Page 62 of Forbidden Empire

She wore a black dress so tight it looked painted on, plus these red stilettos that had to be six inches high. Every step made a sharp click on the marble, like a countdown.

She circled me, slow and silent, checking me out like I was on display at the zoo.

I knew what she wanted. She wanted me to beg. Maybe she thought I’d cry, or start bargaining. Honestly, if that was her plan, she was in for a disappointment.

I kept my mouth shut, not even looking at her when she stopped right in front of me, her finger tapping her chin, nails perfect.

“I knew Aidon would come for you,” she said. “The question is, will he arrive fast enough?”

There it was, a challenge, floating between us.

I refused to give her the satisfaction.

I expected her to threaten me. Maybe rough me up, or try to mess with my head. I was ready for all of it.

But there was no way I’d let her win. I looked her right in the eye, to make sure she got the message: I wasn’t scared. She could try whatever she wanted. She wouldn’t break me.

"You think you have control, Esme, but the truth is that you’re just a pawn."

She arched a brow, waiting, but the reply she expected would never come.

With an exasperated exhale, she reached for a remote resting on the desk beside the monitors. A single click and the screens fizzed, shifting to a different feed.

My attention caught on the central monitor, and my breath hitched.

Aidon.

Alone in his Underworld office, hemmed in by maps, disordered stacks of paper, and the clutter of empty whiskey bottles.

He stalked back and forth like a caged predator, his designer suit jacket discarded, sleeves rolled to the elbows, knuckles white around a tumbler of amber liquid. The king of Vegas had vanished, and in his place prowled a man consumed by something primal, something desperate.

“Look at him,” Rhea said, chuckling. “It’s quite delicious. Seeing him like this? Mr. Cool, Calm, and Collected was losing his shit and looking like a mad scientist or something. It’s good to know he’s human, right?”

She knew I wasn’t going to answer. Even if I could, I wouldn’t. Seeing Aidon like that, unraveling, knocked the breath right out of me.

None of that bothered Rhea. She was loving every minute, her laughter swelling until it filled the whole cramped room, thick and poisonous.

“He’s losing himself for you, Esme. Isn’t that what you wanted all along?”

Still, I wouldn’t say a word. Screw her. I just glared up, wishing my eyes could burn holes straight through her. I set my jaw. If she wanted a reaction, she’d have to keep waiting.

I promised to make her pay for this. That was a vow.

Her time would come, and I would be the one to deliver it.

She rolled her eyes, lips twisting with frustration, and shook her head at my stubborn silence.

Then, without ceremony, she reached right into her ridiculous cleavage and fished out a USB stick.

It thunked onto the table between us.

I knew it instantly: mine.

Her goons must’ve picked my pocket before dumping me in this room. It had been wiped clean when I arrived. Now the only thing it held was the data I’d ripped from her servers.

“You thought I wouldn’t find out?” She arched a brow, watching me.

I broke eye contact, staring back at the monitors.