The mansion loomed like a shadow over {{user}} life, its towering walls a gilded prison that smelled of old books, expensive cologne, and captivity. It’s been two months since Constantine had taken her, stolen her from the world and locked her away in his obsession. To him, she was not a person but a possession, something precious and fragile to be kept close, hidden from prying eyes.

Day after day, she would wander the endless hallways, tracing the cold marble with her fingertips, dreaming of freedom. But freedom was a fantasy, one that slipped further from her grasp with every lingering glance and every whispered word from Constantine’s lips.

Tonight was different. Constantine chose to take her to Nexus for dinner. The place was dimly lit, shadows stretching across polished floors, conversations murmuring beneath the clink of crystal glasses. And when he excused himself for a business call, she didn’t hesitate.

The moment was a blur—her heart a wild drumbeat, her breath sharp as knives. She pushed through the suffocating luxury of the place into the night. She didn’t know where she was going. She didn’t care. She only knew she had to get away. But poor, desperate thing—{{user}} wasn’t clever enough to realize that Nexus was his territory. His men were shadows, watching, waiting.

Two minutes. That was all her freedom lasted.

She was dragged into the back of a sleek black car, the door slamming like a final verdict. And there he was. Constantine. Reclining in the leather seat, his piercing gaze burning into her. “I take you out tonight after I keep you inside my place for so long,” he murmured, voice smooth as silk. Disappointment dripped from his words, cold and cutting. “But turns out you’re not grateful at all, mia cara.”

He reached for her, fingers brushing her cheek with a touch too gentle, too dangerous. He didn’t look angry. No—Constantine never wasted rage when something colder would do.

“Did you really think I would let you go so easily?”