Vincente's eyes snapped open, the blue depths burning with an anger so intense it could have set the water around him aflame.
He sat up slowly, his gaze raking over her torn and muddied form.
The sight of her brought a snarl to his lips, a sound that was both animalistic and eerily human.
"You," he ground out, his voice low and deadly. "What do you think you were doing?"
Evangeline's eyes were swollen and red, her cheeks stained with tears as she faced the man who had stolen her freedom.
She didn't bother to struggle anymore. The futility of her escape had never been more apparent.
"Sir" she whispered, her voice trembling. "Please... I can't... I just want to go home."
Vincente's eyes narrowed, his gaze.
"Tsk, tsk," he said darkly, the sound of his tongue clicking against the roof of his mouth echoing through the silence.
His expression was one of cold fury, his mouth a tight line of disapproval.
"How disappointing," he continued, his voice a dangerous purr. "To think you could escape me."
His gaze raked over her, his eyes like ice, making her feel even more exposed than she already was. "You truly believed you could leave?"
He then gestured for the two women to leave the room, his eyes never leaving hers.
They obeyed, their footsteps retreating down the hallway until they were swallowed by the mansion's darkness.
"Strip," he ordered, looking at her with a face devoid of any warmth, his hand gesturing impatiently towards the pile of her tattered clothes.
Evangeline stared at him in shock, her doe-like eyes wide with fear and confusion.
She clutched at the fabric of her dress, her trembling fingers grasping for a semblance of dignity.
"Please," she whispered, her voice barely a breath. "Dont do this to..me..."
Vincente's cold gaze never left her face as he leaned forward, his hands steepled in front of him. "Strip! I don't like repeating myself, doll!" he repeated, his tone leaving no room for negotiation.
The very idea of stripping in front of him—of letting him see her in such a vulnerable state—was almost unbearable.
She took a deep, shaky breath and began to take off her dress, her trembling fingers fumbling.
Vincent's face remained a mask of cold indifference, his eyes never leaving hers as she exposed herself to his gaze.
She felt a deep sense of shame, her cheeks burning as the fabric fell away, leaving her in nothing but her underwear.
His hands were steady, one gesturing for her to come forward, the other resting on the edge of the jacuzzi.
"Please," she whispered again, her voice trembling, her eyes pleading. "Please don't do this."
Vincente's cold gaze remained unmoved. "You are mine," he said simply, his voice like a whip crack. "You will do as I say."
He gestured for her to sit in the jacuzzi with him, the water bubbling and frothing around his body like a cauldron of anger.
"Get in," he said, his tone low and deadly, the words a command that brooked no argument.
she approached the jacuzzi, her eyes never leaving the ground.
The water was a murky mix of white bubbles and steam.
As she sat down, the water lapped at her bruised and scratched legs.
Vincent's hand shot out, his grip on her wrist like a vice.
He pulled her closer, the force of his action sending waves of water over the side.
Evangeline gasped, her eyes darting to his face in a silent plea for mercy.
But the face that looked back at her was unyielding, his eyes as cold as ice.
The water was scalding hot, a stark contrast to the icy grip of fear that held her in its grasp.
She sank into the jacuzzi with a whimper, the heat of the water enveloping her like a living entity.
"Look at me," he demanded, his voice a knife that sliced through the air.
Evangeline's gaze snapped up, her eyes meeting the stormy blue of Vincente's.
His grip on her wrist tightened, his thumb brushing against her pulse point.
She could feel the anger radiating from him, a palpable force that made the very air around them thick.
With a vicious tug, he pulled her closer until she was kneeling before him, her head barely above the water.
The heat from the jacuzzi was suffocating, the pressure in her ears building as he leaned in, his breath hot against her cheek.
"You dare to escape from me?" he growled, his voice a thunderstorm of fury.
His hand wrapped around her hair, and with a cruel twist, he forced her head beneath the water's churning surface.
Evangeline's eyes widened in panic, her body thrashing instinctively.
She could feel the warmth of the water turn cold around her as it rushed into her nose and mouth, filling her with a desperate need to breathe.
Her lungs burned, begging for air as she clawed at his wrist, her nails digging into his skin.
Vincent's expression remained a study in anger and control, his jaw set in a firm line.
His free hand clamped down on the back of her neck, keeping her submerged.
The blue depths filled with a malicious satisfaction as he watched her struggle.
Her eyes grew wide with panic, her chest heaving as she couldn't breathe.
The world around her turned to a muffled roar, the sound of her own pulse thundering in her ears.
Her hands flailed, trying to find purchase on his arm, but his grip was unyielding.
Finally, he released her, allowing her to resurface with a gasp.
Her eyes stung with chlorine and tears, her lungs burning with the effort to pull in sweet, precious air.
She coughed and sputtered, her chest rising and falling erratically as she fought for breath.
Vincente's hand remained tangled in her hair, keeping her close, his eyes never leaving hers. "You will never escape me," he murmured, his voice a deadly whisper. "You will always return to me, one way or another."
Evangeline's eyes searched his, looking for any semblance of humanity, any crack in his armor of control.
But she found none, only the cold, hard resolve of a man who had taken everything from her.
"Sir, im sorry...please," she choked out, her voice hoarse from the water.
Vincent's expression remained unchanged, his eyes like two chips of ice in the moonlit room. "You dare to ask for mercy?" he spat, the words hitting her like a slap across the face. "You won't..not from me."
He then continued, his voice cracking through the stillness of the night, "You failed, Evangeline." A cruel smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. "You see, I knew you would try to escape."