Page 43 of The Hunter

Uninvited.

Unwelcome.

And I hated her for it.

“Plus, you don’t impress me, princess,” I added harshly.

In an instant, her expression fell.

Good.

“Why do you call me that?”

“What?” I asked around a mouthful of dumpling. “Princess?”

She nodded, continuing to delicately eat her soup.

“That’s what you are. A pampered woman living a charmed life.”

She laughed again. But it wasn’t the amused one from before. It was more out of disbelief. Or maybe something else. Something I couldn’t quite put my finger on.

Every time I thought I had her figured out, something shifted, making me reevaluate things. I’d spent the past several months studying her life. I’d followed her movements. Tracked her schedule. Watched her pose for photographs at charity galas beside a man I wanted to bury.

She thrived in the spotlight.Belongedin it.

The socialite with the perfect smile and fairytale life.

This woman — barefoot, bone-tired, and sitting at my dining room table — was someone else entirely.

Or maybe it was an act, too.

“So thisisabout who I am,” she stated. “About money.”

I blinked, snapping out of my thoughts. “What makes you say that?”

“You’re feeding me. Taking care of me. That’s how this works, right? To get the most money, you need to keep your investment alive.”

“I already told you. This has nothing to do with money.”

She exhaled sharply, frustrated. “Why am I here? Did you just decide to abduct me on a whim?Feeling cute. Might kidnap someone later.”

I furrowed my brow. “Feeling cute?”

“It’s some social media trend. But that’s beside the point. You won’t let me leave.”

“The doors aren’t locked.”

“That’s more of a technicality,” she snapped. “They may not be locked, but I still can’t leave without risking my life. Without you coming after me. Correct?”

I didn’t answer.

Because she was right.

I would go after her.

She wouldn’t get far anyway. From what I observed earlier, her survival skills were laughable at best. But she was no use to me dead. No. I needed her alive for what I had planned for her husband.

“What do you hope to gain from this?” she pressed, her voice rising. “Why sneak onto my property? Drug me? Take me from my life?”