02. The capture

Breathing heavily and terrified, Elena could barely comprehend what was happening. Still on the ground, she attempted to get up, but she was firmly held by the throat.

"Sponsored exclusively by Stuart Álvarez, aren't you?" the man with honey-colored hair asked sarcastically.

"You've gone quite far, we have to admit," Valentina commented. "But your sources, good as they may be, aren't exactly perfect."

Elena heard the door closing with a faint thud. The lights came on.

It wasn't a common room. It wasn't even an office. Instead of conventional light bulbs, the entire room was illuminated by a dim purple light. Instead of chairs and desks, there was a massive bed right in the center. On the walls, there was some sort of rack with what appeared to be chains.

The journalist didn't have time to ask questions or even understand where she was.

"Get this wretch on her feet, Evan," the dark-haired man ordered.

Evan roughly lifted her from the floor, still holding her tightly by the throat.

"Look at her face. Poor thing," he laughed, his laughter devoid of any mercy. The billionaire with light eyes continued,

"What should we do with her, James?"

"That's an excellent question."

"Please, wait," Elena pleaded. "Don't do anything, please."

"Have the torment and pleas for mercy started already?" Valentina taunted. "It was much faster than the last time."

"Last time?" Elena whispered.

James approached the girl's face and held her chin tightly.

"Do you think you're the first one to try to enter here? Do you think we don't know exactly who passes through our door?"

"I-"

"Just so you know, girl, Stuart Álvarez was formally expelled from our corporation nearly a year ago. He tried to challenge us, and he received his due punishment."

Evan's fingers loosened as he released Elena's throat, pushing her once more. Unsteady, she didn't fall but shrank back, facing the two men who cornered her like a rabbit. She clutched her bag tightly.

"Let's do this the easy way. Hand over that junk," the man with light-colored hair said.

"And don't even think about resisting. There's no way out for you."

Desperate and with few options, Elena decided to hand over the bag containing the recorder and the cell phone. With tears in her eyes, she tried to negotiate.

"Please, don't do anything to me. I promise I won't disclose anything about you, I swear! Just let me go, please!"

Valentina and the men laughed mockingly, seemingly enjoying the journalist's fear.

"So, that's it? The press wants to know about us?"

"I'm just doing my job. I have nothing against you! I swear!"

"Maybe you don't actually have anything against us," James said. "But what does that imply exactly? That your superiors want to embarrass us? That they want to see us ruined and our images tarnished?"

Evan, opening the woman's bag and tossing its entire contents on the floor as if emptying a trash bag, continued,

"Your superiors want us on a silver platter but are too cowardly to come after us. So... What do they do?"

Faced with the terrified silence of the girl, the billionaire continued,

"They send the faithful little lapdog eager for her moment in the sun. Let me guess. Your whole life, you were just a mediocre little girl who grew up with an older sister who was prettier and sexier than you. So, to compensate, you decided to invest in your career and prove to others that you're better than her?"

Elena sighed with frustration, partly because of the almost-truths Evan spoke but swallowed hard and tried not to lose her composure. Instead, she spoke in a firmer tone than before.

"If you let me go, spare me, I promise I'll resign. I'll say I found nothing, that I couldn't even get in here. And I'll disappear! Truly disappear! From your lives and this city. But please, don't harm me."

"Oh, dear, haven't you understood yet?" Valentina said, approaching Elena with a threatening look. "You already know too much, and now it's too late to turn back. We can't leave witnesses alive."

Elena's heart sank upon hearing those words. She realized there was no hope of escaping that situation. Without alternatives, she decided to try one last card.

"If you kill me, the police will investigate and find all of you! That will be the end of your secret club!"

The two men chuckled low and threateningly. Valentina wasn't even fazed by the threat, raising an eyebrow instead. Finally, she smiled with disdain.

"Do you really think the police can do anything against us? We have enough power and influence to ensure no investigation moves forward. Besides, we've had our dealings with the police on several occasions. No one will stop us."

Elena felt even more cornered. She realized there was no way out, and her fate was sealed. Her body trembled with fear, and tears streamed down her face.

"Please, I have a family, people who love me. You can't do this to me," she begged, her voice trembling.

James and Evan seemed to be enjoying the woman's desperation even more. The man with light-colored hair approached her and placed a hand on her face.

"You know, dear, it's a shame things have ended up like this for you. But you've understood too much, and now we can't take risks."

"No!"

"Resistance is futile."

"Please, I beg you!"

"Your cry for help doesn't move us, foolish woman. Haven't you realized that?"

Elena was in a living nightmare, cornered by individuals who had no scruples. The cold and merciless words of the kidnappers echoed in her ears as her mind worked frantically to find a way out.

She felt her body trembling with fear, and her tears continued to flow freely. However, despite all the terror she was experiencing, a spark of determination shone in her eyes.

"Please, don't do this," she whispered with a trembling voice. "There's another way. We can find an agreement."

Valentina let out a mocking laugh.

"An agreement? Do you think you can negotiate with us? Stop acting like an idiot."

Elena swallowed hard, trying to maintain her composure in the face of Valentina's mockery. She knew she was dealing with dangerous people, but the idea of giving up completely was not in her plans.

"Please, just listen to me for a moment," Elena pleaded, keeping her eyes fixed on the kidnappers. "I understand that you're concerned about what I know, but I have no intention of revealing anything. If you let me go, I can swear that I will never mention anything about you or this place to anyone. We can make an agreement that benefits us all."

"Forget it. You'll never escape from us."

In a burst of genuinely frightening strength and courage, the brown-haired woman punched the billionaire with blue eyes with all her might.

At the same time, she ran toward the door, which, to her complete and utter relief, wasn't locked.

Limping due to the adrenaline and high heels threatening to break on contact with the ground, the journalist knew she had a long way to go before reaching the exit. The sound of her footsteps echoing off the walls, along with the background music, felt like a psychedelic nightmare.

Elena's throat hurt as she breathed heavily, and the music got a little louder. She knew she had to stop running to avoid drawing attention from the others, but on the other hand, she would have to walk fast enough not to be caught.

Turning a corner, the music was much louder. It was time to stop the frantic running and walk calmly, or as calmly as she could, towards the exit.

But a stabbing pain hit her left side, a needle prick.

No,

Not a needle.

Elena's wide eyes could only partially register what had struck her. And then, everything went dark.

For she had been hit by a tranquilizer dart.