Zara couldn't believe where she had gone wrong.
In a mere couple of days, she had gone from being the heiress with a bright future to being locked up in prison.
And now that her life was finally free, or so she thought, she had entered a new form of bondage.
One that saw her in a relationship with a complete stranger.
A stranger that she found repulsive.
Even as she sat opposite Kai Frost in his elegant office, she couldn't help but squirm as he intensely gazed at her, like she was his trophy.
She hated the fact that this was his line of thinking.
"So, Zara Blake. I told you not to go running in front of cars, and the next thing you do, is run in front of a man with a knife."
Kai chuckled, seemingly amused by his own choice of words.
"Don't you know that's even more dangerous?"
"And what do you care, Mr Frost." Zara asked, her tone laced with irritation.
"Well, I don't. But you cost me, and I figured I had to make your life miserable in some sort of way didn't I?"
"Cost you?" Zara wondered out loud. Kai quickly furrowed his brows, almost like he had said what he shouldn't have.
"Nah never mind. I'd always been curious about you, Zara, and when your friend came knocking at my door for help, I realised I should gain from it in some sort of way. We all want something, don't we?"
Zara looked him dead in the eyes, saying absolutely nothing.
Zara looked him dead in the eyes, saying absolutely nothing.
Kai leaned back in his chair, amused by her silence. The top button of his silk shirt was undone, revealing a glint of the gold chain nestled against his chest. Everything about him screamed wealth and danger—an infuriating combination that only unsettled Zara more.
"I'm not some object you can bargain with," she finally said, her voice low but sharp. "I don't belong to anyone."
"Didn't say you did," Kai replied smoothly, his gaze unwavering. "But you did sign a contract. Half your day, remember?"
Zara clenched her fists in her lap. "A contract I was forced into."
Kai raised a brow. "Forced? You had a choice, princess. Jail, or me. You picked me. Smart move, considering the food I serve is better."
She stood abruptly, the chair scraping across the marble floor of his office. "This isn't a game. I'm not your toy. I'm not your arm candy."
He tilted his head. "Not yet."
Zara's glare could've cut glass.
Kai smirked again, rising to his feet as well. He circled the desk slowly, stopping just a few steps from her. The teasing glint in his eyes dimmed for a brief moment, replaced by something more calculating—almost curious.
"Tell me something, Zara," he said, voice quieter now. "What would you do if you had power again? Real power. Would you burn your family to the ground, or take your crown back with a smile?"
Zara blinked, caught off guard by the question. "Why do you care?"
"I don't," he lied. "But I like watching people rise from the ashes. Or crash and burn trying."
He reached into the drawer behind him and pulled out a small black card, sliding it across the desk toward her. The Frost Mafia logo she had become all too familiar with gleamed in gold, an arctic wolf wearing a crown.
"You'll be accompanying me to the Apex Investors Gala tomorrow night. Your name's already on the list."
"I never agreed—"
"You signed a contract," he interrupted, lips curling. "You're mine for twelve hours a day. That includes nights when I need a date."
"And do you want everyone there to see me as the side chick of some crime boss?"
Kai laughed.
"You flatter me, princess. But of course, the public eye doesn't know me as some gang leader. They only know me as the CEO of Frost industries. Sure, they'll have their suspicions that I'm into some illegalities but what noble family in Imperial Cutt doesn't? Even your father's—"
"Don't mention his name!" Zara snapped, and Kai smirked a little.
He was always drawn to that feistiness.
"So I will see you tomorrow."
Her lips parted to argue, but no words came out. He knew how to trap her in a web of obligations, legalities, and grey morals. And the worst part was—he was enjoying it.
As Zara turned on her heel and stormed out, Kai watched her with an unreadable expression. Something flickered behind his eyes—something darker, deeper.
She was interesting. And he didn't do interesting very often.
Not since the last woman who betrayed him.
"You can pick a limousine on your way out", he yelled, as she walked out the door.
"I'll call an Uber, thanks", she yelled back.