CHAPTER 3
1763 Words
SCARLETT
My fingers slipped off the freezing metal rail as I threw my weight toward the void. I was ready for the end, ready for the silence to finally drown out the screaming betrayal in my chest. I braced myself for the bone-shattering impact of the water, but it never came.
Instead, a pair of hands—strong, warm, and impossibly fast—shot out and clamped around my wrists. My eyes flew open, and my breath hitched as I found myself staring up at the man holding me.
His jaw was set in a hard, dangerous line, and his grip was like iron as he hauled me back over the ledge. He moved with a terrifying, predator-like speed, pulling me up until I wasn't dangling over death anymore. He dropped me onto the cold concrete, and I collapsed there, my lungs burning as I struggled to pull in uneven, ragged breaths.
“Are you mad?!” he bellowed.
I flinched at the sheer volume of his voice. Before I could process anything, he reached down, grabbed my hand, and yanked me up until I was pressed flush against his torso. The world spun. He was devastatingly handsome—thick black hair that shimmered under the moonlight and eyes the darkest shade of blue I’d ever seen. His chiseled jawline looked like it was carved from granite.
“What the hell were you thinking?”
To end it all.
“You think jumping off a f*****g bridge solves anything?”
“Y—yes,” I croaked, my voice barely a whisper against the expensive fabric of his coat. “It hurts.” I looked at him, my vision blurring with fresh tears. “It hurts so much. I just want it to stop. I’m a mistake... I just wanted to correct it. I—”
My body finally threw in the towel. My eyes rolled back, and the last thing I saw was the handsome stranger reaching for me before the darkness rushed in to claim me.
I fainted.
★
When I finally opened my eyes, the sunlight filtering through the massive windows was so blinding it forced them shut again. I winced, rubbing my throbbing temples before trying again.
My gaze swept over the room, and my heart did a nervous little skip.
Huge bed. Mini chandelier. Floor-to-ceiling windows. Sleek, black interior that screamed 'old money.'
It clicked instantly: This wasn't my cramped, shabby apartment.
I sprang up, ignoring the way my head pulsed with pain. Where the hell was I? I shut my eyes, trying to piece the night together, and the memories flooded back like a tidal wave.
Leon. Teresa. The bridge. The stranger.
Fuck.
The reality of what I’d tried to do settled in. One heartbreak—granted, a massive, organ-stealing one—had sent me spiraling. Was I really that weak?
The answer was a resounding yes.
I sighed, sinking back into the plush pillows. I had burdened a total stranger with my mess. I couldn't stay here. I stood up, but my legs felt like jelly. Before I could even take a step, I crumbled back onto the bed. My headache spiked, and my chest felt like it was on fire.
The doctor’s voice echoed in my mind from my last checkup: “Dehydration, starvation, and extreme stress will lead you to an early grave, Scarlett.”
I wasn't just suffering from a broken heart; my body was literally giving up. I hadn't eaten in days. I was already halfway to the grave before Leon’s betrayal pushed me the rest of the way.
I crawled back under the covers, shivering. I just needed an hour. One hour of rest to get my strength back, then I’d apologize for the inconvenience and disappear. I shut my eyes, soaking in the rare comfort of the soft sheets, and drifted off again.
★
“She’s still unconscious,” a voice spoke. It was deep, smooth, like expensive velvet.
“The doctor said she’d wake soon, sir. Her body is just too weak for the heavy medication right now.”
The voices pulled me back toward the surface of consciousness. Silence followed, then the sound of receding footsteps. But I could still feel a presence in the room. It was heavy and dominating, taking up every inch of the air. I fluttered my eyes open just a c***k.
A man stood by the window, his back to me. He was wearing a black shirt with the sleeves rolled up, revealing taut, muscular arms.
“Sir—” another voice spoke. This one was masculine but lacked the commanding aura of my savior. The newcomer glanced at me, then at the man by the window. “Bad news.”
“What?” I could sense the instant irritation. “I’m in the middle of something important, Anthony.” He glanced toward the bed, and I instinctively squeezed my eyes shut, pretending to be dead to the world.
“It’s important. We got intel that your rivals are plotting to release fake photos. They’re trying to fuel the rumors that you’re gay to tank your reputation before the merger.”
I listened, my heart racing against my ribs.
“Those bastards,” he scoffed.
“We’re running out of time. If this news breaks, the deal with Greenland is dead.”
“I’m aware.” I heard him sigh. “What about the ladies we screened?”
A beat of suffocating silence followed.
“I couldn’t find any, sir. None of them met your standards, and the rest just... weren't right for the role.”
I peeked through my lashes. My savior was rubbing his temples. “I don’t care about standards anymore. I need a solution.”
“Should I call the agencies back?”
“No, it’s too late for that.”
“Sir, what are we going to do?”
“Draft the initial contract and send it to me.”
I watched from the shadows of my eyelids as Anthony looked confused. “And the girl?”
“I have one in mind.”
“Who?”
The stranger’s gaze drifted directly to the bed. Directly to me. Anthony followed his look and nodded slowly, a realization dawning on his face.
“I’ll get on that, sir.” He bowed and left the room.
The room relapsed into a deafening silence. The air thickened, and his scent hit me—it was a mix of old books and fine leather. A rare, maddening combination.
“Weren't you taught that eavesdropping is rude?” he asked, cracking his neck.
My breath hitched. He couldn’t be talking to me... could he?
“Open your eyes, Scarlett.”
My body obeyed before my brain could even protest. I opened them to find him towering over the bed, those piercing blue eyes pinning me to the mattress.
I swallowed hard.
“Aren't you a naughty girl?”
Fear and something else—something hot and confusing—lurched through my chest.
“How long have you been awake?”
“I—I’m sorry. I didn't mean to listen,” I blurted out, my voice shaky. “Your voices woke me up. I was just... I didn't know what to do.”
He stared at me for a long moment before leaning back. I pushed myself up, resting my weak back against the headboard.
“I’m sorry, and... thank you,” I whispered.
“For?”
“For dragging you into my mess. You stopped me from making a mistake, and then I fainted on you. I’m sorry for being a burden.”
He hummed a low response, and I waited for the usual questions. Any normal person would ask me what happened. They’d try to console me, tell me that life is a gift, or offer me a tissue.
“What do you want?” he asked instead, throwing me completely off my axis.
“Huh?”
“You heard me.” He sank into a leather couch across from the bed, his eyes never leaving mine.
“I don't understand the question.”
“Every human has a motive, Scarlett. A wish. Something they want but can't reach. Sometimes they’re too oblivious to admit it. So, what is yours?”
“I—”
“You do have one. You had one before you decided to jump, but that wish is dead now. So you must want something else. Something new.”
I went quiet. What did I want? I wanted to be fixed. I wanted to be happy. But as the image of Leon slapping me flashed in my mind, the truth bubbled up. I wanted them to feel exactly what I felt. I wanted them to burn.
The realization prickled under my skin. My eyes widened, and the glint in his gaze told me he saw it. He stood up, hands behind his back, and took slow, measured steps toward me.
“They hurt you.” I didn’t reply. I just sat there, fighting back the urge to cry. “They broke you. They pushed you to the edge of that bridge.” He drew closer until he was looming over me. “They took the only thing you had left.”
He leaned down until our faces were inches apart. I let a single tear flow, hating how weak I felt. “They deserve to feel everything you did,” he whispered, his voice vibrating in the small space between us. “They deserve to be crushed, and I can make you strong enough to do it.”
I stilled. He raised a hand, brushing a stray strand of hair from my face. His thumb caressed the sore skin on my cheek, right over the mark where Leon had slapped me. Something dark and twisted flickered in his eyes.
I flinched, but I didn't pull away.
“I can give you the power you need. I can give you the protection you need to destroy them.” His finger grazed my lower lip, sending a jolt through me. “I will give you everything.”
He tilted his head slightly, his gaze dropping to my mouth. “What is your answer? You can walk out of here right now and we forget this ever happened... or you can say yes.”
“In exchange for what?” I wasn't an i***t. I knew men like him didn't do favors for free.
A sly, predatory grin slanted on his lips. “In exchange... you will be mine.”
- Writer
