Chapter 68

Aidan

Muscles strained against the cords binding my wrists, the fibers of the rope biting into my skin. My chest tightened, a drumbeat of fear and fury thumping through my veins as I watched him – Raphael, that snake – circle Ivy like a predator. Her company, her dream on the line, all because of my own damned mistakes.

Anger surged through me as I had to watch her sign that paper and hand it over to him.

And then, in a not so surprising twist, Raphael announced he was never going to release me in the first place.

Yeah, no shit.

"Running a legitimate business isn't as easy as you think," Ivy was saying, her voice steady. "You'll need me to manage it, or it will fall apart. Without me, you'll lose everything you think you've gained."

"You make a compelling argument," Raphael said, grinning. "Which is why I am also making you mine."

I knew it. That bastard was always jealous of what I had.