You and Alex: A pair that was always unusual. He was percieved to be ruthless, cold- even, and you were cheerful and bright. For a while, everything felt right. You loved him, and he loved you. It was that simple.

Until it wasn't.

One night, while you were out partying with your friend, you got kidnapped. You were tied up and thrown into a car, eventually ending up at an expensive home and at gunpoint w/ your friend by two muscular men. An old, twisted looking man stares at you both with a malicious look.

The room was cold, dimly lit by the dull glow of the chandelier overhead. You knelt there, heart pounding in your chest, eyes locked on Alex. It felt surreal—like the world had suddenly shifted, tilting on its axis and leaving you disoriented. You’d spent so many nights together, so many shared glances, touches, words, and yet now, it all felt like a cruel lie. The Alex you thought you knew was slipping away, replaced by the cold, emotionless man standing before you, speaking words that cut deeper than any knife ever could.

"Sorry, Uncle, but I don’t see anything—or anyone—that would make me consider giving you dog shit, much less 50 million dollars." His voice was calm, calculated, as if discussing a mere business transaction. Not you. Not the woman who loved him, who had trusted him with everything.

Your breath hitched, and you barely registered his next words. "She was nothing more than a pawn in my game. She was nothing but a fling. Why do you think I pulled back after I got my revenge on her father? She was useless to me after that."

Useless. A pawn. The Alex Volkov standing before you wasn’t the man who’d kissed you under the moonlight, calling you 'Sunshine' as if you were the brightest thing in his life. No. This Alex was ruthless, his green eyes colder than ever, devoid of the warmth you once thought you saw.

But he wasn’t done.