Kidnapped

MY HOUSE IS ON FIRE

Greg

It had been a week since I married Cara.

For seven long days, I had done everything possible to avoid my little wife.

She probably thought I was ignoring her because I regretted marrying her.

If only she knew.

I wasn't avoiding her because I didn't want her.

I was avoiding her because I wanted her far more than I should.

Every time she looked at me with those furious eyes, every time she argued with me or glared at me as though she wished I would disappear, I found myself wanting to pull her into my arms and convince her that everything I had done was for her.

But it was too soon. She hated me and I couldn't blame her.

---

The moment we arrived at the mansion after our wedding, I walked straight upstairs without looking back.

The heavy bedroom door slammed shut behind me with enough force to shake the walls.

I didn't care.

Let the servants think I was angry.

Let the entire mansion tremble.

The only battle that mattered now was the one waiting on the other end of my phone.

I loosened my tie, took a slow breath and dialled my father's number.

There was no need to call the family landline.

By now, the media would have delivered the news before I ever could.

Billionaire Greg Vicson Marries Mystery Woman.

The headlines practically wrote themselves.

The wedding had been my decision alone.

Neither of my parents had been invited.

The only people present were Cara's family, the priest, my security team and a handful of people close to the Milton's.

Everything had been carefully planned.

Everything...

Except my father's reaction.

The phone rang several times.

Then his familiar voice filled the line.

Cold.

Controlled.

Dangerous.

"Son."

I closed my eyes.

He wasn't greeting me.

He was warning me.

My father, Mr. Vicson, wasn't just one of the richest men in the country.

He was influence wrapped in a tailored suit.

Politicians respected him.

Businessmen feared him.

Enemies disappeared from his path without anyone asking questions.

Growing up under him taught me one lesson—

Never mistake silence for mercy.

I rested against the window and waited.

The silence stretched for several seconds before it finally shattered.

"You dare disobey me?"

His voice thundered through the phone.

"How dare you, Gregory?"

I said nothing.

"You should already know the kind of father you have before making such a foolish mistake."

His breathing became heavier.

"I warned you."

Another pause.

Then...

"You."

The call disconnected.

I lowered the phone slowly.

For several seconds, I simply stood there staring at the blank screen.

Then I released the breath I hadn't realized I was holding.

That had gone better than expected.

He hadn't threatened me.

Not directly.

Which meant something worse was coming.

---

People often assume that because I was born into wealth, life had always been easy.

They were wrong.

Yes, I had everything money could buy.

The best schools.

The finest cars.

Private jets.

Luxury homes.

Anything I wanted appeared before I even asked.

But one thing had never belonged to me.

Choice.

For thirty years, I had done exactly what my father expected.

Every business decision.

Every public appearance.

Every investment.

Every handshake.

I obeyed.

Without question.

Until Cara.

Everyone deserves to spend forever with the person they love.

So why couldn't I?

Why was I the only man expected to sacrifice love for power?

No.

Not this time.

This was one order I refused to obey.

---

Gracie.

Even thinking about her name irritated me.

She was undeniably beautiful.

Elegant.

Educated.

Raised in unimaginable wealth.

Every magazine adored her.

Every politician praised her family.

She possessed everything society considered perfect.

Everything...

Except the ability to make me feel anything.

I never hated her.

I simply felt nothing.

Not attraction.

Not curiosity.

Not love.

She was the daughter of one of my father's closest political allies.

A marriage between us would unite two powerful families.

My father had already planned my political future without asking whether I wanted one.

According to him, marrying Gracie was the first step.

Running for office was the second.

Living the rest of my life according to his script was the third.

The problem?

None of it included the woman I loved.

When I rejected the proposal for the final time, my father gave me an ultimatum.

Marry Gracie by the weekend...

Or he would make sure the wedding happened whether I agreed or not.

That was the day I made my decision.

If he wanted a wedding...

I'd give him one.

Just not the bride he had chosen.

So I married Cara instead.

And in doing so...

I declared war on my own father.

---

Oddly enough...

I didn't regret it.

Not even for a second.

The war had already begun.

My father wouldn't surrender.

Neither would I.

I lay back against the mattress and closed my eyes.

For the first time in years, I felt strangely free.

Exhaustion slowly pulled me toward sleep.

Then—

Crash!

The unmistakable sound of glass shattering echoed through the sitting room.

Another crash followed.

Then another.

A small smile tugged at my lips.

My little tigress was destroying the mansion.

Good.

At least she still had enough fire left to fight me.

"Daddy isn't ready to talk to you yet," I muttered quietly before closing my eyes once more.

Cara

A whole week.

Seven miserable days had passed since Greg forced me into becoming his wife, and in those seven days, he had done something I never expected.

He avoided me.

At first, I was relieved.

Then I became confused.

Finally...

I became angry.

What exactly did he want from me?

He kidnapped me.

Forced me to marry him.

Brought me into this enormous mansion.

Then acted as though I didn't exist.

I had cried.

I had screamed.

I had broken flower vases, picture frames, and anything my hands could reach.

Yet the arrogant man never came to see me.

Not even once.

As the last tears rolled down my cheeks, I wiped them away with the back of my hand.

Enough.

If he wouldn't come to me...

I would go to him.

I walked out of my room and followed the long corridor until I reached the large wooden door at the end.

His room.

Taking a deep breath, I knocked softly.

No response.

I knocked again.

Still nothing.

Was he ignoring me?

My frustration grew.

I slowly turned the handle.

To my surprise...

The door wasn't locked.

It opened.

And there he was.

Standing a few steps away from me in a crisp white shirt with the sleeves rolled to his forearms.

He looked as though he had walked straight out of the cover of a magazine.

For a ridiculous second, I forgot why I had come.

Seriously...

Did this man spend every waking hour working out?

Why did he have to look so annoyingly handsome?

Snap out of it, Cara.

I forced myself back to reality.

"Good morning, Greg."

My voice came out much calmer than I expected.

There was an old saying my father loved to repeat:

You don't provoke a Lion in its own territory.

Right now...

Greg was the Lion.

His sharp eyes settled on me.

He didn't smile.

He didn't frown.

He simply looked at me as though trying to read every thought running through my head.

Without realizing it, I tried to peek past him into the room.

He shifted slightly.

Blocking my view.

Deliberately.

"What can I do for you?" he asked calmly.

His voice was as composed as ever.

Almost too composed.

I swallowed.

"I... I'd like to talk to you."

His expression didn't change.

"May I come in?"

For a brief moment, I expected him to shut the door in my face.

Instead...

The corner of his lips lifted into that irritating smile again.

That smile.

The one that made my heart behave strangely.

The one I desperately wanted to ignore.

Don't fall for it.

That's exactly what he wants.

I forced myself to smile back.

His eyebrows lifted ever so slightly.

Interesting.

He hadn't expected that.

His eyes travelled over me briefly, making sure I looked healthy.

Satisfied, he finally spoke.

"Beautiful..."

The nickname caught me completely off guard.

"I don't think today will be possible."

His tone remained gentle.

"I have to leave for the office."

A pause.

"There are matters waiting for me."

Then, almost as an afterthought, he added,

"Forgive me."

I blinked.

That was it?

No explanation?

No apology?

Nothing?

He waited.

Almost as though he expected me to explode.

To scream.

To threaten him.

Instead...

I smiled politely.

"I understand."

His expression changed for the first time.

Confusion flashed across his face.

Good.

Let him wonder.

Without another word, I turned around and walked away.

I refused to let him see how much he had hurt me.

Not today.

The moment my bedroom door closed behind me, the smile disappeared.

My composure shattered.

"Who does he think he is?" I shouted at the empty room.

"If you wanted nothing to do with me, then why kidnap me?"

"Why force me to marry you?"

"Why bring me here just to ignore me?"

I paced the room endlessly.

Questions circled my mind without answers.

Was I nothing more than another trophy?

Another possession?

Hours passed.

Eventually, the anger dissolved into unbearable sadness.

My legs gave way beneath me.

I curled up beside the bed, hugging my knees tightly against my chest.

The tears returned.

This time...

I didn't even try to stop them.

I cried until breathing became difficult.

Until my vision blurred.

Until my body no longer had the strength to hold itself upright.

Darkness swallowed everything.

---

Maryan

I stood outside Miss Cara's room, listening quietly.

Her crying hadn't stopped for hours.

Each sob felt heavier than the last.

I sighed.

Boss...

What have you done?

He ordered me to stay with her at all times.

To take care of her.

To protect her.

Even if she threw something at my head.

Yet for an entire week...

The only thing I had watched was her slowly falling apart.

Finally...

The crying stopped.

The sudden silence frightened me more than the tears ever had.

I hurried inside.

"Madam?"

No answer.

My eyes searched the room.

Then my heart nearly stopped.

She was lying motionless on the floor.

"Madam!"

I rushed toward her and knelt beside her.

Her skin felt cold.

Her breathing was frighteningly shallow.

No...

No, no, no...

This couldn't be happening.

Tears instantly filled my eyes.

"Please wake up," I cried, shaking her gently.

"Please don't do this to me."

She didn't move.

Panic completely took over.

Without thinking, I ran straight toward Boss's bedroom.

I pounded on the door repeatedly.

I knew he hated being disturbed.

I knew he would probably punish me later.

I didn't care.

Someone's life was at stake.

The door swung open.

Boss stood there with an expression cold enough to freeze anyone where they stood.

Before he could speak, I blurted out,

"Sir... she's dying!"

Then I turned and ran.

I didn't have to look back.

I knew he was following.

---

Greg

The moment Maryan uttered those two words...

Everything inside me stopped.

She's dying.

For a fraction of a second, I couldn't move.

Then instinct took over.

I ran.

Nothing else mattered.

When I entered Cara's room, my heart clenched painfully.

She lay unconscious on the floor.

Completely still.

"Cara."

No response.

I knelt beside her immediately.

Her face was pale.

Too pale.

My chest tightened.

"Call Dr. Jason," I ordered.

"No..."

I corrected myself.

"I'll do it."

Within minutes, my personal physician arrived at the mansion.

As he examined Cara, I could do nothing except pace the room.

Each passing second felt like an hour.

People believed I feared nothing.

They were wrong.

Watching the woman I loved fight for her life terrified me more than any enemy ever had.

I stood perfectly still while the doctor worked.

My expression never changed.

No one in the room could see the storm raging inside me.

Cara...

You stubborn little tigress.

Don't you dare leave me now.

Greg

Cara was adopted by the Milton's when she was barely seven months old. From that day forward, they loved and raised her as though she were their own flesh and blood. Never once did they give her a reason to question whether she truly belonged in their family. To the world, she was their daughter, and to them, she always would be.

I learned the truth about her one afternoon during one of my secret visits to the Miltons. Even now, I still don't know why they chose to trust me with such an important secret. Perhaps they had already seen how deeply I cared for Cara. Or perhaps they believed that, one day, I would become a part of their family.

Whatever the reason, I promised myself that the secret would remain buried with me.

A warm tear escaped before I could stop it.

I quickly wiped it away.

People often say men shouldn't cry.

I disagree.

A man who truly loves has every right to shed tears when the person he loves is slipping away before his eyes.

Cara wasn't just my wife anymore.

She was my responsibility.

My greatest weakness.

And the one person I couldn't afford to lose.

I looked up as Dr. Jason finally walked toward me after examining her.

His face was unreadable, and that alone frightened me.

My heartbeat quickened.

"Doc..." My voice sounded unfamiliar, strained. "What's wrong with her?"

He removed his gloves and sighed quietly.

"I've managed to stabilize her for now," he replied. "But I can't promise how long she'll remain in this condition. I've taken blood samples for a full diagnosis. Once the results are ready, I'll come back immediately."

His words did little to calm me.

"How long?" I asked, my voice almost breaking. "How many minutes before the results are ready?"

"It shouldn't take too long," he answered, already making his way toward the door. "Please excuse me. Every second counts if we want to save your wife."

Without another word, he hurried out.

The room suddenly felt unbearably quiet.

I slowly walked over to Cara's bedside.

She looked so fragile lying there, her face drained of its usual warmth and stubbornness. If I didn't know better, I would have thought she was merely asleep.

But she wasn't.

She was fighting for her life.

I lowered myself into the chair beside her and gently held her cold hand.

"What happened to you?" I whispered.

"Did you cry until your body gave up?"

"Do you hate me so much that you'd rather die than stay with me?"

The questions burned inside me, yet there were no answers.

Only silence.

I tightened my grip around her fingers.

"Please hang on, Cara."

"You can hate me."

"You can scream at me."

"You can call me every name you want."

"But don't leave me."

"I love you... and I'm not ready to lose you."

This time, I made no attempt to stop the tears.

They flowed freely down my face.

Minutes later, the bedroom door burst open.

Dr. Jason returned, carrying medication and a drip.

Without wasting time, he inserted the IV line into Cara's arm before carefully administering liquid medicine into her mouth.

The room remained silent as he monitored her condition.

When he finally stood up, he looked exhausted. Sweat beaded across his forehead, and he slowly shook his head.

My heart sank.

I stepped toward him immediately.

"Doctor... what did the lab find?"

He hesitated before answering.

His expression alone told me I wasn't going to like what came next.

"The results are back," he said quietly.

He looked me straight in the eyes.

"Greg... your wife has been poisoned."

For a moment, the world around me stood still.

Poison?

My fists clenched instinctively.

Dr. Jason continued, "She's a fighter, so don't lose hope yet. But from this moment onward, don't leave her alone—not even for a second. Whoever did this may still be inside this mansion, and if they're bold enough to strike once, they may try again."

With those chilling words, he gathered his medical bag and walked out, leaving me standing beside Cara's bed, surrounded by nothing but silence, fear... and a growing hunger for whoever dared lay a finger on my wife.