He steps closer. “You’re going to do it because it’s the smartest move. Because you’re tired of scraping by. Tired of fighting for every scrap. You don’t want to admit it, but you want more.”
“You don’t know me.”
“Oh, but I do, Kitten.” His gaze dips to my mouth for a heartbeat. “I know you, Violet.”
He’s right.
My jaw tightens as fury coils with something dangerously close to hope. I run through the options, searching for an escape that doesn’t exist. Asher doesn’t make idle threats. He doesn’t leave loopholes.
If I want Ella safe, this is it.
I exhale sharply. “Fine.”
His eyes gleam. “Good girl.”
“I will kill you in your sleep.”
He chuckles. “Looking forward to it.”
As he turns to leave, his fingers brush my jaw—light, and deliberate. My breath stutters.
He smirks, knowing exactly what he’s done. “Get some rest, Kitten. You’ll need it.”
The door closes.
I stare at the empty space, pulse still racing.
This is my way out.
And maybe—just maybe—when I finally walk out of this penthouse, I’ll run and never look back.
Because there’s no way in hell Asher Redmont keeps me caged forever.
Chapter 46
Say It Again
Violet
For weeks, I’ve been trapped in his penthouse, watching the city from above. Studying every street, every bridge. Memorizing the fastest routes to disappear. I know exactly where I am. More importantly, I know where I need to go if I can just get outside.
I’ve been planning for this. Running through every possible escape scenario since the moment he told me we were going to the lab. Days of restless energy. Of weighing risks. Of waiting. I didn’t know when it would be my moment, only that when it came, I had to be ready.
And now, finally, I’m leaving.
Not free—but closer to it than I’ve been in weeks.
My heart hammers as the elevator doors glide shut, sealing me inside with Asher. The hum of the descent vibrates through my bones, but it does nothing to quiet the storm raging in my head.
Asher stands beside me, hands in his pockets, looking infuriatingly relaxed. I keep my gaze fixed on the descending numbers above the doors, pretending he doesn’t exist.
“Cheer up, Kitten,” he drawls, voice thick with amusement. “You’d think I was leading you to your execution.”
I press my lips together, gripping my arms to keep from fidgeting. I should look indifferent. Unshaken. But my pulse is thrumming, my body wired with anticipation, and I can’t stop my fingers from twitching against my biceps. This is the first time I’vebeen out in weeks. My mind races through every plan, every possible crack I could slip through before they shove me back into my gilded cage.
His eyes flick to the movement. His smirk widens. “You’re practically vibrating, Vi. Excited to see the lab, or are you already scheming?”
I scoff, forcing boredom into my expression. “Maybe I’m just dreading another day in your delightful company.”
