My Alpha CEO Forbids Me to Escape

Chapter 3

Ethan hadn't always been this controlling.

At the beginning, his only demand was that I keep my phone on 24/7.

No matter how late it was, even if it was 3 a.m., I had to answer the moment he called.

Most of those late-night calls had nothing to do with work.

He simply wanted to hear my voice.

Sometimes he would ask me to say something completely meaningless, even just a comment about the weather outside.

The moment I finished speaking, he would hang up without another word.

Back then, I simply assumed it was one of those strange habits powerful people had.

Everything changed after I listened to a friend's advice and attended a blind dating event after work.

The moment I stepped inside, the lively room fell completely silent.

Ethan was sitting in the center of the room.

His perfectly tailored suit looked completely out of place in the cheap, rundown venue.

His deep blue eyes were cold and sharp, like frozen blades, as they locked onto me.

His voice cut through the silence.

"I don't remember giving you permission to go on a blind date."

Everyone in the room immediately lowered their heads.

The thirty-something people there hurried toward the exit, not daring to make eye contact with him.

Ethan slowly stood up.

Each step he took toward me felt heavy and deliberate.

His towering figure cast a shadow over me completely.

He leaned closer, his low voice brushing against my ear.

"You make a mistake, you face the consequences."

A strip of black lace covered my eyes, and his cold silk tie bound my wrists together.

I stood there in unbearable discomfort, every second stretching endlessly.

The moment I shifted even slightly, his large, burning hand would immediately grip the back of my neck.

"Stand still."

Hours passed.

My legs went completely numb, and I couldn't stop myself from losing my balance and falling backward into his chest.

He didn't loosen the restraints.

Instead, he held me there while his fingers slowly massaged my swollen, aching legs.

"Do you know what you did wrong?" he asked softly.

After that incident, his need to control every aspect of my life only became stronger.

Even if I disappeared from his sight for five minutes without informing him first, I would be punished.

*****

"What happened to your hand?"

His voice pulled me back to reality.

Ethan was staring at the bright red marks on my wrist, his expression unreadable.

They were the marks Serena had left earlier when she dug her nails into my skin.

I suppressed the panic rising in my chest and answered quietly.

"I bumped into something while making coffee. I wasn't paying attention."

"You should know by now. I hate seeing marks on you that were left by anyone other than me. That includes marks you leave on yourself."

He walked over, grabbed my wrist, and pressed his lips against the marks.

I forced myself not to react as he left dark, blooming marks over the scratches, covering them completely.

My obedience seemed to satisfy him.

A low hum of approval came from his chest as his hand gently rubbed the back of my neck.

"I'm leaving on a business trip tomorrow. It's quite far away, so I won't be bringing you this time."

I looked up at him almost instinctively.

A faint trace of amusement flickered in his deep blue eyes.

"Don't look at me like that. I'll be back in two days," he said softly.

My heart suddenly tightened.

Two days.

If Serena really planned to take my place, two days would be more than enough time for her to make her move.