"Everest, what the hell are you doing?"

Annika found herself suddenly hauled onto Everest’s lap, a sharp jolt of discomfort shooting through her as every muscle in her body locked up. Even after all they’d been to each other, even after knowing every inch of one another’s bodies, her thin jeans couldn’t hide the hard, firm muscle pressing against her through his perfectly tailored trousers. The heat rolling off him was equal parts intoxicating and torture. She bit down hard on her lower lip, fighting to steady the way her breath had already picked up.

She wanted to yank free, to put as much distance between them as she could get. But no matter how hard she tried, her body wouldn’t move. She tried to struggle, but Everest’s thick, strong arms banded around her waist held her tight, not giving an inch of room to escape.

Annika clenched her fists until her nails bit into her palms, frustration coiling hot in her chest. "Everest, we’re done."

Everest’s reply dripped with so much sarcasm it stung. "You showed up the second I called. Don’t go playing all innocent on me now."

He leaned in closer, his sharp, chiseled jaw only inches from her face. "You mad I’m getting in the way of all those little ambitions you’re chasing?"

The words cut so deep Annika’s eyes burned. If she hadn’t been desperate for cash, if she hadn’t taken that five million dollars from him, she never would have ended up trapped in this hellish mess.

How much worse did her life have to get before he’d finally put this cycle of revenge to bed?

Zeke and half a dozen of his rich friends stared, stunned out of their own conversations, because Everest had Annika Voss sitting on his damn lap. Everest was their leader, for Christ’s sake—he’d always been the poster boy for self-control, never the type to waste time on stupid playboy games.

A guy who’d always hated being touched by anyone… and here he was, letting someone sit right on his lap, about to feed him drinks?

They immediately ducked their heads into their group chat, fingers flying:

[What the hell is Everest doing? Getting hands-on with Annika himself? Isn’t that going way too easy on her?]

[Too easy? This is revenge for his sister. This is way more satisfying than anything else we could do. Besides, Everest’s harder on her than any of us would be. She’s not walking out of here with her pride intact. Acting all innocent? Please, spare me.]

[Remember that social-climbing ex-wife he dumped? Maybe he’s finally had enough and decided to play the game himself this time. We should drag her ass in here, let her see Everest surrounded by chicks. That’ll make her regret every damn thing she did!]

Selena’s fingers twisted the fabric of her designer dress until her knuckles turned white, rage boiling under her skin. Annika. How dare you? How dare you try to seduce my brother, cloud his judgment? You’re disgusting.

Everest didn’t care about Annika, she told herself. Intimate little games meant nothing to him. Selena pasted a soft, forced smile on her face and tilted her head.

"What’s with all this dramatic passion, anyway? Annika’s not some naive little girl. Aren’t you being a little too harsh on her?"

The other rich socialites immediately fussed over Selena, sliding her snacks and topping up her wine glass like the little princess she was.

"Selena, you’re way too nice for your own good. Annika’s only here for the paycheck. You wouldn’t stand in the way of her getting paid, would you?"

Selena put on her best look of soft, world-weary concern.

"Annika, doing this for money already puts you in a tough spot. C’mon, it’s not like this is your first time, right? What’s different now?"

Every word was a deliberate jab, calculated to get under Annika’s skin. She knew exactly what she was doing.

"Annika, is money really that important? You’d sell yourself, betray your friends, even the people that love you? That’s just… so low. Don’t let it blind you, honey."

Every line was carefully aimed at Everest’s worst triggers. Selena knew he detested that kind of betrayal more than anything.

Sure enough, a dark cloud of anger settled over Everest’s handsome features.

Annika saw right through her act. She knew Selena’s sweet, innocent-sounding words were meant to turn the whole room against her, to make all these rich brats hate her even more, to crank up their cruelty another notch.

Annika’s fingers curled into a tight fist in her lap. Crying foul now would get her nowhere. Everest and Selena would never believe her anyway.

If she called them out on their little revenge plot, that would just tell them she knew what they were up to—they’d only ramp it up, and things would get even worse for her.

All she wanted was to keep her head down and get out of here in one piece. So she bit her tongue and absorbed the jabs, refusing to give Selena the reaction she wanted.

She answered coolly, "Ma’am, do we even know each other? I don’t think we’ve ever met."

Selena smirked. She knew Annika was just pretending not to recognize her. They’d been in the same art and dance program back in college, both the darlings of the department.

Selena kept up her innocent act and tilted her head, batting her lashes. "Oh, Annika, you’re still pretending you don’t know me? We had dance class together for two whole years. Oh, never mind that… sitting on a man’s lap like this in front of everyone? It just doesn’t look very dignified, does it?"

"Honestly, the undignified one is this guy. I came because he called me, and now he won’t let me leave."

Annika leaned in a fraction closer to Everest, her anger simmering so hot she could barely contain it—until their eyes locked, and a crackling, invisible tension snapped between them, holding both of them still.

Annika held her ground, meeting the dark intensity of his gaze head-on, her voice steady and unwavering. "Won’t let me leave… is this to keep your sister happy, while she slanders my name behind my back?"

Maybe it was how close she was, but the second Annika spoke, her unique soft scent wrapped around Everest, filling every inch of his senses.

Everest’s stomach clenched involuntarily.

He cursed under his breath. Goddamnit, this stubborn woman.

"Pour me coffee," he said, voice cool and unaffected. One hand slid discreetly to press against his abdomen, hidden from view under his shirt.

Annika bit her lip so hard she tasted copper, holding back the urge to snap at him. Right now, she was a lamb waiting for the slaughter. Pushing him would only make escaping that much harder.

Selena watched Annika refuse to rise to the bait, holding onto this eerie calm no one expected. She noticed Annika wouldn’t call Everest out, wouldn’t expose what they were doing to the whole room. Everest never had any intention of letting Annika walk out of here anyway. Selena swallowed down her burning jealousy and resentment. There was nothing she could do to change this. Everest never backed down from a decision. Even if she faked a fainting spell right now, he’d still keep holding Annika close without a second thought.

Annika spent three years running from them, avoiding their little games. Now she’d been dragged right into the middle of her own personal nightmare. Just you wait.

The quiet guy in the corner, who’d been watching the whole thing unfold, could tell Annika wasn’t the type to play these twisted rich kid games. He thought about stepping in to help her, but Zeke pulled his attention away before he could. Zeke, usually so carefree and reckless, pulled him into a serious discussion about an upcoming business deal.

"Hey, can you walk me through this section of the project plan? I’m not getting it."

The quiet man shifted beside Zeke, his expression turning serious, and the two dove into the details. Annika was completely alone now, no one to have her back.

All she cared about was protecting the baby growing inside her. She stopped struggling. She knew this time, no matter who was behind it—Zeke or Everest—she wasn’t getting out early. Her only hope was that once the round of drinks was done, they’d keep their stupid promise and let her leave.

All the wealthy people in the room leaned forward, eyes glued to Annika, eager for the second her innocent mask slipped and they got the juicy, scandalous show they’d come for.

They watched Everest pick up a bottle, pour a generous, full glass of deep red wine. His long, elegant fingers wrapped around the stem of the glass, swirling the crimson liquid slow and graceful.

Everyone was waiting for Annika to feed it to him straight from her hand. But Everest surprised them all. He tilted his head back and drained the entire glass in one go.

Annika stared, stunned. Did he suddenly grow a conscience? Was he actually not going to force her to humiliate herself?

Before she could even draw a breath in relief, Everest reached out, his hand wrapping tight around the back of her head. Her eyes went wide with dread. This bastard wasn’t done with her. Not even close.

Sure enough, he leaned in, and pressed his wine-wet lips right to hers. The warm liquid poured straight down her throat before she could even react. Before she could swallow it all, he took the opportunity to deepen the kiss, his tongue tangling with hers. His lips were demanding, relentless, laced with all his anger and frustration. Only when Annika was almost completely out of breath, her cheeks flushed bright pink, did he pull back.

She was gasping for air, tears stinging the backs of her eyes, her whole face dazed and wrecked. Everest’s gaze darkened seeing her like that, his voice gone rough and hoarse.

"I’ll give you one chance to talk. What do you have to say for yourself?"

Annika’s chest was a tangled mess of every emotion you could name when Everest straight up asked if she had anything to say to him. What could she possibly say? Should she call him out on his fake bankruptcy? Call him out for lying to her for three whole years?

She drew a deep breath, trying to soothe the burn of bourbon still crawling down her throat, even as tears stung her eyes and welled up against her will. If she’d messed up, why couldn’t Everest just say it to her face instead of stringing her along with lies?

Her lips—still pink and swollen from the kiss they’d shared earlier—trembled as she forced herself to speak. After a beat of silence, she finally got the words out: "I have something to tell you."

Everest’s expression softened, the sharp edge of his features melting just a little. If she came clean and showed a little humility, he might just forgive her for defying him.

He drank in her flushed face, his own lips barely parted. "Go on."

Digging deep for every last scrap of courage she had, Annika locked eyes with him. "I finished the drink. Now let me leave."

The air in the room turned ice-cold instantly. You could almost reach out and touch the thick, thrumming tension.

It spiked fast, volatile and ready to blow. Everest’s hand around her waist tightened on instinct.

"You’re sure that’s all you’ve got to say to me?"

Annika bit down on the discomfort and nodded, stubborn as anything. "Yeah. I’m not your assistant, Everest. We’re not close enough for this little heart-to-heart."

The other rich guys in the room gaped, shocked Annika had the guts to talk back to Everest like this. They’d all showed up tonight to make her pay.

They’d expected her to get on her knees and beg for mercy. Not stand there, bold as brass, throwing defiance and dignity right in their faces.

"Leaving ain’t that easy. You gotta have another drink with us first," one sneered.

"Damn right, my throat’s killing me. C’mere, sit on my lap and pour me one," another chimed in with a sleazy smirk.

"Heard she’s some rich guy’s kept girl, and yet she’s over here acting like a frigid virgin," a third scoffed.

Listening to their crude, disgusting taunts, all the color drained right out of Annika’s face.

"You’re all supposed to be respectable heirs! You said if I finished the drink, you’d let me go. What happened to that?"

"So what? Promises don’t mean jack shit here," one shot back.

"You were offered a drink earlier and wouldn’t play nice. We ain’t blind, you know," another added sarcastically.

"A bunch of goddamn hypocrites!" Annika knew begging or reasoning wouldn’t work—their arrogance was carved into bone.

Trapped against Everest’s lap, she couldn’t run. She couldn’t fight back head-on either.

Maybe a different angle would work. Flattery. She’d flatter Everest.

"I’ve always heard Everest Kennedy is a man of his word. Fair. Honest. You’re all his friends—you gonna ruin his good name with this garbage?"

Annika slid a sidelong glance at Everest. Would he really let these spoiled brats humiliate her? Even after they’d pretended to be a couple for three years?

Shoving her own fear and rage down, she kept pushing, her voice sharp and cutting. "Does the famous Everest Kennedy brag about his integrity to the whole world, then turn around and lie and exploit people behind closed doors?"

"Or is his little lapdog Mario Wallace in on all this dirty business too?"

No matter how much she pushed him, Everest just stayed cold, detached, watching her squirm like it was nothing more than a show.

Annika’s nails dug so deep into her palms blood started to trickle down her wrists.

Everest looked like he didn’t have a single compassionate bone in his body. So cold. So completely uninvolved.

Feeling the tension bubble too high, Zeke stepped in to defuse it. He’d been the one to bring Annika here, after all—he couldn’t just leave her hanging.

Zeke stepped forward, holding his hands up placatingly. "Gentlemen, my apologies for the last-minute arrangement tonight. Annika isn’t feeling well. She turned down my invitation at first, only stayed ‘cause I badgered her. Do me a favor, let her go home and rest."

Annika nodded at him, grateful, her head throbbing so hard it felt like it would split open.

Even a guy like Zeke would step up for her. But the man who’d shared her bed, her life, for three years just stood there and watched her suffer in silence.

Everest could have said one word. One word to get her out of this. And he just didn’t care. Enough said.

Everest Kennedy. What a fucking jerk.

Annika knew Zeke couldn’t fix this. She’d stumbled right into this rich social circle’s revenge plot without even seeing it coming. Only Everest held the key to getting her out.

She grabbed what was left of her courage, fisted the front of Everest’s collar, and leaned in to whisper, low and dangerous, in his ear: "Everest, if you don’t get me out of here, I’m gonna tell every last one of these assholes I’ve been sleeping with their wives for the past three years. Bet they’d get a real kick out of that."

Everest’s dark eyes pinned her to the spot, tracing the lips so close to his own. His Adam’s apple bobbed once, barely noticeable.

After a long beat, his voice came out cold, distant. "What makes you think you can blackmail me?"

"I matter to you, don’t I? My safety has to mean something, right?" Annika bit her lip, fighting to hold the tears back from spilling over.

He didn’t love her. Didn’t care if she got hurt. He’d even throw her into the abyss himself if it suited him.

Annika had to save herself. She only had her own back here.

Finally, Everest loosened his grip on her waist. One cold, final word slipped past his lips: "Go."

Annika exhaled so hard her shoulders shook, relief flooding her.

If Everest was letting her walk, the other guys couldn’t keep harassing her.

She swiped away the stubborn tears that had escaped, jumped off his lap, desperate to put as much distance between her and this mess as possible.

Terrified of staying even one more second, she grabbed her coat and bolted for the door.

"Zeke, I’m heading out," she called over her shoulder.

She didn’t wait for him to answer. Grabbed her trench coat and ran out of that suffocating room like her life depended on it. Because it kind of did.

A few minutes later, Annika got a notification. A million-dollar transfer from Zeke.

She pressed a hand to her flat stomach, her thoughts heavy. "Baby, mommy just made a million. Add the million from yesterday, that’s two already. Once we save enough to cut every last tie with Everest, it’ll just be you and me, okay?"

The peace didn’t last long.

Annika was almost back to her little rented apartment when a black SUV came barrelling toward her, cutting right off her path.

A handful of huge, burly men climbed out and started walking straight for her.

"Miss Price, we need you to come with us to the hospital."

Panic exploded in Annika’s chest. She curled her body around her stomach, stepping back over and over.

Had Everest found out she was pregnant? Was he here to force her to get an abortion?

"What do you want? Dragging me to a hospital in the middle of the night?" She muttered, fumbling to dial 911 under her coat.

In a blink, a big, calloused hand clamped down on her wrist. The pain made her drop her phone before she could hit call.

"Miss Price, it’s urgent, we need you at the hospital right now," one of the men said.

They grabbed her and shoved her roughly into the back of their SUV.

Annika fought them as hard as she could, screaming: "Let me go! Is Everest Kennedy behind this? I’m not going to any hospital! Help!"

Annika Price got shoved roughly into a car by a crew of burly goons, her wrists stinging red and her knee throbbing like hell. Panicked, she curled into the corner by the window, one hand flying to her stomach on instinct. She knew any resistance, any scream for help, would only get her hurt worse.

The car lurched forward, and Annika’s mind spun a mile a minute as she scrambled to figure out an escape plan.

"Are you guys working for Mr. Kennedy?" she called out into the suffocating silence. When no one answered, she took their silence for what it was: confirmation. They were definitely on Everest Kennedy’s payroll.

Annika switched tactics. "Why are you taking me to a hospital? What do you want from me? I’m not sick, I don’t need a doctor. Did you grab the wrong person?"

One of the men finally grunted, "You’ll figure it out when we get there. Something about a blood donation."

Annika’s head spun. Blood donation? As revenge? It sounded like they weren’t after her baby. Maybe Everest Kennedy had no idea she was pregnant.

She pressed harder. "Selena needs an emergency transfusion, right? Did she get in an accident?"

"Heard nothing about an accident. We just follow orders. That’s all we know."

"For a transfusion, your blood types have to match! You don’t even know what mine is—how can you be sure it’ll work? Was this Selena’s idea, or Kennedy’s?"

"The hospital has a whole blood bank! Why does it have to be mine? I don’t even have a rare blood type."

Annika’s nagging finally got to one of the men, and he snapped, "You’ll find out when you see Mr. Kennedy. End of discussion."

Annika’s fingers twisted so tight in her shirt her knuckles turned white. If this was Everest’s doing, she’d just escaped one trap just to fall straight into another. Was he really that desperate to get back at her?

She shoved her own terror down, forcing her voice to stay steady. "Fine. If Selena really needs my blood that bad, saving a life is all that matters. Giving a little blood isn’t the end of the world."

The bodyguards bought her fake calm hook, line, and sinker. They wrote her off as weak and compliant—nothing to worry about.

In a private luxury hospital room, Peter Kennedy, Everest’s father, lay in bed. He’d been in a vegetative state for ten years after a brutal car crash, no sign of ever waking up.

Everest had been forced to take over as head of the Kennedy family at eighteen, shouldering the weight of their entire legacy. He’d turned out to be a natural business genius, pulling the Kennedy empire back from the brink and pushing it to heights no one ever expected.

Selena Kennedy stood at his bedside, dabbing at her eyes with a crumpled tissue. "Brother, Dad’s been here ten years. How many more decades do we have to wait like this?"

Everest stood at the foot of the bed, hands stuffed in his pockets, his face hard as stone. "Selena, I stood here for half an hour and didn’t see his fingers move once. The doctors say there’s zero indication he’s ever waking up. Are you sure you actually saw something?"

Selena blinked, and the lie rolled right off her tongue like honey. "Brother, I swear I saw Dad’s finger twitch. Maybe he’ll wake up today. Any day could be the day."

Just then, Murphy Kennedy walked in, his jaw set with determination. "Everest, the psychic spoke. Today is the lucky day to cast out the bad luck. If we use blood from someone with a fire zodiac sign, it’ll cleanse Dad and bring him back. Follow the ritual, and he could wake up."

Selena’s eyes glinted with quiet satisfaction. She’d bribed the psychic to feed Murphy that exact lie.

"Brother, we have to do this right now. It’s better to try than to regret it later, right? If there’s even a tiny chance for Dad, it’s worth it."

Selena’s voice was warm, earnest, like she’d do anything to save her grandfather.

"Grandma, my sign matches perfectly. If taking my blood can wake Dad up, I’ll do it no questions asked."

Murphy’s heart melted, and she patted Selena’s hand gently. "Such a kind heart you have, Selena. We were right to adopt you."

Everest frowned. He didn’t buy into the superstitious nonsense for a second, but he knew how much Murphy trusted the psychic. He couldn’t bring himself to crush her hope.

Selena caught his hesitation, and she knew exactly what it meant: he didn’t want her to have to go through the ritual. She preened inwardly—this was exactly what she wanted. She’d already arranged for Annika to take her place.

"Brother, don’t worry about me. Any sacrifice is worth it if it gets Dad better."

Just then, Everest’s phone rang. Selena hid a secret smile—this had to be Zeke Lee. They’d planned to lure Everest away with a fake emergency, make sure he left the hospital so Annika could step in as the substitute.

Sure enough, Everest’s tone turned sharp and serious when he answered. "I have to go handle this."

"Go on, brother, take care of your emergency. Grandma and I have everything handled here. It’ll be fine."

"Alright. You’re always so thoughtful, Selena. Just make sure they don’t take too much blood, okay? Just a little."

Everest gave Murphy a few quick instructions and headed out of the hospital.

At the hospital entrance, Everest’s sleek Bentley brushed right past the black SUV that had brought Annika, so close their side mirrors almost scraped.

The SUV pulled to a stop, and Annika was escorted out by one of the guards. Since she’d been so cooperative, the guards were lax—they weren’t expecting any trouble at all.

"Hey, why don’t we wait in the car a little longer? No rush, right?"

"Works for me. It’s just a quick blood draw anyway. Besides, I need to hit the restroom—my stomach’s been acting up."

Annika told herself this was a legitimate hospital. They wouldn’t try anything crazy here, right? Even if they did take blood, it’d be done safely, no big harm done.

For now, she didn’t have much to worry about.

Inside, she followed the bodyguards into a small empty waiting room. One of them excused himself to go to the restroom.

"Hey, I need to go too, okay? I’m not going anywhere. I’m not stupid enough to try and run over a stupid blood donation."

The guard agreed. Who in their right mind would defy Mr. Kennedy, anyway?

"Alright. I’ll be right back."

Once he left, Annika started trying to flag down a nurse for answers. That was when she heard footsteps coming down the hall, and caught snippets of conversation between Selena and a group of her fancy friends.

Instinct kicked in, and Annika ducked behind the sofa to hide.

Sure enough, the door swung open, and Selena and her friends walked right in.

Selena put on that signature innocent tone of hers and said, "Brother Zeke, taking all that blood from Annika… isn’t that going a little too far?"

"Selena, she put you through hell. Is it really too far? A little blood is nothing compared to what she did to you."

"Exactly, Selena! You missed the international ballet competition because of her. You suffered through all that treatment. Doesn’t she deserve to pay for what she did?"

When Annika heard "international ballet competition," her heart clenched so tight it hurt. Three years ago, she’d gotten nominated for that same competition, but couldn’t go because of a family emergency.

What did Selena have to do with that? Why was it Annika’s fault Selena missed her shot?

Annika strained to hear more about Selena’s so-called grievances, but the conversation shifted back to the plan.

"How much blood are we taking? The ritual says it’s supposed to be mine. If it’s not me, we need 200cc from both of us—though I’m not even sure that’s enough, right?"

Selena pressed a hand to her head, looking pale and woozy. "Weird, I’ve felt so dizzy all day today."

Her friends immediately rushed to steady her on the sofa.

"Selena, you’re already not feeling well, you’ve been sick for weeks. You’re on more medication than most people—there’s no way you can give blood right now."

"You’re right. And Annika’s got the right element anyway, so let her give more—up to a thousand milliliters."

Annika’s breath caught in her throat. They were actually serious.

Even a perfectly healthy young person can only give 400cc at a time. On top of that, Annika was under the weight requirement, and pregnant. Losing that much blood would be deadly dangerous.

This time, she had to get out. She couldn’t stay hidden behind this sofa forever.

Luckily, her friends left first, and Selena went out to walk them to the elevator.

Annika grabbed her chance and slipped out of the room as quiet as a mouse.

Bad luck: as soon as her foot hit the hallway, the guard came back from the restroom and spotted her straight away.

He grabbed his phone and called Selena. "Miss Selena, we got her."

Annika squeezed her eyes shut. There was no way to slip past him now.

They dragged her back into the waiting room, and a nurse walked in carrying a blood draw tray.

The nurse glanced back and forth between Annika and the guard, then frowned in confusion. "So… which one of you is here to donate blood?"