Lila Hart's body trembled beneath Alexander Knight's weight, silk sheets cool against her skin as his breath scorched her neck.
His words—"I'll remind you who owns you"—echoed in her head, every syllable dripping with control and desire.
Two years ago, she had pulled him from a burning wreck in a rain-soaked alley, saving his life. That single act had forged a bond twisted into obsession. Now, that obsession had become her prison.
Outside the bedroom, Ethan Caldwell's shouts clashed with the guards' voices, distant but urgent. The chaos beyond the door faded as Alexander's blue eyes locked on hers—ice and fire tangled together.
The contract between them, inked in desperation to save her family, felt like a chain coiling tighter around her throat.
"You think you can run to him?" Alexander growled, his hands pinning her wrists above her head. His thigh pressed between hers, stealing her breath, sending a pulse of shameful heat through her body. His scent—sandalwood and smoke—wrapped around her like a spell. "You're mine, Lila. No one else gets to touch you."
Her chest heaved, anger and fear colliding. "I'm not yours," she spat, her voice shaking as she twisted against him. "Ethan's right—your contract won't hold up. He'll free me."
But even as she said it, doubt crept in. The lipstick stain on his shirt. Veronica's cruel whisper—"You'll never replace me." It all echoed in her mind, feeding the ache of uncertainty.
Alexander's laughter was low and dangerous. He let go of her wrists only to cup her face, forcing her gaze to meet his. "Free you?" His tone was soft, mocking. His thumb brushed her lower lip, and her body betrayed her with a shiver.
"You haven't read the contract closely enough, little flame," he murmured, leaning close enough for his breath to warm her ear. "Defy me again, and I'll extend it—two years, five, forever. I own you, and I'll keep you as long as I want."
The blood drained from her face. She remembered the hidden clauses she'd tried to ignore—his authority over her movements, her choices, her future. Her family's survival was the price, and now that price felt endless.
"You can't do that," she whispered, though her voice trembled. Her body betrayed her again as his hand traced her side, fingers brushing the curve of her hip. Heat spread where he touched her, unwanted and consuming.
"Can't I?" he murmured. His smirk deepened as his fingers slid under her blouse, caressing her bare skin. "You signed everything to me, Lila. Every moment. Every breath."
His hand cupped her breast through the thin fabric, thumb circling her nipple until a broken gasp escaped her lips. Shame burned through her, but her thighs pressed together, her body craving what her heart despised.
"Stop," she pleaded, but her hands gripped his shoulders instead of pushing him away. His lips found her throat, teeth grazing her skin before sucking hard enough to leave a mark. Her breath hitched, a tremor rippling through her.
"You're a monster," she whispered.
Alexander's lips curved against her skin. "Am I?" His voice was rough, thick with hunger. "Then why do you burn for me?"
His hand slid lower, brushing the edge of her skirt, fingers teasing the promise of more. Her heart pounded, torn between fury and desire.
Then—
A shout.
A crash.
Ethan's voice, closer this time, raw and furious: "Lila!"
The spell shattered.
Alexander froze, his chest rising and falling against hers, eyes blazing with triumph rather than guilt. He pulled back, his smirk cutting like a blade.
"Run to him, fight me—it doesn't matter," he said, voice calm and cruel. "You'll never escape me, Lila."
Her stomach twisted as the truth settled in.
The contract. Her family's debts. His obsession.
They weren't just chains around her body.
They were chains around her soul.
And as his gaze burned into her, she realized with icy clarity—Alexander Knight would never let her go.