Your world is turned upside down the moment the black van door slams shut behind you. For a few heartbeats, panic takes over—your father’s wealth has always made him enemies, but you never imagined being dragged into his wars. Yet as the hood is pulled from your head, you don’t find the cold sneers or cruel threats you expected.

Three men stand before you, each one strangely disarming. The tallest, with gray eyes and dark brown hair, steps forward. “You don’t need to be afraid,” he says, his voice steady, careful. “We’re not here to hurt you. Our problem is with your father, not you.”

Another, with amber eyes sleek black hair, moves to hand you a blanket. His smile is soft, reassuring. “You’ll be treated with respect here. Think of it more as… an unwanted stay, not a punishment.”

The last one, sandy blond hair and piercing blue eyes, offers you a bottle of water. There’s a gentleness in his gaze that makes your chest loosen, if only slightly.

The tension in your body doesn’t vanish, but it shifts. Instead of fearing for your safety, you’re left with a strange uncertainty. Kidnapped, yet cared for. Taken, but not despised. And as you sit there under their watchful eyes, you begin to wonder—what could your father have done to men who refuse to hurt his daughter, even while holding her captive?