“Don’t make this harder than it needs to be.”
“Go to hell.”
“Later.” He shrugs. “Right now I’m keeping you alive.”
“I don’t need your protection!”
A soft hum. Amused. “You really do.”
“Fuck you.”
His lips twitch as he slides in beside me. “You keep offering, Kitten. One day I might accept.”
I glare at the tinted windows as the car pulls away, nails biting into the leather. “Where are you taking me?”
Silence.
Every time I lean forward, his hand lands on my knee—firm.Final.
I don’t break first.
The car eventually slows into an underground garage. The second the locks click, I lunge again.
Too slow.
He catches my wrist, pulls me back, opens the door himself. “Out.”
“I don’t think so.”
“Violet.” Quiet. Commanding. Non-negotiable.
I grit my teeth and step out.
He keeps hold of my wrist as he drags me toward the elevator. The doors slide shut, and I whirl on him.
“This is kidnapping!”
His smirk returns. “And?”
“And?” I sputter. “That’s it? You just… take people now?”
The elevator dings, and the doors slide open to reveal a massive penthouse, all glass and sleek edges. Floor-to-ceiling windows stretch across the living room, offering an unobstructed panorama of the cityscape. The room itself is a study in modern elegance, with sleek lines and minimalist decor that draw the eye outward to the breathtaking view. The ceiling soars above, adding to the sense of openness and grandeur. For a moment, the sheer beauty of it all makes me forget the circumstances that brought me here.
“H—holy shit,” I whisper before I can stop myself.
I immediately step back, regaining ground.
“You’re trapped,” he says casually, punching a code into the keypad behind us. “No exits. No friends.”
My stomach churns.Why me?Since when do CEOs personally trail people through the city and kidnap them? Don't they have assistants for this kind of thing? A team of goons? But no—of course Asher Redmont, billionaire businessman, has decided that personally abducting me is the best use of his time. Maybe he just got bored of hostile takeovers and thought,You know what would be fun? A little light kidnapping.
“What the fuck do you want from me?” I try to look around the room, searching for any sign of an exit, but his deep voice has me turning back toward him.
He turns to face me fully, his gaze sharp. “You’re staying here.”
I let out a sharp, humorless laugh. “Like hell I am.”
His jaw flexes. "You want your life back, Violet? You want to stop looking over your shoulder, wondering when they're going to drag you off in cuffs? You stay here. And in return, I clear your name. I find the girl pretending to be you, and I make sure everyone knows who the real culprit is."
