The storm outside had calmed, yet inside Blackwood Mansion, the atmosphere remained charged with tension. Elena stood at the door, watching the man kneeling before her the once-unstoppable Alexander Blackwood, now defeated, his face obscured by damp dark hair.
She should leave.
She should turn away.
But she remained rooted to the spot.
Her fingers shook against the cold brass doorknob. Her heart urged her to flee, but a deeper, darker impulse kept her there.
"Please," Alexander murmured, his voice rough and strained. "Tell me how to make this right."
Elena had always viewed him as invulnerable, a force of nature that manipulated everyone around him. Now, however, he seemed stripped of his defenses, vulnerable and fragile.
She tightened her jaw. "You can't mend what's already shattered."
Alexander looked up, his stormy gray eyes boring into her. Within them was something unreadable desperation, sorrow, perhaps even love.
But was love supposed to feel confining?
She inhaled deeply, summoning her resolve. "Goodbye, Alexander."
Then she turned and walked away.
But The Past Cannot Be Escaped
For the first time since marrying Alexander, Elena felt liberated.
She left the mansion with only the clothes on her back, stepping into uncertainty. The city lights blurred through her tears as she hailed a cab, her heart racing. She had no destination in mind only a strong need to distance herself as much as possible.
As she checked her phone, she saw numerous missed calls from an unknown number.
Her pulse quickened. She disregarded them.
As the cab sped through the streets, she leaned back, closing her eyes. She needed to breathe, reflect, and discover who she was without Alexander Blackwood.
But when the car took a turn down an unknown road, a chilling realization hit her.
The driver was ignoring the GPS.
She straightened up. "Excuse me, you missed the turn."
Silence enveloped her.
Her stomach churned.
She reached for the door handle—locked.
Panic surged within her. "Where are you taking me?"
No response from the driver.
Then she noticed a black SUV following closely behind, its headlights piercing the night.
Her blood ran cold.
She had escaped Alexander Blackwood… but someone else had been lurking, waiting for her.
***
The car came to an abrupt stop in an abandoned warehouse area. Elena breathed rapidly as the driver exited the vehicle.
The back door opened.
A man in a sharp black suit appeared, his features keen, his eyes glinting with amusement. He looked familiar.
"Elena Carter," he drawled. "You're even more stunning in person."
She recognized that voice Damien Russo.
Alexander's adversary.
The man who had danced with her at the gala.
Fear gripped her. "What is it you want?"
Damien smirked. "Just a little conversation. You see, Alexander and I share… history." He leaned closer, lowering his voice. "And you, my dear, are going to assist me in taking him down."
Meanwhile... At Blackwood Mansion
Alexander sat in his office, nursing a whiskey, his thoughts consumed by Elena's absence.
She was gone.
She had made her choice.
A sharp knock broke his reverie. His assistant, Sebastian, entered with a serious expression.
"We have an issue, sir."
Alexander frowned. "What is it?"
Sebastian hesitated, then handed him a tablet.
Security footage.
Alexander's breath hitched as he watched the image of Elena being forced into a strange car.
He squeezed the glass tightly until it shattered in his hand.
Damien Russo.
That bastard.
A familiar darkness surged within him.
He grabbed his phone, his voice icy.
"Find her."
Then, with a voice heavy with fury
"If he lays a finger on her… I'll kill him."
Elena gasped for breath while facing Damien Russo, the archrival of Alexander.
He stood tall and slender, radiating a chilling arrogance like a predator eyeing its prey. His dark eyes sparkled with amusement, but beneath that allure lay something much more sinister.
She swallowed hard and asked, "What do you want from me?"
Damien inclined his head, contemplating her question. "That depends, darling. Will you cooperate?"
Her heart raced, fists clenched. After narrowly escaping one trap, was she now stepping into another?
"No," she replied firmly, despite the fear tightening in her chest.
Damien chuckled softly. "I do enjoy a spirited woman." He shifted his gaze to two nearby guards. "Take her inside."
Before she could protest, strong hands seized her arms, pulling her forward.
She fought back, kicking and screaming.
But the men were overpowering.
She was pushed into a dimly lit warehouse, the air thick with the smell of oil and rust. A solitary flickering bulb cast unsettling shadows on the concrete walls.
Her heart raced. She needed to think quickly.
Damien entered, adjusting his cufflinks. "You intrigue me, Elena." He approached her with a slow, deliberate pace. "I noticed you at the gala how Alexander looked at you, possessive, as if guarding something invaluable."
A knot formed in Elena's stomach. "If you think Alexander will trade me, you're mistaken."
Damien smirked. "Oh, darling, I have no interest in trading you." He leaned in closer, whispering, "I want to destroy him."
Alexander barely registered Sebastian's words as he replayed the security footage repeatedly.
Elena. In a car. Taken. By him.
Rage blinded him.
His life had been built on control. But this? This was chaos a declaration of war.
Sebastian spoke again. "Our sources indicate she's at one of Russo's warehouses near the docks."
Alexander clenched his jaw, his fists balled up tight, aching with tension.
He turned to Sebastian. "Gather the team. We leave now."
Sebastian hesitated. "Sir… should we contact the police?"
A muscle twitched in Alexander's jaw. "No." His voice was frigid. "Damien made this personal. I'll deal with it myself."
Bound by zip ties in the cold warehouse, Elena sat as Damien stalked around her like a vulture. "It must be tiring playing the part of Alexander Blackwood's pet."
She met his gaze, defiance burning in her eyes. "If I'm a pet, then you must be a cockroach scuttling in the dark for leftovers."
Damien's smirk faltered for the briefest moment.
Then he laughed. "I see why he's captivated by you." His tone darkened. "But let's see how long that confidence lasts once I bring him down."
Elena secretly worked at the sharp edge of a metal chair, desperate to cut through the plastic restraints.
She wouldn't wait around to be rescued.
She refused to become another man's pawn.
*****
Silence hung in the warehouse until the loud roar of engines broke through.
Damien straightened, grinning wider. "And there he is."
Elena's heart raced Alexander was here.
Then gunfire erupted outside.
The warehouse doors burst open as Alexander Blackwood came in.
Soaked from the rain, clad in black, he looked like a man ready for revenge.
His gray eyes found Elena's. Flickers of relief, rage, and something deeper flashed in his gaze.
Damien clapped sarcastically. "Ah, Alexander, you always make quite an entrance."
Alexander ignored him, focused entirely on Elena. His woman. His wife.
He noticed the zip ties and bruises on her wrists, and his blood boiled.
"Elena," he murmured. "Did he hurt you?"
Damien chuckled. "Not yet."
Alexander's gaze turned murderous. "Touch her, and you won't leave this warehouse alive."
Damien shrugged off the threat. "You're so dramatic, Blackwood." He approached a table, retrieving a thick envelope. "I intended to deliver this to you more civilly, but since you're here…"
He tossed the envelope to the floor.
"Go ahead. Take a look."
Alexander narrowed his eyes but picked it up. His grip tightened as he flipped through the contents.
Photos. Dozens of them.
Of Elena.
At a coffee shop.
In her old apartment.
Before she knew Alexander.
Elena gasped.
"What is this?" she whispered.
Damien smirked. "Oh, sweetheart… didn't he tell you?"
Alexander's body went rigid.
Damien turned back to Elena, his eyes glinting. "Your beloved husband didn't marry you just because of that contract. He's been watching you for years."
Elena felt her stomach drop.
She turned to Alexander, heart racing. "Tell me that isn't true."
His face was impassive, but his silence spoke volumes.
Damien leaned against a pillar, smirking. "He didn't randomly choose you, Elena. He made sure you were his long before you even knew his name."
Her world spun.
She had always thought their marriage was a twisted arrangement. But this? This was far more sinister.
She took a step back, shaking her head. "No… no, that's not possible."
Alexander finally spoke, his voice low. "Elena…"
Her breath caught. He wasn't denying it.
Damien grinned. "Oh, darling, you didn't just marry a billionaire. You married your stalker."
The moment the words left Damien's lips, Alexander sprang into action.
Fast.
Faster than Elena had ever witnessed.
In a heartbeat, Alexander's fist collided with Damien's jaw, knocking him back.
Blood trickled from Damien's lip as his laughter echoed through the warehouse.
"Did I hit a nerve?" he taunted.
Alexander seized him by the collar, slamming him against the wall.
"This ends tonight," Alexander snarled.
Damien chuckled again, wiping blood from his lips. "Oh, Blackwood. You've already lost."
Elena was retreating.
From Damien.
From Alexander.
From everything.
Her heart raced as she looked at the man she had committed to.
Had she ever really known him?
Or had she merely stepped into a gilded cage designed just for her?..