Amy's eyelids fluttered open at the sharp command that sliced through the air.
'You're awake. Get up,' the voice snapped, sharp as a whip crack.
Amy blinked hard, her vision clearing to reveal an unfamiliar woman with a strict, angular face staring down at her. The woman's eyes were like polished steel, exuding an authoritative presence that made Amy's skin prickle. She stood tall, dressed in a severe black pantsuit, her hair pulled into a tight bun that allowed not a single strand to escape.
Amy blinked, momentarily disoriented. "W-who are you—"
The woman cut her off, her tone rising an octave. 'Didn't you hear me? Get up now!'
Amy jolted upright, swinging her legs over the edge of the oversized bed. Her pulse raced. She glanced around wildly—the room was opulent, with gilded mirrors and antique furniture that screamed wealth she wasn't used to. Where was she? How had she ended up here?
The woman pointed impatiently to a neatly folded outfit laid out on the foot of the bed.
'Go wash up and get ready. Breakfast is in 20 minutes. Don't dilly-dally. We have a lot to do.'
The clothes were nothing like what she'd normally wear: a corporate-style midi peplum pencil skirt in jet black, a crisp white polyester button-down blouse, and white stiletto heels. Amy was too frightened to ask any questions, her throat tight with fear. She nodded mutely and did as she was told, hurrying to the adjoining bathroom. The marble tiles were cold underfoot, and the shower's hot water did little to wash away her confusion.
Amy dressed in silence, tugging the blouse into the skirt, buttoning up to her collar. When she slipped her feet into the stilettos, she wobbled immediately.
God, these are skyscrapers… she thought. Her wedding shoes had been barely an inch high. Between motherhood and her grueling shifts back in the days, she hadn't touched heels in years. She clutched the stair railing tightly as she descended, her knuckles whitening with each cautious step. One wrong move, and she'd tumble down in a heap.
Reaching the bottom, she paused to catch her breath, the scent of fresh coffee and toasted bread wafting from the dining area. The house—or was it a mansion?—felt like a labyrinth, with polished floors that reflected her uneasy silhouette and walls lined with abstract art that seemed to watch her every move.
Reaching the bottom, she paused to catch her breath, the scent of fresh coffee and toasted bread wafting from the dining area.
she saw the woman sitting at a long mahogany dining table, her posture ramrod straight.
'Come sit,' the woman commanded, pointing to a chair with a manicured finger. Amy quietly obeyed, sliding into the seat with as much grace as she could muster in those treacherous heels. The woman served her a plate of scrambled eggs, toast, and fruit, the clink of porcelain the only sound breaking the tense silence.
'Eat,' she said, her tone leaving no room for argument. Amy picked up her fork, her hands trembling slightly as she followed orders, each bite tasting like cardboard in her dry mouth.
As she ate, Amy stole glances at the woman— her face was all sharp lines and no nonsense, but there was something almost maternal in the way she portioned the food. Questions burned in Amy's mind: Who are you? Why am I here? But the air felt too heavy to voice them. Instead, she focused on the meal, the warmth of the eggs washing off the chill of uncertainty settling over her.
**AT THE SAME TIME**
'Wren,' Tonna said, his voice low and edged with something unreadable as he slid onto a stool at the dimly lit bar.
He sat down and signalled the bartender with a flick of his wrist. The man, a burly figure with a scarred knuckle tattoo, nodded and poured Tonna's usual—a double shot of aged whiskey, amber liquid swirling in the glass. Tonna downed it in one swift gulp, the burn racing down his throat like liquid fire. He motioned again for two more glasses before turning his full attention to Wren, who lounged against the bar like he owned the place.
The other man didn't seem bothered in the least, just kept sipping his own drink—a dark rum, judging by the rich, molasses scent wafting over.
The bar was a hole-in-the-wall spot in the underbelly of the city, with low-hanging lamps casting golden pools of light on scarred wooden counters. Smoke hung in the air, mingling with the murmur of hushed conversations and the clink of glasses. The night, humid outside.
'Everything settled now?' Wren eventually asked, his tone casual as he took another sip, smacking his lips against the bitter slap of the liquor.
The bartender suddenly appeared with the two fresh glasses, placing them in front of Tonna. He took one, pushed the other toward Wren, and raised his own in a mock toast. Wren picked it up, eyeing him with a smirk.
'I definitely owe you one,' Tonna said, his voice steady despite the undercurrent of tension.
Wren's eyes narrowed, a flicker of amusement crossing his chiselled features. He was the picture of controlled power—broad shoulders straining against a tailored shirt, dark hair tousled just enough to look effortless. Tonna knew better than to underestimate him; Wren played the long game, always.
He raised his glass, and Wren looked at him, snickering.
'You bastard! Don't think you'd be getting away so easy,' Wren shot back, his smile sharp as a blade.
He took the drink, still grinning. 'You have no idea the price I had to pay to clean up your disappearing act. You owe me more than one.'
'More than one, huh? Sounds like you're keeping score,' Tonna replied, leaning in closer, the whiskey loosening the knots in his chest. 'Come on, spill it—what kind of hell did I put you through this time?'
He said to Tonna, who smiled faintly.
'How did you manage to placate them?' Tonna asked, genuinely curious now, his brow furrowing. Those guys weren't the forgiving type—ruthless old sharks in suits, circling for blood. There was no way they'd just let it slide.
'It won't be as much fun if you know,' Wren teased, his eyes gleaming with mischief. 'But I can tell you I paid heavily for it. And I am definitely going to collect. With interest, might I add?'
Tonna chuckled, a low rumble that didn't quite reach his eyes. The bar's ambient noise—R&B crooning from a hidden speaker, the occasional laugh from a shadowy corner—faded as he processed Wren's words. Interest. That could mean anything from a favour to something far more binding. He clinked his glass against Wren's, the sound crisp in the hazy air.
Tonna smiled and clinked his glass with Wren's. 'I look forward to it.'
As he took a sip, his phone dinged. He quickly pulled it out, as if expecting a message. Wren watched his every move with hooded eyes. Tonna saw it was a bank alert: he had just received three million Drex in his business account. He looked up at Wren, a serious expression on his face.
"Looks like I owe you more now. Was this your plan?" he asked.
Wren leaned back, unfazed, swirling his glass idly. The bar's dim light caught the amber liquid, making it shimmer like molten gold. 'Always so suspicious, Ton. Can't a friend help out without an interrogation?'
He looked the least bit bothered as he uttered his next words
'You can always return it if you don't need it, right?' Tonna watched him. He indeed needed that money, but this was much less than he had asked Wren for initially while signing the contract. No matter how friendly they were to each other, this was still business, and he had momentarily forgotten whom he was dealing with. Wren was a ruthless businessman. Nothing he did was out of the kindness of his heart. They had signed a contract for ten million, but now he had only sent three. His motives were clearly not transparent, and it made Tonna uneasy.
Wren smirked.
"Unfortunately, that, too, can't be helped."
"Why?" Tonna shifted uncomfortably in his seat. He could sense that whatever Wren was about to say, he wouldn't like it.
"You're getting rusty there, my friend," Wren said, finishing his drink and gesturing to the barman for four more glasses. "You're usually not this sloppy. Did you miss the part of the contract that says all rights are reserved to me as to how much I invest?"
In all honesty, Tonna had seen it. It had bothered him, but he was in a tight spot. Between Wren and those old men, he was between the devil and the deep blue sea. He didn't think it would come back to bite him so soon. He had learned in the business world not to let anything pass him by, no matter how trifling it seemed, as the most insignificant things could destroy everything in seconds.
The barman brought their drinks, and Wren slid two of the glasses to Tonna and took the other two. Although he was extremely bothered, Tonna managed to keep his composure. He leaned back in his seat and crossed his legs, seemingly more relaxed.
"You tricked me for half the shares with this?"
Wren relaxed in his seat, watching Tonna's movements with hooded eyes. "What do you think?" he asked, a knowing smile on his face.
Tonna had known Wren for a long time and knew he could be a jerk when he wanted to give someone a hard time, especially when he was unhappy. He was aware he had offended Wren by leaving him midway through their most important business deal. He knew Wren had to do something drastic to pacify those investors, and he was taking a piece out of him. He needed to endure it. He smiled at Wren and finished his drink in one swift swallow. He picked up the second drink, downed it in one go, stood up, and started walking away. He turned to look at Wren, who had a confused look on his face.
"Well, don't tell me you're waiting for an invitation?" he said, his voice a low, sensual tease. He flirtatiously touched Wren's chest, a playful spark dancing in his eyes.
Wren had a dark glint in his eyes as he licked his lips, smiled, and followed Tonna. That bastard was still provoking him. He never backed down. He had momentarily forgotten how crazy the man was. No matter how much he was pushed to the wall, he always found a way to bounce back.
When they got to the car, Wren grabbed Tonna's slender hand, causing him to look back at him. Tonna leaned closer, their faces inches apart. He smiled when he saw Wren's face twitch and the darkness in his eyes shine.
'Getting bold, are we?' Tonna whispered, his breath warm against Wren's skin. The parking lot was dimly lit, shadows dancing from distant streetlights, the air heavy with the scent of rain-slicked asphalt.
He scoffed and made to turn away, but Wren grabbed his wrist and pulled him closer. Their faces were so close, but Tonna didn't even blink.
"You know it's never going to happen," he said, licking his lips teasingly. Wren looked at the man's tempting lips, clearly fighting himself from ravaging the man right there and then. He took a deep breath to calm himself down, releasing his hand.
"You are very brave to keep provoking me."
Tonna licked his lips again and pushed the button on his car. "Of course. I know you hate unwilling participants."
Wren settled into his seat, manspreading while groaning softly. "Crazy bastard. Is this you getting revenge?"
Tonna didn't pay him any attention. Instead, wren pulled out a cigarette, lowered the windows, and lit it. He took a puff and let the smoke out through the window. Only Tonna could affect him so badly. He wasn't attracted to other guys; he had only had relations with women. But he was heavily sexually attracted to Tonna, and the latter knew this, which is why he kept using it to provoke him whenever he couldn't win against him like now. Tonna was an extremely tricky man. He may be unscrupulous to outsiders, but those who knew him knew that the man was as crazy as they came. He had no morals, but is extremely intelligent and crafty. He would do anything to get what he wants. He was also petty as hell. Of course, he knew that Tonna wasn't happy about their arrangement, so he had decided to punish him this way, and it didn't help that the man knew him so well.
But then again, no matter how smart and tricky Tonna was, Wren wouldn't wholly invest a huge amount of money in something he could barely see working out. The three million he invested showed how much trust he had in Tonna to at least jumpstart the project plan. Three million was an awfully small amount for the project he was going to run. Of course, he could invest more, but he needed some assurance that he wasn't throwing his money away. After all, this was business. He tapped the butt of the cigarette through the window. Unfortunately, there wasn't much he could do to satiate his curiosity about what it would feel like to sleep with him. He was well aware that Tonna was only interested in women, but always indulged him to provoke him any chance he got. He smoked the rest of his cigarette to calm his nerves, and they were at their destination before long.
They went to a door, and Wren pulled out a white card. The electronic door opened, and they walked through something like an alleyway. Then they were in an open expanse: a body of water with only one ship, lights on, and music blaring. There were people making out and having sex everywhere. Moans, groans, and yells filled the air. It smelled strongly of bodily fluids.
Wren touched his jaw, scratching it lightly as he shook his head. "Only you would find places as perverted as this," he said softly.
"Hmm, did you say something?"
"Nope," Wren quickly denied, not wanting to provoke him any more than he had. Even if he had the upper hand in business, he was still walking on eggshells. Tonna was as tricky as they came. He would do well not to anger him too much. He had known the man to hold a grudge for a very long time, and it usually escalated and brought more trouble than it was worth. It wasn't like a man with his capabilities was afraid of him, but rather, he would prefer to have the man as a friend rather than a foe. It was worth more being that way. The man did not care whose feathers he rubbed the wrong way; he would do the most extremely dangerous and stupid things, but crazily enough, they always yielded results. People saw him as a nut job, but Wren knew he was more than that. Because of his low morality or lack of it, people only tended to see things from one perspective, which often caused them to underestimate Tonna. On the other hand, Tonna was someone who did not care about his reputation going up in flames. He would rather people be less wary of him. That way, he could easily take care of them without much trouble.
They made their way into the bottom cabin of the ship, and that was when he gave him a key card and then winked at him, mouthing the words "have fun" so seductively that Wren had to swallow and quickly unlocked the room, dashing inside before he did something he would regret the rest of his life.
Inside the room were three women. As soon as he walked in, they surrounded him, caressing him and taking off his clothes before pushing him to the bed. He groaned as they touched him everywhere. He wasn't going to hold back. All that pent-up feeling he would unleash on these poor, unfortunate women. He only hoped they would be able to take it.
Meanwhile, Tonna brought out his laptop in his room and immediately called Kyle.
"Hello Boss!" his deep voice came from the other side of the phone.
"Kyle, I want you to send me a screenshot of the contract we signed with Mr. Danon immediately!"
"Okay, boss." The line went dead, and soon his phone pinged. He opened the message and enlarged the screenshot on his phone, reading through it again. He thought there must be a way to teach this brat a lesson. He was taking more advantage of him than he should. That was when he suddenly realised that he had forgotten to do something. He sighed so loud before bringing out his phone and texting Amy.
'Hey, I know you must have been super frightened and confused. Sorry, I meant to text you since. How's your study session with Ms. Kim going? You have to really focus and learn everything you can from her. I know things are tough for you, and you are in an unfamiliar place. But I promise you, you'll be better than ever once you are done. I will explain more when I finish my business and get back. Don't be afraid; Ms. Kim is a real softy once you get to know her.'