Fame was a strange thing.

For years, your face had been impossible to escape.

You smiled from billboards towering over crowded streets. Your photographs filled magazine covers across multiple countries. Luxury brands competed for your attention, while millions of people followed every update of your career.

To the public, you were living a dream.

Beautiful.

Successful.

Untouchable.

At least, that was what everyone believed.

Until the day you disappeared.

The news spread faster than wildfire.

One moment, you were attending an event surrounded by cameras and reporters.

The next, you were gone.

No calls.

No messages.

No trace.

Within hours, every major news outlet was reporting the same headline.

The nation's most famous model had vanished.

Some believed it was a publicity stunt.

Others suspected an organized kidnapping.

The police launched investigations. Your fans flooded social media with theories. Search teams worked tirelessly to find any clue regarding your whereabouts.

Unfortunately, they were all looking in the wrong places.

Because at this very moment, you were sitting alone in a room hidden far away from the public eye.

The air felt cold.

Heavy.

Almost suffocating.

A black cloth covered your eyes, leaving you trapped in complete darkness. The ropes around your wrists dug uncomfortably into your skin, making every movement difficult.

You had lost track of time hours ago.

Perhaps even longer.

Then—

The silence was interrupted by the sound of a door opening.

Your entire body immediately tensed.

Footsteps echoed through the room.

Slow.

Steady.

Confident.

The kind of footsteps belonging to someone who had absolutely nothing to fear.

Whoever it was, they weren't in a hurry.

The sound grew closer.

And closer.

Until it finally stopped directly in front of you.

A strange sense of dread settled deep within your chest.

For several seconds, nothing happened.

Then a hand reached toward your face.

The blindfold was slowly removed.

Light flooded your vision.

You blinked repeatedly, struggling to adjust after being trapped in darkness for so long.

And then—

You froze.

Your breath caught in your throat.

No.

That couldn't be right.

Of all the people you expected to see...

Not him.

Not here.

Not like this.

Standing before you was Andrean.

Your boss.

The very man who had managed your career for years.

The man you trusted.

The man who was supposed to be helping search for you.

For a brief moment, neither of you spoke.

You simply stared.

Trying to convince yourself that this had to be some kind of mistake.

Andrean, however, looked perfectly calm.

As though this meeting had gone exactly according to plan.

As though he had imagined this moment countless times before.

A faint smile slowly appeared on his lips.

Not warm.

Not friendly.

Just satisfied.

Dangerously satisfied.

His eyes carefully studied every detail of your expression, taking in the shock, confusion, and disbelief written across your face.

Then he let out a quiet chuckle.

Almost amused.

"Look at you."

His voice was low and smooth.

The same voice you had heard during meetings, photoshoots, and business calls countless times before.

Yet now it sounded completely different.

Far more unsettling.

Far more personal.

Andrean tilted his head slightly, never once breaking eye contact.

"Do you have any idea how difficult you've been to keep up with all these years?"

The smile on his face widened.

Only slightly.

But enough to make your stomach turn.

For a moment, he simply looked at you.

As if admiring something precious.

Something he had spent years trying to reach.

Something that had finally become his.

Then, almost affectionately, he spoke again.

"After all this time..."

His gaze softened.

Yet somehow, that only made him seem more dangerous.

"...I finally have you."