But now, lit by the moon and backlit by the ocean mist, his expression twisted into something grotesque. His eyes glimmered, his face split into a grin that made my stomach curl.


    “Well, well,” Jimson said, slowly stepping closer. “You’re prettier up close.”


    I froze as he crouched beside me, lifting a hand to stroke my


    cheek. His fingers were cold and greasy. I turned my head away, gagging under the tape. Heughed and sniffed the tips of his


    fingers, like a man savoring a meal.


    “I don’t think you are hoping that someone’s gonna save you,


    are you?” he whispered. “Nobody knows where you are.“”


    I could hear my pulse pounding in my ears. Yve stirred inside


    me, frantic. I told her silently–break the chair, do something,


    anything.


    But she was weak. My body was already aching from being


    bound for hours, maybe more. I didn’t know how long I’d been


    here.


    Then the chair creaked under me. I shifted just enough to make


    one leg wobble. Jimson turned his back briefly,ughing at his


    own joke. I leaned my weight hard against the weak leg.


    Crack.


    The old wooden leg snapped, and I fell hard onto the ground,


    coughing from the dust that rose around me. My arm burned


    from the angle, but I didn’t care.


    Jimson turned, excited. He dropped to his knees beside me and


    grabbed my ankle. “Trying to run? No, no, sweet girl,‘ he said,


    voice low and shaking. “You’re not going anywhere. You’re


    mine now. I’ll keep you right here, nice and quiet. My timepass.”


    He reached down and stroked my thigh with a slow, disgusting


    pass of his hand. My skin crawled. I tried to move, but the rope


    around my ankles held firm.


    My mind screamed. But my face stayed nk. If I screamed,


    he’d enjoy it. If I struggled, he’d tighten the ropes.


    So I did something else. I nodded. Slowly. Willingly.


    His eyes lit up. “Oh? You want to behave now?”


    I nodded again, pretending to be afraid—no, pretending to give <ol><li>in. I gestured toward the stairs behind him, then looked down at </li></ol>


    the dusty floor and made a face like I was disgusted. He looked


    down too<i>. </i>


    “You don’t want it here?” he said, mocking. “Too dirty for you?”


    I forced another nod.


    His face twisted into something almost pleased. “Fine. Upstairs,


    then. But don’t try anything funny”


    He loosened the ropes around my wrists and ankles but kept the long end wrapped around my neck like a leash. “One wrong move,” he warned, “and I’ll throw you into the sea. Nobody will


    ever find you.”


    But I wasn’t thinking about the ocean. I was thinking about the phone in his back pocket. It had rung twice now–short buzzes. I recognized the distinct hum of Gai’s encryption ringtone.


    They were calling him. Not because he was my captor. But maybe because they’d figured it out.They must have checked the factory records. They must have realized who hadn’t been


    ounted for during my disappearance.


    Upstairs, the air felt heavier, the walls narrower. Jimson’s phone kept buzzing in his back pocket. He cursed under his


    breath and fumbled with it, using the dim glow of his screen to


    look for a light switch on the wall.


    That’s when I saw it.


    A broken window. Its jagged edge gaped open just ahead,


    framed by the dusty hallway. Beyond it–nothing but the ocean,


    ck and endless.


    My pulse surged. That was it. My only chance.


    ?


    I whispered to Yve in my head, checking in.


    “Are you with me?”


    Yve’s answer was sharp.“Better to fight than let scum like him


    win.”


    I nodded to myself, swallowed my fear, and let my knees go


    ck. I staggered forward slightly, pretending I could barely


    stand, like the struggle downstairs had drained every ounce of


    strength from me.


    Jimson, buying the act, grunted and turned his back to open the


    bedroom door. “Move faster,” he muttered. “Or I’ll—”


    That’s all he got out.


    I ripped the rope from around my neck, the burn on my skin forgotten. My legsunched forward with everything I had left.


    His head turned–just in time to see me throw myself toward


    the shattered ss.


    “Olivia!”


    But I was already gone.


    The wind roared in my ears as I crashed through the broken


    window. My skin stung as ss sliced my arms and shoulder.


    Then gravity took over.


    Chapter ap


    I shut my eyes. The salty air was gone–reced by the cold,


    violent embrace of the sea.


    Alexander’s POV


    The moment I stepped into the factory’s main conference room,


    the chaos simmered down like oil hitting cold steel. Dozens of


    voices fell silent. All eyes turned to me–some relieved, some


    terrified.