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CHAPTER 39

SLOANE

I stood outside his office, the familiar chill of dread creeping up my spine. My palms were sweaty, and my heart had pounded harder with each step to the door. I’d done a lot of things I hated in my life, but walking into Everett’s office and telling him I was done—that I wasn’t going to work for him anymore—was probably one of the scariest.

I hated this mansion. I hated the memories and the reminders that this was where I’d chosen to ruin myself. I never came here if I could help it.

But I’d had to today. I’d had to do this in person, so he knew I was serious. I was done. I’d made up my mind.

Everett would respect my choice. He might be stern and scary, but he’d never hurt me. Everything was going to be fine.

And Logan was going to be so happy when I gave him the news.

I pushed the door open and stepped inside, the cold, sterile atmosphere hitting me immediately. Everett sat behind his oversized mahogany desk, studying some papers. He had the same cold, calculating look on his face that he always did when he was in business mode.

“Everett,” I said, my voice stronger than I felt inside. “I need to talk to you.”

He didn’t respond right away, continuing to flip the page of whatever file he was looking at. It was annoying that he always did that, making sure I knew who was in charge.

The silence stretched, my nerves buzzing, but I forced myself to keep going.

“I’m done,” I said, the words coming out in a rush. “I’m not doing it anymore.”

That got his attention. His eyes flicked up, cold and unreadable, the corner of his mouth twitching like he was fighting off a smirk. “Doing what?”

“Working for you,” I said, my voice faltering.

“You’re done?” he repeated slowly, his tone mocking. “And what exactly do you think that means, Sloane?”

I swallowed hard, trying to hold my ground. “It means no more clients. No more selling my body. It’s over. I don’t know what I’m going to do…but it’s not going to be this. Not anymore.”

There. I’d said it. The truth was out, and my heart felt like it was about to burst from my chest, it felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. Logan had changed everything for me. I wasn’t going to be trapped in this nightmare anymore.

But my uncle—he just laughed. A short, sharp bark of laughter that made my skin crawl.

“You think you’ve fallen in love. That’s what this is about, isn’t it?” he said mockingly, shaking his head like he couldn’t believe the audacity. “With who? That hockey player? Logan York ?”

I clenched my fists, trying to ignore the sick feeling in my stomach. “Yes. I—I love him, and I’m leaving this behind. It was my choice to start, and it’s my choice to quit.”

The word choice felt different as I said it, though. The last few weeks with Logan—away from Everett—had made me actually start to think.

Maybe…Logan was right.

What if that first night hadn’t been my choice? What if Everett had manipulated me?

He leaned back in his chair, folding his hands over his stomach, and that mocking grin stretched wider across his face. “You’re a fool, Sloane. A naive, stupid fool.”

My heart stuttered in my chest, but I didn’t move. “I’m not a fool. I’ve just figured out what I want out of life.”

“And you think that’s him?” His voice turned crueler. “You really believe someone like him can love you? That this is some fairytale ending for you?”

My insides twisted at the sneer in his voice, but I didn’t back down. “I know it is.”

Everett leaned forward, his eyes narrowing as the smirk dropped from his face. “He’ll get tired of you. And then what will you do? You have no skills, no education, no money. You’ll be out on the streets or struggling in a miserable apartment again. It’s going to hit even harder after you’ve been living like a plush pig for the last few years.”

The words hit me like a kick to the ribs, and I took a deep breath. Because his words were familiar.

That was what he’d said before.

That was what he would say anytime he could feel me faltering. Scaring me about the past had been his favorite and most effective tool to convince me to go along with whatever he wanted.

And even though I was still terrified about ending up back in the miserable ruins where I’d started life…something about Logan lessened Everett’s effectiveness.

It wasn’t Logan’s money either. It was his steadiness, and that I could feel his love for me in every word he said, everything he did.

There was also the fact that I should have some money left over after all these years of work—even after my expenses.

“You can pay me what I’ve earned over the years or let me sell the condo. I’m sure that’s enough to get me by if something were to happen,” I told him, proud of how my voice had leveled out…and I sounded more confident.

Everett smiled then, dark and triumphant, leaning back in his chair like he was enjoying every second of this. “No.”

“What?” I asked, the blood draining from my face. All these years he’d promised he was keeping my money safe, that he was investing it for me for when it was time for retirement. He’d told me that was how he handled finances for all the women who worked in the business.

He’d taken care of all my bills, my clothes…everything. But he’d also always told me when he was depositing money in my account. Even though I’d never seen it, never been able to use it freely, it had felt like mine.

But maybe it was just another way I’d been stupid and completely missed him manipulating me.

I was such a fucking idiot.

“That’s my money.”

“I own you, Sloane. Everything you have is because of me.” He shook his head, like I’d disappointed him. “This is your last chance. If you choose to do this, I’ll have no choice.”

“No choice?” I whispered, my voice barely audible.

“But to treat you like the property you are,” he said, his voice dripping with venom.

He picked up his papers and began reviewing them again.

The threat sank into my chest, and a stark fear filled my insides. I’d had all sorts of emotions about my uncle over the years, but the terror I was experiencing right now…that was new.

“What about everything you’ve said over the years…about how this job was me choosing power. Huh? What about that?” I threw out desperately, hoping I could get him to see reason.

Everett glanced up, a cruel smirk dancing across his lips. “Haven’t you felt powerful? You sold your body at eighteen because you were so scared of actually having to work hard. You were a miserable, weak, useless girl, and I made you into someone that made men drop to their knees. You were nothing. And I made you into this.”

He pushed up from his chair and leaned forward.

“Everything comes with a price, and transforming someone as worthless as you…well, the price was far more than you’ll ever be able to pay.”

My hands trembled, my body shaking from the weight of his words. Tears burned at the back of my eyes, but I refused to let them fall.

“I hate you,” I managed to choke out, my voice cracking.

He shrugged and walked around his desk, his smirk never fading. “It’s better that you get this through your stupid brain before it’s too late. You have no choice. You made sure of that at that auction. And now you’ll never have a choice. You belong to me, and you’ll never escape.”

I stumbled back, my legs shaking as I tried to process what he was saying. My chest was tight, my throat burning with the threat of tears.

His hand shot out before I could react, his fingers clamping down hard on my chin, forcing me to look up at him. The grip was painfully tight, his eyes dark and full of rage. I tried to pull away, but he held me there, his face mere inches from mine.

“You really think you can walk away from this?” he hissed, his voice low, dangerous. “You think you can just waltz into my office, spout some nonsense about love, and that’ll be the end of it?”

I couldn’t answer, couldn’t move. His grip was like a vise, and my fear of him only grew.

“Answer me!” he shouted, shaking me hard enough that my teeth rattled.

“I—” The words caught in my throat, but I didn’t get a chance to finish. His grip shifted to my shoulder, and before I could do anything, he threw me to the ground.

I hit the floor hard, the impact sending a jolt of pain through my body. But before I could even try to get up, I heard the unmistakable sound of leather sliding through a belt loop.

I froze.

“I think I’ll give you a taste of what you can expect if you choose wrong, Sloane. Remind you what I do with useless things,” he said coldly, stepping toward me, the belt hanging loosely in his hand. “It seems like the right thing to do, don’t you think?”

I rolled over and tried to scramble away, my heart pounding in my chest, but I wasn’t fast enough. He raised the belt, and the first strike came down hard across my back, the sting of the leather biting into my skin. I cried out, curling in on myself, but it didn’t stop him.

The belt came down again. And again.

I lost count after the third hit, my mind slipping into a fog of pain and fear. Each strike sent a sharp, searing pain through my body, and the sound of the leather cutting through the air was the only thing I could focus on. My arms wrapped around my head, instinctively trying to shield myself, but it was useless.

I don’t know how long it went on—minutes, hours, it all blurred together in a haze of pain. But finally, after what felt like forever, he stopped. The belt hit the floor with a dull thud, and I heard his heavy breathing as he stepped back.

“You’ll return to your condo and wait for my instructions. You will not see Logan York again. And most of all…you’ll remember your place,” he growled. “You’ll never be free of this. Of me. I own you.”

Without another word, he turned and walked out.

I lay there for a long time, the silence in the room pressing down on me. My body throbbed with pain, and the tears I’d tried so hard to hold in, they blurred my vision as I sobbed. Everything hurt—my skin, my heart, my hope.

I had thought I could escape. I had thought love would save me.

But as it turned out…love wasn’t enough.