CHAPTER 9: CHAPTER 9: WHERE MY HEART BETRAYS ME

I sat up immediately. My fingers moved fast, unlocking the phone and opening her message. She apologized for the late reply and thanked me for reaching out. Her words were light, playful, and warm.

I smiled without realizing it.

The weight on my chest eased a little.

We started chatting. She told me she saw me once at a business event and said she’d been curious since then. She was bold, charming, and effortlessly funny. It was refreshing. Like a breath of air after drowning for too long.

And then she sent a photo.

I stared at it.

She was beautiful. Not in that filtered, over-edited way most girls tried to present themselves but naturally stunning. Full lips, expressive eyes, and warm skin tone that radiated elegance. There was something about her that made me pause. Not just her looks, but the energy. I could feel it through the screen.

I thanked her for the gift. She laughed and said she didn’t expect me to text.

She said she just wanted to try something bold for once.

And bold it was.

For the next hour, we talked like old friends.

Laughed.

Shared little nothings.

And for once... I wasn’t thinking about him.

I wasn’t lost in the chaos. Evric was always left behind.

My phone buzzed again, and I had three more calls from Evric.

But I didn’t care.

I didn’t answer.

I didn’t even want to.

Because for the first time in what felt like forever...

Someone else was occupying my thoughts.

Just when I thought my life was finally falling back into place, Dean sent me a message, asking if I wanted to meet him at the bar for a drink. Honestly, the entire day had been chaotic, but after talking with Nitammi, something in me shifted. My mood had lightened, like a weight I didn’t know I was carrying had suddenly been lifted. There was a calmness in me I hadn’t felt in a while. It’s a quiet kind of hope.

So, I agreed. A little unwinding wouldn’t hurt.

I was just pulling into the parking lot near the bar Dean mentioned when my phone buzzed. I glanced at the screen.

Evric.

"I’m sick. Can you come to me for a while? I need you."

I stared at the message, my hands gripping the steering wheel tighter. My breath hitched, but I didn’t reply.

Another message followed:

"Are you there?"

I let out a breath and put my phone away, stepping into the bar. The music was already pulsing through the walls, and I spotted Dean waving from a table. I was about to walk over when my phone rang again, this time from an unknown number. I hesitated. At first, I was going to ignore it, probably a client or a cold call. But something nudged me to answer.

I stepped out to the quieter side of the building, pressed the phone to my ear, and said, "Hello?"

A calm but urgent voice replied, "Hello, Mr. Smith. This is Mr. Draeven’s assistant. Can you please come check on him for a while..."

I didn’t let him finish. The moment I heard Draeven... Evric’s full name... I ended the call.

Again? I thought bitterly. Another trick? Another guilt trip?

I tried to shake it off. My fingers were already trembling, but I shoved my phone back into my pocket and walked toward the bar again. I hadn’t even taken two steps when another message arrived from Evric.

"I need you. Please," he wrote.

This time, I paused.

Anger, confusion, sadness, they all churned inside me like a storm refusing to settle.

I picked up my phone and typed back.

"If you’re sick, go to the hospital. Or better yet, call your doctor. Don’t tell me that someone with your power doesn’t have a personal physician."

I hit send. My chest was rising and falling fast, my fingers clenched. I tossed my phone on the table and tried to focus on the dim lights and music, on Dean’s voice, on anything but him.

But the phone wouldn’t stop vibrating.

"Man, just answer it," Dean said, eyeing me. "You look like someone’s about to pass out."

I didn’t respond. My eyes were fixed on the screen.

But my mind... it wouldn’t let go.

What if something’s really wrong?

I picked up the phone again, breathing a little heavier this time. I scrolled through the messages Evric, still begging. His tone no longer felt manipulative. It felt desperate.

Message after message. Call after call. Then, one text caught me off guard.

Not from Evric this time.

It was the assistant again.

"Please, Mr. Smith. He’s not pretending. He’s been throwing up and hasn’t let anyone touch him. He keeps asking for you."

My heart twisted in my chest.

Against my better judgment, I replied.

Send me the location.

Before Dean could ask why I was leaving so early or where I was even going, I was already heading toward the exit.

I don’t know why I’m like this. Maybe it’s because he was my first... the only man who ever made me completely lose myself. The only one who took me to that kind of pleasure, so intense it lingered long after the moment had passed.

I hated how my body still responded to the memory of him.

I didn’t want to want him. I didn’t want to think of him.

But my mind, my foolish, aching mind, wouldn’t let go.

With a sigh of frustration, I slpped into my car and drove to the location the assistant had sent me. I told myself I was just going to hang out and unwind, but deep down, I knew exactly what I was doing.

The moment I arrived, I froze.

From the front gate alone, I could tell this wasn’t just any home. No... this was a paradise carved out of wealth. A mansion that didn’t just whisper luxury, it screamed it. Gleaming marble pillars stood tall like ancient gods, fountains gushed water into crystal-clear basins, and the perfectly manicured lawns looked like something out of a royal estate. The kind of place where nothing was out of place... and nothing was done by accident.

My throat tightened.

Was I even in the right place?

Then came the real surprise.

Security. Tight, intimidating, and everywhere.

Men in tailored black suits lined the entrance, their expressions unreadable behind dark shades. They looked more like bodyguards for a politician than staff for a private home. One of them stepped forward the moment I slowed down, asking for my name and invitation like I was entering a high-level negotiation, not a casual evening with a friend.

I almost turned around.

This couldn’t be the same Evric I’d met, the man who wore confidence like a second skin, but still gave off that casual, flirtatious charm. The evening outside was warm, magnetic. This version... felt different. Caged. Controlled. Powerful in a way that made my skin prickle.

After a thorough security check, they even searched my bag, and I was finally allowed through. The gates opened with a heavy buzz, and I stepped inside what now felt more like a fortress than a home.

I shook the thought off. Don’t overthink this.

But the deeper I walked, the more surreal it became.

Inside, the mansion was a world of its own. High ceilings stretched overhead like cathedral arches, golden chandeliers hanging like stars from the sky. The scent of expensive cologne and leather filled the air. Everything, every painting, every piece of furniture, looked like it belonged in a billionaire’s gallery.

A man I didn’t recognize approached, dressed in black with an earpiece in his ear. He didn’t smile. He didn’t even ask me who I was. He just nodded and said, "Follow me."

There is no room for questions.

I obeyed, heels clicking softly on the marble floor as I was led through the massive living area. Then he stopped at a tall, dark door.

My heart thudded in my chest.

The man turned slightly and spoke, his voice low. "Don’t argue with him. Not until he calms down."

My eyes narrowed. What does that even mean?

Before I could ask, he opened the door with a silver keycard and stepped aside.

And that was it. No explanation. No warning. He simply vanished down the hall, leaving me standing at the threshold of whatever madness waited behind that door.

I hesitated. My hand hovered in the air for a second too long.

Then... I pushed the door open.

And the real madness began the moment I stepped inside.