The dining room was a tomb of cold marble and golden silverware. I sat at the head of the long table, trapped between two monsters. On my right, Kai Fox sat like a king, his presence suffocating. On my left, Marcus—the man I had almost married—looked like a broken dog.
The smell of expensive steak and red wine filled the air, but to me, it smelled like ash.
"You aren't eating, Amara," Kai said. His voice was smooth, but it carried a sharp edge of a threat.
"I'm not hungry," I whispered, my eyes fixed on my plate. The silver chains of my dress clinked as I moved, a constant reminder to Marcus of exactly how little I was wearing underneath.
Kai let out a dark, low chuckle. He picked up his knife and cut a small piece of meat. Instead of eating it, he turned toward me.
"Open," he commanded.
I froze. I could feel Marcus's eyes burning into me. He was shaking, his knuckles white as he gripped his wine glass. Kai was doing this on purpose. He wanted Marcus to see me being fed like a pet.
"Kai, please... not in front of him," I pleaded in a low voice.
"I paid three hundred million for the right to do whatever I want, whenever I want," Kai growled, his eyes darkening. He leaned closer, the heat from his body wrapping around me. "Open your mouth, Little Fox. Don't make me lose my patience."
I felt the tears stinging my eyes, but the memory of the video—my father with a gun to his head—forced me to obey. I opened my mouth, and Kai slid the meat inside. His fingers brushed against my lips, lingering there for a second too long.
A loud crack echoed through the room.
Marcus had snapped the stem of his wine glass. Red wine spilled across the white tablecloth like blood.
"You... you monster!" Marcus stood up, his face flushed with rage. "You didn't have to do this! You have her, isn't that enough?"
Kai didn't even look at him. He took a silk napkin and slowly wiped a drop of juice from my chin.
"Enough?" Kai finally looked up, his obsidian eyes cold and lethal. "It will be enough when I have erased every memory she has of you. It will be enough when she realizes that your 'love' was a cheap lie, and my 'obsession' is the only thing keeping her alive."
Kai stood up, his height dominating the room. "Excuse me for a moment. I have a call to take. Marcus, stay here. Look at her. Look at what you sold."
Kai walked out of the room, his heavy footsteps fading down the hallway. The heavy oak doors closed with a thud.
The silence was deafening. Marcus scrambled around the table, falling to his knees beside my chair. He tried to grab my hand, but I pulled away.
"Amara, I'm so sorry," he sobbed, his voice pathetic. "I had to do it. They were going to kill me! But I'm going to get you out of here."
"How, Marcus?" I hissed, looking at him with pure disgust. "You sold me for chips. You watched him take me."
Marcus leaned closer, his voice dropping to a frantic whisper. "Listen to me. Kai Fox isn't who you think he is. He didn't just buy you for your face. He's part of something called Project Six. He's using you as a—"
Suddenly, the doors swung open. Kai was standing there, his phone in his hand, a twisted smile on his lips.
"Did you finish your apology, Marcus?" Kai asked, his voice dripping with fake politeness. "Because your time is up. And I think Amara and I have some... unfinished business in the bedroom."
My heart plummeted. Marcus's face went pale. He had tried to tell me a secret, but Kai had returned too fast.
"Security," Kai barked. Two large men entered and grabbed Marcus by the arms. "Throw him out. And if he ever steps foot on Fox land again... kill him."
As Marcus was dragged out, screaming my name, Kai walked over to me. He grabbed the back of my chair and spun it around so I was facing him. He leaned down, his hands on the armrests, trapping me.
"What did he tell you?" Kai whispered, his nose brushing against mine.
"Nothing," I lied, my heart thudding against the silver silk.
Kai's hand shot out, grabbing my hair and pulling my head back until I had to look at him. "Don't lie to me, Amara. I can smell the fear on you. What did he say about Project Six?"
I gasped, the name hanging in the air like a curse. Kai knew. He knew that I knew.