The heavy thud of boots on the stairs felt like a funeral march, making my heart pound fiercely against my ribs.
"Leo, please," I whispered urgently, gripping his hand. "Roman isn't just playing; he's erasing our lives with a keystroke."
"I don't care about the money, Eva!" Leo's voice was raw, his eyes shining with fierce protectiveness. "He can take the bank account. He can take the apartment. But as long as I breathe, he's not taking you."
The door rattled—not a knock, but a kick. The wood groaned, a hairline crack forming near the deadbolt.
"Leo!" a muffled voice called from the hallway. It was our landlord, Mr. Henry, whose voice trembled. "I'm sorry, Leo. Someone bought the deed. I just transferred ownership. I have to let them in!"
"Someone?" Leo yelled. "You mean Roman Claudius? Force the door open, and I'll sue you into the next century!"
Leo and I knew it was a hollow threat. Roman Claudius owned the courts. He owned the very air we breathed. And there's no hiding place for us.
The door shuddered again.
My phone vibrated—just a countdown timer, no words.
00:59.
00:58.
I looked at Leo—he's the man who stood up for women's rights in a tough boardroom and lost everything for it. The man who looked at me like I was the sun, even when we were eating ramen by candlelight. If those men broke the door down, Leo wouldn't just be evicted—they'd destroy him. Roman wanted more than a fight; he wanted an execution.
"Leo," I whispered, my voice suddenly steady and clear. "I love you. But__"
"Eva, what are you doing?" Leo asked, as
I stepped toward the door.
"Saving you. Just like you saved those women a few months ago. From what I understand, Roman is a heartless monster and we are not a match"
"No!" he exclaimed.
I didn't listen. I threw the bolt and swung the door wide open before their next kick could land.
Standing there were four giants in sleek, carbon-fiber suits—expressionless as statues. Behind them, Mr. Henry clutched a ring of keys, looking downcast.
"I'm ready," I said firmly, cutting through the tense silence. "But on one condition."
The lead guard tapped his earpiece. "She's talking, sir." There was a pause. "Mr. Roman is listening."
I stared directly into the guard's lapel camera, knowing Roman was watching from the luxury interior of that shark-like limousine.
"You give him back the money," I commanded, pointing at Leo. "Every cent you drained from his account. Leave him alone. And if I see even a shadow following him, I'll jump out of whatever high-rise you're planning to lock me in."
Leo tried to pull me back, wrapping his arms around my waist. "Eva, don't do this! I'd rather be a beggar with you than a king without you!"
I looked at him, my heart shattering into a thousand jagged pieces. "I know, Leo. But I'd rather you be alive and far from me than dead because of me."
The guard nodded. "The funds are restored, plus a little extra for his silence."
Leo's phone chimed. He looked at it, his face turning pale—the balance wasn't just back to normal; it was tripled.
"See?" I whispered, tears slipping down my cheek. "He thinks he's buying me. But in honesty, I'm selling myself to save my world."
"Eva, stay!" Leo shouted as the guards formed a wall of muscle and expensive fabric between us.
"Don't follow me, Leo," I pleaded, my voice trembling. "Please. For once, let me be the hero."
I walked down the stairs, each step feeling like a mile. When I reached the sidewalk, the back door of the Maybach swung open like the jaws of a beast.
Roman was sitting there, shrouded in shadow. The glow of a tablet illuminated his sharp jawline and those predatory eyes. He didn't look triumphant. He looked bored.
"Forty-two seconds left," he said, checking his gold watch. "I was starting to think I'd have to get my suit dirty."
I slid onto the cool leather seat, the scent of him immediately invading my senses. The door clicked shut, sealing out the sounds of my neighborhood. Sealing out Leo's voice.
"You're a coward, Roman," I said, staring straight ahead. "You couldn't win me with a conversation, so you used a siege."
Roman leaned closer, his breath hot against my ear. "A win is a win, Eva. I don't care if the gates were opened or if I tore them down. You're in my space now. And that's all that matters."
"I'm in your car," I corrected, turning to face him, my eyes flashing with hatred so pure it made him blink. "But you'll find that my body is a very different thing from my soul. You can have the seat__ But you'll never have the passenger."
He reached out, his thumb tracing the line of my jaw with terrifying gentleness. "We have thirty days at my estate, Eva. By day ten, you'll be asking me for more. By day twenty, you'll forget Leo's middle name."
"And by day thirty?" I challenged him.
Roman's smile was a jagged edge.
"By day thirty, I'll decide if I'm finished with you."
The limo pulled away from the curb. I looked out the tinted window one last time. I saw Leo running down the street, his sling fluttering in the wind, his face a mask of agony.
"He's still running," Roman noted, glancing at the rearview mirror. "How pathetic. To chase something that's already been sold."
"He's not chasing a sale, Roman," I whispered, clutching the fabric of my cheap dress. "He's chasing the only thing you'll never understand. He's chasing love."
Roman laughed—a cold, metallic sound.
"Love is just a word poor people use to feel better about having nothing."
He tapped a button, and the privacy glass slid up, turning the back of the car into a dark, intimate cage.
"Now," Roman growled, his hand moving to the nape of my neck, pulling me inches from his face. "Tell me again how much you hate me. I want to hear it while I show you exactly what my money can do."
As his lips brushed mine, my hand went to the hidden pocket of my dress. I felt the cold steel of the small paring knife I had grabbed from the kitchen, lying in my handbag.
"I'll tell you what I hate, Roman," I breathed against his mouth. "I hate that you think I came here unarmed."
The car swerved suddenly, tires screeching. Roman's eyes widened as he felt the point of the blade press against his expensive silk tie, right over his heart.