(Silas POV)
"I'm begging you—please, release me. I swear I won't try this again," he cried.
I watched him quietly, unmoved.
"Why did you think you could scam me and get away with it?" I asked, my voice calm.
"It was a mistake," he stammered. "Please, let me go. It will never happen again, I swear."
I let the silence stretch, watching him break under it.
Then I sighed lightly.
"Alright," I said, as if I were doing him a favor. "Let's make this simple."
Hope flickered in his eyes.
"How about this—I let you go on one condition."
"Yes, anything—"
"You return my five million dollars before next week," I continued smoothly. "You and your idiot son walk free."
His relief was almost pathetic.
"But," I added, wiping my hands with a cloth, "the boy stays with me… until then."
The hope died instantly.
Good.
I turned, already done with him.
"Max," I called as I walked out, "get him out of here."
"Sure, boss," Max replied.
"Boss—we have a problem."
Max didn't knock. He never ran either.
So the fact that he was sprinting into my office told me enough.
"What is it?" I asked, not looking up from my laptop.
"Umm…"
I paused, slowly lifting my gaze.
"If it wasn't important, you wouldn't be standing here out of breath."
He swallowed.
"The Garcia family… they're trying to sell their daughter. Without her knowledge. To repay a twenty-five thousand dollar debt."
My head snapped up.
"What?"
"The deal is already being discussed—"
"Get Mr. Garcia on the phone. Now."
My voice dropped.
Deadly.
Max didn't hesitate.
He knows.
He knows I already claimed Elena.
So what right does he have to even consider something like this?
Did they think I forgot?
A year and a half ago, they came to me desperate. Drowning in debt. Begging for fifteen million dollars to keep their business alive.
We signed a contract.
Clear.
Simple.
When their daughter turned eighteen—
She would be mine.
At first, I expected resistance. She was their youngest. And I was seven years older.
I didn't want to force her.
So I told them to ask for her consent.
And when they said she agreed…
I believed them.
"Mr. Thorn, good afternoon," Jacob Garcia's voice came through the phone, slightly shaky. "It's good to hear from you. May I ask why you're calling?"
"Is that all you have to say?" I asked calmly.
A pause.
"Is… there something we've done to upset you?"
I leaned back in my chair, my grip tightening around the phone.
"You have some nerve asking me that," I said quietly, "after trying to sell something that belongs to me."
Silence.
Then—
"No—it's not like that, Mr. Thorn—"
"So my men are incompetent now?" I snapped. "They just make things up?"
"No, sir! That's not what I meant—"
"Then explain."
His voice dropped.
"We… we made a bad investment. Took a loan. We couldn't repay it. The man came to our house—he trashed it, and then he saw a picture of Elena."
I said nothing.
"He said he didn't want the money anymore. He wanted her."
My jaw tightened.
"And you considered it?" I asked.
"We thought… after all this time… you had forgotten about the contract," he admitted weakly. "I'm sorry, sir. I swear I'll fix this."
"You better," I said coldly. "Or I will."
And I hung up.
"Boss," Max said carefully, "can I ask you something?"
I glanced at him. "Go ahead."
"Do you actually… like Elena?"
The room went quiet.
"Or are you just planning to use her and discard her?" he added. "Because I've seen the way you look at her pictures."
I didn't answer immediately.
No one knew.
No one knew how I met her.
What that moment did to me.
All I knew was—
I would burn everything.
Even the world itself—
Just to keep her safe.
Two weeks later
My phone rang.
"Boss," one of my men said urgently, "there are people here. They're trying to take Elena. What should we do?"
My blood ran cold.
"What the hell am I paying you for?" I said dangerously. "If anything happens to her, I'll kill every single one of you."
"Yes, boss. Nothing will happen to her."
"Max," I barked, "get me the names of those men."
"On it."
"And get her parents on the phone. Now."
"Jacob," I said the moment he picked up, "we're activating the contract."
Silence.
"I want Elena at my house within forty-eight hours. No excuses. Not a minute later. Do you understand?"
"If I may ask—why now?" he said cautiously.
"Are you questioning me?"
"No, sir—of course not," he rushed. "We'll have her there by tomorrow afternoon."
"Good," I said. "Do it fast."
I ended the call.
"MAX!"
He rushed in immediately. "Yes, boss?"
"Prepare the house. Clean everything. I want the room next to mine ready."
"Yes, boss."
"And get twenty-five million and two cars ready for the Garcia family."
His brows lifted slightly—but he nodded.
"Yes, boss."
Later that night—
I stood over one of the men who thought it was a good idea to touch what was mine.
"Who hired you?" I asked calmly.
"I won't talk," he spat. "You can't make me."
I crouched slightly, studying him.
"Is that so?"
I leaned closer, my voice dropping.
"You have two children," I said softly. "You used to have three."
His breathing hitched.
"One died because of the life you chose. Your wife begged you to stop. To find something safer."
His eyes widened.
"You lied to her," I continued. "Told her you work construction now."
I smiled faintly.
"So tell me… what do you think happens if another one of your children disappears?"
He broke instantly.
"No—no, please—"
"And what happens," I added quietly, "when your wife finds out you never changed?"
"I'll talk," he choked. "I'll tell you everything."