Anastasia had spent her life being overlooked.
She had been the quiet one, the forgotten Vasquez daughter, the one no one thought was important enough to matter.
But now?
Now, she was at the center of a battle she never saw coming.
And the man standing between her and the rest of the world—Leonidas Kosta—was not a man known for mercy.
She watched him now, standing by the window, his posture rigid, his hands tucked into the pockets of his tailored slacks.
The city skyline stretched before him, glittering with power, but his gaze was storm-dark, unreadable.
He was furious.
And yet, he hadn't said a word.
Not since he told her they were leaving.
Not since he told her her family had made a move against him.
Her stomach twisted.
What had they done?
What would he do?
Her breath caught as she realized—
Leonidas Kosta wasn't just reacting.
He was planning his counterattack.
And when a man like him retaliated, people didn't survive.
"Leo—" Her voice wavered before she steadied it. "Tell me what's happening."
His head tilted slightly, acknowledging her, but he didn't turn around.
A flicker of frustration coiled in her chest.
She was his wife now. Shouldn't she know what the hell was going on?
She stepped forward, pushing past her unease. "You said my family—"
"They made a mistake."
His voice was calm. Too calm.
It sent a shiver down her spine.
She had heard about this side of him—the Leonidas Kosta who destroyed companies overnight, who crushed rivals with a single decision.
And now, that force was being aimed at her own blood.
Her stomach clenched. "What did they do?"
A beat of silence.
Then, finally, he turned.
And the second his gaze locked onto hers, her breath caught.
Because she saw it.
He wasn't just angry.
He was seething.
His jaw was tight, his eyes black with something dangerous, something lethal.
"They tried to take you from me."
Her heart slammed into her ribs.
"What?"
Leonidas exhaled, slow and controlled, but she could see it—the barely contained violence coiled beneath his skin.
"Your father reached out to a private security firm. He was negotiating a way to extract you from our marriage." A pause. His lips curled into something that wasn't quite a smile. "Permanently."
Her blood turned to ice.
Permanently.
There was no mistaking what that meant.
Her father had tried to have her taken away from Leonidas.
By force.
Her breath shuddered. "He—he wouldn't—"
Leonidas raised a dark brow, tilting his head as if to say, Wouldn't he?
And deep down, she knew.
He would.
Her father hadn't wanted her to be the one married to Leonidas. He had wanted Isabella. Anastasia had always been expendable to him.
She swallowed hard. "What are you going to do?"
Leonidas took a slow step toward her.
Then another.
Predatory. Inevitable.
Her back met the wall before she realized she had been retreating.
He caged her in with nothing but his presence.
"You're asking the wrong question." His voice was low, smooth, dangerous.
Her pulse hammered. "What—"
His fingers brushed against her jaw.
A touch so light, so deceptive, but beneath it was power. Control. A warning.
"The right question, Anastasia," he murmured, "is what I'm willing to do to keep you."
Her breath hitched.
He was too close, his body radiating heat, his scent—dark, rich, utterly consuming.
And in his eyes, she saw the truth.
This wasn't about revenge.
This was about possession.
Her father hadn't just made a move against Leonidas Kosta, the billionaire.
He had tried to take something that belonged to him.
And Leonidas Kosta didn't lose what was his.
The air crackled between them.
Anastasia should have been afraid.
She should have told him that this marriage didn't mean she was his.
But she couldn't speak.
Because the way he was looking at her—dark, burning, possessive as sin—
She felt it.
The shift.
The danger of being desired by a man like him.
"You think this is a game, don't you?" His voice was a soft blade.
She shook her head, but he wasn't convinced.
"You think I'll let you walk away if you ask nicely?" His fingers trailed down her throat, featherlight.
She shivered.
Her heart was a wild, erratic thing in her chest.
"I—" She swallowed. "I didn't—"
"Didn't what?" His thumb brushed against the fluttering pulse at her throat.
A test.
A warning.
Her breath came out shaky.
"I didn't know this would happen," she whispered.
Something dark flickered in his gaze.
"That's where you and I are different, Anastasia."
A pause.
"I always knew."
Her stomach clenched.
"What?"
Leonidas exhaled, tilting his head as if studying her.
"I knew the moment you became mine," he said, his voice like silk over steel, "that I would never let you go."
She sucked in a sharp breath.
This was dangerous.
This was beyond dangerous.
This wasn't just a man protecting his marriage.
This was a man willing to burn the world down for her.
A knock at the door shattered the moment.
Leonidas let the touch linger for a second longer—a silent message, a promise.
Then, just like that, he stepped away.
He straightened his cuffs, his expression once again unreadable.
"Pack your bags," he said smoothly. "We're leaving in an hour."
Anastasia blinked, trying to steady herself.
"…Leaving?"
Leonidas glanced at his watch. "We're flying to my private estate. It's safer there."
Her stomach twisted. "So that's it? You're just—taking me away?"
A dark smirk ghosted his lips. "What did I tell you, Anastasia?"
A pause.
"You belong to me now."
Her breath caught.
And for the first time, she realized she might not survive being loved by him.
Because Leonidas Kosta's love wasn't soft.
It was war.
And he had just declared it on the world.