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My stomach twists as his gaze drags over me, assessing, calculating.
“You’re no longer a child. You’re a pretty thing, grown up, with other—assets.” His smile widens, but it’s as empty as his soul. “There are different clientele, you see. Ones who will pay quite a premium for someone like you.”
The room feels like it’s closing in, the weight of his words suffocating me.
“Of course,” he continues, almost conversationally, “that’sifI decide to sell you. There’s always the possibility I might keep you for myself. We could have so much fun.” He steps closer, his cold smile turning sinister. “But, I’ve waited a long time for this moment. I don’t want to rush any decisions.”
His words linger in the air, thick with threat, and for the first time in a long while, I realize how utterly helpless I am.
An auction.
He’s talking about putting me up for auction.
Or keeping me.
I prefer being sold to the highest bidder over whatever plans he might have for me.
Blaze tenses beside me, his body a coiled spring, barely containing the fury simmering beneath the surface. His voice cuts through the thick air, sharp and challenging.
“Why take Aria? She’s not exactly someone who can quietly disappear. You had to know people would come for her.”
Wolfe’s smile stretches wider, cold and predatory like he’s savoring the moment. “Oh, Mr. Hawkins, you’re wrong. No one will look for her.” Amusement laces his voice. “I usually deal in children. The ones no one misses. They slip through the cracks so easily, and it’s almost laughable how clean the business canbe. But Aria…” He leans in slightly, eyes gleaming with dark delight, “She was a very deliberate choice.”
“A choice?” Blaze asks. “What the hell does that mean?”
Wolfe’s predatory smile spreads wider, all teeth and menace. “An eye for an eye, Mr. Hawkins. Aria’s kidnapping is retribution for something her father did.” He dismisses Blaze with casual ease. “Imagine my surprise when Bruiser revealed a second woman was taken.” His eyes land on me like a predator’s, gleaming with sick amusement. “How fateful that it was you, Ember. The girl who cost me those children all those years ago… You can pay for all of that now.”
“You knew taking Aria would bring heat on you.” Blaze’s eyes narrow, confusion flashing across his face. “What’s your endgame?”
Wolfe lets out a soft, almost mocking laugh. “Of course, I knew. That was the point. Taking Aria wasn’t about discretion. I was sending a message. Malcolm Holbrook has made a career out of being untouchable, out of hiding behind his billions and powerful connections. What better way to shake his perfect little world than to take his precious daughter?”
He pauses, adjusting the cuff of his jacket, every movement slow and deliberate, dripping with self-satisfaction. “You see, my business is clean, as you so astutely pointed out, but my vendetta against Malcolm? That’s personal. Aria was never about blending in or disappearing into the machine. She was about revenge. And a very public one at that. I wanted Malcolm to know no matter how powerful he thinks he is, no matter how untouchable, his empire is built on lies. And I intend to bring it all crashing down. Aria was just the beginning.”
Blaze’s voice lowers, hard as steel. “Does this have anything to do with Malcolm being your half brother?”
For the briefest second, Wolfe’s mask slips—just a flicker of surprise—but then it’s gone, replaced by a laugh, soft andsinister. “Well, well, well… It seems I’ve underestimated you, Mr. Hawkins. You’ve done your homework. Impressive.”
He leans back, crossing his arms casually like they’re discussing an old family drama instead of life and death. “How fascinating that you know about that particular family secret. After all, it’s not something I’ve made public, but I’m not surprised. Men like you—dig. Yes, Malcolm and I share a father, though you wouldn’t know it by how he’s lived his charmed life. He got the empire, the power, and the name. I got scraps and shadows.”
Blaze holds his ground, unwavering. “So, what’s the real reason? Why kidnap Aria? What did you stand to gain?”
Wolfe’s eyes gleam, his amusement shifting into something darker. “Malcolm and I never saw eye to eye. Being a banker comes with its perks—especially for someone like my dear brother, who’s always enjoyed flaunting his power. But it also comes with enemies I’d like to remind him of. Aria was my pawn to do just that, a little leverage in a very large game.”
His gaze turns icy, locking on Blaze with unsettling intensity. “But no one stays in the shadows forever, Mr. Hawkins. Not me, and certainly not Aria. She was the perfect tool to dismantle everything my dear brother holds dear. And now,” his gaze flicks to me, “you and your little flame will help me finish the job.”
“You don’t need Ember for that. Let her go.”
“Release her? Now, why would I do that?” Wolfe pauses, running a hand over his cufflinks as if considering his next words carefully. “Ember’s mine now, and she has much to make up for. As for Malcolm, he has something I want. Influence. Wealth. But, more importantly, the legacy I was denied. He’s always been the favored son who could do no wrong. I was the secret, the shame, hidden away.”
Wolfe’s voice turns cold, calculated. “Taking Aria was a way to remind him that he can’t hide from his past. And it would’ve worked—had you not interfered.”
Blaze narrows his eyes, barely containing his anger. “What did you hope to get? Ransom? Control?”
Wolfe’s smile returns, twisted and cruel. “Oh, I don’t want money, Mr. Hawkins. I want Malcolm to watch everything he’s built come crashing down. Aria was the perfect catalyst for that.” He glances at me again, his smile never wavering. “And now, with you both here, I have all the pieces I need.”
The weight of his words sinks in like a cold, suffocating blanket, and I can feel Blaze bristling beside me, ready to fight—but Wolfe’s control over the situation is absolute, and he knows it.
The threat hangs in the air, heavy as lead. Blaze’s jaw clenches, but I can see the calculation in his eyes. He’s not done fighting. Not by a long shot.