Chapter 143
Chapter 144
Chapter 144
The younger guard’s eyes softened, just slightly. “We shouldn’t leave her like this. Mikael will-” “Shut up,” the older guard snapped sharply. But his eyes wavered as he glanced at me again.
I tilted my head slightly, hair falling over one shoulder, deliberately highlighting the bruises marking my wrists and ankles. Slowly, I looked up, meeting his gaze with practiced vulnerability. I’d learned, over countless nights in clubs, how to hold a man’s attention, how to pull at his basest instincts until logic and reason faded avery.
“Please,” I whispered softly, a slight hitch in my voice, “just for a moment. I promise not to cause trouble.”
The older guard swallowed visibly, shifting his stance uncomfortably, eyes flicking briefly over me, hesitating.
I held his gaze, allowing a slight tremble into my lower lip, drawing out his silence, letting the tension thicken around us. A seduction wasn’t always about touching–it was about promises, subtle hints of what might be possible.
Slowly, I moved my fingertips along the edge of my bruised ankle, lightly brushing upward, tracing the line of my calf, delicately adjusting the hem of my torn skirt. A hint, nothing more. I knew exactly how to use this skill, this carefully honed dance of seduction, even here on the cold floor, broken and injured. Vulnerability was sometimes the sharpest blade.
The guard cleared his throat, clearly uneasy, his expression betraying an inner struggle between duty and temptation. “I’ll get you some ice,” he muttered gruffly, finally stepping back toward the hallway.
He didn’t waste time until he stepped into the room.
I saw the gun on his waist. If I was fast enough I could take it. I allowed a small, relieved breath to escape, feeling just a flicker of triumph. But before he could turn away fully, a cold voice echoed down the corridor behind him, sharp and deadly.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”
Both guards stiffened instantly, turning abruptly toward the source of that voice. My heart sank, dread pooling icy and heavy in my stomach as Mikael stepped forward, eyes narrowed, his gaze fixed murderously on the men before him.
“Mikael,” the younger guard stammered nervously, “we were just-”
Mikael raised one hand, silencing him instantly. His gaze was frigid as it slid over me, then back to the older guard, whose eyes widened in sudden panic.
“You thought it wise,” Mikael said icily, each word cutting like a blade, “to fraternize with Dominic’s woman? Were my instructions unclear?”
“No, sir–I mean, she said she needed-” the older guard’s voice cracked, desperate and pleading.
Mikael’s lip curled in disgust, his eyes glittering with contempt. Without another word, he drew his gun swiftly from beneath his coat. A sharp gasp lodged in my throat, but I didn’t have time to look away as Mikael aimed and pulled the trigger.
The gunshot cracked through the air like lightning.
Blood splattered across my face and body, warm and horrifying. The older guard crumpled instantly, hitting the ground beside me with a sickening thud, eyes wide and empty, blood pooling rapidly across the floor.
My breath caught violently in my chest. I froze, fear paralyzing me completely.
Mikael stepped closer, gun still dangling casually at his side, eyes cold and indifferent. “She’s bait, nothing more. If you idiots can’t control yourselves, you’ll end up just like him,” he snarled to the younger guard, whose face had gone stark white.
“Yes, sir,” the young man whispered hoarsely, eyes averted, body trembling.
Mikael turned slowly, attention settling on me once more. “Did you really think I’d be so careless, Aria?” he sneered coldly.” Dominic might lose his head over you, but I’m not that stupid.”
My heart thundered in my chest, every nerve in my body screaming to run–but there was nowhere to go. I swallowed, forcing a calmness into my voice that I didn’t feel. “What are you planning?”
Mikael laughed softly, dangerously, eyes glittering with cruel anticipation. “Your precious Dominic will come for you. And when he does, I’ll finally put him down. For good.”
“You’re using me as bait,” I whispered, realization dawning fully now, sharp and bitter. “You’re luring Dominic into a trap.”
Mikael’s mouth curved into a dark, satisfied smile. “Clever girl. Yes, that’s exactly right. He’ll charge in recklessly, blinded by that pathetic love he has for you. And then I’ll kill him–slowly, so he watches as I break you first.”
I stared at him, fury blazing hotter than my fear. “Dominic won’t fall for your game.”
He chuckled coldly, eyes narrowing with vicious intent. “Oh, but he will. You’re his weakness, Aria. You’re the only thing he can’t afford to lose.”
1/3
Chapter 144
He stepped closer, gaze dropping briefly to my blood–stained skin. He seemed fascinated, almost entranced by my vulnerability. But beneath his calm facade, I saw something more dangerous, more deadly.
“It’s a shame, really,” Mikael murmured softly. “You could’ve had a comfortable life if Dominic hadn’t dragged you into this. Now you’ll both suffer.”
I lifted my chin defiantly, fighting the panic that threatened to consume me. “You’ll regret this, Mikael. Dominic won’t show you mercy.”
Mikael laughed softly, utterly unfazed. “I don’t want his mercy. I want him dead. Ankyou, Aria, will be my weapon.”
“Yes, sir,” the guard said immediately, visibly shaken as Mikael vanished back into the shadows of the corridor.
My pulse hammered wildly as the guard hauled the dead man’s body out, leaving me alone again in silence. I stared at the blood smeared across my trembling hands, fighting the urge to scream.
But despite the horror, something stirred fiercely within me. Mikael underestimated Dominic–he underestimated us both. Dominic would come for me, yes. But he wouldn’t be reckless. He’d be ruthless.
And when he arrived, Mikael would learn exactly what happened when you dared to threaten the one thing Dominic loved. Until then, I would fight. I would survive.
Because if there was one thing I’d learned, it was that love could be as deadly as it was beautiful and Dominic’s love for me might just burn Mikael’s entire world to ashes.
But then my face fell asleep I remembered he told me to leave.
Dominic’s love…what of if he never…loved me?
I bit my lips, closed my eyes as the tears gathered behind my eyelids.
False hope again, when would I ever learn?