Chapter 21
Walking out of the audition hall, I felt the sting of eyes following me. The air was heavy with whispers, the little chaos I caused earlier now swept under the rug as though nothing had happened. Everyone went back to pretending, as they always did, hiding behind masks of civility. I smirked faintly—people like them would never survive if they lived in my shoes for a single day.
"Hazel!"
The sharp call of my name made me freeze. Gabriel's voice. My jaw clenched before I turned, only for him to grab my wrist. I immediately yanked my hand away and stepped back, widening the space between us. A two–meter gap—enough to prevent nosy bystanders from snapping misleading photos and stirring up scandal. In this industry, one false headline could drag someone down into ruins, and I refused to let him hand that weapon to the vultures waiting outside.
He stared at the distance I created, confusion shadowing his face. "The distance…" he muttered, as though baffled by the invisible line I'd drawn between us.
I ignored his half–baked observation, exhaustion making my temples throb. All I wanted was food, a bed, and the silence of my own space. Not him.
"Are you here to gloat, or boast?" I asked flatly, narrowing my gaze at him.
Gabriel cocked his head, still studying me. "What do you mean when you said you were married? You and I both know… all four of us rejected you."
I held his stare, then sighed. So that was it—still stuck in the past.
"So because you rejected me, I should remain unmarried forever?" My voice carried a cold bite. "Maybe you think I'm worthless, but someone out there… someone sees me as his world."
His expression faltered, and I tilted my lips into a small, mocking smirk.
"What is it? Are you regretting it now? Do you feel that gnawing sense of loss eating at you? Or are you only now beginning to see my charm… wishing I were still on the market?"
The disgust that flickered across his face was almost comical.
"This your new tactic? Playing hard to get?" he sneered.
I let my gaze wander to his skull, studying the shape of his head. So small. No wonder his brain struggled to process basic human language. A pity, really. Debating with a man like Gabriel was like trying to explain poetry to a brick wall. I shifted to leave, not willing to waste another breath, when he reached out again and grabbed my arm.
I shoved him off with force.
"What? Did I touch a sore spot?" he taunted, his lips curling into a cruel sneer. "Who would want an Alpha woman anyway? You lack warmth. You're not docile, soft, fragile like an Omega. What charm could you possibly have?"
I smiled—icy, sharp, poisonous.
"Yes, yes, I lack warmth. I'm an Alpha. I'm not soft or fragile." I leaned closer just slightly, my voice dipped with venom. "So now, Mr. Gabriel, can this unfeminine Alpha be allowed to walk away?"
Before he could spit out another insult, I slipped into the car waiting for me. I gave the driver an apologetic smile for the delay.
"Priceline Estate," I said calmly, settling into the seat.
The car moved, but an uneasy chill spread through me. My instincts prickled as if invisible eyes were watching. I glanced behind me more than once, half–expecting headlights trailing close, shadows that didn't belong.
It was six in the evening, the hour where the city blurred between the tired faces of workers returning home and the glittering nightlife just beginning to stir. I tried to distract myself with my phone, scrolling mindlessly, but the gnawing discomfort only grew stronger.
When the car took an overpass and curved into a narrow residential street I didn't recognize, realization struck like ice in my veins.
This wasn't the route home.
I pulled up the map on my phone—wrong lane. Wrong direction. Wrong everything.
My pulse spiked, but outwardly, I forced myself into calm, feigning cluelessness. I lifted my gaze slowly toward the front mirror. The driver—cap pulled low, face half–hidden by a mask. Every detail screamed deliberate disguise. My stomach turned cold.
I searched myself mentally. No weapon. Nothing sharp. Nothing useful. Then I remembered—heels. The sharpest, most underestimated weapon in a woman's arsenal.
"Oh my gosh, these heels hurt," I groaned suddenly, clutching at my ankle, massaging it as though in pain. My voice wavered with feigned discomfort, my movements deliberately sluggish. I caught the driver watching me in the mirror, suspicion flickering in his eyes.
The moment he looked away, I struck.
Like lightning, the pointed heel of my shoe smashed against his skull with all the force I could muster.
The impact reverberated up my arm, and his body slumped instantly, unconscious.
The steering wheel spun wildly, the car swerving without control. My hands flew forward, gripping it tightly. My heartbeat roared in my ears as I steadied the vehicle, guiding it back onto the road. Only when I was sure he was out cold did I fling the door open and stumble out, heels clattering against unfamiliar pavement.
I stood in the middle of an unknown street, breath ragged, the shadows of the strange neighborhood pressing in on me.
Panic clawed at my chest.
With trembling hands, I dialed Val's number.
The moment his deep, masculine voice answered, the tears I'd been holding back threatened to spill.
"I… I got kidnapped," I whispered hoarsely, desperation leaking into every word. My voice cracked, shaky, trembling with fear.
Silence. For a second, I thought the line had cut. Then came his voice—low, commanding, steady enough to anchor me even in this storm.
"Leave your location on."
The call ended. Just like that. His tone carried no hesitation, no panic—only certainty. And somehow, that steadiness pulled me back from breaking apart.
But I couldn't just stand there. I hurried back to the car, searching frantically for ropes, wires, anything to tie the driver before he regained consciousness.
My thoughts spiraled in chaos.
Which bigshot have I upset this time? Who wants my life badly enough to send masked kidnappers after me?
The air felt heavier, my chest tighter. Every passing second stretched unbearably, the shadows growing longer as the evening swallowed the sky. Somewhere out there, Val was coming for me—I only had to hold on.