9 My Temptation

"Where do you think you're going, mouse?"

Isaac aggressively clutched my shoulders and threw me into the backseat of his car. I, fortunately, dodged the top metal of the door before it could violently collide with my head. I turbulently sat on my knees and tugged on the handle repeatedly to force the door open, but my efforts were fruitless.

"It's locked." He commented coldly, devoid of any emotion. "Let's not make this harder than it should be, or I won't be able to guarantee your safety."

My heart plummeted, draining the blood from my face. The crisp menace in his tone was enough to send my body into a frenzy. His bright blue eyes glared at me through the rear-view mirror, rendering my form utterly rigid. I involuntarily quietened in reaction to his warning, strapping the seatbelt in with wobbling hands.

The ride to his mansion was an agonising blur as I awaited the impending chaos. He then proceeded to drag me inside by the hair, then roughly flung my limp body on top of the couch as though I were a ragdoll.

"You fucking monster!" I manically chanted every single profanity that came to mind while leaping to my feet. "This is the second time!" My hand smacked across his tensed jaw, imprinting a red mark on his skin. "How can you be so heartless?" I slapped him again. "How can you take away a human life?!" I attempted to strike him for the third time, but he snatched my wrist and propelled me back onto the couch.

"Took her life?" He cocked his head to the side with deranged confusion. "She's not dead, because of you!" He shouted loudly, causing me to jolt with sudden fright. "You had to meddle in and tarnish everything!"

This was the first time I witnessed his roaring anger, and yet, I didn't care. My emotions were too heightened for me to stop.

"I'm glad I saved her!" My peer held immense hatred and I made sure it was fully visible to him. I derived satisfaction from the fact that he could sense the loathing and revulsion I had for him on behalf of all the victims and their families who have suffered as a result of his evil actions.

"I would have rescued all of your victims, you sick fuck! I wish you'd die instead!" I didn't regret what I said. I meant every single word.

However, I must have hit a nerve because he swiftly pinned my hands above my head and straddled me. His free hand punched the couch's armrest twice, tearing its leather with each blow. I burst into tears, feeling helpless and exhausted.

When will this torture stop? Was I supposed to watch all those innocent people get hurt by a lethal fanatic? Why did I sign that stupid contract?!

I sobbed hopelessly, beaten down and broken into tiny pieces for him to dispose of later. It was easy to visualise all the many ways he could kill me. Would he get away with it? Of course he would. No one gives a fuck about Chloe Thomas… Except for Joel. I wept louder at the thought of leaving my brother alone to fend for himself in a cruel world that wouldn't give two shits as to whether we live or die.

"Crying won't gain my sympathy." He hissed, twisting his hold on my arms. It hurt, but the pain came nowhere near to the internal agony I was enduring.

"Monsters don't feel sympathy, right?" His dangerous eyes displayed a mixture of spite and desire, inducing erogenous pins and needles to run throughout my figure.

There was an airy silence between us. Isaac's weight made me gradually sink further into the soft cushions as he leaned ever so closely. On the contrary, I could feel the muscles tightening in his legs to ensure that he wasn't too heavy. The polar opposite meanings behind his conflicting gestures created cracks in my resolve. I couldn't let that happen!

"I wish I had never signed that contract," I jeered, intending to cause friction between us. "Even being a prostitute would have been better than the horrors you've subjected me to." My expression morphed into one which portrayed vindictiveness. He could strangulate me to death for all I cared, as long as I made him suffer. A tiny bit would also suffice.

"Is that so?" His piercing gaze leisurely travelled to my quivering lips, appearing fixated on them. I shivered in reaction to the bulge prodding my thigh within the fabric of his pants.

This seriously turned him on. A part of me felt super disgusted, whereas the other involuntarily became enticed. The surge of emotions was making me feel sensitive to human contact. It clouded my judgement with confusion and aching sensations.

"Why don't we test that theory?" He proposed unexpectedly. I gaped in response, unaware of what he had planned now. With a sly smirk reaching his hypnotic irises, his index finger sluggishly grazed the lining of my breast.

"Please me like you would a client," he whispered sensually, invoking a surge of adrenaline to course through my veins.

"W-What?" I stammer in disbelief. He abruptly leaned in and I instinctively whipped my face in the opposite direction to avoid his contact.

"Where's all that defiance now?" His teeth nipped my earlobe as a puppy would.

On reflex, I turned toward the stinging and was met by his lips. They lightly brushed against my own, sending bewitching tingles all over. I felt his even breaths on my skin, creating a cool, yet warm, sensation. The slightly painful aches merely intensified as I pressed closer to him. His muscular build stiffened when I widened my legs to make room for his hips. I was out of my mind and simply acted on impulse.

That was until I sensed the vibration of his mouth upon my parted lips. At first, I was entirely mystified, but he soon drew back to reveal his unhinged laughter.

"You'd be foolish to think I'd actually want you." He resumed to cackle, disregarding my stunned expression.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" I gritted, seething with contempt. He played me for an idiot once more. How could I have been so stupid?!

"Don't flatter yourself, mouse. I'm not even remotely interested in you."

"Go fuck yourself." I glowered viciously, baring my teeth.

"Oh? How vulgar, love." He taunted as I attempted to shove him off me, but to no avail. "We both know it's the other way around. You want to fuck me, isn't that right?"

"Get off." I cried, utterly ashamed of myself.

Without another word, Isaac jumped onto the floor and briskly sauntered upstairs as though nothing had happened. I howled to my heart's content until there were no more tears to shed. Laying on the couch lifelessly and numb, I used the time to gather my thoughts.

Meanwhile, Axel decided to visit Morgan at the hospital. He was a close friend of the Cadena family and requested to investigate the incident, then report back to Morgan's parents.

"Good evening, my name is Detective Miles and I'd like to ask you a few questions about your patient." The ward doctor produced a quizzical look, uncertain as to why a detective was snooping around.

"Hello, Mr. Miles. I don't mean to be rude, but why exactly are you involved in such normal circumstances?" The doctor was quite direct, though Axel found it convenient and wasted less of his time.

"Morgan Cadena almost died," Axel commented bluntly. "I'm on official business with her family to ensure that no foul play had occurred."

The doctor rolled his eyes with annoyance, seeming peeved by the detective's poor justification. He would have preferred to go on his break rather than engage in a daunting conversation with Axel over a trivial matter, or so he thought.

"Very well." The doctor caved in, although not without sighing exasperatedly. "The gist of it is that Morgan was at a photoshoot and had a severe allergic reaction to peanuts. She's currently in a coma due to receiving late treatment."

"It's strange how she was left alone when she had the attack," Axel noted, though the doctor appeared unfazed. "It's extremely unusual that she had negligently consumed the very thing she knows is harmful and potentially fatal."

"People become careless sometimes," the doctor spouted nonchalantly, earning a sceptical brow from Axel. "We assess many cases like hers and I've yet to come across one that consisted of intentional malice from a second party."

"I see your point." Axel determined that it would be useless to counter the doctor's narrowminded argument and derail them from the main discussion. "The report states that someone called the ambulance and performed CPR on Morgan. Does that person have a name?"

"Don't we all?" The doctor snorted at his dry humour while Axel remained collected. "We don't have that kind of information. The police might, so they should be pestered by you instead."

"Thank you for your time." Axel's tone was sharp and aloof. He didn't want to spare another moment speaking to the discourteous doctor who clearly felt the same.

The breeze outside was especially icy today. It made the atmosphere all the most ominous as he strolled towards his car. Axel couldn't shake the thought that someone deliberately tried to kill Morgan yet failed.

What he couldn't decipher was whether it was the woman who saved Morgan as some type of daft cover story, or… Was there a third person in the room?

Either way, he needed to discover the truth.