Ariel sat quietly on the bed, legs pulled tightly to her chest, eyes fixed on the door like it held answers. Two hours had passed. Still no sign of Alex.
It wasn't his safety she feared,no, she wasn't naïve enough to think a man like him was soft. But anxiety coiled in her gut like smoke before fire.
What if he went after Simon?
What if this ended badly?
She still didn't believe Alex was as powerful as he claimed. Mysterious? Yes. Rich? Possibly. But dangerous enough to challenge Simon and walk away untouched?
No. That was Simon's world. Simon was ice-cold power, the kind that didn't flinch before pulling a trigger. If Alex made the wrong move, he'd be crushed. And that thought terrified her more than anything.
She bit her lip, squeezing her knees tighter.
"Please don't be reckless," she whispered into the silence. "Don't get on Simon's bad side..."
But the door remained closed.
---
Meanwhile...
Fiona was unraveling.
After the scene in Simon's office, she stormed home, rage boiling just beneath her skin. Her manicured hands trembled as she poured herself a drink she wouldn't taste.
"That bitch," she spat, pacing the room like a predator. "She thinks she's won? She dares to touch what's mine?"
She stared at her phone, chewing on the edge of her lip.
"I won't call. Let him call me. He will."
Minutes passed.
Then hours.
No call. No message. Not even a cold, dismissive reply.
Her chest tightened. Was he ghosting her?
"No," she muttered, her voice shaking. "Simon wouldn't dare-"
---
Simon's Villa...
Fiona's car screeched to a stop outside the villa. She stomped through the entrance like a storm, heels clacking with fury. Her blood boiled.
Simon ignoring her? Not showing up? That wasn't just disrespect-it was betrayal.
She barged into his bedroom, ready to scream, but the bed was untouched. Cold. Empty.
"What the hell?" she muttered, a sick feeling churning in her stomach.
Downstairs, a maid dusted the furniture, calm and indifferent.
"Hey, you lowlife," Fiona barked. "Have you seen Simon?"
The maid raised a brow, unimpressed. "No, Miss Fiona."
Fiona's jaw clenched. "It's Mrs. Fiona," she snapped, voice proud, like a badge she didn't earn.
The maid's smirk deepened. "Sir said we're not to call you that. Just Miss Fiona."
A flash of heat surged through Fiona's face. That bastard. He actually told them that?
As she turned away, humiliated, the maid let out a quiet, mocking laugh that burned into Fiona's ears like acid.
---
She slammed the car door behind her, rage bubbling over as she screamed inside the vehicle.
"It's all Ariel's fault!" she shrieked. "Stupid, insignificant, worthless bitch!"
Tears of frustration blurred her vision as she pounded the steering wheel with her fists. "You think you've won? You think he wants you now?"
Her hand flew to her phone, rage guiding her fingers as she dialed.
---
Ariel's phone rang.
She blinked at the screen.
"What the hell...?" she whispered. "Fiona?"
Answering was a mistake.
"Oh, so you're alive," Fiona's voice hissed through the speaker. "Enjoying your little game, huh? Think you've taken him from me? You think you're something now?"
Ariel froze.
"Don't get comfortable," Fiona continued, venom dripping with every word. "Simon was mine long before you slithered into his life. And he'll be mine again, no matter what it takes."
The line went dead.
Ariel stared at the screen, heart pounding.
"What a psycho," she muttered, breathless, before blocking Fiona's number without a second thought.
But even then... the pit in her stomach remained.
Her gaze returned to the door. Still closed. Still no sign of Alex.
---
Three hours later...
Sleep teased her eyes, but rest wouldn't come. She sat up, restless, haunted by silence.
Then she did the one thing she swore she wouldn't.
She dialed Simon's number.
---
At the warehouse...
Alex rolled up his sleeves, fresh from changing into a black shirt that hugged his body like second skin. He was ready. Ready to face Simon. Ready to take back control.
He was just steps from the chamber where Simon was held when a voice broke the moment.
"Boss... Simon's phone. It's ringing. It's... Miss Ariel."
Alex stopped cold.
The name on the screen glowed like a betrayal.
His chest constricted.
"She's calling him?" he said, low and stunned, like the words hurt to say out loud.
She hadn't called him. No texts. No worry for him.
But she called Simon?
That familiar burn, jealousy, rushed through his veins like gasoline set ablaze.
"She's... worried about him?"
He laughed, a bitter, hollow sound. His eyes darkened, swirling with something possessive. Dangerous.
"She's mine," he muttered, voice like a growl. "She just doesn't realize it yet."
The man holding the phone froze, unsure what to do.
Alex took the phone, stared at it a beat too long, then pressed 'End.'
The ringing stopped.
His face shifted. No longer cold, now ruthless. A dark smile curved his lips.
"I was going to handle this clean..."
He turned slowly toward the corridor where Simon waited in chains.
"...but now?"
A cruel fire lit in his eyes.
"He's going to regret ever laying a hand on her."
He walked forward, not as a man seeking justice, but as a devil in love.
And the devil never plays fair.
---