Chapter 2

Jade and I got out of the building in no time and drove separately in our own cars.

A familiar bungalow came into view.

I parked in the driveway and tossed the keys to the guard standing near the door as I shuffled inside. Jade was already in. Her handbag was tossed onto the couch in the living room.

The entire place was thoroughly illuminated, but no one was in sight. I knew exactly where to find Jade, so I headed upstairs, taking off my leather jacket and draping it over a chair before turning down a hallway, focusing on one door among many secured ones.

I could hear an enigmatic sound from the other side, and even though I hadn’t opened the door yet, my ears perked up. But when I finally entered, I saw a sight that knocked the air out of my lungs—in a good way.

A woman was tied up in a chair. Her blonde hair was rumpled and messy, her skin sweaty, and her clothes wrinkled and blotched with hideous stains of blood. Thick red liquid oozed from a nasty cut on the side of her forehead. Her eyes shone with terror, and as I walked closer and closer, her beaten body trembled vigorously.

God, they scored her badly.

“Please—I really… don’t know where he is,” she sobbed breathlessly, her words barely comprehensible. “Please…”

“Darling, we’ve played this game for too long,” I told her, as calmly as possible. Maybe calm was the language she would understand better. “The longer you take to give us what we need, the more you’re going to get hurt. Horribly, might I add. You wouldn’t like that, would you?”

There were other men present in the room, but they stayed quiet, trained to maintain silence and stay alert while I did my job. And then there was Jade, casually leaning against a wall across from us, playing with her hair.

I grabbed a seat in front of the handcuffed girl, crossing my arms, my cheerless eyes waiting patiently.

She said nothing.

“Alright, listen to me carefully. Mary—Masy, Mel—Melinda, is it? Yes, Melinda,” I leaned in as if revealing a secret. “Have you ever thought that the man you’re trying to save here maybe doesn’t deserve it? Who knows—how many people has he destroyed? How many women has he molested? How many kids are on the streets because of him? Do you really know? Do you?”

She gulped, blinking down at the surface, clearly thrown off. She didn’t come up with a response, not even in his defense. I’ll call this improvement.

“You look like a nice girl, Melinda,” I said, pushing a strand of hair out of her face. She flinched. “You’re young, a law-abiding citizen, full of passion and dreams. You don’t have to go through this. I wonder, why are you doing this to yourself? What’s at stake for you?”

Melinda said nothing this time either. However, she shifted uncomfortably in her seat, her gaze sinking into the floor as if trying to will the earth to swallow her up. And that’s when the realization finally dawned on me.

“Dammit!” I exclaimed, pushing the chair back furiously and standing upright, pacing the room before turning back to her. “Who is it?”

“My sister,” she finally conceded, hot tears pouring from the corners of her eyes. “He said he would kill her if I—” She broke down, violent sobs racking her skinny body. It made sense.

“We’re on it,” Jade said, quickly rising to her feet, dialing someone on her phone, and issuing a series of directions. Meanwhile, as I made my way out, thinking my work was done, I instructed the men waiting outside to release the girl and tend to her wounds before taking her back to her apartment. They carried out the task without delay. She was a victim, not an accomplice, as we had initially assumed.

It was too late to return home, so I headed to the room I occupied during my stay here. I turned on the shower and began cleaning myself up. The hot water cascaded down my skin, feeling soothing and relaxing. My mind drifted, finally finding peace.

By the time I walked outside, a mere towel wrapped around my waist, I saw Jade consciously taking off her dress and undergarments, discarding them on the floor.

She joined me in the bed and I fucked her just the way she liked. I don’t remember who turned off the lights or how many times we came. All I remember was how much I made Jade scream and moan my name while I ferociously drove into her all night. Or whatever was left of it— until the climax ripped us both.

———

“Thank you for meeting with us on such short notice,” the man in the dark blue suit said.

The next morning arrived earlier than I had hoped. If not for an important meeting with a client, I would have been inclined to take a well-rested day off. But work had always been my priority since the day I came to my senses. Work had always provided me with ample distraction from the reality I was determined to ignore.

After dropping Jade off at her apartment, I went home and showered. Paul had already set up breakfast in the dining room by the time I came downstairs, ready to leave.

Upon reaching the office, Margo, my PA, informed me about a group of men eager to meet with me. Something seemed off right from the start. However, despite the uneasy feeling gnawing at my chest, I instructed Margo to organize the meeting in the conference room.

“Of course,” I said with a nod, gesturing for all five men to take a seat while I settled into mine. “So, tell me, how can I help you?”

The meeting, although it felt like it dragged on for an hour or more, actually concluded in less than ten minutes. It turned out that my father was behind what they described as “a matter of slight inconvenience.”

Dad and I had never seen eye to eye for as long as I could remember. We were two entirely different people with divergent perspectives on life. It seemed impossible for any father-son duo to be so distinct. We never agreed on anything, never shared a meal under one roof without erupting into a verbal brawl.

He harbored some deep-rooted animosity toward me for reasons unknown, and I, in turn, held no affection for him. This was precisely why Dad chose to reside with my younger brother, Nathan, while Mom stayed with me.

As it turned out, the men he sent were from a law firm he had retained to propose a deal to me. The moment they mentioned the word ‘deal,’ I instantly knew what the fucker had in mind.

Sunny Daze. It was a house in Miami that had caught his eye ever since Grandpa had passed it down to me in his will. To put it succinctly, no matter what his proposal entailed this time, I had zero interest. He could offer any price, but he wouldn’t get his hands on Sunny Daze. I wouldn’t allow it. Not now, not ever.

I couldn’t bring myself to leave the conference room for the next two hours. I just couldn’t. My father always had this effect on me. He made me want to seclude myself from the world and ponder deeply about what had transpired four years ago. If only I hadn’t been such a coward…

“Ma’am, please. You cannot barge in like this. It’s terribly inappropriate,” Margo’s tense voice filtered in through the partially open door of the conference room. I had never heard such panic in her tone before. Whatever was happening outside, whoever she was speaking to, held my attention completely.

As I stepped out, Margo’s back came into view. She appeared to be blocking someone from advancing further. There were guards behind the person whom my assistant was earnestly trying to dissuade.

“You listen to me!” a head adorned with glossy platinum curls tilted to the side. I still couldn’t see the intruder’s face clearly, but now at least I knew the gender.

It was a woman, and with that kind of voice, probably in her mid-twenties.

“I have been trying to have a decent conversation with your so-called boss for the last four days,” the platinum-haired intruder snapped. “Four days! That’s a lot of time for someone to at least spare ten minutes from their damn hectic schedule. Even the President of the United States can’t be this busy. What the hell?”

The guards visibly flinched at the intruder’s loud scream, and if I’m honest, something fluttered in my chest too. What was her deal?

Margo sighed deeply. “I don’t know how that—well, I’m not sure how that’s possible. There must be some sort of explanation.”

“Of course,” the intruder retorted sharply, “there is an explanation. And while you look into that, I need to get done with what I’m here for. If you can just direct me to your boss’s room, that would be really nice. Actually, never mind, I’ll find that asshole myself.”

While Margo attempted to block the hallway leading to my office, the intruder swiftly pushed her aside with hardly any effort.

“Ma’am!” Margo called out as the intruder stormed past her. “Ma’am, please, stop!”

With bright blue eyes and a deep frown etched on her full pink lips, the woman flipped her long, snow-like hair over her shoulder and began moving in my direction. Margo yelled at the guards to stop her, but they hesitated, exchanging pitiful glances before finally obeying her command.

Honestly, who the hell is this woman?

And what made her so mad at me?

She didn’t resemble anyone I’d been with recently. Actually, come to think of it, I couldn’t recall ever being with someone with hair so long and stunning. The image of wrapping those locks around my fist and bending her over my office desk flashed vividly in my mind, awakening something primal within.

“Excuse me,” her perfect lips parted as words spilled out. It took me a moment too long to realize she was addressing me. “Can you please tell me where Mr. Richmond’s office is?”

Margo hurried after her, panting. “Boss, I’m so sorry—I tried to stop her, but she just wouldn’t listen. She’s really crazy!” The last words Margo muttered in a hushed whisper, but despite her attempt at discretion, the beautiful intruder caught every word.

She literally growled at my assistant.

Before turning to face me, her blue eyes blazed with intense fury. It seemed she had realized I was the man she had been searching for.

I wondered what this was all about.

“Are you Mr. Richmond? Maddox Richmond?” she demanded, needing confirmation.

From the way her face flushed redder and her expression hardened, it was clear she already knew who I was and was merely waiting for me to confirm before exploding like a grenade.

Well, this should be interesting.