15. Emily
15
EMILY
M y breath catches in my throat, and for a moment, I can’t move, can’t think. It’s as if time has stopped, the world narrowing down to just the two of us in this small, enclosed space.
My heart pounds so loudly in my ears that I can barely hear anything else.
He looks exactly the same as the last time I saw him—impeccably dressed, with that same calm, commanding presence that always made him seem larger than life.
But there’s something different in his eyes this time, something darker, more intense.
“Hello, Emily,” he says, his voice smooth and controlled, as if we’re meeting under perfectly normal circumstances.
I take a step back, my hand instinctively reaching for the door handle. But before I can even think about leaving, Lucas presses a button on his desk, and I hear a soft click. I glance behind me, trying to open the door, but it’s locked.
Panic surges through me, and I turn back to face him, my voice trembling. “What are you doing here? What’s going on?”
He leans back in his chair, his eyes never leaving mine. “You’re too easy to catch,” he says, a hint of anger in his tone. “This fake interview brought you here. What if it wasn’t me sitting here? What if it was a hired gun? Or worse?”
The words send a chill down my spine, and I can feel the walls closing in around me. “Lucas, please?—”
“I own this business, Emily,” he continues, cutting me off. “And I own this building. From the moment you walked through those doors, you were in my world. I’ve had my people watching your job applications, aligning a vacancy just right to bring you to me today. If I could do it, my enemies could.”
I take a shaky breath, my mind racing as I try to process what he’s saying. “Why are you doing this? What do you want from me?”
His expression darkens, and he stands up, slowly making his way around the desk until he’s standing directly in front of me. “What I want,” he says quietly, “is for you to understand that you’re only safe with me. We have to get married.”
The room feels smaller with each passing second, the walls closing in as Lucas’s words sink in. My heart pounds in my chest, my breath catching in my throat as I stare at him, trying to make sense of what’s happening.
This was supposed to be a job interview, a chance to move on with my life, but instead, I’ve walked straight into a trap.
I take a step back, my hand still clutching the door handle behind me, but it’s useless. The door is locked, and I’m trapped here with him. Panic surges through me, and I force myself to speak, though my voice is shaky. “Lucas, you can’t do this. You can’t just force me to marry you.”
He raises an eyebrow, his lips curling into a smirk that makes my skin crawl. “Can’t I? I own this business, this building, this city. Everything I see is under my control—including you.”
I feel a cold sweat break out on the back of my neck, my mind racing as I search for a way out. But there’s no escape. Lucas has thought of everything, and he’s not going to let me go without a fight.
I swallow hard, trying to keep my voice steady as I meet his gaze. “What do you want from me?”
His smirk fades, replaced by a look of steely determination. “I want you to marry me, Emily. And I’m not asking. I’m telling you.”
The sheer audacity of his demand leaves me speechless. I can’t believe this is happening—that he would go to such lengths to trap me like this. “Why?” I manage to ask. “Why are you doing this?”
Lucas steps closer, his presence overwhelming, and I can feel the heat of his body as he towers over me. “Because I can’t let you go, Emily. Not now, not ever. You tried to run, and that was understandable. But it was also foolish. You belong to me, and I’m going to make sure you never forget that.”
The fear in my chest tightens into something sharper, more desperate. “And if I refuse?”
His eyes narrow, and there’s a flash of something dark in his expression. “If you refuse, I’ll make sure everyone you care about pays the price. Your roommate, Mia? She’ll be the first to suffer. You don’t want that, do you?”
My blood runs cold. I can’t believe he would go after Mia, drag her into this nightmare just to get to me. “You wouldn’t,” I whisper, the words slipping out before I can stop them.
Lucas doesn’t flinch. He doesn’t deny it or try to justify his actions. He simply shrugs, a faint smile tugging at the corners of his lips. “So, what’s it going to be, Emily? Are you going to do as you’re told, or are you going to make this difficult?”
My heart is pounding, my mind a whirlwind of fear and anger and confusion. I want to scream, to fight, to find some way out of this, but the reality is crashing down on me with brutal force. I’m trapped, and Lucas holds all the power. I have no choice.
But that doesn’t mean I’ll make it easy for him. “You’re a monster,” I say, my voice trembling with the effort to hold back tears.
“A monster who needs an heir for his empire. Marry me, give me a child, or I hurt those you love.”
“You bastard.”
“Not an answer. How important is Mia? Want to attend her funeral?”
“I’ll do whatever it takes to protect the people I care about. If that means marrying you, then fine. But don’t think for a second that I’ll ever forgive you for this.”
Lucas’s expression softens, just a fraction, and he reaches out to gently brush a strand of hair behind my ear. “You’ll come around, Emily. You’ll see that this is the only way. And in time, you might even thank me.”
I shudder at his touch, my skin crawling with the conflicting emotions tearing me apart inside.
Part of me wants to believe him, to think that maybe, somehow, this twisted reality could turn into something less horrifying. But the other part of me—the part that remembers who Lucas really is—knows better.
He steps back, letting the weight of his words settle between us. “We’ll do this my way,” he says, his voice calm and controlled. “And I promise, as long as you cooperate, no harm will come to your friend. But if you try to run again, or if you refuse me… well, you already know what I’m capable of.”
I swallow the lump in my throat, my voice barely audible as I reply. “Fine. I’ll marry you. Just don’t hurt her.”
A satisfied smile spreads across Lucas’s face, and he nods. “Good. Now, let’s not waste any more time.”
The room feels even smaller now, the walls closing in as Lucas takes control of the situation. I feel like I’m suffocating under the weight of his demands, but there’s no way out.
My heart races as I watch him move closer, his eyes never leaving mine. There’s a mix of fear and anger churning inside me, but underneath it all, there’s something else—something I hate to admit, even to myself.
Despite everything, I’m still drawn to him.
He reaches out, his fingers brushing against my cheek, and I flinch at the touch, but I don’t pull away. His touch is warm, gentle even, but it only serves to remind me of the power he holds over me.
“You can pretend to hate me all you want, Emily,” he says softly, his voice laced with a dangerous kind of affection. “But we both know the truth. You want this. You want me. You felt that thunderbolt when we first met, didn’t you?”
“I didn’t,” I whisper, but the words lack conviction. I can hear the uncertainty in my voice.
Lucas’s lips curve into a knowing smile. “You can lie to yourself, but you can’t lie to me.” He steps even closer, his body pressing lightly against mine, and I can feel the heat radiating off him. “You’re mine, Emily. You’ve always been mine. And deep down, you know it. I tried to ignore it too but fate is running things. You got pregnant. I need an heir. You’re the best sex I’ve had in my life. I can’t let you go.”
I want to argue, to push him away, but my body betrays me. The proximity, the way his voice wraps around me like a dark, seductive promise—it’s all too much. I can feel my resolve crumbling, piece by piece, under the intensity of his gaze.
“Admit it,” Lucas murmurs, his lips brushing against my ear, sending a shiver down my spine. “Admit that you want me.”
I close my eyes, trying to block out the sensation, the heat pooling in my stomach. But it’s no use. I can’t deny the pull between us, no matter how hard I try. “No,” I whisper, but even I can hear how weak it sounds.
Lucas’s hand trails down my arm, his touch sending sparks of electricity through my skin. “You don’t have to be afraid,” he says, his voice low and comforting, as if he’s coaxing me into something I desperately want. “Just let go, Emily. Let go and admit what you’re feeling.”
His other hand slides around my waist, pulling me closer, and before I can stop myself, I’m leaning into him. It’s as if my body has a mind of its own, responding to him despite the warnings screaming in my head. I hate that he has this effect on me, that he can make me feel so weak, so powerless.
He tilts my chin up, forcing me to meet his gaze, and the intensity in his eyes takes my breath away. “Say it,” he demands, his voice a husky whisper. “Tell me you want me.”
The words are on the tip of my tongue, but I can’t bring myself to say them. I can’t give him that satisfaction. But Lucas doesn’t need words to know he’s won. He can see it in my eyes, feel it in the way I tremble against him.
He kisses me then, a slow, deliberate kiss that’s more of a claim than a gesture of affection. It’s possessive, demanding, and it sends a rush of conflicting emotions through me—fear, anger, and, God help me, desire. My hands clutch at his shirt, half of me wanting to push him away, the other half desperate to pull him closer.
When he finally pulls back, I’m breathless, my heart pounding. “You feel it too,” he says, his voice smug with victory as he presses his hand to my chest. “You can’t deny it. I feel that heartbeat.”
I want to scream, to tell him he’s wrong, but the truth is, he’s not. There’s something between us, something dark and twisted, but it’s there, undeniable. And Lucas knows exactly how to use it against me.
He doesn’t give me a chance to recover. His hands move with practiced ease, sliding under my borrowed suit jacket, pushing it off my shoulders. I don’t resist, too dazed and overwhelmed to fight back. His fingers trail over my skin, leaving a path of heat in their wake, and I feel myself melting under his touch.
“You’re so beautiful,” he murmurs, his lips brushing against my neck as he continues to undress me. “So perfect, and now you’re finally mine.”
I hate that his words send a thrill through me, that his touch makes my skin tingle with anticipation. I hate that despite everything, I still want him. But there’s no escaping it now. He’s broken through my defenses, and I’m too weak to resist.