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.

Cassidy hit the mattress with a bounce, the heavy springs groaning under the impact.

Before she could even scramble onto her hands and knees, Jaret's weight crashed down on her. He pinned her wrists above her head, his large hands easily encompassing both of hers.

She thrashed beneath him, trying to buck him off, trying to bring her knee up, but he was too heavy, too strong. He forced his leg between hers, pinning her hips to the bed.

He stared down at her face—flushed with rage, eyes bright with unshed tears—and the fire in his eyes burned hotter. He didn't give her a warning. He didn't ask for permission.

He crashed his mouth down onto hers.

It wasn't a kiss. It was a punishment. His teeth scraped against her lips, bruising and demanding. He forced his tongue past her clenched teeth, invading her mouth, tasting the copper of her blood and the salt of her tears.

Cassidy kept her jaw locked, refusing to respond, refusing to give him an inch. The metallic taste of blood filled her mouth—she didn't know if she had bitten him or bitten her own tongue.

His grip on one of her wrists loosened as his hand slid down, his fingers digging into the curve of her waist. He grabbed the hem of her dress, yanking it upward with a rough, impatient movement.

The cool air on her skin snapped the last thread of Cassidy's sanity. She couldn't let this happen. Not again. Not like this.

As his hand moved to adjust his weight, she felt the cool metal of the bedside lamp base beneath her free fingers.

She didn't think. She just acted.

She wrapped her hand around the heavy brass base and swung it with every ounce of desperate strength she possessed.

Jaret saw the movement at the last second. He jerked his head to the side.

The lamp connected with his shoulder with a sickening thud.

He grunted in pain, his grip on her faltering. He stared down at her, shock and disbelief warring in his eyes. The little mouse had claws.

Cassidy didn't waste the opening. She shoved him off balance and twisted her body around.

Her hand came up, and she put her entire body weight behind the slap.

Crack!

The sound echoed through the silent room like a gunshot.

Jaret's head snapped to the side, the force of the blow whipping his neck around. A bright red handprint bloomed instantly on his cheek. He froze, his body turning to stone.

From the doorway, Kade poked his head in, his eyes wide. He took one look at Jaret's face and immediately backed out, pulling the door shut. Dead woman walking, he thought.

Cassidy lay on the bed, her chest heaving, her hand stinging from the impact. She was shaking violently, but she kept her eyes locked on him, daring him to move.

Slowly, Jaret turned his head back to face her. The shock was gone. The desire was gone.

He didn't strike back. He didn't grab her throat. Instead, he slowly straightened up, his hand moving to his reddened cheek. When he looked at her, the shock in his eyes had curdled into something far more dangerous—a cold, deliberate fury that was worse than any blow.

"You have no idea what you just did," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. He took a step back, putting an unnerving distance between them rather than closing it. "But you will. By the time I'm finished, you'll understand exactly what it costs to strike me."

He stood there for a long moment, his chest rising and falling with controlled breaths, a predator forcing himself back into his cage. Then, without another word, he turned and walked toward the door, his back to her—a dismissal more terrifying than any threat.

The door slammed shut behind him.

Cassidy lay alone on the bed, her body trembling, her hand still stinging, the silence around her heavier than any scream.

The only sound in the room was the ragged, uneven rhythm of Cassidy's breathing.

She curled into a ball in the corner, her arms wrapped around her knees, her body still trembling from the adrenaline crash. She felt like a piece of glass that had been dropped, waiting for the final shatter.

Jaret stood by the window, his back to her. The line of his shoulders was rigid, the muscles in his back coiled tight. He was staring out at the city lights, but he wasn't seeing them. He was fighting a war inside his head, trying to cage the beast she had unleashed.

The shrill, insistent ringing of a cell phone shattered the silence.

Jaret cursed under his breath. He pulled the phone from his pocket, glancing at the screen. His brow furrowed, a look of deep annoyance crossing his features. It was the London office. An emergency.

He hesitated, his thumb hovering over the decline button. Then he let out a harsh breath and answered.

"Speak," he commanded, his voice instantly shifting from feral to glacial. The transformation was terrifying in its speed.

Cassidy watched him from the floor. As soon as he turned his attention to the call, her survival instincts kicked in. She scanned the room. The bedroom door was open. If she could get past him, through the living room, and out the front door...

She shifted her weight onto her hands, preparing to bolt.

Jaret's head snapped around. Even as he listened to the voice on the phone, his eyes locked onto her, sharp and warning. The look said, Don't even think about it.

Cassidy froze, the cold reality washing over her. She wasn't going anywhere.

Jaret ended the call, shoving the phone back into his pocket. He strode over to her, his long legs eating up the distance. She flinched, pressing herself deeper into the wall, bracing for another attack.

But he didn't hit her.

He crouched down, his hand reaching for the small evening clutch she had dropped near the bed. She tried to snatch it away, but he batted her arm aside with casual ease, flipped open the clasp, and pulled out her phone.

He stood up, his fingers quickly tapping on the screen. He dialed a number, let it ring once, then hung up. He typed something into her contacts, then tossed the phone back onto her lap.

"Tomorrow. Six PM. The Peninsula Hotel lobby," he said, his tone leaving no room for argument.

Cassidy clutched the phone, her knuckles white. "I'm not going anywhere with you," she spat, her voice hoarse and scratchy.

Jaret let out a cold, humorless laugh. He leaned down, his face close to hers, his voice a low threat.

"That term sheet is still unsigned. Your boss is downstairs, practically begging my friend for money. One word from me, and she's ruined. And if you aren't at the Peninsula tomorrow..." He paused, a cruel smirk touching his lips. "I'll come to that roach-infested apartment of yours and we can have this conversation in your living room."

The image of Jaret Taylor in her tiny, shabby apartment, tearing apart her safe space, made her blood run cold. He would do it. He was insane enough to do anything.

He straightened up, adjusting his cuffs with his uninjured hand, ignoring the sharp throb from his bloody knuckles. He smoothed down his jacket. The monster was back in its cage, wearing the mask of the gentleman.

He walked toward the door, pausing to look back at her one last time.

"Remember, Cassidy. You owe me. And I always collect."

The door slammed shut. A moment later, she heard the murmur of voices in the living room, then the heavy front door closing. Silence.

Cassidy collapsed onto the floor, the phone clutched to her chest. She stared at the screen. The contact name simply read: Jaret.

It was a ticking time bomb.

She couldn't go to the Peninsula. That was walking into the lion's den. But if she didn't... he would destroy her. He would destroy everything.

She forced herself to stand. Her legs were like jelly, but she managed to pull her dress back down and fix her hair. She wiped the tears from her face, smearing her makeup. She didn't care. She just needed to get out of this room.

She opened the bedroom door. The living room was empty. Kade was gone.

She walked out into the hallway, her heart pounding with every step, expecting him to jump out of the shadows. She made it to the elevator, down to the ballroom, and back into the crowd.

She found Meredith at the bar, nursing a martini and looking irritated.

"Where have you been?" Meredith snapped, checking her watch. "I've been looking for you. The Thorne guy blew me off after ten minutes. Total waste of time."

Cassidy just stared at her boss, the words washing over her. Meredith had no idea. She had been sitting downstairs, sipping cocktails, while Cassidy was fighting for her life upstairs.

"I'm sorry," Cassidy mumbled, the lie tasting like ash in her mouth. "I got lost."