Bought by the underworld CEO

Chapter 12 (His bedroom)

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Zoya followed. She had no choice.

The hallway stretched like a sentence. Each step echoed on marble, and the red light of the hallway camera tracked her like a sniper’s dot.

His door was black. No handle. Just a flat fingerprint scanner that glowed blue when he pressed his thumb to it.

The lock clicked.

Ares didn’t wait for her. Didn’t look back. Just said “In.”

His room swallowed her whole.

Everything was black and glass and sharp edges. Floor-to-ceiling windows showed the city bleeding light into the night. The bed was huge. Silk sheets. Four posters. No chains. No cuffs.

That was worse.

Chains meant he expected her to fight. This meant he knew she couldn’t win.

One side of the room was his domain. Dark desk. Stacks of papers signed in red ink. A laptop closed. The top drawer was slightly open. Inside, metal gleamed.

A gun.

Zoya’s eyes locked on it for a second before she forced herself to look away.

Ares saw. Of course he saw. He saw everything.

“You won’t reach it before I reach you,” he said, not turning around. He was already shrugging off his ruined, wet shirt. “Don’t waste your energy.”

“I’m not sleeping with you,” Zoya said. Her voice came out smaller than she wanted.

“Did I ask you to?” Ares turned. His eyes dragged over her slowly. “Take the floor. Or the couch. I don’t care. You just don’t leave my sight.”

He walked to his closet and threw something at her. A pillow. It hit her chest and fell to the floor. Not gentle. Not cruel. Indifferent. Like she was a stray dog he couldn’t decide whether to kick or feed.

Zoya picked up the pillow. She walked to the farthest corner of the room, by the window. The marble floor was freezing through her socks.

She sat down. Back to the wall. Knees to her chest.

Ares watched her for a beat. Then he clicked off the main lights. Only the city and one lamp on his nightstand remained.

Silence.

He got into bed. The sheets whispered. He didn’t say another word.

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Zoya couldn’t sleep.

The marble leeched every degree of warmth from her body. Her sweater was still damp from the shower. Her teeth started to chatter at midnight.

At 2:00 AM, she was shaking so hard her vision blurred.

Ares was in bed. On his side, facing away from her. His breathing was even. Pretending to sleep.

He wasn’t. Zoya was shivering but was also tired and fall asleep on the cold floor.

“Get in the bed, Zoya.” His voice cut the darkness. No anger. Just a statement.

She didn't reply. Ares turned to her in anger but she her asleep.

More silence.

Then the bed shifted. Footsteps.

He gently carried her into his arms. She looked very tiny in his arms. Her relaxed breathing and parted lips made Ares stare at her for a while, then he carried her to the bed.

Laid her down on the bed and covered her by a blanket and then laid beside her saying to himself "I only did this so she won't die from pneumonia. If she die who will I punish. "

They sleep.

At 3AM, it happened.

A cough ripped out of her. Small. Broken. Wet.

Ares’s entire body went still. His hand, resting on top of the covers, fisted the black silk sheets so hard his knuckles went white.

He didn’t turn around.

But his voice, when it came, was barely a whisper. Raw. Scraped.

“Don’t you dare die.”

Zoya's eyes closed . The city lights blurreded outside .

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She woke to gray morning light.

She was on the bed. The blanket was wrapped around her shoulders. She didn’t remember pulling it that close.

Ares was gone.

Zoya got fresh and walked out of the bathroom and saw Ares had brought breakfast to the room .

Ares said have breakfast and get ready we are going somewhere.

Zoya asked where. Replied amusement park. You were saying to Leo you want to go there.

Zoya didn't want to go with him but she thought that amusement parks are very crowded and it's easy for her to escape from there. So Zoya nodded.

She got ready and sat in the car. Car stopped in front of the amusement park and they went in.

But then what Zoya saw turned her blood cold.

End of chapter 12