Even the kitchen wasn't spared—there was a bodyguard standing quietly near the fridge, pretending to check his phone but clearly watching every move I made. Only Caeloura and I were in the room, and I had a feeling the knives and sharp objects lying around had something to do with it.
I've learned one thing: demanding answers from him never works. I tried. And failed. Maybe it's karma—because I was the one who orchestrated his abduction. If I hadn't made that call, if I hadn't set things into motion... would we even be here now?
Right now, none of that matters. All I care about is getting out of this place.
A slow grin formed on my lips as I stirred the pan in front of me.
"You know, I'm oddly pleased to see you can cook," Caeloura said, her tone both curious and amused as she watched me tend to the sizzling chicken.
"I picked it up while I was abroad," I said calmly.
It was during one of those rare weekends when Syrelunea and Zhyrionth visited me. They insisted I cook something—my favorite Spanish dish, specifically. Syrelunea has this weird joy whenever I struggle, so I gave in just to see her laugh.
"And that's how I learned," I added.
Under different circumstances, I might've said more. But now, words feel like weights, and I'm already drowning in enough silence.
"Was it because there was no one else to do it for you? Didn't you have help while you were away?" she asked while slicing a rather large fish with practiced ease.
I dropped bacon, onions, and garlic into a pan. The heat wasn't unbearable, but sweat trickled down the side of my face anyway.
"They just wanted me to cook. That's all," I said, keeping my eyes on the food.
Caeloura nodded. "That's good. So, is that all you know how to make?"
"Just breakfast and this."
She chuckled. "You've got a long way to go then. Ser Kaelvynox has a long list of favorite dishes. He'd be impressed if you knew how to make even a few."
I glanced at her sharply. That name. It always makes my spine stiffen.
Now that she mentioned it… what does he like to eat?
"I can teach you," she added brightly. "You know, so you can cook for him someday."
She smiled like she knew something I didn't. I squinted. Her eyebrows even wiggled like she was teasing me.
But I wasn't here to play house or flirt with the captor. I wasn't here for some messed-up domestic fantasy. He kidnapped me. Period.
Under different skies, in another life, maybe I'd have gone ballistic by now. But this island? It belongs to us too. I know Kaelvynox. I know his people. That familiarity helped me climb out of the trauma quicker than most would expect.
Still, I'm not naive. Kaelvynox's intentions are painfully clear: either drain the life out of Velthara Realty or crush our company to dust. And without me at the top, no one else can stop him. Either way, he's a monster in a suit.
"This is done!" I called out, showing Caeloura the golden Spanish Chicken I'd prepared.
She took a spoon, tasted it, then nodded in approval. That nod meant more than words—I actually made something good. I couldn't help but clap lightly.
"Come on," she said, carrying the food toward the dining area.
I wiped the sweat off my forehead. After my morning swim, I'd showered and changed, but now I was damp again from the heat of the stove.
When I walked out of the kitchen, two plates were already on the table—one for me, one for him. Caeloura was arranging the rest: drinks, rice, utensils.
"What about you?" I asked her.
"We'll eat later," she replied with a small shrug.
I nodded and took my seat. The empty chair beside me was clearly his.
When I saw Kaelvynox walking into the dining room, I quickly wiped the sweat from my neck. A few strands of hair clung to my skin. I stopped fidgeting just before he sat down.
I gave him a tight, practiced smile. Maybe if I played my cards right, I'd finally find the cracks in his armor. He raised an eyebrow and sat beside me.
"I made this," I said, trying not to sound too proud.
Caeloura poured juice into his glass. He nodded politely and thanked her, eyes drifting to the dish on the table. Then she came to me and filled my glass too.
"This is called Spanish Chicken," I added, suddenly unsure of myself.
I scooped a portion and placed it on his plate, adding extra sauce. Then I waited—like a student awaiting a teacher's grade.
Kaelvynox picked up his fork and knife, cut a piece, and tasted it. He chewed thoughtfully, glancing sideways at me.
I didn't know what I wanted more: to impress him or to prove that I wasn't broken just yet.
"Do you like it?" I asked casually, though my throat was dry.
He nodded without expression. "It's good."
I swallowed, then looked at my plate. Something shifted inside me, something small but real. I picked up a piece of chicken and placed it on my plate—silently wondering how long I could keep pretending I wasn't already starting to burn.
Knox spooned a heap of rice onto his plate, unbothered and calculated. I followed suit, drizzling extra sauce over my roasted chicken before slicing a small piece. Without a word, he leaned forward and gently scooped rice onto my plate next.
I looked up at him slowly. His eyes were locked onto the food like it held a secret, and though he said nothing, I let him.
The silence between us wasn't comfortable—it was charged. And no matter how much I tried not to, I kept stealing glances at him as he ate.
When I took a bite of my own dish, I almost choked on disappointment. It was missing salt—barely seasoned! Yet he had said it was good?
I narrowed my eyes and turned back to him. "So... now that I'm no longer locked in like a high-profile criminal," I began, testing the waters, "we can be honest, right?"
His head turned slightly, his brows rising just enough to tell me I was annoying him again.
"You didn't actually mean to abduct me, did you?"
He set his fork and knife down—intentionally slow, intentionally heavy.
"I kidnapped you," I said, feigning casual, "but in the end… it feels like you've flipped the roles. You're the one holding me now."
"Do you regret it?" he asked, voice deep and flat like thunder behind a closed door.
I straightened in my seat. No, I didn't. But of course, I gave him the script I was supposed to. "Of course. I'm sorry. I was desperate."
I reached out and placed my hand on his, the one resting just beside his plate. His jaw tightened like a cracked stone. And I smiled—because I saw it. The flicker. The pull.
But it vanished as quickly as it came. He pulled his hand away, expression unreadable.
"Knox, come on! I apologized! Can't we just go back to the City? I can save what's left of my company. And you can do... whatever revenge fantasy you're playing out."
He stared at me for a moment too long. My heart raced with the false hope that he'd actually say yes.
"No," he said, voice like steel.
The air died in my lungs. My appetite vanished completely.
"This is insane!" I hissed, standing up so fast my chair screeched against the floor. "I know I started this. I know I made the mistake. But what you're doing now? It's... it's cruel, Knox. You've made your point!"
He didn't even look at me. "Eat your lunch, Miss Velmireaux."
The frustration boiled over like a cracked kettle. I stared at him, fists clenched on either side of me.
"I took you because I was desperate! My legacy was slipping through my fingers!" I snapped. "And now you're doing the same to me—but why? You don't need money. You don't need leverage. My company's already dying! So what's the point? Are you punishing me? Do you feel powerful now?"
He froze, water glass halfway to his lips. His eyes flickered with something—rage, regret, I couldn't tell.
But I didn't wait. I stormed away, each step echoing through the stone hall. I slammed the door behind me and leaned against it, breath shaky.
Hours passed. I didn't eat. I didn't drink. I didn't cry. I only thought.
About the boardroom riots. About the missing employees. About how Xavrenith must be losing his mind by now.
I had disappeared for two days. I knew someone should be looking for me by now.
And yet... I was still here.
But then something inside me snapped—like a trigger finally pulled.
I pushed my door open, and Calystron, the guard stationed outside, blinked in surprise. But he didn't stop me.
I walked with purpose. Past the stone arches. Down to the winding path of jagged white rock. The sea breeze slammed into me like a slap, but I welcomed it.
The guards smoking near the palm trees noticed, but no one said a word.
Good.
On the sand lay a single jetski. Untouched. Waiting.
With all my strength, I dragged it toward the shore, waves sloshing over my legs as I forced it into the water.
No hesitation.
I climbed on, gunned the ignition, and checked the meter. Full tank.
Good enough.
I turned toward the open sea.
Toward Velmoura Reach—the nearest landmass, a place I knew existed past the horizon like a whisper from an old map.
I wasn't sure how far it was—but I would get there.
I had to.
Because this time, I wasn't escaping just to survive.
I was escaping to win.
The farther I sped away from Narephis Isle, the more erratic the waves grew, crashing against the hull of the sea. My grip on the jetski tightened, heart pounding louder than the engine itself. I knew how to swim—but the waters, dark and ancient, seemed to whisper secrets they shouldn't. Sea monsters, shipwrecks, and shadows haunted the corners of my mind.
I pressed harder on the throttle, the roar of the wind drowning out my breath.
Then I saw it.
A wave. No, a wall of water, rising in the distance like a creature waiting to devour me. My gut twisted in warning. "No, no, no—" I barely screamed before it hit.
The world spun. Cold saltwater slammed into me. I was airborne for a heartbeat—then pain. My knee cracked against the machine and blood curled into the sea like ink in water.
I gasped beneath the surface, disoriented. My limbs scrambled upward through the heavy water. My lungs screamed for air. I thought—this is it. This is how I die.
Then I broke the surface, coughing, eyes wild, waves slapping at me mercilessly. The jetski floated, overturned, just a few feet away. I tried to reach it, but each attempt dragged me backward, like the ocean itself didn't want to let me go.
The current was brutal. My strength faded.
But then—an engine. Low, familiar.
I turned, blinking through sea spray—and saw the obsidian yacht cutting through the water. On the deck, two guards at the controls, and at the prow, like an emperor of storms, stood him.
Kaelvynox.
Gripping the railing with both hands, his expression a brewing hurricane. His eyes locked on me like I had just detonated something sacred.
"Damn it!" I screamed, slamming my hand against the stubborn machine.
The yacht hadn't even stopped moving yet when the water behind me exploded.
A splash. A shadow. Him.
"No!" I shrieked, trying to swim away, frantic and reckless. If the machine wouldn't save me, then I'd swim to the next island myself—even if it killed me.
But something coiled around my waist.
An arm. Strong. Possessive.
"Let me go!" I thrashed.
"Are you out of your damn mind?" His voice crashed like thunder behind my ear.
"I want to leave! Let me go, Kaelvynox!" I shouted again, shoving at him wildly.
With one hand, he pinned both of mine together like it was nothing. His other arm wrapped around my body, locking me in place, dragging me through the waves.
The yacht drew closer.
A bright orange lifebuoy was tossed from above. Calystron. But Knox ignored it.
Instead, he gripped the lowest rail of the yacht's side and lifted me—lifted me like I weighed nothing—and laid me down on the deck.
My ears rang. My throat burned. My vision blurred.
Still, I fought. My body resisted even as it trembled. When I saw him coming up after me, I kicked. Hard.
He stepped back but caught my ankle in time, keeping me down.
Saltwater spewed from my mouth and nose. I choked. Coughed. My lungs begged for mercy.
A guard grabbed me by both arms, dragging me deeper into the yacht.
"Let me handle her," Knox growled.
"Yes, sir," the guard backed off immediately.
My lips quivered. The cold hit me harder now, sharp and merciless. My brain finally caught up to the insanity I had just pulled. What have I done?
He lifted me like I was weightless and set me down on a cushioned chair. The yacht shifted direction—Calystron was steering us back.
A white towel wrapped around me—his hands, warm despite the storm.
I stared at the floor. Breath unsteady. Spirit cracked.
He crouched in front of me, chest rising and falling like he was still chasing the air I'd stolen from him.
"What the hell were you thinking, Zaryn?" he hissed.
"I told you—I wanted to leave! I want to go back to the City!" I cried out. "I apologized! I know what I did was wrong—I kidnapped you, I broke the law, I did everything out of desperation! But you... you're doing this on purpose now! Keeping me here—why?!"
I coughed violently, the sound clawing from my chest. His eyes softened—but only for a second.
He closed the towel tighter around me.
I flinched. "What is this about, huh? Revenge? Over our broken engagement? Over the scandal I caused?" My voice cracked. "You've made your point, Knox! You're better than me, fine! You win. So just let me go... please."
I licked my lips and looked at him—really looked at him. The red in his eyes wasn't just from saltwater. It was rage. It was heartbreak.
"Is this about what happened years ago?" I whispered. "Is that why you're doing this?"
The yacht shifted. I glanced back and saw the jetski being tied to the stern. We were heading back.
But Knox hadn't moved. He stayed in front of me, his hands planted on either side of the chair, boxing me in.
"No," he said.
And somehow, that one word terrified me more than if he'd said yes.
Because if it wasn't revenge…
Then what the hell was it?
"If I've wronged you, I'm sorry," I whispered, my voice trembling like it was made of glass. "I know I'm not built like the heroes in your storybooks. My edges are jagged. My choices? Always complicated. But you don't really think I could hurt you like that, do you?"
Tears slipped down my cheeks, disappearing into the salty sea that licked my skin. He didn't blink. Kaelvynox stared as if my pain deserved no mercy.
Then, without a word, he tugged the towel wrapped around me, pulling me close—closer than I could bear. His lips found mine, scorching hot against the cold. It wasn't gentle. It wasn't kind. It was raw, silent fury. When he pulled back, our noses brushed and I froze. I forgot how to breathe.
"Is this about before?" I asked, barely a murmur. "When I left you?"
The world held its breath with me. He didn't answer right away. Then...
"Yes," he said, his voice low and aching.
My chest tightened. I looked away. "Then... this is punishment."
He didn't deny it. And that silence hurt more than any words could.
I glanced at his arm—tight, flexing, straining like he was at war with himself. He leaned in again, and I hated the rush it sent through me.
He clenched his jaw. A beat of silence passed.
"We'll call Xavrenith when we return," he said coldly.
My eyes snapped to him. He was serious. I didn't speak. Did that mean I was finally leaving Narephis Isle?
By the time we docked, the sun was melting behind the horizon. Kaelvynox stepped off first, his expression unreadable. He offered his hand, but my own were too busy clutching the towel, so he climbed back aboard, arms wrapping around me as he lifted me down like I weighed nothing.
We locked eyes for a second. Something in him looked… distant. Frozen. But his hand still found mine as he led me across the sand, up the winding hill path.
The guards stood in quiet attention as we passed.
"Are you alright, Ma'am?" Caeloura rushed to meet us, her eyes wide.
But Knox didn't even slow down. He pulled me past her like I was his prisoner and prize wrapped into one.
I glanced back at Caeloura. Her hand covered her mouth, stifling a smile at the sight of our hands interlocked. She looked almost... giddy.
Don't read too much into it, I told myself.
As we climbed the steps into the estate, Kaelvynox spoke without turning. "Prepare her clothes and a med kit. Bring them to the study."
He didn't wait for a reply. Neither did I.
Inside, we walked in silence until we reached the door to the room I'd been using.
"Shower. Change. I'll have Caeloura fetch you. I'm calling your cousin."
I nodded, eyes lingering on him longer than I should have. He stood in damp black shorts, bare-chested, saltwater glistening over abs carved like they were sculpted by some vengeful god. He opened the door for me and motioned inside.
Damn it. I was staring.
I stepped in and shut the door. Leaned against it. Let out a shaky breath.
I wasn't breathless because of nearly drowning earlier.
I stood there, eyes closed, one hand to my forehead.
This morning, I was determined to seduce him just to escape. Then I panicked and tried to flee like a wild animal. Now I was just... confused. Overwhelmed. This isn't how things were supposed to go. Maybe it was the stress. Or maybe—no. No, I wouldn't go there.
The hot shower was salvation. My muscles unwound under the stream, and for a moment, the world felt bearable. I gently cleaned the wound on my knee, hissing through the pain. It grounded me.
When I stepped out, Caeloura was there, placing a steaming bowl of soup on the night table.
She looked up and smiled. "Please eat while it's still warm, Ma'am."
I nodded, gaze drawn to the soup's inviting aroma. She didn't leave, just stood there, hands clasped, like she was expecting a secret to spill from my lips.
"You and Sir Kaelvynox seem to be doing well," she said softly.
I snorted. "That's not what this is. I tried to escape. He probably just feels guilty for locking me up on this damned island."
Her smile faltered.
"But Ma'am Zaryn... this is what your parents wanted, isn't it? From the beginning? And honestly, I always thought the two of you would be perfect for each other—"
"Caeloura." My tone turned sharp. Something inside me recoiled.
"But even when you were kids, you liked him—"
"I didn't!" I snapped. "That's not how I felt."
She paused, brows raised. "But is it now, Ma'am?"
I pointed to the door. "Leave."
She hesitated.
Caeloura had worked for my family since she was a teenager—her mother used to run my grandparents' estate. Now she worked for Knox, or maybe... still for both of us.
"I'm going to change."
"Yes, Ma'am. Sir said to eat your soup and head straight to the study when you're done."
I looked over my shoulder, shooting her a warning glare.
She finally moved, stepping quietly out the door.