The light was too sharp and clean, as if it wanted to erase the night.She blinked against the glass wall, the city sprawled below her. Faceless, humming, and unaware.Sheets clung to her skin, cold silk against fevered marks. Her thighs ached but her pulse didn't.He wasn't beside her. Of course, he wasn't.The space he left behind still smelled of smoke and skin. That strange expensive darkness that clung to him. She could still feel it in her throat. Last night came in flashes. His mouth, his voice, the way he said her name like a sentence.Her body remembered what her mind tried to deny.That she let him.That part of her had wanted it.She dragged herself upright as the mirror across the room caught her reflection. Bruised neck, lips swollen, hair tangled like she had been possessed.She almost laughed. So this was what ruin looked like.The penthouse didn't look like it belonged to the living. It was too silent and too white.There was no trace of him except the order. Everything folded, arranged, obedient.His world felt like a cage made of money.A trap wrapped in glass and somehow, she was the thing on display.Her dress, the one from last night lay draped over a chair like a dead woman's skin. It was torn at the shoulder and stained where his hands had held her. She touched it once, then dropped it.A low sound broke the silence…water shutting off.Her heart stuttered, not from fear just the awareness that he was near again.He came out of the bathroom wrapped in steam. Bare chest, his towel slung low.The kind of calm that made silence dangerous.Her eyes jumped to him and then away, too fast.She looked small in his bed. Wild, uncombed, shaking in a shirt that wasn't hers.He liked the contradiction of the defiance in her eyes and the surrender on her skin."You're awake," he said simply. His tone was unbothered and casual as if last night never happened.As if he hadn't taken her apart in that ballroom closet and left her trembling against the wall. She didn't answer. She was too busy trying to find her shoes.Watching her stumble was entertainment enough."You wore my mouth better than that gown," he murmured.Her head snapped up. The word hit her like a slap.Glass crashed against the wall. She threw the tumbler from the nightstand.It shattered as water streaked down the marble like tears. He didn't move, didn't even blink. He only smiled.He made her feel like the crazy one.Her chest rose too fast, she could still taste him when she breathed. That ruinous, dark sweetness that wouldn't fade."You think this is funny?" She snapped."Funny?" He tilted his head. "No. Educational."Her nails dug into her palmsHe walked toward her slow and deliberate, every step was a warning.She wanted to move but her legs refused. He stopped just close enough for the air to turn heavy."You think that was the end?" He said, with a soft voice."That was the start of your undoing."Her throat went dry. Undoing. The words curled around her like smoke.He leaned close enough for her to feel his breath against her cheek…warm, almost gentle. If he touched her now, she would melt or break. He wasn't sure which he preferred. Last night had been the first cut today would be the second.He wanted her to understand that pleasure was a lesson and so was power."Get dressed," he finally said. "We're leaving.""Where?" Her voice trembled but didn't hide."I have something to show you."He stepped back slowly giving her the illusion of space. But it was never real.He watched her fumble for her dress pretending not to notice the marks his hands had left.He noticed everything. The faint tremor in her fingers, the small bruise blooming near her collarbone like a secret he had signed with his mouth.When she turned away to fasten the zipper, he spoke again softer like a knife sliding into silk."You should be grateful, Yuyan. Not everyone survives my attention."Her spine stiffened. That spark in her… the one that kept him interested flared back to life."Maybe I won't either," she whispered.He smiled at that. Because maybe that was the point.She dressed without a word each emotion stiff and careful.The room still smelled like him.His gaze followed her, hot, heavy, and unblinking.It crawled up her spine like a touch she couldn't shake.Outside, the city gleamed indifferent and perfect.Inside, she felt undone not just from what he did to her body, but from how he looked at her now, like she had already lost.He opened the door, waited, but didn't touch her not yet but his presence filled the room until she could barely breathe."Where are you taking me?" She asked again.He didn't answer, just walked out expecting her to follow.And she did. Because that was the worst part…she wanted to know.The elevator hummed as the glass walls slid open to the skyline.
She stood beside him, rigid and silent pretending not to notice how their reflections almost touched each other.He looked down at her reflection instead of her face.She looked at her own…the bruised throat and the eyes she didn't recognize.Power shifted quietly. He didn't have to say a word because she already felt smaller and he already felt amused.***********************************The doors to the private garage opened. A black car waited, engine purring like something alive.He gestured toward it, and she hesitated."You're not scared," he said softly. "You're curious."He was right and that was what terrified her most.They slid into the car as the silence between them was thick as fog.The city started moving outside the tinted glass but everything inside felt frozen.He scrolled through his phone, expression unreadable.She stared out the window wondering if this was how women disappeared quietly and willingly in daylight.Then his hand reached across the seat brushing her wrist. Just a touch and a reminder.Her pulse jumped.He didn't look up when he said it."If I wanted to hurt you, Yuyan, I would've done it last night."She turned to him as anger and fear collided in her chest."And what do you call that?" She spat.He smirked. "Foreplay."Her heart slammed once, hard.She hated that her body reacted before her mind did.He finally glanced at her, eyes half-lidded and dangerous."Don't look at me like that," he said. "You'll make me stop the car."She turned away fast but not before he caught the flush rising in her neck.Outside, the skyline faded into the mountains as his world glowed quieter and lonelier as they drove further. Inside the car, everything she thought she knew about control dissolved. Because Jianyu didn't just touch her body, he rearranged her pulse.When they finally stopped, she saw it. A massive glass-walled mansion rising out of nowhere.No neighbors, no exits, just silence. He opened the door and offered his hand."Welcome to where no one can save you."
The car stopped in front of a tall steel gate as everything went cold and silent.The kind of silence that sent chills down her spine.She watched as the gates opened smoothly as if it was controlled.Guards lowered their heads, cameras blinked red. This wasn't home it was a cage dressed in riches."Don't look scared, sweetheart," he said stepping out first as his voice cut through the air calm and sharp. "You're not on a death row."He didn't wait for her as she followed, heels clicking against the marble. The air inside smelled like jasmine and smoke but dangerous.Everything shined. The glass, mirrors, and the long black table set for two.He pointed to a chair. "Sit."She sat, but not because she wanted to but because he made it sound like a command.The chair beside her stayed empty just long enough for her to think he might stay away.But he suddenly sat down. He picked up a fork, twisted it once, and then held it to her lips."Eat."Her jaw tightened. "Do you feed all your guests?""Only the ones who think of killing me." He said, with a light and mocking tone. She hesitated at first, but then took the bite. The food burned down her throat rich and spicy almost too strong.He reached out as his thumb brushed the corner of her mouth checking and testing. Her breath caught as his eyes followed every move she made. He liked the way she tried to look calm but every blink gave her away.She tried to hide behind anger not knowing that anger was just fear in disguise. He leaned back swirling his wine. "Do you know what I like about silence, Yuyan?"She said nothing. "It makes confession louder."Her fork froze halfway, as he smiled. And then he set a thin folder on the table. The folder contained old papers, a torn photo, and a name she hadn't heard in years.The color left her face. "How… did you.."He cut her halfway. "You should've erased your past better. Papers burns, smoke lingers, and I follow trails."She stood up so fast that the chair screeched. "You had no right…""Rights are for equals," he said softly. "We're not there yet."Silence.Then his hand moved slowly catching her wrist. Her skin was warm but his control was cold. Her pulse jumped under his thumb."You think I'm your enemy," he murmured. "Maybe. But I don't think your body remembers the difference anymore."Her breath hitched as a small tremor betrayed her.He saw it and smiled because that tiny surrender cost her everything.He was a poison pretending to be calm. Every of his words felt like a finger pressing around her neck.She wanted to hate him and keep her distance without crossing the line.But the room blurred. In the mirror, their reflections stood too close to each other like two ghosts tied by something she couldn't name.He let go of her wrist only to run a finger up her arm.He didn't touch her gently just slow enough to make her forget how to tremble."Why me?" She asked, with a shaky voice.He studied her like he always knew."Because you lied better than the rest," he said. "And because I like watching lies tremble."She laughed nervously. "You think this is a game?""It's the only one worth playing."He poured more wine. The red looked like a spilled sin. "Drink," he said softly.She didn't move. He took her glass and pressed it to her lips.The wine burned down her throat hot and sharp blurring the edge of her thoughts.The room went still that even the clock felt like stopped breathing. Then he slid his hand under the table, not hidden just bold enough for her to see.He didn't go further, he just rested it there claiming space. "Are you still trembling?" He said softly. "You 'd think learned."Her voice barely held. "You promised no more games." He smiled softly. "I promised nothing."Every word drew her closer without him laying a hand on her.She swallowed her as her throat almost choked. "You're so cruel.""Sensible," he said. "Cruelty wastes time."He leaned just close enough for his breath to brush her ear as light from the chandelier caught her eyes cold and sharp. "I told you last night was the beginning," he whispered softly. "Did you think I lied?"Her hands clenched on her lap as anger, fear, and desire twisted inside her. "What do you want from me?""The truth," he said quietly. "And obedience.""And you'll get neither."He smirked dangerously. "And that's what makes it fun."He stood up slow and steady as the sound of the chair moved.Each step he took toward her made the air feel heavier. He stopped just behind her as his shadow brushed her skin.His fingertip traced her shoulder then down her spine light and controlled. He bent slowly, his voice was barely more than a breath. "Eat now," he murmured. "You'll need your strength for what comes next."
The door shut behind her with a soft sound. Yuyan turned but the room wasn't a room it was a mirror trap.The walls and ceiling even the floor caught her reflection like a fragment of a woman she didn't know.Her breath came too quickly. She saw herself everywhere, the dress on her clinging too close with nowhere to hide.Jianyu stood behind her calm in a way that scared her. "Do you like it?" He asked with a low and smooth voice close to her ear.She didn't answer.He stepped closer and she saw him in the mirror, tall and dangerous. Every of his moves was measured as if he was playing a long game she was yet to understand.His hand touched her shoulder, and just that, her pulse jumped. He led her toward the center of the mirrored floor."Look," he said. She looked and saw their shapes reflecting over and over again. Her body kept trembling but this was steady."Why bring me to the mirrors?" She whispered. "I brought you here so that you wouldn't forget what you look like when I ruin you."Her heart skipped as his tie loosened around his neck. He slid it free. She took a step back. "What are you…"He caught her wrist just enough to wrap his tie around it."Breathe," he murmured. "You're safe."But nothing about this felt safe at all. Every reflection around her said the opposite.He traced the line of her arm up to her jaw."You think control means strength," he said. "But control is another kind of cage."She met his eyes on the mirror and for a second, she saw something there. Not cruelty but knowledge.The kind that made her chest ache."Why are you doing this?" She asked."To see what's real."He moved closer. "To see who you are when the lies fall away."Her throat tightened. "You think you know me?""I know you're angry," he said. "And afraid. But that's not all."His hand slid to her waist, her body betrayed her leaning in before her mind realized."I know you hate this," he said quietly. "But you can't look away."And he was right. She hated it and wanted to run but she couldn't.The mirror held her reflection and his gaze pinned her.His thumb brushed her lower lip and a sharp breath she didn't mean to give left her lungs."Tell me," he said. "Who are you?"She kept silent.His fingers tightened just slightly against her chin, forcing her to meet his eyes in the glass."I said… who are you?""Yuyan," she whispered. He shook his head. "Not your name, your truth."Her pulse hammered as the air between them turned heavy."Whose name did you curse last night?" He asked as her body went still. He knew.She tried to laugh but it came out broken. "You think you're clever?""No," he said softly. "I think I'm patient."He leaned so close that his breath touched her ear. "Say it."But she shook her head."Say it."Her words choked in her throat.She tried to fight it and stay silent but his calmness undid her. "Jianyu," she breathed. His name slipped out of her mouth before she could stop it. He gave a dark smile. "Again."Her lips parted trembling. "Jianyu."The sound filled the mirrors and echoed back multiple times until she could barely breathe.He untied the silk from her wrist but didn't let her go. Her hands stayed where he left them suspended and obedient.She tried to hate what she felt.Instead, she closed her eyes and all she could see was the heat behind his calm and the danger that felt like safety.His voice came again softer this time. "Good."And for a moment, none of them moved as the air buzzed between them sharp and tender all at once.Her thoughts shattered and every reflection of her looked like surrender. He touched her face again. "You think this is about pleasure," he murmured.Her lashes fluttered. "Isn't it?"He smiled but it didn't reach his eyes. "No, Yuyan. It's about the truth."The word landed heavy. And she didn't know why her chest ached, but it did.She opened her eyes and saw the both of them reflecting endlessly. Her body soft against his as his control wrapped tight around her silence. Something inside her cracked. Not from pain but recognition. She was starting to want him. The man she had sworn to destroy.Her breath caught as she whispered. "What are you doing to me?"He leaned down as his voice brushed her throat. "Nothing you didn't already begin."Her knees weakened but he caught her easily holding her upright and steady and close enough that her heartbeat shivered against his chest.The mirrors swam and everything blurred as her reflection and the line between them hated and wanted.And then softly, he said. "You're not the first woman to swear revenge on me, Yuyan."Her head lifted, his eyes met hers in the glass dark and endless. He smiled without warmth. "The last one didn't survive it."Silence filled the room.Her blood turned cold but his hand stayed at her back gentle and claiming. A trap disguised as tenderness and a promise disguised as a threat. And then she realized…that the real danger wasn't what he would do to her.It was already what he was already making her feel.