Cassidy jerked her gaze away, her heart slamming against her ribs so hard she was sure the woman next to her could hear it.

She spun around, putting a massive floral arrangement between herself and the door. Her hands were shaking so badly that the champagne sloshed over the rim of her glass, wetting her fingers.

Breathe. Just breathe.

She risked a glance over the orchids. Jaret was still surrounded, nodding at something a gray-haired man was saying. He hadn't moved. He hadn't noticed her.

She let out a shaky exhale. She had a job to do. She couldn't let him ruin her life twice in twenty-four hours.

She pulled out her phone, looking at the list of target investors. She took a sip of champagne to steady her nerves and approached a group near the bar.

"Excuse me, Mr. Henderson? I'm Cassidy Fox with GreenTech. We spoke last month about-"

"Not interested," the man said without even looking at her. He turned his back, resuming his conversation.

Cassidy stood there, the rejection stinging. She moved on to the next target. And the next. Each one was a variation of the same: a polite dismissal, a condescending smile, or outright ignoring her existence. They looked at her cheap dress and her lack of entourage and wrote her off. She was a minnow trying to swim with sharks.

She was fighting back tears of frustration when she felt it. That prickling sensation on the back of her neck. The feeling of being watched.

Across the room, Jaret had stopped listening to the man next to him. His gaze had drifted across the sea of heads, landing squarely on the black dress hiding behind the flowers.

His bored, arrogant expression vanished. His jaw tightened, and his eyes darkened, a predatory focus replacing the disinterest. He recognized her. The woman who had knelt for him last night was now standing tall, fighting for survival in a room full of wolves.

Kade Thorne, standing beside Jaret, noticed his friend's sudden tension. He followed Jaret's line of sight and let out a low, appreciative whistle.

"Well, well," Kade murmured, a smirk playing on his lips. "Isn't that your little trophy from last night? She's got guts showing up here."

Jaret took a slow sip of his drink, his eyes never leaving Cassidy. "Looks like she needs a reminder of the rules."

Cassidy, oblivious to the crosshairs on her back, finally caught a break. An older man in a rumpled suit seemed interested in sustainable energy. She pitched with everything she had, her voice passionate and clear.

He smiled, reaching into his jacket pocket. "You've got five minutes of my attention tomorrow. Here's my card."

Cassidy took the card like it was a lifeline. "Thank you, sir. You won't regret this."

Jaret watched the exchange. He leaned over to his assistant, murmuring a few words. The assistant nodded and immediately walked toward the older man.

Within sixty seconds, the man's face went pale. He looked at the assistant, then at Jaret, and practically bowed before scurrying away, leaving Cassidy standing alone by the bar, the card still clutched in her hand.

A cold dread settled in her stomach. She hadn't seen the interaction, but she felt the shift. The door that had just opened had been slammed shut by an invisible hand.

Jaret watched her from afar, a cruel satisfaction settling over him. He loved watching her struggle. He loved watching her hope and then fall.

He turned to Kade, giving a slight nod toward the hallway.

Cassidy felt sick. She needed a minute. She needed to splash cold water on her face and figure out a new plan. She set her empty glass down and hurried toward the lobby restrooms, keeping her head down.

She was rushing around the corner when she collided with a solid chest.

"Whoa, there," a smooth voice said. Hands caught her elbows, steadying her.

Cassidy looked up, her heart in her throat. The man was handsome, with slicked-back hair and a charming smile. He looked familiar.

"I am so sorry," she stammered, stepping back.

"Kade Thorne," he said, offering his hand. "Partner at Apex Ventures."

Apex Ventures. The name was a siren song. It was one of the biggest VC firms in the city. Cassidy's desperation overrode her caution.

"Cassidy Fox," she said, shaking his hand. "I'm with GreenTech."

"Ah, the green energy folks," Kade said, his eyes glinting. "I've been hearing some buzz about your tech. It's a fascinating model."

He was lying, of course, but Cassidy was too hungry to care. "We're looking for our Series A. I'd love to tell you about our projections."

"It's a bit loud in here," Kade said, gesturing to the ballroom. "I'm actually heading up to a private suite on the second floor. A few other partners are up there. We're looking for new ventures. Why don't you join me? We can talk in peace."

Cassidy hesitated. The voice in her head screamed danger, but the image of her empty bank account was louder. This was her job. This was what she came here to do.

"Okay," she said. "Lead the way."

Kade smiled, placing a hand on the small of her back and guiding her toward the private elevator. She didn't look back toward the ballroom. If she had, she would have seen Jaret watching her walk into his trap, a slow, victorious smile spreading across his face.

The second-floor hallway was a different world.

The thick carpet swallowed the sound of their footsteps, and the heavy silence was a stark contrast to the chaotic noise of the party below. It felt like walking into a tomb.

Kade Thorne stopped in front of a set of dark double doors. He reached out and twisted the brass handle, pushing the door open with a flourish.

"After you." he said, his smile never wavering.

Cassidy stepped inside, expecting to see a boardroom or a lounge full of investors. Instead, she found a dimly lit, opulent hotel suite. There were no other partners. No business discussions. Just a massive sitting area bathed in shadows.

On the leather sofa, Kade Thorne was swirling a glass of bourbon, watching her with an amused smirk. The charming mask he had worn in the hallway was gone, replaced by something colder and more calculating. He had clearly just entered through a side door; the two drinks on the table—one half-empty, one untouched—suggested he and Jaret had been waiting for her.

Every alarm in Cassidy's head went off at once. She turned around, reaching for the door, but the man who had led her here was already stepping back into the hallway.

"Wait—" she started.

The door clicked shut. She heard the distinct sound of a deadbolt sliding into place.

She grabbed the handle and pulled. It didn't budge. She jiggled it frantically, her pulse skyrocketing.

"Don't strain yourself, sweetheart," Kade drawled, taking a sip of his drink. "That door could withstand a battering ram."

Cassidy backed away from the door, her eyes darting around the room. A door to the inner bedroom was ajar, a faint orange glow flickering from within.

The smell of cigar smoke hit her first. Then, Jaret Taylor stepped out of the shadows of the bedroom, a thick cigar between his fingers. His eyes locked onto hers, dark and unreadable.

The air left her lungs. She had been played. This wasn't a business meeting. It was an ambush.

"What is this?" she demanded, her voice trembling despite her best efforts. "Last night is over. You said it was."

Jaret walked over to the bar, pouring a glass of whiskey. "I thought I made myself clear. We aren't finished."

Cassidy squared her shoulders, trying to project a confidence she didn't feel. "This is a public event. I'll scream. Security will come."

Kade laughed out loud. "Scream all you want, honey. These walls are soundproofed for a reason. Nobody is coming."

Cassidy felt the walls closing in. She was trapped again.

Suddenly, the muffled sound of high heels clicking rapidly in the hallway reached her ears.

"Cassidy? Are you up here?"

Meredith. It was Meredith's voice.

A spark of hope ignited in Cassidy's chest. She lunged toward the door, opening her mouth to scream, but Jaret was faster. He pressed a button on the intercom console on the desk.

"Kade," Jaret said, his voice calm and commanding. "Execute."

Kade pushed himself off the sofa, his smirk never wavering. He walked to the door, slipping through it with practiced ease. Through the heavy wood, Cassidy heard a muffled conversation. She couldn't make out the words, but the clicking heels stopped. Then, they started again, fading away down the hall.

"No," Cassidy whispered, her hand dropping from the door handle. The spark of hope sputtered and died.

Jaret picked up two glasses and walked toward her. He held one out.

She knocked it out of his hand. The crystal shattered on the hardwood floor, shards scattering across the carpet.

Jaret didn't flinch. He just took a step closer, forcing her backward until her back hit the cold glass of the window.

He planted one hand on the glass beside her head, caging her in. He leaned down, his face inches from hers, his breath smelling of whiskey and smoke.

"Your boss just went downstairs to have a drink with Kade," Jaret said, his voice a low, dangerous rumble. "She thinks he's going to invest. She's not coming back for you."

Cassidy pushed against his chest, but it was like pushing against a brick wall. He didn't move an inch.

"What do you want?" she spat, her voice cracking. "Money? Is this just more humiliation?"

Jaret's gaze dropped to her lips, which were trembling slightly. The look in his eyes shifted, becoming darker, heavier. The cold calculation was still there, but it was being swallowed by something else. Something hungry.

He leaned in closer, his lips brushing her ear.

"You." he whispered.

The word hung in the air between them, heavy and suffocating.

Cassidy stared at him, her brain struggling to process. Then, anger flared, hot and bright, cutting through the fear.

"Is this another part of your revenge?" she scoffed, pushing at his chest again. "Punishing me for Burt?"

Jaret shook his head slowly. His eyes roamed over her face, down her neck, lingering on the rapid pulse at the base of her throat.

"Punishing that coward is boring," he murmured. "It lacks... creativity."

He reached up, his long fingers tracing the line of her jaw before tipping her chin up. His touch was different tonight—not just brutal, but possessive, almost admiring.

Cassidy slapped his hand away. "I am not a toy for you to play with."

Jaret's smile didn't falter. He turned and walked over to the coffee table, picking up a thick manila folder. He tossed it onto the glass surface in front of her.

Cassidy looked down. The label on the folder read GreenTech - Series A Term Sheet.

Her heart skipped a beat. She opened it, scanning the first page. It was a fully executed investment intent letter, with a staggering amount of money listed. The only blank space was the signature line at the bottom.

"Spend the weekend with me," Jaret said, his voice cutting through her shock. "Sign this on Monday."

Cassidy stared at the paper. It was the lifeline she had been desperately searching for all night. It was the salvation of her company, her job, her future.

Her fingers curled into the fabric of her dress, her knuckles turning white. The internal war raged inside her, tearing her apart.

Jaret watched her struggle, his eyes narrowing. He stepped closer, his voice turning to ice.

"Look at you. You're drowning. You're about to lose your job, your apartment, your reputation. You can't even afford the dress on your back."

Each word was a scalpel, slicing away her armor, exposing the raw, ugly truth of her existence.

Cassidy bit her lip so hard she tasted copper. Her eyes burned, but she forced the tears back. She looked up at him, her jaw set, and shook her head.

"No," she said, her voice firm. "I won't sell myself to you."

Jaret didn't look surprised. He pulled his phone from his pocket, tapping the screen a few times before turning it toward her.

It was a live feed. Downstairs in the bar, Meredith was sitting across from Kade, laughing and clinking glasses. She looked thrilled, completely oblivious to the trap.

"One word from me," Jaret said, his tone casual, "and that meeting ends. And it won't just end. I will make sure you are blacklisted from every firm on Wall Street. You will never work in this city again."

Cassidy stared at the screen. It wasn't just her life on the line. It was the livelihood of her team, the people who depended on her.

"You can't just force someone to be with you," she argued, her voice desperate. "I hate you. This is insane."

Jaret let out a low, dark laugh. "I don't care if you hate me. I just need you to be there."

The admission sent a chill down her spine. This wasn't about Burt anymore. This was something far more twisted. Jaret Taylor was obsessed.

She backed away until her shoulders hit the cold glass of the window. There was nowhere left to run.

Jaret closed the distance, planting both hands on the glass on either side of her head, trapping her in a cage of muscle and fury.

"I'm done negotiating," he said, his voice a low growl. "You are staying. The only question is whether it's by your choice or by force."

Cassidy closed her eyes. She saw the faces of her coworkers. She saw the past-due notices on her desk. She saw the eviction notice on her door.

But then she saw the torn check on the floor of the penthouse. She felt the bruising grip on her neck. If she said yes now, she would be signing away her soul.

She opened her eyes, a fierce determination burning through the fear. She shoved Jaret backward with all her strength.

"No!" she shouted.

She spun toward the door, her hand outstretched for the handle.

Jaret was faster. He didn't grab her hair. He stepped sideways and caught her wrist, using her own momentum to yank her off balance. She stumbled, her shoulder hitting the wall hard, and before she could recover, he had her pinned—one hand flat against the wall beside her head, his body blocking her only exit.

"Every time you run," he said, his voice dangerously quiet, "I will take something you care about. Test me again."

The civilized billionaire was gone. In his place stood a predator whose patience had finally run out.

He didn't give her another ultimatum. He didn't offer another deal.

He hauled her up by the arm, dragging her toward the bedroom door.

Cassidy fought back, her nails scratching at his hand, her feet kicking at the carpet. She reached out, her fingers finding the doorframe, gripping it with everything she had.

"Let me go!" she screamed, her voice hoarse with terror.

But Jaret was immovable. He pulled harder, her grip slipping against the polished wood. She was a leaf caught in a hurricane, about to be swept into the abyss.