Bought by the underworld CEO

Chapter 14 ( The Black Car)

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Next morning,

At the forest villa that didn’t exist on any map.

At 4:00 AM, the basement smelled like wet stone and fear.

Leo was tied to a metal chair. Wrists raw from rope. Blindfold tight across his eyes. He’d been unconscious for hours. He didn’t know who took him. He didn’t know why.

The door opened.

Footsteps. Multiple. Heavy boots on concrete.

Ares walked in last.

He didn’t speak. He never spoke here. His men knew the rules. In this room, he was a ghost. A shadow. Just a man in a suit watching.

He sat down in the only other chair. Crossed his legs. Lit an expensive black cigarette. The cherry glowed in the dark.

He nodded once.

Cold water hit Leo’s face.

Leo gasped awake. Choking. Terrified. “W-what—where am I?”

No one answered him.

A man in a mask crouched in front of him. Voice disguised, low. “You made someone angry, kid.”

Leo shook his head frantically. “I didn’t do anything! I swear! Please, my uncle will be worried. He’s sick. He needs me.”

A fist hit his ribs.

Leo screamed. The sound bounced off the stone walls.

Ares didn’t flinch. He exhaled smoke. Watched.

This was the boy who made her laugh. The boy she smiled for. The boy who thought he could touch what belonged to Ares Blackwood.

Now he was crying. Begging. Snot and tears under the blindfold.

“Please,” Leo sobbed. “What have I done wrong? Who are you guys? Why are you doing this to me?”

Another hit. To the stomach. Leo retched, but nothing came up. He hadn’t eaten in hours.

Ares checked his watch. 4:27 AM. Enough.

He stood up.

His boots were silent on the floor. He walked across to Leo. The boy was slumped, unconscious again from pain. Head hanging. Blood on his lip.

Ares studied him.

Not dead. Not broken beyond repair. Just... educated.

He was satisfied.

He motioned to a masked man standing in the corner. The man came close, head bowed.

Ares leaned in, voice barely a whisper. “Clean him up. Get him a new suit. He should look presentable. No bruises on his face. She can’t see that. Yet.”

The masked man nodded. “Yes, sir. I’ll do my best.”

Ares had a devilish grin. Not for Leo. For Zoya. For what would happen when she saw him.

He walked out without looking back.

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At the penthouse, the city was still dark.

Zoya was asleep.

The “Brown Sugar” teddy bear was on the bed beside her, one giant arm thrown over her waist like it was protecting her. She was wearing a pink kurti and white shalwar. Her hair were on her face. Her face was finally peaceful.

The door opened. No sound.

Ares walked in. He was still in his suit from the villa. He smelled like smoke and night air and violence.

He sat down on the edge of her bed. The mattress dipped.

He didn’t touch her. He just looked.

At the way her eyelashes cast shadows on her cheeks. At the small frown she still had, even in sleep. At the teddy bear she’d named. At the throat that had swallowed cotton candy because she was scared for an old man.

She was so small. So breakable.

And she had no idea what he’d done for her. To her.

He leaned down. His lips didn’t touch her ear, but his words did. Soft. Raw. A poison.

“It’s all your fault,” he whispered. “It’s all because of you, Zoya.”

She shifted in her sleep. A small sigh.

Ares’s jaw clenched.

“You’re the one to blame for him, not me.” He stared at her closed eyes. “You smiled at him. You gave him hope. You made me do this.”

He stood up. Looked down at her one last time.

“You’ll thank me later.”

He walked out. Closed the door. The lock clicked.

Zoya slept on, unaware of the boy in the basement. Unaware of the suit being prepared. Unaware that her choices, as he’d said, killed people.

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5:30 AM.

Ares was in his office. He poured whisky. Didn’t drink it. Just swirled the amber liquid, watching the city lights bleed into dawn.

His phone buzzed.

A picture message. From the villa.

Leo.

He was cleaned up. Bruises covered with makeup. Hair cut. Wearing a black suit that cost more than Leo made in a year. He was sitting in a chair, awake now, blindfold off. Eyes wide with terror and confusion. A guard stood behind him.

He looked presentable. Like a guest. Like a gift.

Ares smiled.

He typed one line: _“Bring him at 9. She should be awake by then.”_

He set the phone down.

He thought of Zoya asleep with that stupid bear. Thought of her saying _I’d rather starve_. Thought of her eating that cotton candy because he made someone else pay the price.

Cause and effect.

She was learning.

He took a sip of whisky. It burned.

Because Zoya Khan didn’t know it yet, but she had just messed with the devil.

And the devil liked to play with his food before he devoured it.

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At 8 AM, Zoya woke up.

She got ready on autopilot. Washed her face. Pulled on a cream sweater and jeans.

She came downstairs. Breakfast was already laid out. Pancakes. Fruit. Orange juice. Untouched from yesterday, probably. She ate two bites. Tasted like cardboard.

She went back to her room and shut the door.

Brown Sugar sat on the bed, staring at her with black button eyes.

“Today sucks,” Zoya told it. Her voice echoed in the huge room. “I talked to Leo for five minutes and Ares reserved the whole park. If I talk to you, is he gonna burn the teddy bear factory?”

The bear didn’t answer.

A knock at the door made her jump.

A maid stood there, head bowed. “Miss Zoya. Leo is waiting for you in the garden. He asked if you would do gardening with him.”

Zoya excitedly said . “Leo? He’s here?”

The maid nodded. “By the rose bushes, Miss.”

Zoya didn’t wait. She ran.

Down the stairs. Through the foyer. Past guards who didn’t stop her. Her bare feet hit grass.

And there he was.

Leo. In a black suit that cost more than her college tuition. His hair was cut. His face was clean. He looked like a different person. A stranger.

But his smile was the same. Lopsided. Kind. Eighteen.

“Zoya!”

She crashed into him. Arms around his neck. Burying her face in expensive fabric that smelled like soap and something medicinal.

Leo made a sound. A sharp inhale. His body went rigid.

Zoya pulled back instantly. “What? What’s wrong?”

His hand went to his ribs. He forced a laugh, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “Nothing. Don’t worry, nothing serious. Just... fell down some stairs yesterday. Clumsy, right?”

Zoya’s stomach dropped. _Stairs._ Liar.

“Leo.” Her voice shook. “What happened to you?”

He glanced around. Then he smiled again, too bright. “It’s a crazy story. I got kidnapped yesterday. Some guys grabbed me, beat me up. I was really scared, Zoya. I thought I was gonna die.”

Zoya’s blood went cold.

“But!” Leo held up a hand, like he was telling a funny joke. “In the morning they said they got the wrong person. Total mistake! They apologized to me. A lot.”

He plucked at the suit jacket. “Look, they even bought me an expensive suit as an apology and paid for my medical fees and gave me twenty thousand dollars as compensation. Can you believe it? Twenty grand for a misunderstanding!”

He laughed. Real laughter this time. Relieved. Grateful.

Leo, being just 18. He was just a kid and kind-hearted. He doesn’t know how this world works. He doesn’t know men like Ares don’t make mistakes.

“Now when I think about it,” Leo said, rubbing the back of his neck, “it's really funny. Scariest night of my life, and I walk out richer. Maybe I should get kidnapped more often.”

Zoya wanted to scream. _It wasn’t a mistake. It was him. It was because of me._

Instead, she grabbed his hands. They were cold. Shaking. “Leo, you need to go home. You need to rest. Please.”

He shook his head, stubborn. “I'm a strong man, Zoya. I can still do work. Mr. Blackwood said I could keep my job if I—”

“No.” The word ripped out of her. Louder than she meant. A guard by the fountain turned his head.

Zoya lowered her voice. “No. You’re going home. Right now. You’re going to take that money and you’re going to leave the city. Do you understand me?”

Leo’s smile faltered. Confusion flickered across his face. “Zoya... what’s going on? Are you okay?”

“Promise me,” she said. Her nails dug into his palms. “Promise me you’ll go.”

He looked at her for a long second. Then he sighed. Nodded. “Okay. Okay, I promise. Just don’t look so scared. You’re scaring me.”

He tried to hug her again. She stepped back. If Ares saw...

“I’ll call you,” Leo said. Then his face fell. “Oh. Right. You don’t have your phone.”

_I do,_ Zoya said. Call me on the land-line number I'll pick it. _

“Just go,” she whispered.

Leo booked a taxi after 5 minutes it came.

She watched him walk to a black car waiting at the gate. A car maybe she had seen it before. It was identical to one of Ares’s.

Leo got in. Waved.

Zoya didn’t wave back.

Because when she looked up, Ares was on the third-floor balcony.

Leaning on the railing. Whisky in his hand.

He was watching her.

He raised his glass to her. A silent toast.

_Cause and effect, Zoya._

She could hear his voice even though he wasn’t speaking.

But Zoya knew it wasn't a mistake. It was a warning to Zoya to keep her distance. And she just failed.

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End of chapter 14