The room went silent. Too silent.
Alicia's heart slammed so violently against her ribs she was sure it must echo in the vast dining room. Liam's words still hung in the air, casual in tone, but sharpened like a blade: "Who were you texting earlier?"
Her fork trembled in her hand. "I… I wasn't"
His thumb pressed harder into her chin, silencing the protest. Those obsidian eyes narrowed, searching her face like he could strip away every layer until the truth spilled out, naked and damning.
"Try again."
Her breath caught. Her pulse thundered. She forced a laugh, too brittle. "I wasn't texting anyone, Liam. You can check my phone if you want."
She prayed he wouldn't. She'd hidden it in the bathroom drawer, as though distance could erase the proof.
His lips curved, but it wasn't a smile. It was the dangerous shift of a predator circling prey.
"Hmm." He tilted his head, studying her. "You offer it too easily. Which makes me think you've already hidden what you don't want me to see."
Her blood went cold.
"Liam, please...."
He didn't raise his voice. He didn't need to. He leaned down, brushing his lips against her ear, his breath warm. "Do you think I don't notice when you disappear a little too long in the bathroom? When your pulse spikes every time your pocket vibrates? You think I don't see you?"
Her knees weakened. Panic clawed her chest. She tried to steady her voice, to cling to whatever composure she could salvage.
"You're overthinking," she whispered.
"Am I?" His hand slid down her neck, slow, possessive, wrapping lightly around her throat…..not choking, not yet, but reminding her how easily he could. "Or are you underestimating me?"
Her breath shuddered.
He kissed her jaw, soft and lingering, as though the affection itself was a threat. "Who was it, Alicia? Say the name."
Her mind spun. Chloe's face flashed before her. Her brother's voice. Her mother. Everyone outside these walls who still represented freedom. She couldn't give them up. Not to him.
"No one," she forced out. "It was… just spam. Some promotional text. Nothing important."
The silence stretched. His grip tightened just a fraction, enough to make her swallow hard. His thumb traced lazily over her pulse point, like he was measuring every beat.
Then he chuckled. Low. Dangerous. "A bold lie."
Her stomach dropped.
"But lies," he murmured, lips grazing her skin, "can be useful. They reveal just how far someone is willing to go. Do you know what I do to liars, Alicia?"
Her hands trembled. She shook her head.
He smiled then slow, deliberate, chilling. "I make them prove themselves."
He dragged her from the dining room without another word. His grip was firm, inescapable, pulling her back into the penthouse's master suite where shadows clung to the corners.
Her breath came shallow, panic clawing higher with every step. She wanted to scream, to run, but she forced herself still. Resistance would only feed him.
He shut the door behind them, the lock clicking like the sound of a prison gate.
"Take off your clothes," he ordered softly.
Her breath stuttered. "Liam…"
"Now."
Her body moved before her mind caught up, trembling fingers unbuttoning the silk blouse, sliding the skirt down her hips, until she stood in nothing but the lingerie he'd chosen that morning. She wrapped her arms around herself, exposed under his scorching gaze.
He circled her slowly, like a hunter inspecting the prey caught in his snare. Every inch of his stare felt like a chain, binding her tighter.
"You say you weren't lying," he said finally, stopping in front of her. "Good. Then prove it."
Her throat tightened. "How?"
He leaned closer, lips brushing hers in a ghost of a kiss. "By giving me everything. No hesitation. No resistance. Nothing hidden."
Her stomach flipped. She knew what he meant. She knew this was his game, his test. If she flinched, if she hesitated, if she clung too hard to the freedom she secretly craved, he'd know.
Her voice cracked. "Liam, please… you don't need to do this."
"Oh, but I do." His smile was cold, dangerous. "Because if you belong to me, Alicia… there can be no secrets. Not one."
He stripped her down further, peeling away the lace until she was utterly bare, trembling under his control. His hands roamed slow and deliberate, mapping her like territory he owned, each touch a question she couldn't afford to answer wrong.
Every gasp, every moan he coaxed from her felt like a betrayal of her hidden plan with Chloe. She hated that her body betrayed her, that her skin burned for him even as her heart screamed to escape.
"Look at me," he demanded, voice sharp when her eyes tried to close. "If you're mine, you don't look away."
She obeyed, eyes locking with his obsidian stare, even as tears blurred her vision.
"Good," he praised darkly. "Better."
He drew her deeper into his test….forcing her to respond, to yield, to prove with every shuddering breath that she was loyal. And all the while, his whispers cut sharper than his touch.
"You think I don't know?"
"You think I can't smell another name on your lips?"
"You'll break before I do, Alicia. You always will."
Her body shook. Her mind screamed. And yet…..somewhere in the chaos….she realized this was her chance.
If she played the part perfectly….if she let him believe she was loyal, pliant, his…..then maybe, maybe Chloe's plan could still work.
So she gave him what he demanded. Every gasp. Every surrender. Every whispered, trembling "yes."
Even as her soul fractured. Even as guilt choked her. Even as her secret burned hotter than the fire of his touch.
When it was finally over, when she collapsed against him trembling and spent, his hand stroked her hair almost gently. Almost.
"You proved yourself tonight," he murmured against her temple. "For now."
Her chest ached. For now.
Which meant he still didn't believe her. Not completely.
And tomorrow at midnight…..when Chloe came for her…..Liam would either still suspect… or already know.