Chapter 14 – The Kiss of Betrayal

I couldn’t breathe.

The air felt thick, suffocating, as I stood frozen at the base of the staircase.

The men near the door didn’t move, but their presence alone sent a chill through my body. They weren’t ordinary men. The way they stood, their rigid posture, the unreadable expressions—they radiated danger.

I wasn’t supposed to be here.

I wasn’t supposed to see this.

I had walked straight into something I didn’t understand, and now, I was trapped again.

I turned sharply, my gaze locking onto Alexander. He hadn’t moved from his spot at the top of the staircase, watching everything unfold like he had planned it all.

And maybe he had.

He had let me leave. Let me run. Let me believe, for even a second, that I had a choice.

But I never did.

I clenched my fists. “Who are they?” My voice came out weaker than I wanted it to.

Alexander descended the steps slowly, his footsteps deliberate, measured. He took his time, his dark eyes never leaving mine.

“Associates,” he said smoothly. “Business partners.”

I swallowed hard. Business partners? That didn’t feel right. These weren’t men here for a casual meeting. There was something predatory in their silence, the way they stood too still, watching me like I was something fragile, something to be handled.

A sinking feeling settled in my stomach.

“They’re here for me.” It wasn’t a question. I already knew the answer.

Alexander reached the last step and tilted his head slightly, his expression unreadable. “They made an offer.”

A cold shiver ran down my spine.

An offer.

Like I was something to be sold.

I took a step back instinctively, shaking my head. “No.”

His lips curled into something almost amused. “No?”

I felt sick. “You—you wouldn’t.”

Would he?

I had seen his ruthlessness. I had felt his cruelty. But this… this was something else.

This was betrayal.

Something flickered in his eyes. A warning. “You forget your place, Evelyn.”

“My place?” My voice cracked. My heart pounded so hard it hurt. “Am I just another deal to you? Just something to be—” My breath hitched. I couldn’t even finish the sentence.

I had always known he was a monster. But I had never believed—not really—that he would throw me away like this.

Alexander exhaled slowly, almost as if he were… bored. “You had a choice.”

“No, I didn’t!” My voice was louder now, desperate. “You never gave me one!”

He stepped closer. I stepped back. But there was nowhere left to run.

The men hadn’t moved, but I could feel them behind me, closing in without a single step.

Alexander reached out, his fingers brushing my chin, forcing me to look at him. His touch was deceptively gentle, but his grip was unyielding.

“You left, Evelyn.” His voice was quiet, controlled. “You walked straight into this.”

Tears burned behind my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. “You wanted me to fail.”

He didn’t deny it.

He just studied me, his gaze deep and searching.

And then—

He kissed me.

Not soft. Not tender.

It was rough, claiming, meant to remind me exactly who held all the power here.

I gasped against his lips, hands pushing at his chest, but he didn’t budge.

His fingers tightened around my jaw, keeping me still as he deepened the kiss, stealing my breath, my strength, my fight.

When he finally pulled away, I was shaking.

Not from desire.

From fear.

From the unbearable truth settling inside me.

I had never stood a chance.

Alexander’s voice was a whisper against my lips, dark and final.

“You’re mine, Evelyn.”

He brushed his thumb over my trembling lower lip, smirking when I flinched.

“And I don’t share.”

-----

I stood there, frozen.

My lips still tingled from his rough, possessive kiss, but my mind was spiraling. My body trembled—not from desire, but from the sheer, suffocating weight of my situation.

He wasn’t just cruel.

He wasn’t just cold.

He was ruthless in a way I had never fully understood until this moment.

"You’re shaking," Alexander murmured, his voice a dark whisper against my ear.

I snapped out of my daze and stumbled back, my breathing uneven. My eyes darted to the men standing near the door, their unreadable expressions making my stomach twist. They weren’t just here for business.

They were here for me.

I clenched my fists. "What… what does that mean?" My voice cracked, but I forced myself to stand tall. "You said they made an offer. What kind of offer?"

Alexander didn’t answer right away. He just watched me, his head tilting slightly as if studying my reaction, enjoying my fear. Then, with the cruelest smirk, he finally spoke.

"To take you off my hands."

My entire body went cold.

The room suddenly felt smaller, the walls pressing in on me.

He was selling me.

I felt my stomach churn, my legs weak beneath me. "You’re lying," I whispered, my voice barely audible.

Alexander raised an eyebrow. "Am I?"

One of the men finally moved, taking a slow step forward. His presence was suffocating, his stare heavy. He looked at me like I was a transaction, a thing, not a person.

"She’s young," the man said, his voice deep, calculated. "She’ll be easy to train."

My breath hitched.

No. No. No.

Panic clawed at my throat, but Alexander… he just smirked.

He was enjoying this.

I turned to him, my vision blurring with unshed tears. "You wouldn’t," I whispered. "You can’t."

Alexander’s gaze darkened. "I can do whatever I want, Evelyn."

His tone was calm, as if we were talking about the weather and not my entire life being ripped away.

My hands trembled at my sides, my nails digging into my palms. I hated him. I hated him so much it made my chest ache.

But what terrified me more?

The part of me that still wanted him.

The part of me that still felt something when he touched me.

I swallowed the bile rising in my throat. "So that’s it?" My voice was stronger now, fueled by something deeper. Anger. Desperation. "After everything, you’re just—just getting rid of me?"

Alexander didn’t react. He just watched me, like a predator amused by his prey’s last struggle.

And then, slowly, he reached out.

I flinched, but he didn’t stop. His fingers brushed my jaw, his touch almost gentle—a sick contrast to the situation.

"You ran," he murmured, his thumb tracing the corner of my mouth. "You disobeyed me."

I sucked in a shaky breath.

"You disappointed me, Evelyn."

The words hit harder than I wanted them to.

I hated myself for it.

I hated that his approval still mattered.

I hated that a part of me still craved the warmth in his cold gaze, even when it was buried under layers of cruelty.

Tears burned at the edges of my vision, but I refused to let them fall.

I wouldn’t give him that satisfaction.

I wouldn’t break.

Not for him.

Not for anyone.

I lifted my chin, my voice steadier than I felt. "Then let me go."

Silence.

A heavy, suffocating silence.

And then—

Alexander’s fingers tightened on my jaw, his grip no longer gentle. His smirk was gone, replaced by something far more dangerous.

"That’s the thing, sweetheart." His voice was low, taunting. "I don’t share—but I don’t let go, either."

My stomach dropped.

I barely had time to react before he yanked me forward, crushing his lips against mine once more.

This kiss wasn’t just possessive—it was a warning.

A reminder.

A promise.

I gasped against his lips, my hands pushing at his chest, but he didn’t budge. He kissed me harder, deeper, until my lungs burned for air. Until I had nothing left but him.

When he finally pulled away, I was breathless, my body trembling.

He stared down at me, his expression unreadable.

Then, without another word, he turned to the men near the door.

"They’re leaving."

The man who had spoken earlier stiffened. "Alexander—"

"I said, they’re leaving."

His tone was sharp. Absolute.

And just like that… the air shifted.

The men exchanged glances, but none of them dared to argue. One by one, they turned and exited the room.

I watched, stunned, my mind struggling to process what had just happened.

I wasn’t being sold.

He wasn’t letting me go.