Alec stepped forward, his pulse thudding in his temples as he stared down the man who had arrived in his apartment. The silence that followed was suffocating, thick with unspoken words and impending decisions. The weight of the woman's words lingered in the air, settling over him like a dark cloud.
"Where are you taking me?" Alec's voice came out more forceful than he had intended, but the uncertainty bubbling within him cracked through.
The man, unfazed by Alec's sudden defiance, looked him over with a calculating expression before answering. "Your father's waiting for you at the estate. You'll come with me now. It's non-negotiable."
Alec clenched his fists at his sides, his mind spinning. "I don't care what my father wants. I'm not some puppet to be controlled!"
The woman in the room observed the scene with a detached expression, her eyes narrowing as she crossed her arms. "It's not about what you want, Alec. You're past the point of choice. Your father's decisions have already set everything into motion. This... this is the final step."
Alec turned sharply toward her. "You're all the same, aren't you? You're just pawns in a bigger game. I don't care what my father has planned anymore. I'm done."
Her lips curled into a faint, almost pitying smile. "You think you're the one in control here? You've been playing this game, Alec, but you've never been the one holding the cards. Your father's empire doesn't give you freedom, it suffocates you. You're just too blind to see it."
Alec's hands trembled with a mix of rage and helplessness. "What about Maddy?" He spat, his voice raw. "What happens to her in all of this?"
The woman's smile vanished, her expression hardening. "That's your choice, Alec. She'll either be part of your reality, or you'll have to let her go. But make no mistake—if you let her in too deep, you'll lose everything. The family, the company, your place in the world. Your father won't allow it."
Alec's heart hammered in his chest. Every word she said felt like a weight on his soul, and yet the truth in her words rang loud and clear. He knew, deep down, that his father's plans had already been set in motion. He could feel it—the suffocating reality that he would soon have to choose.
He looked at the man in the doorway, his resolve hardening. "I'm not going with you. Not yet. Not until I speak to Maddy."
The man's eyes flickered, but he didn't move. "You think you have time, but you don't. We're past that."
"Then I'll walk," Alec snapped, turning toward the door.
But before he could take a step, the woman's voice rang out, cold and calculating. "You're making a mistake, Alec. Do you think Maddy will still be there when you finally come to your senses? Your father's already made sure of that. If you want to keep her, if you want to keep any part of the life you think you want, you'll need to act quickly."
Alec's breath hitched. The doubt in her words lingered, piercing him like a knife. How could she possibly know? His heart was racing now, torn between the woman who had brought him into her world and the girl he loved, the one who was still out there, waiting for him to come clean.
The silence that followed was deafening. Alec felt like he was suffocating under the pressure of every decision he had made up until this point. He could feel the walls closing in on him. No matter which way he turned, he felt trapped in a web of lies, deceit, and manipulation.
But one thing was certain—he wasn't ready to let Maddy go. Not yet. Not without a fight.
Alec's fingers twitched as he glanced back at the woman and the man, his options narrowing with each passing second. "Fine," he said, his voice a low growl. "I'll go with you. But only because I need to know what my father's really planning. If I'm going to lose everything, I want to know why."
The man's face remained unreadable, but the woman's eyes gleamed with something close to satisfaction. "Good choice," she said softly. "But remember, Alec, you don't have much time."
With one final glance toward the door, Alec allowed himself to be escorted out of the apartment. As the elevator doors slid shut, he glanced back one last time at the empty hallway, his mind racing with thoughts of Maddy. What was happening to her right now? Was she still waiting for him, hoping he would return?
He didn't know. But what he did know was that the future—his future—was no longer his own.
The car ride to the estate was long and silent, the air thick with tension. The man who had come to fetch him said nothing, his focus unwavering as he drove through the winding streets toward the imposing mansion where his father awaited.
Alec's thoughts swirled in a whirlpool of confusion and anger. His father had always been distant, demanding, and cold. But to think that everything—his life, Maddy's life—had been manipulated from the very beginning... It made Alec feel like a pawn in a game he hadn't even known he was playing.
When the car finally pulled up to the massive estate, Alec's heart dropped into his stomach. He had been here countless times before, but tonight it felt different. This time, he wasn't just walking into his father's world—he was being dragged in, forced to face the reality of everything he had worked so hard to escape.
The man didn't wait for Alec to get out of the car. He simply opened the door and gestured for Alec to follow. They walked through the grand hall, the sound of their footsteps echoing in the silence. Alec barely noticed the opulent surroundings, his mind consumed by the whirlwind of thoughts racing through him.
When they reached the study, the door swung open, revealing his father sitting behind a massive wooden desk, his expression as unreadable as ever. Alec's pulse quickened. The air in the room seemed to grow heavier, more suffocating with every passing second.
"Alec," his father's voice rang out, cold and commanding. "Sit."
Alec didn't move. "I'm not playing your games anymore, Father. I've had enough."
His father's gaze didn't shift. "You think you have a choice in this? You've never had a choice. You're my son, and you will do what's required of you."
Alec felt a jolt of anger surge through him. "You've controlled my life since the day I was born. You've never let me be who I am. You've never given me the freedom to make my own choices."
His father leaned back in his chair, eyes narrowing as he studied Alec. "You don't understand the consequences of your actions. I've built this empire for you. Everything you have is because of me. The life you've been living... it was never yours. It was mine. And now it's time for you to take your place."
Alec's hands clenched into fists. "And what about Maddy? What about my future with her?"
His father's eyes darkened. "Maddy doesn't fit into your future, Alec. You're wasting your time. There's only one future that matters."