Minutes later, she slammed the door shut behind her and snatched her phone off the bed. Her fingers shook as she scrolled through her contacts. She didn't hesitate when she saw Shane's name.
The phone rang twice before he picked up, his voice cold and unbothered.
"What do you want, Sophia?"
Her frustration boiled over. "He's not breaking."
Shane exhaled slowly on the other end, his tone tinged with annoyance. "What do you mean he's not breaking?"
"I mean exactly what I said!" Sophia snapped, pacing the room. "He doesn't care that she's gone. He's shutting me out completely. I can't get through to him."
"And Isabella?" Shane asked pointedly.
Sophia's face twisted. "Even she's not enough to make him bend. He won't let me near him—won't even look at her properly."
There was a brief pause, then Shane's voice dropped, colder than before. "So what are you calling me for?"
Sophia's fists tightened around her phone. "You said you'd handle this, but it's not enough. You need to push him harder. Threaten him. Make him understand what's at stake."
Shane chuckled dryly, but there was no humor in the sound. "You're impatient. That's your problem. Adrian's not a man you can shake easily."
Her anger flared. "And you're not doing enough, Shane! He's out there looking for Joi every second—every resource he has is working to find her. If you don't act now, he'll tear through your little hideout sooner or later. Then what?"
Shane's voice turned deadly quiet. "Careful, Sophia. You're getting too comfortable barking orders."
Sophia hesitated, her breath catching, but she forced herself to speak again. "You want Joi. I want Adrian. If you don't push him, you'll lose her."
Silence stretched across the line. For a moment, Sophia thought Shane had hung up. But then his voice came back, sharp and cold as steel.
"Fine. I'll threaten him again. But when this backfires, don't come crying to me."
Sophia smiled faintly, her tone almost smug. "Do what you have to, Shane. Just make him break."
The line went dead, and Sophia lowered the phone with a satisfied sigh.
But deep down, something uneasy simmered in her chest.
Shane wasn't a man to play games with, and she knew it.
Shane didn't hold back. He called Adrian directly, the line connecting with a chilling silence before Shane's voice slid through—sharp, mocking, and full of venom.
"You care about her, don't you?" Shane's words dripped with malice. "She's here with me. Scared. Helpless. And unless you want her destroyed, you'll listen to me for once in your miserable life."
Adrian's grip on the phone tightened until his knuckles went white. "Where is she?" His voice was calm, too calm, but the storm brewing beneath it was unmistakable.
A low, cruel laugh came from Shane's end. "You don't get to know that." He paused, letting the weight of his words settle. "Here's what's going to happen: you have two days. You'll announce a wedding—to Sophia. Public, formal, and real. You'll play your part, Adrian, or I'll make sure Joi never recovers from what I'll do to her."
Adrian's heart pounded in his chest, his breaths short and controlled as rage coiled through him. "If you touch her—"
"You're not in a position to make threats," Shane cut him off smoothly. "Tick-tock, Adrian. Two days."
The line went dead.
Adrian stood still for a moment, his gaze fixed on the phone in his hand, his mind calculating and racing. Then, with a sharp exhale, he hurled the phone against the wall. The crash echoed through the room as shards scattered across the floor. His team outside heard it and rushed in, stopping short when they saw him.
Adrian's fist collided with the nearest wall, the impact loud and unforgiving. Blood trickled from his knuckles, but he didn't flinch.
"Sir—" one of his men began hesitantly.
"Find her." Adrian's voice was quiet but deadly, a chilling calm that silenced the room. He turned, his gaze sweeping over his team like a predator sizing up its prey. "I don't care what it takes. Find Joi."
The team scattered into action, the tension palpable as phones buzzed and orders were shouted. Adrian remained in the center of it all, unmoving, his jaw tight, his chest rising and falling with restrained fury.
Joi's face flashed in his mind—her smile, her laughter, the softness in her eyes when she looked at him. He wouldn't lose her. He couldn't lose her.
And if Shane thought this would break him, he was gravely mistaken.
Adrian's gaze darkened, his voice low as he muttered to himself. "You'll regret this, Shane. I swear it."
Days bled into one another, the line between night and day blurring into nothingness in Shane's suffocating prison. The small room seemed to shrink with every hour, the air thick and stale. Joi sat curled in a corner against the cold, wooden wall, her knees pulled tightly to her chest. Every distant creak, every shuffle of footsteps sent ice through her veins, and when those footsteps finally stopped outside her door, her body went rigid.
The lock turned.
The sound was a knife cutting through the silence.
Joi held her breath as the door creaked open. Shane stepped inside, his tall frame casting a long shadow across the room. The air shifted, heavy with his presence. His anger radiated off him in waves, though his expression remained unnervingly calm.
"Why do you keep resisting me?" Shane's voice was low, controlled—but there was venom behind it.
Joi shrank back instinctively, pressing herself against the wall as if it could swallow her. "Let me go!" she screamed, her voice cracking with desperation.
Shane didn't listen. In two strides, he was in front of her, his hands grabbing her arms and pulling her roughly to her feet. His grip was iron, his fingers biting into her skin, forcing a pained cry from her lips.
"You'll stop fighting me eventually," Shane hissed, his dark eyes locking onto hers. "You'll see there's no point."
"Never!" Joi spat, twisting in his grip. Panic flooded her veins, and with everything she had left, she shoved at him, her fists pounding weakly against his chest. "I'll never stop! Let me go, Shane!"
Shane's face contorted, his mask slipping for just a moment, revealing something cruel and unrecognizable beneath. He leaned in closer, his breath hot against her ear. "You'll learn, Joi."
Joi froze. Her chest rose and fell in ragged breaths, her tears slipping down her cheeks unchecked. The tremble in her body must have struck him because Shane's grip faltered. For a moment, he seemed to hesitate, his jaw tightening as his gaze flickered over her tear-streaked face.
Then, with a sharp inhale, he shoved her back. Joi stumbled and collapsed onto the floor, her knees hitting the wooden boards hard. Shane's footsteps thundered as he stormed out, slamming the door behind him.
The sound of the lock clicking into place felt final, like the air had been sucked from the room. Joi stayed on the floor, gasping for breath as tears blurred her vision. Her body ached where he'd gripped her, bruises already darkening her skin.
She curled into herself, her sobs breaking through the oppressive silence. Her voice, small and broken, whispered into the empty room.
"Adrian… please… save me…"