Skylar's POV
I woke to a searing pain in my skull, my entire body aching like I'd been thrown down a flight of stairs.
Darkness swallowed the room whole, thick and suffocating.
The only thing that pierced through it was a faint sliver of light creeping from beneath the door.
I crawled toward it, every movement a reminder of how broken I felt.
I grabbed the handle—locked. Of course it was.
Panic surged through me as I pounded on the metal, my fists bruising with every desperate hit.
"Help! Somebody—please!" My voice cracked, but no one answered. The silence mocked me.
I slumped to the cold, unforgiving floor, my back against the door. I drew my knees to my chest, trying to make myself small, to disappear.
Tears spilled freely now, hot and bitter.
My mind drifted to Mom… to Maliya. Were they worried? Searching for me? God, I missed them so much it physically hurt.
I wasn't just scared—I was shattered. And I had no idea why this was happening to me.
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Lucien's POV
I had been patient. Too patient.
An entire month—I gave her that. A month to pretend she was free, to play her little game of independence. But I was done waiting.
I sent Hayden to collect what was mine, and not long after, I got confirmation—she was locked away in one of the warehouse rooms, exactly where she needed to be.
Now, I was sitting across from men who thought they were my equals. Fools. This meeting—this so-called deal with my rivals—was a formality. They didn't know I was about to bleed them dry, use them up, and discard them like trash. And they'd thank me for it.
Once the deal was sealed, I stood, already craving something more intoxicating than power—her.
The car ride home was a blur. I barely heard the driver over the blood roaring in my ears.
All I could think about was her face when she'd see me… the panic in her eyes, the way her body would tremble. God, I could almost feel her beneath me already.
The thought alone had my cock straining against my belt. She didn't know it yet, but I'd own every inch of her—mind, body, and soul.
As I stepped through the door, Gladys, my head maid, greeted me with a bow. Her silence was expected.
"Prepare her," I ordered coldly. "Bring her to my room. One hour."
I didn't wait for a response. I didn't need one. She knew what that meant.
Tonight, Skylar would finally understand what it meant to belong to me.