenched into fists at his sides. For a second, the world felt unreal.Then reality crashed back in.A police officer approached him. “Sir. Are you Ethan Gray?”“Yes,” he snapped. “That’s her in there. That’s Annie.”“She’s being taken to St. Vincent’s General Hospital,” the officer said. “We need you