CHAPTER 73: CHAPTER 73

"Stop! Let go, you fucking bastard!" Avril screamed, her voice raw with pain and desperation.

Her blonde hair was yanked taut, strands snapping under Jason’s merciless grip, the sharp sound of tearing roots echoing in her ears like a cruel symphony. Her scalp burned, as if he was about to rip it clean off.

Jason’s face was a mask of cold indifference, his eyes glinting with ruthless determination. He didn’t flinch at her cries, his hand tightening, pulling harder, as if her pain was just background noise to his mission.

"Fuck! I can’t take it!" Avril wailed, tears streaming down her bruised face. "Okay, I’ll pay! I’ll get the money! I’ll make my family borrow every fucking dollar to get you your million bucks!"

Her words, desperate and broken, finally made Jason loosen his grip. A handful of torn hair clung to his palm, and he brushed it off with a sneer, his voice dripping with disdain. "What a pathetic little bitch. Without a taste of real pain, you’d never scrape together that hundred million in your miserable life."

Avril hung her head, her spirit crushed, her once-fiery defiance reduced to ash. She didn’t dare speak, not even to curse him, as his venomous words sank into her like knives.

Jason pulled out the high-tech phone Stanfield had given him, its sleek surface hiding a world of untraceable secrets. He shoved it in her face. "Alright, pop star, time to shine. Call your mommy and tell her to get that money together in three days. Try anything cute—call the cops, stall for time—and you’ll wish you’d never been born. You know what I’m capable of."

Avril nodded frantically, her trembling hands snatching the phone. The arrogance that had defined her career, her untouchable aura as America’s pop queen, was gone, shattered by Jason’s brutality. She dialed her mother, her voice shaking as the call connected.

"Mommy!" She choked out, her throat tight with fear.

"Avril! Oh my God, you’re alive!" Her mother’s voice was frantic, teetering on the edge of hysteria. "Your bodyguards said you vanished. We were about to call the police!"

Avril swallowed hard, forcing herself to sound calm. "I’m... I’m okay. I just needed some space, staying with a friend for a few days." The lie tasted bitter, but she had no choice.

"But you’ve got a studio session tomorrow for the new single," Her mother protested, confusion lacing her tone. "Your manager’s expecting you."

"Tell him to push it back," Avril said, her voice cracking. "I’ve got something more important. I’m in deep shit, Mom. I need a hundred million dollars in three days. Empty my accounts—sell my houses, stocks, cars, art, everything."

"A hundred million?!" Her mother’s voice spiked with shock. "What the hell did you do?"

"Don’t ask!" Avril snapped, her fear bubbling over. "This is life-or-death, Mom. It’s critical."

"Okay, okay," Her mother stammered. "But even selling everything, we won’t hit a hundred million."

"Then borrow it!" Avril’s voice rose, desperate. "Use my name, hit up my industry friends, the label, banks—whatever it takes. I’ve got three days, Mom. Three fucking days to get that money, or I’m dead."

"I’ll try," Her mother whispered, her voice trembling with dread. "I’ll do everything I can."

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Avril hung up, but relief didn’t come. Her body sagged against the cold iron chair, her energy drained, her soul hollowed out. Even if her mother pulled off a miracle and got the money, a hundred million in debt would chain her for life. Would she really have to sell her body in some foreign hellhole, like Jason had threatened? The thought made her stomach churn, her heart sinking into a pit of despair.

Jason’s face lit up with a smug, predatory grin. "Good girl. You stay right here for the next three days. The second that money hits my account, you’re free to go. But fuck with me, and you’ll regret it."

Avril’s head bowed lower, her voice barely a whisper. "I won’t."

"Smart choice," Jason said, turning to Harley. "You’re on guard duty. Keep her ass in line."

Harley’s face brightened, her eyes sparkling with fangirl glee. "Can I get her to sing, babe?"

Jason shrugged, his lips twitching. "Sure, why not? Singing’s not punishment." He glanced at Christine, his expression hardening. "You, come with me."

Christine frowned, confused but wary, and followed him out of the dilapidated room, her heels clicking on the cracked concrete floor.

Inside, Harley turned to Avril, her smile wide and obsessive. "So, idol, which song should we start with? ’Complicated’? Oh, I fucking love that one!"

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Outside, in the desolate factory lot, the air was thick with the scent of rust and decay. Christine crossed her arms, her sharp gaze fixed on Jason’s broad back. "What’s this about? You’re gonna apologize for being a dick on the phone earlier?"

Jason’s voice was flat, devoid of warmth. "I can tell Avril’s not lying. Her finances are shit, just like she said."

Christine’s brow furrowed, her irritation flaring. "What the fuck are you talking about?"

He spun to face her, his eyes blazing with barely restrained anger. "Don’t play dumb, Christine. You and Avril are in the same damn industry. You knew her money situation, but back at the hotel, you fed me that bullshit about her being loaded. Care to explain?"

Christine’s lips curved into a light, dismissive smile. "Oh, that? You said you needed cash, not how much. I figured ten or twenty million was a fortune to most people."

Jason’s face darkened, his voice dropping to a dangerous growl. "Don’t fucking lie to me, Christine. You think you can jerk me around and get away with it?"

Her eyes locked onto his, and for a moment, the air crackled with tension. She saw the fury in his gaze, the kind that didn’t bluff. This wasn’t the Jason she’d known years ago, the one who’d fucked her senseless in dark alleys. This Jason was harder, colder, a man who’d burn the world down to get what he wanted.

She sighed, her shoulders slumping in rare defeat. "Fine, I’m sorry. I used you, okay? Avril was a convenient target, and I knew you’d bite."

Jason stepped closer, his presence looming. "You know what happens when you fuck me over?"

"I can make it right," Christine said quickly, her voice steady despite the fear creeping up her spine. "I’ll give you ten million, cash, if you answer one question."

"I don’t give a shit about your questions," Jason snapped, his eyes cold as steel.

Christine’s temper flared, her own fire rising to match his. As one of America’s hottest stars and the shadow leader of the Black Organization, she wasn’t used to being talked to like this. "Then we’re done here," She said, her voice icy. "Fuck off."

Jason’s laugh was dark, menacing. "You think you can use me and then kick me to the curb? Not a chance." His grin turned feral. "Kidnapping one’s easy. Kidnapping two? Even better. Let’s see how much I can squeeze out of you."

He lunged, moving like a predator. "Shit!" Christine cursed, her face twisting with rage and dread.

She’d underestimated him. Their shared history—years of passion, fights, and fucking —had made her think he’d let her slide with a slap on the wrist. But this Jason, hardened by three years of chaos, was a different beast. Stronger, crazier, and completely fucking unhinged.

Christine threw up a fighting stance, but Jason’s fist slammed into her arm with bone-crushing force. Pain shot through her, her teeth gritting as she staggered back. "You fucking asshole!" She spat, her voice dripping with venom. "You’re gonna regret this!"

Jason didn’t let up, his speed overwhelming her defenses. She dodged and weaved, her heels scraping the gravel, but he was relentless, a storm of fists and fury. Another punch caught her in the gut, doubling her over with a gasp of agony. Her hand reached for her concealed pistol, but Jason was already behind her, his hand slicing down in a brutal chop to her neck.

With a soft thud, Christine crumpled to the ground, unconscious, her body sprawled in the dirt. Jason stood over her, his chest heaving, his eyes cold with triumph. The night was his, and no one—not even Christine—would stand in his way.

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