Sebastian didn’t know how he did it, but he drove back to Woods Corporation in one piece. The familiar sight of his company building loomed before him as he parked the car with an insane and wildly out-of-control screech. His hands were still shaking from the adrenaline rush of his reckless driving.
He was still stark-raging mad!
Walking unsteadily to his office, Sebastian didn’t go unnoticed by his swam of nosy employees. But everyone knew well enough to shut up and bow respectfully as he walked through to get to his private elevator.
It was as if a cloud of anger was hovering over him like a dark storm.
As soon as he got into his office, he slammed the door shut behind him and made a beeline for the mini bar tucked away in the corner of the room.
Without hesitation, he grabbed a bottle of Campari whisky as if his whole life depended on it.
He wanted to at least get rid of a small portion of the venom and pain in his heart.
Pouring himself a generous amount, he raised the glass to his lips and took a long, burning gulp. The amber liquid scorched his throat, but he welcomed the pain as a distraction from the turmoil within him.
As he sank into his leather chair, the bitter taste of the whiskey mingled with the bitterness in his heart.
A cold laughter bubbled within him!
He couldn’t believe he had been so blind, so foolish, so brainless, so stupid to trust a woman again.
His head was filled with self-loathing as he cursed himself for being a fool, over and over again!
Just as he was spiraling into a dark pit of despair, the door to his office swung open, and Jamie, his most trusted subordinate, entered with a grave expression on his face. Sebastian’s bloodshot eyes narrowed as he took in the blonde man standing before him. He was in no mood to see or speak to anyone.
“GET OUT!!!”
“Wait, Sir… you need to see this,” Jamie said, his voice tinged with desperate urgency.
He wasn’t about to let his boss’s marriage crumble without a fight because he and the rest of Sebastian’s subordinates had seen the change in him since Kourtney had entered his life.
Ever since she moved in, Sebastian had started arriving late to work and also leaving early at Woods Corporation, a stark deviation from his usual workaholic tendencies. His subordinates and employees had taken advantage of the situation, enjoying a more relaxed atmosphere at work.
They had enough time now to focus on their own personal lives.
Funny enough, Jamie finally found time to pursue a lady he liked after years of being miserably single. There was no way he was going to let everything end up in shambles.
Without waiting for permission, he approached Sebastian’s desk and placed a tablet in front of him, tapping on the screen to bring up a surveillance video footage.
Sebastian’s gaze flickered to the screen, his heart clenching as he watched the scene unfold before him.
After watching over and over again to his satisfaction, he finally set down his glass of whiskey with a heavy sigh, the liquid suddenly forgotten.
The weight of his guilt pressed down on him, threatening to suffocate every fiber of his being……
************
Kourtney blinked her emerald eyes open, feeling weak, disoriented, and groggy.
As her surroundings came into focus, she realized with a surge of panic that she was not in her own bed or even in a familiar place.
She frantically tried to move, only to realize….
No, Hell!
Her hands and feet were bound, and a gag to her mouth silenced any attempt to scream for help.
Heart pounding, Kourtney struggled against her restraints, trying to make sense of how she had ended up in this terrifying situation.
Memories flooded back after Sebastian had ruthlessly abandoned her, she had wandered up and down the streets for a while before she noticed she was being followed by four nasty-looking men. They looked so hideous, with scars and terrifying tattoos all over their bodies.
The men had pursued her with cruel intent evident in their eyes. She screamed for passersby to help, but no one seemed to give a damn about her situation. They all moved on with whatever they were doing as if it was a normal occurrence for a helpless lady to be chased down the streets by some hoodlums in broad daylight.
She had struggled to run in the office high-heeled shoes she wore, so much so that they caught her real fast, placing a napkin soaked in chloroform over her nose. The overpowering scent of the napkin had dulled her senses. And then, total darkness……
And now, she was trapped in the confined space of a car’s trunk.
The fact that she was claustrophobic made her situation even worse. At this point, she was in full-swing panic mode, struggling to breathe. The choking heat and lack of air made her frightened to horror.
Tears welled up in her eyes.
This was the first time ever that Kourtney was experiencing such kind of situation.
It was as if she was starting straight at death itself!
Desperation and anguish clawed at her as she struggled against her restraints, the rough bindings chafing her skin. The darkness pressed in around her, suffocating and oppressive!
She labored to pull up her body in an attempt to hear the muffled voices of the creepy men standing outside the car. She listened intently, and their sinister words sent a shiver down her spine.
“Let’s wait to give her to the big boss. She’ll fetch a pretty penny.”
“You’re right. She looks too pretty and fresh. Seems to be from the upscale elite society. Da muthaf*cker’s gonna love our little present!” another voice chimed in.
“Well… why don’t we have some fun with her before we hand her over,” one of them sneered.
‘Oh no!’ Kourtney shivered with fear, realizing the danger she was in.
These were not just ordinary criminals; they seemed to be hardcore hooligans with a twisted plan for her. Fear clawed at her chest as she thought of the unknown fate awaiting her while the men kept rambling on.