11
922 Words
Three days.
Three f*****g days.
It wasn’t long, but for Dominic, it felt like an eternity.
He had gone to Italy to handle business, to remind people who they were working for, and to put some distance between himself and Olivia. She did something to him, made him feel things he had no business feeling. He wasn’t built for this kind of attachment.
But now, back in his house, the first thing he noticed was the silence.
“Where is she?” he asked coldly, his gaze fixed on Leo.
Leo frowned. “I thought you knew.”
Dominic felt irritation burn in his chest. “Explain.”
“I last saw her last night. She seemed quiet, but that’s normal for her. Then, suddenly, she was just… gone.”
Something dark and cold crept up Dominic’s spine. Olivia would never have left without a reason. And if she did…
His jaw tightened as he walked straight to her room.
The sheets on the bed were messy, as if she had been lying there, thinking, for a long time before leaving. The closet wasn’t empty, but some of her things were missing—just the essentials.
And on the nightstand, there was a note.
Dominic didn’t know why his fingers trembled when he picked it up.
“I had to leave. Don’t look for me.”
Two simple sentences, yet they filled him with a frustration he couldn’t explain.
He tore the note apart.
She was lying.
She had to be lying.
He had seen her fear, the way she flinched every time someone raised their voice. If she had left, it wasn’t because she wanted to.
Dominic took a deep breath, rolling his neck to ease the tension.
“Find out where she is,” he said lowly, dangerously.
Leo nodded. “I’m already on it.”
Dominic clenched his fists so tightly his knuckles turned white.
There was one thing he knew for certain.
Olivia hadn’t left him.
Someone had taken her from him.
And if it was the man he suspected…
Then all hell was about to break loose.
————————————
The air in Marcus Smith’s house was suffocating. Olivia sat on the stiff leather couch, her hands clenched into fists in her lap as her father poured himself a glass of whiskey. He took his time, swirling the amber liquid, as if savoring the moment.
He enjoyed this—having her back under his control.
“You made the right choice coming back,” he said, taking a slow sip. His tone was casual, almost fatherly, but Olivia knew better.
She didn’t respond. She just stared at the floor, her stomach twisting with dread.
“You’re lucky, you know.” Marcus leaned against the desk, watching her with a calculating smirk. “If you had stayed with that man any longer, you’d be in serious trouble. Dominic Orvez is dangerous, Olivia. Do you even know the kind of man he is?”
Her heart clenched at his words.
Yes. She knew exactly what kind of man Dominic was.
A dangerous one. A ruthless one. A man who built his empire on blood and fear.
But he was also the only person who had ever tried to protect her.
Marcus sighed when she didn’t react. “You’re quiet, as always.” He tilted his head. “Or is that guilt I see on your face?”
She bit the inside of her cheek to stop herself from reacting. He was trying to get inside her head, to make her doubt herself.
Marcus stepped closer, setting his glass down on the table beside her. “Here’s how this is going to work,” he said, voice dropping to a low, commanding tone. “You’re staying here. No more running off, no more defying me. You’ll follow my rules, and in return, I’ll make sure Orvez stays out of prison.”
Olivia’s breath hitched.
That was his plan.
Her father had never needed her back. He had used her as bait, knowing Dominic would eventually come looking for her. And when he did, Marcus would be ready.
“You see,” Marcus continued, as if explaining something simple, “Orvez has made enemies in all the wrong places. Powerful people. People who would love to see him gone. And I? I have all the evidence I need to make sure he rots in a cell for the rest of his life.”
Olivia’s nails dug into her palms.
He was lying.
He had to be lying.
But what if he wasn’t?
What if she had just sealed Dominic’s fate by coming back?
Her silence must have pleased Marcus because he let out a satisfied hum. “Good girl,” he said, standing up straight. “I knew you’d come to your senses eventually.”
Then he walked away, leaving her alone with the weight of her decision.
Her pulse pounded in her ears as she fought against the panic rising in her chest.
Think, Olivia. Think.
There had to be a way out of this.
She needed to warn Dominic.
But how?
Her phone had been confiscated the moment she stepped through the door. There were guards stationed outside the house, and her father would be watching her every move.
She was trapped.
But Dominic…
He was coming for her.
She knew it.
She could feel it.
The only question was—would he get here before it was too late?
- Writer
