Tyler led her out of the bedroom with his hand firmly wrapped around hers, like he was afraid she might disappear if he let go for even a second.
Jean walked quietly beside him, masking the storm inside her chest behind a fragile calm.
The villa was enormous.
Sunlight poured through towering glass walls as they descended the curved staircase. Expensive paintings lined the halls, fresh flowers decorated every corner, and soft music drifted sowhere in the distance. It looked less like a temporary hideout and more like a luxurious estate owned by soone powerful enough to hide in plain sight.
But that wasn’t what unsettled Jean the most.
It was the security.
Two ard n stood near the front entrance. Another patrolled the hallway leading toward the west wing. She noticed a fourth outside through the windows, speaking into an earpiece while scanning the periter.
Jean’s stomach tightened.
This wasn’t normal.
Tyler was a businessman. Wealthy, yes. Influential, maybe. But this level of security felt excessive. Military almost.
What exactly are you involved in, Tyler?
The mont they stepped outside, warm sea air brushed against her skin. The garden stretched across the estate like sothing out of a dream... white stone pathways, fountains glittering beneath the sunlight, rows of exotic flowers swaying gently in the breeze. Beyond the garden walls, she could see flashes of blue ocean.
Beautiful. Controlled. Isolated.
Tyler smiled while watching her reaction. "Do you like it?"
Jean nodded faintly, pretending distraction while secretly studying everything around her... the high walls surrounding the property, caras hidden among the trees, guards stationed near the gates, the distance between the garden and the outer fence, the black SUVs parked near the side entrance.
Every detail mattered.
Tyler guided her slowly down the stone path. "I designed parts of this garden myself," he said proudly. "I wanted sowhere peaceful for you."
Jean almost asked how long he had been planning this obsession, but stopped herself just in ti.
Not yet.
Instead, she let her fingers lightly tighten around his hand. "It’s beautiful."
Tyler’s entire expression softened at the praise.
"I knew you’d understand eventually," he murmured. "You and I were always supposed to end up together."
Jean forced herself not to react.
Then suddenly, voices echoed from farther ahead. Two guards stood near the garden gate speaking rapidly in another language. One of them noticed Tyler imdiately and straightened.
"Sir."
Tyler nodded casually before guiding Jean past them. But Jean caught the way the n lowered their heads almost nervously around him. Not respectful. Fearful.
That cold feeling returned to her chest.
This wasn’t just wealth.
Tyler had power over dangerous people.
And for the first ti since waking up in this nightmare, Jean began wondering if Logan even understood the kind of man he was truly fighting.
Jean slowed her steps near the center of the garden, letting her eyes drift across the flowers and fountains while her mind worked carefully behind the calm expression on her face.
The guards. The caras. The way everyone obeyed Tyler instantly.
No... this wasn’t ordinary power.
If she wanted to survive, she needed answers. And the only way to get them was to make Tyler trust her completely.
So she turned toward him softly and said, "Can we have lunch here?"
Tyler blinked, clearly surprised by the request.
Jean glanced around the garden again, pretending admiration rather than calculation. "It’s just so beautiful here." Her voice lowered slightly. "I want to enjoy it."
The effect on Tyler was imdiate. Satisfaction ward his features, almost boyish in its intensity. Like every tiny bit of acceptance from her ant everything to him.
"Of course," he said quickly. "Anything you want."
He pulled out his phone to make a call. Instinctively, Jean’s eyes flickered toward the screen, trying to catch the password but before she could see anything, the device unlocked through facial recognition.
Damn.
So she’d need physical access to the phone sohow.
Tyler spoke briefly in a foreign language before ending the call. "Lunch will be ready in a few minutes."
Jean nodded quietly while ntally storing away another detail... he uses face unlock, likely no password entry needed, the phone always carried by him.
Useful.
Very useful.
Within minutes, several n erged from the villa carrying a long table, chairs, silver trays, and elegant dining utensils. They moved efficiently, silently setting everything beneath the shade of a large white canopy in the middle of the garden.
Jean watched carefully. None of them looked like regular household staff. Their movents were too disciplined. Too alert. Even while serving lunch, their eyes constantly scanned the periter.
One man discreetly touched the earpiece hidden beneath his collar.
Security again.
Tyler pulled out a chair for her personally before sitting across from her. "I had them prepare a hefty lunch for you," he said warmly. "All your favorites."
Jean’s chest tightened unexpectedly when she saw the dishes laid out before her. Foods she genuinely liked. als she barely rembered ntioning years ago.
He rembered all of it.
That realization frightened her more than if he hadn’t cared at all.
Because obsession like this didn’t fade.
He was consud.
Jean picked up her fork slowly, though her stomach churned too violently for hunger. Still, she forced herself to take a bite. Then another. Pretending. Smiling faintly when necessary.
Tyler watched her the entire ti with unsettling satisfaction, like a starving man finally being fed his dream.
"You look better already," he murmured. "I was worried the stress would ruin your health."
Jean nearly choked at the irony.
You kidnapped .
But outwardly, she only lowered her gaze shyly. "Thank you."
Tyler’s eyes softened dangerously. "You don’t know how long I waited to hear you speak to like this."
Jean forced another small bite into her mouth while her mind continued racing.
His phone. The guards. The language. The caras.
Every piece of information mattered.
Because sowhere beyond this country, Logan was searching for her.
And Jean intended to leave enough clues behind for him to find her before Tyler buried her forever.
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