Sweet Hatred Chapter 57: Darkness

"This is where we part ways," he said casually, already moving toward the car at the front.

I frowned. "What?"

Kael paused, looked over his shoulder at . "I have sothing to handle. You’ll be dropped off at ho."

He said it like it was nothing. Like this was always the plan. I hadn’t even gotten the chance to ask what the hell happened with the Shimizu deal—or if Shoji was still breathing.

"You’re not coming with ?" I asked, more surprised by how... unsettled that made feel.

Kael smirked faintly, hand on the door handle. "Aw, you’ll miss already?"

"I’ll miss the thrill of wondering whether or not I’ll get sued because of you," I said with a scowl, folding my arms.

He didn’t reply right away. Just stared at for a second longer than I was comfortable with—like he was trying to read .

Then, as if nothing mattered, he opened the door and slid into the backseat.

"Take care of yourself, Aria," he said through the cracked window. "Try not to get into trouble or anything."

I rolled my eyes so hard it hurt. "Go to hell, Kael."

His grin widened like he found my irritation soothing. Then his car pulled off and left standing there, stupidly staring at the fading black outline of the man I couldn’t stop thinking about.

My driver stepped out and opened the door to the second car. "Miss?"

I shook myself back into reality and climbed in without another word.

I leaned back in the seat, finally letting out a breath I’d been holding since we left the airport. The city rolled by in a blur through the tinted window, all sharp corners and golden sunlight, but my mind was still stuck on last night. On Kael. On the blood. The kiss. The way his eyes went cold after the fight like nothing happened at all.

My phone buzzed in my lap, pulling out of my thoughts. I blinked down at the screen.

Olivia.

I answered with a steady voice I didn’t feel. "Hey."

"Oh, I thought you weren’t going to pick up."

"Do you not want to?" I asked, half teasing, half tired.

"Of course not," she sighed, her tone soft but edged with sothing guilt-inducing. "You barely co ho these days."

I bit down on the pang in my chest. She wasn’t wrong.

"It’s just work. I’m sorry."

"Mom’s been asking about you."

That hit right in the stomach. Guilt, deep and heavy.

"Has she been discharged?"

"No, not yet. The doctor thinks it’s best she stays a little longer. They’re still monitoring her closely."

I swallowed hard. I had been so wrapped up in Kael’s world that I’d almost forgotten my own existed.

"Okay," I whispered. "I’ll go see her today."

"Kaleb misses you too. He keeps asking when you’re coming ho. And his birthday’s coming up—you rember?"

I winced. More obligations. More money.

"I rember."

"And... Michael," she added, hesitating.

I braced myself, already hearing the trouble in her pause.

"What? Did he finally beco useful?"

"Ah, well..." She hesitated. "He got a friend to help him out... This crypto thing..."

"And?" I muttered, tension already climbing my spine.

"It turned out to be a scam."

My stomach dropped.

"How much?"

"It’s... it’s a lot, Aria."

"Just tell the damn number."

She exhaled shakily. "About a hundred... thousand dollars."

"What?" My voice exploded. "Olivia, what the actual fuck?"

"Aria, w-wait. He can explain himself, just—please co ho first—he could go to jail—"

I clenched my jaw, rage and anxiety mixing like acid in my chest.

"I’m already on my way ho," I growled. "So I better find him there—"

Before I could finish, the car jolted violently. My body slamd forward into the seatbelt with a force that knocked the breath out of .

"What the—?"

The driver cursed, fighting for control. The tires screeched as the car ca to a complete, jarring stop.

My head snapped up—and my blood turned to ice.

Six masked figures surrounded the car like wraiths in the dark. One of them lunged for the driver’s door, yanking it open and dragging the man out like a rag doll. I heard the sickening thud of a punch, then the crunch of a body hitting the pavent. My stomach sank to the bottom.

"Aria?" Olivia’s voice was sharp in my ear.

But I couldn’t answer. I couldn’t breathe.

My phone slipped from my trembling fingers as one of them reached for my door.

He yanked it open.

I scread.

Instinct surged through , and I kicked—hard—slamming my foot into his chest. He stumbled back with a grunt. I lashed out again, catching another in the shin, then swung my bag straight into the face of a third. A dull crack. A curse.

Two down.

But more were already coming. Stronger. Faster. My breath hitched. What the fuck was going on? Kidnappers? Ard Robbers?

Hands closed around my arms. I twisted, clawing and kicking. I bit down on flesh, tasted blood. A sharp yank pulled my hair back, and I scread again, raw and wild.

"Let go!"

A fist crashed into my side. Pain exploded in my ribs. My vision blurred. Another hand slamd into the back of my head. The world tilted. My knees gave out. And then—darkness swallowed everything.

I woke up shivering.

My head throbbed, every inch of my body aching like I’d been thrown into a storm and spit back out. My eyes fluttered open to shadows. Cold. Grey. Nothingness.

My breath caught in my throat as the chill of the air wrapped around . I tried to move—and that’s when I heard it.

Clink.

tal. Tight. Restricting.

I looked down, and my heart dropped to my stomach.

Chains.

Thick cuffs circled both my wrists, bolted to the arms of a steel chair. My ankles were bound too, forcing my legs still. Panic rose like bile in my throat.

What the hell...?

The room was large, hollow, with barely any light save for a single flickering bulb dangling from the ceiling. The walls were cent. Cold sweat clung to my skin. My clothes were still on, but everything felt twisted and wrong.

Then I saw them.

n. At least four. Dressed in black, masked, holding rifles like it was second nature. One leaned against the wall, smoking. Another sat sharpening a knife, its edge glinting under the flickering light. The rest paced like animals caged too long.

I wasn’t dreaming.

I was sowhere real.

Sowhere dangerous.

My breaths quickened. I tugged at the chains, harder. Twisted my wrists, ignoring the sting as the tal bit into my skin. There had to be a way out, there had to—

"Stop moving!" one of them barked, his voice sharp and laced with warning.

I froze.

He stepped forward, gun in hand, lifting it slightly—not enough to aim, but enough to make a point.

I swallowed hard, my throat dry and scratchy. I didn’t dare speak. I couldn’t even think clearly. My mind was racing, conjuring every possible nightmare I’d ever imagined.

What did they want? Who were they?

Where was Kael?

The man stared down for a second longer before stepping back into place, muttering sothing to the others.

And then, like a shift in air, a presence entered the room.

Heavy, commanding.

Every single one of them stiffened.

Footsteps echoed—asured, deliberate—before a tall man stepped through the doorway. He wasn’t masked. He didn’t need to be. Confidence oozed from him in a way that made my skin crawl. Dressed in sleek black, his eyes were sharp and void of warmth.

He was the one in charge.

And he was looking at like I was his new toy.

He took his ti walking toward .

Each step was slow, heavy boots thudding against the cracked floor, echoing through the room like a countdown. The others—those ard shadows—stood straighter, heads slightly lowered like soldiers before a general.

So he was the one they answered to.

He stopped a few feet away from , hands behind his back, a cruel smile curling at the corners of his mouth as he drank in my chained state.

"You’re smaller than I imagined," he said, voice low and mocking. "Feisty, too, I heard."

"What the fuck do you want from ?" I raised my voice, titling my head to match his gaze. I stared back, trying not to let the tremble in my limbs show.

"You don’t know , do you?" he mused, head tilting slightly. "Not that it matters. You’re not here because of what you did. You’re here because of who you work for."

My heart stopped for a beat. My breath hitched.

Kael. Of course it was him. Why else would anyone take an interest in abducting ?

"Why are you doing this?" I asked, my voice hoarse and unsteady. "Who’s paying you for this?"

He chuckled, dark and amused. "Curiosity’s cute, but you’re not getting any answers, princess. Just know this—you’ve crossed the wrong person. Nothing more."

I clenched my jaw. "If this is about Kael—"

"Shhh." He moved closer, leaned down, his face inches from mine. "Don’t ruin the mystery. Fear tastes better when it lingers."

Disgust churned in my gut. I wanted to spit in his face, scream at him, anything—but my voice caught in my throat. I was outnumbered. Chained. Helpless.

He straightened, then looked over his shoulder at the others. "Leave her."

And just like that, they filed out, one by one. The last man slamd the heavy door shut behind him with a small chuckle, sealing in with the darkness.

I scread.

I thrashed in the chair, pulling against the chains until the tal tore at my skin, sweat slipping cold down my face.

"Let out!" I yelled into the emptiness. "Sobody help !"

But there was no answer.

Only the sound of my own panicked breaths echoing off the walls. I sat there, heart pounding, every second feeling like an hour. I didn’t know how much ti passed. Maybe minutes. Maybe days. The dark was endless.

But I couldn’t fall apart. Not now.

I forced myself to breathe. To think. There had to be a way. Kael had to realize I was missing. Soone had to.

Right?

Then—just when I thought I’d been left to rot in silence forever—I heard it.

Clack. Clack. Clack.

Heels.

Slow. Confident.

A woman.

A dark, feminine chuckle followed, sending a chill down my spine.

Who the hell was that?