Chapter 16
1141 Words
ROOSEVELT’S POV
The sound of the lock in the quiet study made my blood run cold.
Zyran pulled the key out and dropped it into the pocket of his trousers. He turned slowly to face me. The calm, composed billionaire front was completely gone.
The man standing in front of me was a stranger. His dark eyes were wild and filled with a deep, terrifying something i would call obsession. He didn't look angry anymore, he looked hungry.
I took a slow step back until my knees hit the desk. There was nowhere left to run.
"Open that door, Zyran," I demanded, trying to keep my voice steady even though my hands shook. "You can’t lock me in here."
"I can do whatever I want," Zyran whispered. His voice was smooth but carried weight.
He stepped closer. His expensive shoes crunched over the scattered divorce papers on the floor. He didn’t even glance down at them.
"You think a piece of paper from three years ago means you can walk away from me?" he asked, taking another slow step. "You think you can pack a bag and disappear, and I will just let you go?"
My breath caught in my throat.
"I don't belong to you," I managed to say, grabbing the edge of the desk behind me.
"You belong to me the moment you put my ring on your finger," Zyran stated.
He closed the gap between us. He didn’t hit me or yell. Instead, he raised his large hands and slammed them down on the edge of the desk, trapping me perfectly between his arms. His broad chest pressed against me, caging me in.
I felt completely trapped. My heart pounded against my ribs repeatedly
He leaned his face close to mine. I felt the heat of his skin and smelled the faint scent of blood clinging to his white shirt.
"I don't care if you hate me right now, Roosevelt," Zyran whispered, his lips brushing against my ear. A violent shiver ran down my spine. "I don’t care if you scream or fight, you are mine. I will lock you in this house, I will break the legs of any man who tries to take you away. I will burn the whole world to ashes before I let you leave my side."
Tears of fear filled my eyes.
He wasn't just jealous, he loved me so much that it twisted his mind, making it hard for him to tell the difference between protecting me and imprisoning me.
"You are scaring me," I whispered as a tear slipped down my bruised cheek.
Zyran lifted his hand. His fingers traced the angry red handprint his mother had left on my face. Fury darkened his eyes when he touched the bruise, but his touch was hauntingly gentle.
"I will never let anyone hurt you again," he promised, his voice dropping to a dangerous growl. "Not my mother, not anyone, You are safe here with me. Only with me."
Suddenly, Zyran stopped speaking.
His hand froze on my cheek, his dark eyes went blank, staring right through me.
A sharp groan escaped his throat.
He pulled his hands away from me and stumbled back. He grabbed his head with both hands, fingers digging into his dark hair. He gasped for air.
"Zyran?" I gasped, pressing my back against the desk. "What is wrong?"
He didn’t answer, his face turned pale. Sweat formed on his forehead, he squeezed his eyes shut in agony, shaking like a leaf in a storm.
Author POV
A dark memory flashed violently through Zyran’s mind.
He was eighteen years old. The night air was freezing, biting at his young face. He stood in a dark, empty street, breathing heavily.
Right in front of him, a car was burning.
Bright, hot flames consumed the metal doors. The intense heat hit his face. The horrible smell of smoke and melting rubber filled the air. The fire crackled loudly, turning the metal frame to ashes. No one was coming to help. There were no sirens.
He stood there, frozen, staring at the ashes.
Suddenly, a cold hand reached out from the darkness.
The hand patted him gently on the shoulder.
“It is done now,” her soft voice whispered from the shadows behind him.
The memory snapped and ended.
Roosevelt POV
"Ah!" Zyran shouted, his eyes flying open.
He dropped to his knees right in front of me, hitting the wooden floor hard. He panted, his chest rising and falling rapidly, sweat dripped down his face. He stared at the floor, lost and terrified, like a boy waking up from a nightmare.
I stood frozen against the desk, hands covering my mouth.
I was scared of him, but seeing the strongest, most ruthless man drop to the floor in pain shocked me.
"Zyran," I whispered, taking a slow, fearful step toward him. "Are you okay?"
He slowly lifted his head. His eyes were red and wide. He looked at me, but for a moment, it felt like he didn’t recognize me.
Then he blinked. The billionaire mask didn’t return, but the cold, obsessive darkness came back into his eyes.
He forced himself to stand. His legs were shaky, but he stood tall, wiping sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand.
"I am fine," he said roughly,
He didn’t step back. Instead, he took a quick step forward. Before I could even gasp, his hands grabbed my waist. He lifted me easily off the floor and set me down hard on the edge of the heavy desk.
"Zyran, wait—" I choked out, pushing against his chest.
He didn’t listen, he crashed his lips onto mine.
It wasn’t a gentle kiss. It was rough, punishing, and desperate. He kissed me like a starving man, like he was trying to breathe my air. I tasted the copper of my blood from my split lip, mixing with the sharp taste of his mint breath.
His right hand left my waist and moved up to my neck. His warm fingers wrapped firmly around my throat. He didn’t squeeze hard enough to hurt, but the grip was firm. His thumb pressed against my fast pulse, claiming me.
He tilted my head back, exposing my throat, and deepened the kiss. His tongue swept into my mouth, demanding surrender.
My heart raced. I was scared of him, but my body trembled under his heavy touch. The fight drained from me, replaced by confusing heat. He was out of control, desperate to mark me as his.
He finally pulled back just an inch to let us breathe. His chest heaved against mine. His dark eyes burned into mine,
"You are my wife," Zyran growled against my bruised lips, his fingers tightening slightly on my throat. "And I will remind you who you belong to."
- Writer
