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Because You’re Mine

Hypothetical Question: If you could swap bodies with anyone for 24 hours, what’s the most chaotic thing you’d do?

Carina

My heart pounds in my chest, each beat louder than the last as the two men circle me, their eyes cold and calculating. My knives flash in the air, slicing through the space between us, but they’re too fast, too coordinated. Every time I strike, they dodge, like they know exactly what I’m going to do before I do it.

Then, a sharp tug from behind—before I can react, a bag is shoved over my head. Panic surges through me, and I cry out, "Nate!" My voice is swallowed by the fabric, my breath shallow and ragged.

My knives slip from my hands as they’re wrenched away, and I try to fight back, kicking out with every ounce of strength I have left.

But there are too many of them. Closing in from every direction, their hands grabbing at me, pinning me in place. I can't see them, but I can feel them—fingers digging into my skin, pulling me in different directions, suffocating me.

Everyone else—every other man who’s tried to hurt me—has been easy. I’ve torn through them without hesitation, with a fury they couldn’t match. But this? This is different. This feels like the real fight.

This is harder .

This is losing.

My feet leave the ground. Someone scoops me up, their grip iron-tight around my torso, pulling me against their chest, trapping me. My breath comes in short, desperate gasps.

“Stop fighting,” a low voice rumbles in my ear. The words send a chill down my spine, like he knows exactly how to break me.

"Nate!" I scream again, but my voice is still muffled by the sack, my throat raw from the effort.

A hand slaps over my mouth, silencing me. Desperation claws at my chest. Without thinking, I bite down hard, my teeth sinking into the flesh of the hand that covers my mouth.

The arms holding me loosen just enough—just enough for me to take action.

I kick out—hard. The force makes the man stagger, and finally, he releases me.

But before I can even think about running, another set of hands grips me—stronger, faster, more merciless. Panic floods my veins. I thrash, trying to break free, but it's useless.

And then— pain .

Blinding, searing pain. Something slams into the side of my head, a brutal force that knocks everything from my mind. The world tilts sideways, and I’m falling, spiralling into darkness, the agony consuming me.

Nothing.

Just pain.

And then, nothing.

I wake to a pounding ache in my head, a dull, relentless throb that blurs everything.

My eyes flutter open, the darkness around me suffocating.

Memories crash back into my mind— Nate , the fight, the bag over my head, the cold, the hands— who did this to me ?

I can't remember clearly. But there's one name that rises, searing through the fog: my father . He’s the only one who knew where we'd be. He’s the only one with the means to pull this off.

I try to move, but my body protests. My wrists and ankles are bound tightly, the rough ropes biting into my skin as I sit in an unforgiving metal chair. Panic claws at my chest. I’m not alone.

I catch a glimpse of movement in the corner of the room.

A shadow.

A figure leaning against the wall.

They don't step forward right away, but I feel their presence like a weight.

Like something is waiting. Watching.

Then, he steps into the dim light.

My heart stops. My breath hitches.

Him.

My father.

He stalks toward me with that predatory grace, his every step measured, deliberate, as though he’s savouring the moment. His eyes lock onto mine, cold and assessing.

“You’re a hard one to track down,” he says, his voice low and calculating. He tilts his head like a hunter examining its prey.

I refuse to look away. I hold his gaze, unwavering. The fire in my chest blazes brighter. I will not cower before him.

“Once I learned of your escape, I tried. But you covered your tracks well,” he continues, unbothered by my silence. His tone doesn’t change, doesn’t break. He’s enjoying this.

“But it was your need for vengeance that was your downfall,” he adds, his smile twisting with mockery. “Did you think no one would notice? All those powerful men going missing? Each one connected to my daughter?”

The laugh that follows is low, cruel, and it chills me to the bone. I grind my teeth, rage flooding me like a dam breaking, but I keep my mouth shut.

“I’ve been watching you for months,” he goes on, taking slow steps toward me, as if savouring my discomfort. “You and your little boyfriend. Quite the pair.”

I can feel the blood pounding in my temples, the heat of my anger rising to a boiling point. But I stay silent. I won’t give him the satisfaction.

“I hope you don’t mind my finding you,” he says, his words dripping with dark amusement. “But I couldn’t just wait, could I? At first, I wanted to find you because each sale gave me a nice chunk of change—that was one of the stipulations. I don’t appreciate you costing me.” He pauses, eyes narrowing. "But then, once I saw who you were targeting, I realised I couldn’t wait any longer. I knew it wouldn’t be long before you came for me. And I can’t have that.”

A sick twist of fear knots in my stomach, but I won’t show it. I won’t let him see that he’s won.

“What are you going to do to me?” I spit the words out, venom lacing my voice.

His smile widens, cruel and predatory. He steps closer, his shadow swallowing mine. "I’m going to break you," he says, his voice a low promise. His hand snaps out, grabbing my chin with an iron grip, forcing me to meet his gaze. "Then, once you're ready, I’ll sell you again. But this time, you won’t be getting away."

“Where’s Nate?” I ask, hating the way my voice trembles at the thought of anything happening to him.

My father lets out a cold laugh. “He’s fine. Left him with a bad concussion, that’s all.”

A mountain of tension leaves my shoulders, and I let out a short breath of relief.

His smirk deepens. "That's cute," he muses. "The way you care about him."

“Why are you doing this?” I barely manage to choke out the question, my voice hoarse with fury.

He smiles again, this time with a gleam in his eyes that makes my blood run cold. "Because you’re mine."