Chapter Six: Trapped in His Web
938 Words
Alina sat across from Nicholas Vaughn in the dimly lit restaurant, her fingers curled tightly around the stem of her wine glass. She had made the mistake of coming with him. Again.
She had told herself she would resist, that she wouldn’t fall back into old patterns. But here she was, seated in front of the one man who had the power to break her all over again.
Nicholas leaned back in his chair, watching her with an amused expression. “You’re awfully quiet, Alina.”
She took a slow sip of her wine, keeping her face neutral. “I have nothing to say.”
His smirk deepened. “That’s a first.”
She exhaled, setting her glass down. “What do you want, Nicholas?”
The question hung between them.
For a moment, the playfulness in his eyes faded, replaced by something darker. More intense.
“You know exactly what I want,” he said, his voice a quiet command.
Alina’s stomach twisted.
She did know.
But she couldn’t—wouldn’t—give in.
She squared her shoulders. “That’s not going to happen.”
Nicholas arched a brow. “You sound so sure.”
“I am.”
He hummed, drumming his fingers against the table. “Then why are you still here?”
Her breath hitched.
She opened her mouth to respond, but no words came out.
Because damn him—he was right.
If she truly had no intention of being pulled back into his orbit, she would have left the moment she saw him waiting for her outside her apartment.
She would have walked away.
And yet…
Here she was.
Nicholas reached for his glass, taking a slow sip before setting it down. “You’re lying to yourself, Alina.”
She clenched her jaw. “And you’re still as arrogant as ever.”
He didn’t deny it.
Instead, he leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. “You disappeared for four years. I let you go. I didn’t chase you.”
Alina swallowed hard.
That much was true.
For all his dominance, for all his possessiveness, Nicholas had never come after her when she left.
Until now.
“And yet,” he continued, his voice smooth as silk, “the second you step back into my world, you expect me to pretend like you don’t exist?”
Alina forced herself to hold his gaze. “It would be the smart thing to do.”
Nicholas chuckled, shaking his head. “Sweetheart, when have I ever been smart when it comes to you?”
Her heart stuttered.
She hated that his words still had the power to unravel her.
Hated that despite everything, her body still reacted to him, drawn to the intensity in his gaze, the raw heat in his voice.
Damn him.
She pushed her chair back, reaching for her purse. “I’m leaving.”
Nicholas didn’t stop her.
Didn’t reach for her.
But as she stood, his voice wrapped around her like a noose.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”
Alina froze.
Slowly, she turned back to him. “Excuse me?”
Nicholas exhaled, rubbing his jaw. “I wasn’t planning on playing dirty.”
She narrowed her eyes. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
He leaned back, watching her with the calm, controlled expression that had always terrified her the most.
It was the look of a man who had already won.
“You work for Brighton & Co, don’t you?” he mused.
Alina’s stomach dropped. “How do you—”
“Four years,” he interrupted. “I gave you four years of freedom, Alina. I didn’t look for you. Didn’t interfere.” He tilted his head. “But now you’re back. And that changes things.”
A chill ran down her spine.
Nicholas was a businessman. Ruthless. Strategic. And always in control.
If he had dug into her life, if he had found out where she worked—
“What did you do?” she whispered.
Nicholas smiled, slow and dangerous.
“I bought the company.”
Silence.
A suffocating, deafening silence.
Alina’s pulse roared in her ears.
No.
No, he wouldn’t.
He couldn’t.
But Nicholas Vaughn didn’t say things he didn’t mean.
Didn’t make threats he couldn’t back up.
She gripped the table, her breath shaky. “Tell me you’re lying.”
His smirk never wavered. “I don’t lie, sweetheart.”
Alina’s legs wobbled. She sank back into her chair, gripping the edge of the table as reality crashed into her.
Nicholas Vaughn owned her.
Her job.
Her career.
Her life.
“You son of a—”
“Careful,” he murmured. “I’m still your boss now.”
Alina clenched her fists. “Why?”
He took a slow sip of his drink, eyes never leaving hers. “Because I can.”
Rage bubbled in her chest. “You had no right—”
“I have every right,” he cut in smoothly. “You walked away once, Alina. I won’t let you do it again.”
Her stomach twisted.
This wasn’t happening.
This couldn’t be happening.
Nicholas leaned in, his voice low.
“You can fight me all you want. Hate me if you must. But one way or another, you will be mine again.”
Alina’s breath hitched.
She wanted to argue. To scream. To demand he undo whatever the hell he had done.
But she knew better.
Nicholas Vaughn never made empty promises.
And when he set his sights on something…
He never stopped until it was his.
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- Writer
