Riya lay curled up on the bed, her skin littered with red marks, her body sore, and her heart shattered. Tears slid down her cheeks silently as she stared blankly at the man standing by the bed, pulling on his shirt.
She gazed at his broad, muscular back. Mustering her courage, she said, "I did what you wanted. Will you help now?"
He said nothing, continuing to fasten his buttons like he hadn’t heard her.
Clutching the blanket around her naked form, Riya sat up. "Please... Nathaniel can’t see that footage. You said you’d help."
He turned slightly, casting a cold glance over his shoulder. "I never said that."
"What?" she exclaid, shocked.
"You are mistaken," he said flatly, turning fully to face her. "You are the one who said you’d do anything for my help. I never made you any promises. I only gave you an offer to sleep with , and you accepted it willingly. I never said I’d help you in return."
Riya stared at him in disbelief. He had tricked her, used her desperation against her, and threatened her. Then he had taken her in every possible way, tornting her for an hour.
"You bastard," she choked, her body shaking. "How could you treat like this? The Grant family raised like their own, gave everything. If they find out what you did, they’ll destroy you."
The man didn’t flinch. He stepped closer, face calm, unreadable. Then he leaned over and grabbed her jaw, his fingers digging in.
"You really think you can threaten ?" he snarled dangerously. His grip tightened.
Riya winced. She grabbed his wrist, trying to pry him off, but her struggles made him only squeeze her harder.
"I can ruin you in seconds," he hissed. "All I need to do is send the footage to Nathaniel, and the rest he will do."
Riya froze. The ntion of Nathaniel, of him seeing that video, made her stomach twist.
"And you think you can expose to your precious foster parents?" he sneered. " Go ahead. But I’ll tell you sothing - I’ve got sothing on you that’ll make them wish they never took you in. They’ll be too ashad to even look at you."
"What do you an?" Her voice trembled as doubt and fear warred inside her.
He smirked and loosened his hold slightly, nodding toward the flower vase on the nightstand.
"There is a cara hidden in there," he said. "It recorded everything that happened in this room."
Riya snapped her head toward the vase, horror washing over her like ice water. The color drained from her face.
"I wonder how they’ll react," he said slowly, "when they see you naked and tied to this bed. The way you moaned when I touched you there..."
"Stop," she cried frantically, tears spilling down her cheeks. "Please, stop."
Sha crushed her. The mory of what happened twisted in her gut.
"I called you uncle," she choked out between sobs. "And you did that to . Don’t you feel any guilt?"
"Guilt?" he scoffed. "You are not even blood. You call Nathaniel your brother, but you lusted after him, want to be in his bed, be his woman. You spiked his drink, rember? If you feel no sha, why should I?"
Riya fell silent. She had no defense, no words.
"And calling uncle has nothing to do with ," he added coldly, his fingers trailing along her jaw. "It’s just because my dear half-brother took you in out of gratitude he felt toward your father and grandfather. I owe them nothing. And I never saw you as family. Not once."
Suddenly, his hand shot to her throat, squeezing hard enough to make her choke.
Riya’s eyes widened in panic. Her hands clutched at his wrist. Fear made her tremble more and more.
"I’ve wanted you for a long ti," he hissed. "Even before the Grants adopted you. But you never looked my way. You chased after Nathaniel instead."
He yanked her closer until their faces nearly touched.
"I’m only five years older than he is. I’m still young, single, and strong. So why can’t you be with ? Why him? Why are you clinging to a man who is married, a father of a child?"
Riya’s insides twisted. She had always felt uneasy around him, always kept her distance. But tonight, that barrier had shattered. He had taken what he wanted, crushing her pride, making her submit to him. She was afraid and wanted to run far away from him.
"Let go," she whispered, barely holding herself together. "Please."
He stared at her, breathing hard, then suddenly released her and turned away. "Get out," he barked.
Riya didn’t waste a second. She bolted off the bed, scooping up her scattered clothes and pulling them on with shaking hands. Her only thought was to get out, to escape. But then his voice cut through the air, freezing her mid-motion.
"Just rember this: the mont you walk out that door, the video goes straight to Nathaniel."
Her heart seed to stop beating. She spun to face him, her chest heaving.
"You said I could leave," she said.
He shrugged, gesturing casually toward the door. "Go ahead. I’m not stopping you."
But her feet wouldn’t move. Her mind raced. Nathaniel couldn’t see that video—no one could. Panic clawed up her throat.
"You can’t do this," she said, desperation rising. "You can’t send that to him."
"You don’t get to tell what I can or can’t do," he snapped. "I’ll do whatever I want."
Riya’s voice cracked as she exclaid helplessly, "Then what do you want?"
He tilted his head, amused at how desperate she was. "Do you really want to know?"
She paused, her stomach turning. She didn’t trust him—she hated him—but right now, she had no leverage, no plan. She had to play along... at least for now.
"Yes," she said with a nod, forcing strength into her voice. "Tell what you want. I’ll do it."
She swallowed hard. She had already slept with him tonight. If he wanted to toy with her for a few more tis, she’d endure it.
He was strong, good-looking, and filthy rich—just like Nathaniel. She hated herself for thinking it, but a part of her couldn’t deny what had happened between them tonight. The pleasure he forced from her body had left a mark she couldn’t forget.
If this were the price to protect her secrets, to shield her dignity, she’d pay it.
A glint of triumph flickered in his eyes briefly, but he smoothed his expression back to cool detachnt. He turned, opened the nightstand drawer, and pulled out a folder.
Handing it to Riya, he said in a commanding tone, "Sign it."
Riya opened the folder. Her blood ran cold when she saw ’Contract for a Secret Lover’ written in bold, black letters on the top.
Her hands trembled, and she almost dropped the folder.
"Be my secret lover," he said. "For the next three years, you’ll belong to . You can’t be with another man during this ti. You are not allowed to have a relationship with anyone else. You’ll stay loyal, co to whenever I call, and give yourself to whenever and wherever I choose. You are not allowed to say no to ."
His presence pressed down on her. "If you break the rules or try to deceive , I’ll ruin you."
The ground seed to slip away. Riya’s knees buckled, and she sank back onto the bed. The folder fell on the floor.
But he didn’t stop there. He moved in and lifted her chin.
"Obey , and I’ll protect you. You’ll have nothing to fear."
Through the haze of dread, a spark of hope flickered in her chest.
"You an... if I sign this, you’ll help ?" she asked with anticipation brimming in her heart. "You’ll destroy the footage? Nathaniel will never know?"
He brushed his thumb across her lips. "I take care of what’s mine," he drawled. "Be my girl, and you’ll have my protection."
That was it. Riya didn’t hesitate. She picked up the folder and signed without reading a single word.
He chuckled softly, a dark amusent glinting in his eyes as he took the folder from her. "Didn’t even bother to read it," he murmured.
"You said you’d protect ," she replied, forcing a small smile. "I trust you."
His lips curled into a sly grin. "I like it when you surrender like that."
He slipped the folder back into the drawer.
Then Riya reached out, catching his wrist. "So... what should I call you?" she asked, trying to please him. "Mr. Grant? Zachery? Or... Daddy?"
He froze. His gaze dropped to her hand, then lifted to her eyes, his expression turning serious.
The next minute, his fingers clamped around her jaw. "Don’t call by my na," he grunted out coldly. "You are not allowed."
His grip eased slightly. "When we are alone, call Master. Understood?"
Riya trembled under the intensity of his glare. She gave a curt nod.
"Say it," he ordered.
"Master," she said.
A crooked smile flickered across his face before he crushed his mouth to hers into a bruising kiss. He pushed her back onto the bed, claiming her all over again.
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