Of course, it was him.

"Petroff," Khaye breathed out. There was no disbelief in her voice. Somehow, in the midst of everything that occurred from the moment she was taken, she knew he was behind all of it. He was powerful, but she still had to wrap her head around the knowledge that he could do something like this. He was known to trample on people in the industry, but not in this sense. This was a new side of Petroff she was seeing.

He was clucking his tongue as he closed the door behind him and walked to the desk. He rested one thigh over it and clasped his hands together in front of him. His blue eyes bored on her with amusement. "You should have just kept your mouth shut, Khaye, darling," he told her in his thick Russian voice. "You shouldn't have called your brother. You should have just zipped that luscious mouth of yours."

"I can still do that," Khaye desperately said, making a move to stand up.

Petroff held out one hand to stop her and she slumped back into the couch. "Too late, Khaye." He pushed away from the desk and went to her. "Do you know that there are officers wanting to talk to me? Of course, you know. You told them." His eyes were suddenly ablaze with anger as he grabbed her face in one hand. "But what exactly did you tell them, Khaye?"

She tried to shake her head, her eyes looking back at him widely. "Nothing much. Just that you were with Jamaica before she died. I didn't say anything more," she lied.

"Do you know how much trouble you've caused me?" he asked her, his voice and face turning creepily calm in an instant. "But I don't think killing you will be the best option now." He let go of her face. Khaye let out a shaky breath, relieved. "I will spare your life just this once because I can," he added, looking at her with cold eyes. "I will let you live because I have it in my power."

The hairs on her arms stood up. "Why?" she dared ask.

One corner of his mouth tugged into a small smile. "I need you to lie to them."

She did not ask the question but he understood her confusion. "The police. Your brother and the rest of his gang. Tell them what I want you to tell them. One wrong move, Khaye, and you know I'll get you again. I did it without sweat today, didn't I? I can very well do it again. And I should tell you that the next time you get drugged, you will not wake up." He walked away from her to sit back on the desk. "But if you do exactly as what I say, you will have your life back. You will have your career back. You will live Jamaica's life, even Desiree's. You know I can do that, don't you, darling?"

Khaye didn't have to consider her options. There was no option. She was desperate to be free. She had been through enough trouble to end up dead and she was willing to do whatever to stay alive. Her voice shook as she spoke. "What do I tell them?"

"Good question," Petroff said with a smile.

*****

"Are you scared?" His low voice vibrated around the room. "You should be," Richard added as he took one more step toward her.

Desiree backed as far away as she could.

"Don't try to scream," he warned, his legs closing the distance between them. "My brother had this room sound-proofed for his stupid meditations. Not a soul from outside will hear your cries."

A whimper escaped her throat but she squared her shoulders. Fine. If he wanted to kill her, he'd have to do it with a lot of struggle.

Richard's eyebrows rose when he saw her posture. "Ready for a fight?" he asked.

"Just so you know, I did not kill her. I would not dare kill her."

"You were the only one who last saw her," he said.

"Saw her dead, yes. But I didn't kill her!" Her shout was followed by a big blow across her cheek and her head snapped to the side. She staggered and fell against the wall behind her.

"You don't know how much I want to wring your neck right now," Richard's voice said above her. His hand went to her neck. She tried to stop him but he had pinned her against the wall with his body and his other hand caught her hands to keep them still. "I'm going to kill you very slowly," he rasped above her.

Desiree fought for air but failed. Her mouth opened as Richard tightened his grip on her throat. She tried to kick him but failed.

"You took her away from me, you know," Richard hissed.

Desiree felt her vision start to get dimmer. She was losing consciousness. If he was capable of doing this out of spite, he could have very well killed Jamaica as well. But why was he trying to pin it on her? Why would he think she did it?

"You can't beg now because you—"

"Step away from her, Richard," a voice said from the door. "Richard, I am not going to say it twice."

She felt him hesitate but he eventually followed his father's order.

"What the hell do you think you're doing to that girl?" the man asked incredulously.

Richard cleared his throat as he stepped away from Desiree who was gasping for air. "She did something I didn't like, that's all."

"She's your brother's business, not yours. Let's go. We're leaving."

Desiree looked up and saw the old man leave the room.

"We're not done yet," Richard whispered above her before walking out. Theo was standing outside and Richard stopped to speak to him. "You might have saved her from me when you bought her, but you know I'll get my hands on her sooner or later."

Theo just nodded. "I'll try to keep that in mind."

"For now, enjoy your new toy. You won't have her for long."

The room had gone completely silent. Desiree was sobbed her anger and fears, covering her face with her hands.

"It's your fault, you know," Theo uttered above her after a few minutes. She didn't realize he was still there. "You should have locked the door."

*****

"It's on!" Gian cried out. "She just turned on her GPS."

"I'll go. You stay here."

"But—"

"I can't have you with me right now, Gian. You're too emotionally involved in this one to properly think," Marco told him as he walked away. "I need you to stay here and track her location. I'll keep in touch."

Two minutes later, he was speeding down the road alone. Two backups were following close behind, ready for whatever was ahead of them.

"She's about ten minutes away from here," Gian was saying over the phone.

"Do you have the exact location?"

"Still locating. Just fucking drive faster."

"I'm doing my best," he said, stepping on the gas.

"Got it! Sending the address now."

He looked at his phone and recognized the street. "On my way," he uttered, increasing his speed. He turned on his car's siren and expertly maneuvered through the traffic.

His mind raced through a lot of possible scenarios. He was not hopeful to find Khaye alive either. In his line of work, he had learned how to think of the worst rather than be hopeful.

But he was proven wrong. His car screeched when he turned to one corner of the street to where the GPS pointed she was.

He almost missed her standing there and had driven past her when he realized what he just missed. He screeched to a stop in disbelief and looked over his shoulder.

It was her. She was just standing there, her eyes wide with fear and she was alive. He looked around, expecting an ambush of some kind. But there was no sign that someone was there.

Marco frowned.

How the fuck did she get away?

*****

"You met my father," Theo said after a while. His voice was flat and emotionless that it sent shivers throughout her body. They were still inside his meditation room. She was down on the floor, hugging her legs and burying her face in them. She ignored him as she came to terms with what had just happened to her. Richard nearly killed her again. She couldn't help but think it was the last time she'd be able to get away from it. She wasn't that lucky to be able to the next time, she was almost certain. "He's the big boss, you know."

"I didn't ask," she murmured.

Theo was standing beside her, leaning against the wall. "I figured you should know. You'll be exposed to a lot of them, anyway."

She wanted to ask a lot of questions. What was he planning to do to her? What did he mean by being exposed?

"Now that I own you, I thought I should make a good use of you. I didn't pay eighty million to just keep you locked up in this house."

"What are you planning to do?"

He did not give her an answer. Instead, he sighed and said, "My father goes by a lot of names, but in our world, people call him Mr. Hong. He's half-Chinese, I guess. Doesn't look like one though. He controls everything and everyone in the organization. He keeps us in our place."

"That wasn't my question."

"You'll get an answer to your question as we get along," Theo uttered. She heard him push away from the wall and walk to the door. "Come out anytime you feel like it. Your dinner's still in the kitchen. And remember what I told you about running away again. Don't attempt another escape, Desiree. I own you now."

With that, she heard the door quietly close.

She was alone again and she cried harder.

*****

Theo heard the door open and close. He closed the book on his lap and placed it on the coffee table. He waited until she emerged from the hallway.

"Good. You're done crying over your fate. Finish your dinner," he ordered.

"I'm not eating."

He looked her up and down. He was expecting her to cower after what Richard did to her. But like that night in the hotel, she was poised proudly. A large bruise was starting to show on the left side of her face.

With a sigh, he stood up and walked to the kitchen. He grabbed a towel, soaked it in running water and threw it in the microwave. After a few seconds, he took it out and carried it back to the living room. She hadn't moved from her spot. Her head was held high and she was just staring blankly in the air.

"Put it over your face," he ordered, handing the warm towel to her.

She did not make a move to take it.

His patience reached its peak. He grabbed her hand none too gently and forced the towel on her. "Put it on your fucking face," he said again.

Her jaw clenched, telling him she didn't like what he just did, but did what he said. He saw her wince when the cloth touched her swollen face.

"Sit," he added, pointing at the couch.

She followed without a word. He returned to his seat and watched her.

"What next? Are you going to order me to jump off the cliff?" she asked sarcastically.

"Don't overdo it, Desiree. I have my limits."

A short laugh escaped her throat.

"Now that you have figured out where you are, I assume you will not make another attempt to escape. No one can reach or leave this place on foot. You'll die of exhaustion even before you see another soul."

"What do you really expect me to do? Follow you around and do everything you tell me to?"

Theo's lips tugged into a smile. "Yes, exactly that."

"You can't trust me to go out of this house with you without an attempt of escape."

He let his eyes roam over her. She was wearing the same dress from the auction and it hardly left enough for his imagination. He almost cursed himself for even thinking about sex with her. He swallowed and composed himself and looked at her light brown eyes again. "You will stay by my side, trust me." Her eyes did not leave his. "Because the people you will be exposed to are even worse," he answered her unspoken question.

He meant every word he said.

*****

"I can't trust anyone anymore," was all she said after he took her back.

She wouldn't say anything more.

It was frustrating Marco, but he thought of making it his job to prolong his patience. Gian was not making any effort to convince his sister to talk or say something. He told his partner he was giving Khaye a few hours and if she stayed mum, he'd have to do something about it.

That night, they took her to a hotel near the station and had officers guard her door. Marco was informed that she didn't sleep at all. She stayed inside the room, pacing on the floor and watching the news.

"She won't tell me what happened," Gian told him the following morning.

Marco dropped the files he was reading and went to his feet. He walked out of the room, grabbing his jacket along the way.

"Where are you going?"

"The hotel," he said, his voice flat and determined.

"Why?"

"I'm going to shake some sense out of your sister. If you can't do it, I will."

"Marco, you can't—"

"This case is getting fucked up already so you better not follow me, Gian!" he shouted over his shoulder. His patience had finally reached its limit.

*****

"You think I'll hurt you, do you?" His voice was cold, so were his eyes. Desiree was used to them by now. But from time to time, she couldn't believe he was the same stranger she shared one night of passion with. His eyes were not the same ones she remembered from that night in the hotel. Not the same voice that whispered passionate words in her ears when they were rocking on the bed, intimately joined together.

Desiree shook that picture out of her head. Sleep deprivation was wrecking her mind. He is not that same guy, she said to herself. Last night was the proof of that.

Though she didn't get an ounce of sleep, never did he once check on her. He had let her sleep in that box, saying he didn't have a room for her, much more a bed. He had dragged it to his room. And though he didn't replace the lid above her, he cuffed her hand to an iron rod at the foot of his bed, maybe to keep her from strangling him in his sleep. That actually crossed her mind a couple of times throughout the night. He was sound asleep the moment he hit his pillows and Desiree almost cried at the thought that he was just a few meters away from her and she couldn't kill him.

And now, the morning after, he was looking fresh and relaxed. She, on the other hand, had a bruise on her cheek from last night. Her eyes were heavy from lack of sleep. She could very well drop dead and she wouldn't regret it.

He gave her breakfast and she ate it because her body was craving for food. It was only later that she regretted having done so. Her body was starting to betray her and she didn't know for how long she could hold her control over it.

After breakfast, Theo took her to his office, the one beside his bedroom. She had a feeling that they were about to discuss his plans for her.

"You think I'll hurt you, do you?" he asked again when she did not answer. "I bet you are just waiting for me to do that." Desiree forced herself to look at him again. There was no question he was capable of hurting her like his brother. Maybe she thought he was just like any ordinary man when she met him at that bar. But she was so wrong.

The one before her was a completely different man. Which was the real one, she didn't know, but she wanted to believe the worse. She'd forget about the man in the hotel. This was the real face of that stranger.

"You should count yourself lucky you're not in my brother's place right now." Theo walked to the liquor cabinet at one corner of the room and poured himself a drink. "Would you like a drink?"

"That's kind of you to ask, but no, thank you. I'd like a pass out your door now, please. I think I need some sleep after all."

He chuckled as he turned to face her again. His dark eyes bored on her and this time there was something there, something that excited her. She shook the feeling and reminded herself that she was facing a man who was planning to use her to get something he wanted for himself. She swallowed and returned his unwavering gaze.

He blinked and took a sip from his glass. "Don't look at me like that, Desiree. You might regret it."

"Look at you like what?" she retorted.

His brows raised and fell back down, an uncontrollable habit she had noticed from him once or twice. "Like you want to fuck," he replied, his voice thick with lust. She knew that look. She had seen that before and she wanted it gone. She didn't want to see that face and be reminded of that night she had let her guard down. If she had not done it, Jamaica might still be alive and she wouldn't be here.

"If I let you fuck me, would you let me go?" she asked in a shaky voice. Her mind was getting cloudy again. She should have slept last night, she thought.

She took a weak step back when he moved forward. "If the time comes that you let me fuck you," Theo murmured as he came near, his voice somewhat laced with bitterness, "it's going to be because you begged for it." Desiree willed herself to stay motionless and had to stand her ground as he closed the distance between them until his face was just inches away from hers. Her heart was hammering against her chest but she did not back off another step. "And trust me, Desiree, you're going to beg."

Desiree swallowed as she mustered the strength to speak. "When that time comes, you'll have to kill me."

His eyes lowered down to her lips and he inched his head lower until his nose was lightly touching hers and his breath gently washed her lips. "I wouldn't be so sure of that," he whispered, his lips brushing against hers. He lifted his eyes until they were looking straight at her brown globes. "Because right now, you are not even certain if you wish me to step back."

Desiree clenched her jaw and strongly said, "You are so full of yourself."

Theo was silent for a good few seconds before he sighed and finally stepped back. Desiree slowly breathed a sigh of relief and shook off the feeling of loss when he stepped back further. "You will dress up for tonight and you will behave as expected unless you want to experience what happened last night again."

"I'm too tired. I need some—"

"It's not my fault you did not sleep last night," he snapped at her, his eyes angry. She wondered what caused the sudden shift of emotion. One moment he was calm, seductive the next and now he was angry. He's sick in his mind, her mind told her. "But I like you tired," he told her after a while. "That way, you won't attempt to escape."

"Where are we going?"

"You need a new wardrobe," he said, turning away from her. "You'll need a lot of that from now on."

"Why?"

"Because you have to appeal to someone."

Her face contorted with confusion.

His face was back to its emotionless state as he said, "I can't set you up as a bribe looking like a wreck."

:{}},"s$xD