-JOANNE
My insides felt like jello as my waist was still imprisoned in Hardy’s grasp.
His voice and breaths behind my ear made every nerve in my body prickle.
He sounded angry.
But what the hell did he mean? I just made a hell of a mistake.
It wouldn’t have been a mistake if he had just let me go.
And I had checked the hallways earlier; they were refreshingly empty. Where the hell did he come from?
I turned to face him, with my waist leaving his hand, and his eyes almost melted me into the wooden floor.
His stare was as alarming as it was charming; he was glaring at me, and the glare said nothing but how he wouldn’t mind killing me because I tried to escape.
I didn’t really know if that was what he was thinking, but that was all I could see.
If glares could kill, I would be dead.
Because Hardy wasn’t taking it nicely on me.
Still glaring at me, Hardy raised his hand, and immediately two men, built in body but not in height, dressed in casual clothes, walked into the hallway and walked towards me.
Where the hell did they come from?
And here I was thinking the hallway was all empty.
Hardy made a slight turn toward both men.
“What the hell is going on here?” His voice was low, but hell, he sounded mad.
The two men, who I presumed to be guards, looked at each other as they did not understand why Hardy was asking them such a question.
“She tried to escape.” Hardy seethed, and immediately their faces wore fear.
“Our grave mistake, Master.” One of the guards spoke up.
Didn’t he feel weird being called that?
“If this were to happen again, You know I would not accept an apology. And you sure know what I’d do,” Hardy mumbled.
The look on the guards’ faces softened, but the fear never left.
What would he do to them?
Hardy made another turn, and I froze when I realized it was me he was staring at.
Crap.
“And you.” He leaned down to match my height.
“Trying to leave… when you’re in my debt. No one does that; nothing breathes fine owing to me. And you should know that.”
“I owe you nothing!” I snarled.
He scoffed. “As long as your names, pictures, and signatures lie in my contract, you are repaying me for what your friend owed. And your friend is smart, if you ask me. If she had run away without finding a replacement, I would dive in deeper, and she wouldn’t be spared if she was found. And know your place.”
I glared at him.
How in the world did Bailey end up making a deal with someone like him?
I still couldn’t wrap my head around it.
I’ve been living with Bailey for years, and I knew the kind of person she was; I knew the kind of people she hung out with; I clearly knew the way she lived; she was like a cherry on top of an ice cream sundae.
So how did she end up owing a man like this? How did she meet him? What was she aiming for? What did she ask for?
Or does this mean I clearly didn’t know who my best friend was? despite walking on the same brick road with her for years?.
“If anything, my place is not here.” I spoke up.
“I don’t care what your place is. Your place is here now; you belong to me.”
Hardy relaxed his shoulders as he straightened his back.
“Take her to my covers. She’s not learning her lesson, and since you guys can hardly ever be perfect for your job, I’ll keep an eye out for myself.”
The moment Hardy said the words, the two guards walked behind me in unison.
I glanced back and forth at them before letting out a scoff.
“I’ll leave this place, Hardy.” I had prayed to sound threatened, but it came out as a plea.
Damn it!
A smug look appeared on Hardy’s face. “Stubborn.”. He mumbled.
“Take her away. And guard the doors!”
Obeying Hardy’s orders like their lives depended on it, my fragile arms lay inside the grips of the two built men behind me, and I couldn’t even fight my way out.
No lady in my situation would, no matter how strong they were.
“Hey, let me go.” I wriggled my arm, trying to get out of their grip.
But it wasn’t working, as the only thing that was happening was the red marks their iron palms were creating on my arms.
“Be careful with her.” Hardy said behind us as they slowly took me away, thanks to the powerful collision noises my shoes were making with the wooden floor.
Be careful with me, huh? So he didn’t want any harm done to me.
“I don’t want to make you my hostage, Joanne. Please don’t make this into a never-ending situation,” Hardy called out behind us.
He doesn’t want to make me a hostage, yet he has been treating me like one.
I was thrown into the room, and it was one of the most gentle throws. I guess they were scared of causing me harm, because Hardy might do more harm to them too.
Staring around the room I was standing in, it was wide, just like every other room the villa has; the walls were tall, and the king-sized bed lay at the center of the room with curtains around it.
Everything in the room screamed royalty, from the bed to the gigantic portrait of Hardy on the wall. He looked fine.
It was definitely his room.
The room had no windows but just bright lights that could make someone go blind. The room was captivating and rich, yet it felt empty.
I turned to the thick doors and realized there was no way I could ever escape. Maybe for tonight.
I wasn’t going to give up, nope. not yet.
My story would not end here. I couldn’t just wake up, get kidnapped, and be someone’s surrogate.
Not a chance.
It had been an hour since I was brought into Hardy’s room, and with me sitting on the floor close to the bed, biting on my nails, and lost in thoughts of escape routes, the door opened.
My eyes snapped to the door, and Hardy walked in.
And hell, I didn’t like the look he was giving.
.
…*