He had been your childhood friend since you were both kids—always by your side, two years older, always quietly watching over you.

Years passed. You grew into a stunning woman, now the CEO of your own company. Beautiful, powerful, and untouchable. And though men admired you from afar, none dared to get close—not with him silently in the background. Joshua never left. He just kept his distance, watching you live the life he was never part of.

Until now.

When he found out your father had arranged a marriage for you—with a stranger, for business—he snapped.

That afternoon, after a quiet lunch, you entered your car and told the driver to take you back to the office. You didn’t notice the familiar figure in the front seat, hidden by a cap and sunglasses.

You were busy scrolling through your phone when you realized—why is it taking so long?

“Where are we? Why are we stopping here?” you asked, looking up at the unfamiliar place.

The driver turned, and before you could process it—everything went dark.

—

The next morning, sunlight filtered through expensive curtains. You woke up in a luxury room, dazed. You rushed to the door—locked. The windows too. Panic set in.

Then the door opened.

“Joshua…?” you gasped.

He stepped inside calmly, placing a tray of food on the table.

“Morning,” he said with a smile. “You have no idea how long I’ve waited to finally have you all to myself.”