Rio stepped back, surveying the evolving dungeon. He didn’t need to finish tonight. Each addition, each hidden feature, was a promise. A secret waiting to be revealed just the way he liked it.
Rio ran his hands along the polished surfaces, imagining Jake’s smug, entitled expression replaced with hesitation and fear. “This will be a lesson he’ll never forget.” He stepped back, satisfied for now. The room wasn’t complete yet, but the vision was clear. This was his stage, his chessboard and soon, Jake would be just another piece in his carefully plotted game.
Rio sat in the corner of the unfinished room, sketching notes on a tablet. Each detail mattered how Jake might react, the timing, and the traps for his ego. He wasn’t building a room just to intimidate physically; it was mental warfare.
He imagined the first moment Jake would step inside. The tension, the uncertainty, the realization that he wasn’t in control. Rio smiled. Every smug glance, every condescending remark gone. Only me, and the rules I set.
Rio envisioned psychological triggers: small disorienting noises, subtle shifts in the environment, challenges that made Jake second-guess himself. Each element was meant to dismantle the man who had caused Kylee so much pain, piece by piece, leaving him exposed and vulnerable.
Stepping back, Rio allowed himself a rare grin. This wasn’t revenge for spectacle; it was calculated, surgical, and utterlysatisfying in its promise. The room whispered possibilities, each more tantalizing than the last. Soon, Jake wouldn’t know whether to fear or respect the man who had outsmarted him at every turn.
He paced the room, mentally walking through every scenario. He wanted it to be calculated, precise, an unmistakable lesson. The room wasn’t just about containment; it was about power, control, and sending a message that Jake could never undo the damage he’d caused.
As he stepped back, the space was still bare in places, but Rio could already see it in his mind’s eye: a fortress of dominance. He allowed himself a small, grim smile, knowing that the final touches would make it a room Jake would never forget.
It was more than a dungeon; it was going to be an experience carefully engineered to turn the tables completely.
Chapter 9
Karma Is A Bitch.
The front gates to Rio’s mansion stood wide open. Jake saw no guards, no patrol, and no cameras swiveling to follow his movements. It felt too easy like the place was inviting him in.
His grip tightened on the crowbar as he slipped through the gates, his breath coming hard and shallow. He’d been watching for days, looking for the moment to strike, and now… it was here.
He crept around the side of the house, found the side door unlocked, and slipped inside. The air smelled faintly of cologne and expensive leather. His eyes darted over the polished marble floors, the gleam of luxury, all of it making his stomach twist.
She’s in here, he thought. She’s mine. She doesn’t belong to him. A shadow moved across the hallway ahead. Jake froze, his pulse hammering.
Then Rio stepped into view. Calm. Silent. Smiling like a man who’d been expecting company.
“You made it,” Rio said casually, hands in his pockets.
Jake’s knuckles whitened around the crowbar. “Where is she?”
Rio tilted his head, almost amused. “You think I’m going to tell you that? You’ve got balls, I’ll give you that. Breaking into my house? Bad move.”
Jake lunged. The crowbar swung and Rio caught his arm mid-swing and twisted hard. Jake roared in pain as the metal clanged against the marble.
The next moments were a blur of fists, grunts, and impact. Rio slammed Jake against the wall, the sound echoing like a gunshot in the empty hallway. A sharp knee to the gut stole Jake’s breath; a punch to the jaw sent him staggering.
When Jake hit the floor, Rio stood over him, chest rising steadily, and voice low and lethal. “You messed up with an amazing girl,” Rio said. “You thought buying her tickets to my show was going to fix you cheating? Look at what it did. It brought her to me. And I’m never letting her go.”
Jake glared up at him, blood trickling from his lip. Rio crouched down, his tone turning almost conversational. “Your kids? They’ll live with me. I’ll show them what a real man is. I’ll give them a life you never could.” He leaned closer, his voice dropping to a whisper. “And every time they smile, every time she laughs… you’ll know it’s because of me.” Jake’s face twisted when Rio said the words “your kids will live with me.”
“My kids are mine,” Jake yelled, scrambling to his feet. His chest heaved with fury. “You don’t get to take them from me. You don’t get to take her!”
He swung wild, his fist cutting through the air and grazing Rio’s jaw. Rio barely flinched. With a low growl, Rio retaliated witha brutal right hook. His fist cracked against Jake’s nose with a sickening pop. Blood spurted instantly, running down Jake’s mouth and dripping onto the polished marble.
Jake staggered, clutching his face, but his rage pushed him forward again. He lunged, tackling Rio to the ground. They rolled, fists pounding, grunts and snarls echoing through the mansion.
Rio shoved him off, flipping their positions, and straddled Jake’s chest. His fist hammered down once, twice, three times, each blow making Jake’s head slam back against the floor. Blood smeared across Rio’s knuckles, hot and wet.
“Look at you,” Rio snarled between punches. “A pathetic little man who can’t keep his wife. Who can’t be a father. Who thinks control equals love.” He hit him again, harder, until Jake’s lip split.
Jake coughed, blood bubbling from his mouth, but his voice was hoarse and venomous. “She’ll never be yours. She’ll see you for what you are a fucking monster.”
Rio froze for just a second, his jaw clenching. Then he leaned closer, so close Jake could feel his breath hot against his ear. “No, Jake,” he whispered, calm and terrifying. “You’re the monster. I’m the reckoning.” And with that, Rio drove his fist into Jake’s gut, folding him like a ragdoll. Jake gagged, spitting blood onto the floor. Rio stood over him, chest heaving, eyes wild and dangerous. “Get up,” he hissed. “Come on, get the fuck up.”
