Chapter-11

The next few days passed in a blur of assignments and silent, tense interactions with Voss. Every time Raine tried to get some distance, to carve out even a moment of peace, he was there—like an unshakable shadow.

It started with little things: his constant presence in the office, the way he’d occasionally glance up from his work, his sharp eyes piercing through her as if he could read every thought she had. It made her feel exposed, vulnerable in a way she couldn’t escape.

The work she was assigned grew increasingly tedious, but Raine had little room to protest. Voss seemed to enjoy pushing her limits, testing her patience, seeing just how far he could go before she broke.

One afternoon, as she typed up a report he had given her, Raine’s fingers froze over the keyboard. The words on the screen blurred as she tried to focus, but her mind wandered, her thoughts straying back to the night in his study, to that moment when he had towered over her, commanding her compliance with such cold certainty. The tension in his voice, the way he spoke of her father’s debt as if it were a chain around her neck, refusing to let go—it haunted her.

Her heart began to race, the familiar feeling of helplessness settling deep in her chest. She couldn’t ignore it any longer. She couldn’t keep pretending that this—this life—was something she could handle.

There had to be a way out.

But every time she thought she had a plan, Voss would find a way to derail it. She couldn’t escape him. Not physically, not mentally.

“Miss Bennett.”

The deep, calm voice sliced through her thoughts. Raine’s breath hitched as she looked up to find Voss standing in the doorway of the office. His gaze swept over her, lingering for just a moment too long.

“Did I interrupt something?” he asked, his tone deceptively soft.

Raine quickly shook her head, trying to push aside the confusion she felt. “No, I—”

“I need you to accompany me to a meeting,” Voss interrupted, stepping further into the room. “It’s important.”

Her heart sank. She hated the way her pulse quickened whenever he spoke, the way he made her feel like she had no control over her own body.

“I don’t know if that’s a good idea,” Raine said, her voice tight. She couldn’t even look him in the eye, her gaze dropping to the floor instead.

Voss’s lips curled into a smile, though it didn’t reach his eyes. “You don’t get to decide what’s a good idea, Miss Bennett. You’ll come, and you’ll do exactly as I say.”

Raine swallowed hard, but she knew better than to argue. Her thoughts raced as she followed him down the winding corridors of the mansion, the weight of his presence hanging over her like a suffocating cloud.

As they entered the grand conference room, Raine immediately noticed the men gathered around the long table. They were well-dressed, polished, with sharp eyes and sharp suits that spoke of power and wealth.

Raine could feel their eyes on her, their gaze sweeping over her as though she were some sort of object, something to be appraised.

She stiffened, instinctively moving closer to Voss.

The men greeted him with a mix of respect and fear, their voices low and careful as they exchanged pleasantries. Raine stood silently beside him, her hands clasped tightly in front of her, her heart pounding. She was out of her element, surrounded by strangers who saw her as little more than a pawn in some game she didn’t understand.

Voss, however, was unfazed. He moved with the kind of authority that left no room for doubt.

The conversation continued, flowing around Raine like an impenetrable current. She couldn’t make sense of most of what was said—business jargon, talk of deals and investments, and promises of power. But through it all, she couldn’t ignore the way Voss’s presence seemed to dominate the room, his every word carrying weight, his every movement commanding attention.

And all the while, Raine couldn’t shake the feeling that she was nothing more than a tool for him to use, a means to an end.

The meeting stretched on for what felt like hours, her body growing tense with each passing minute. She barely noticed when the men stood to leave, shaking Voss’s hand one by one before filing out of the room.

“Miss Bennett,” Voss said, his voice low as he turned to face her. “You’re dismissed for now.”

Raine nodded, desperate to escape the suffocating atmosphere of the room. She moved quickly, but before she could make her way to the door, Voss’s voice stopped her.

“You’ll be working closely with me, Miss Bennett. It’s important you understand your place here.”

Her pulse quickened, and she felt a chill run down her spine. “What exactly do you mean by that?”

Voss stepped closer, his gaze never leaving hers. “I mean that you will do exactly as I say, without question, without hesitation. You will stay in line, or there will be consequences.”

Raine’s breath caught in her throat. She was trapped. There was no escaping his world, no escaping the control he had over her life.

She opened her mouth to protest, but the words died on her lips.

Voss was right. She had no choice.

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