CHAPTER 6

The event at the auction had been nothing short of chaotic. The tension in the room was so thick it felt like I could slice through it with a knife. 

My heart pounded in my chest, each beat reverberating in my ears as I tried to make sense of everything that had just happened. 

As the event organizers attempted to calm the storm, Thiago leaned in close to me, so close that I could feel his breath against my ear. 

“We need to leave. Now,” he whispered, his tone urgent, almost desperate. “Before your former family decides to do something against us.” The way Thiago had spoken to me, the intensity in his gaze—it left me reeling, completely off-balance.

A shiver ran down my spine at the urgency in his voice. Without a second thought, I followed him, my mind racing with a million questions. Who was this man, really? Why had he kept silent for so long about his connection to Cynthia, my former mother-in-law? And what was it about Thiago that made my father speak to him as if they were old acquaintances?

As we walked briskly through the grand hallways of the venue, I couldn’t hold my questions back any longer. 

“Thiago,” I began, my voice trembling with a mix of curiosity and frustration as I pulled him back, “are you really Cynthia’s ex-husband? And why did my father speak to you like that? Do you two know each other?”

Silence. The only sound between us was the steady click of our shoes on the carpeted floors. Each unanswered question only fueled my growing frustration. By the time we reached the elevator, I could feel my patience wearing thin, fraying at the edges.

Inside the elevator, I turned to him, my eyes blazing with determination. “Why won’t you answer me?” I demanded, stepping in front of him, blocking his path as the doors slid shut. “You owe me an explanation, Thiago!”

His face hardened, the urgency from earlier replaced by a cold seriousness. “We’ll talk,” he said, his voice low and firm, “but first, we need to settle our agreement.”

“Our agreement?” I echoed, incredulous. How could he think of that now? “I don’t care about any agreement! I want answers, Thiago!”

But before I could say another word, he moved with such speed and precision that it stole the breath from my lungs. One moment I was standing, trying to regain control of the situation, and the next, his hand was a blur, seizing my wrists and pinning me forcefully against the cold metal wall of the elevator. 

The suddenness of it made me gasp, my pulse quickening as he raised my hands above my head, effectively trapping me beneath the heat of his body. There was no escape, no space to move, just the hard press of his hips against mine, a reminder of his dominance and the raw power he wielded over me. 

Much worst than this was that I could feel his cock hardened as he pressed it against me.

“Thiago,” I managed to gasp out, my voice trembling with a mix of fear and defiance. I squirmed against his hold, but his strength was unyielding, a steel vise that held me in place. “This isn’t the time for this. I need you to be serious.”

But he wasn’t listening, not really. 

His grip only tightened as if to anchor me to this moment to him. His face loomed closer, so close that I could feel the warmth of his breath against my lips. Then, in a move that sent shivers down my spine, he let his lips graze mine, a featherlight touch that was more a tease than a kiss. 

“You’ll follow me, damsel. It’s all part of our agreement, and we need to make it legal now before we discuss anything else. You know, I can be the knight you often call me, but I can also be the most terrifying beast if you don’t behave.” His voice, when he spoke, was a low, dangerous murmur, vibrating against my mouth.

My heart hammered in my chest, the fear and adrenaline mixing with something else, something darker and more dangerous that curled deep within me, making my breath hitch. 

“Are you threatening me now?” I asked, the words barely a whisper, my voice betraying the storm of emotions raging inside me.

His eyes darkened, the intensity in them making my breath catch in my throat. There was something primal there, something that spoke of a hunger barely restrained. 

“No,” he said, his voice calm but laced with a warning that made my blood run cold. “I’m just reminding you that there are times when I have no control, especially when someone as tempting as you provokes me. If you continue to be disobedient, I might just have to spank your ass right here, damsel, so hard until it’s so swollen that you won’t be able to sit comfortably for days.”

His words sent a jolt through me, a shocking blend of fear and a twisted, inexplicable thrill. The threat hung in the air between us, a potent mix of danger and desire that left me trembling. 

I wanted to challenge him, to push back against the overwhelming force of his will, but the way his body pressed against mine, the way his eyes burned with a possessive fire, left me powerless to do anything but submit to the tempest he had unleashed within me.

His words sent a shock through me, leaving me momentarily numb. The thought of being caught in such a compromising position, of anyone seeing us like this, was both terrifying and, disturbingly, thrilling.

Taking a deep breath, I realized I had little choice in the matter. “Fine,” I whispered, my voice trembling with the weight of my decision, “I’ll follow you.”

“Good, damsel. Now let’s go before I even lost control.”

A satisfied smile curled on his lips as he released my hands, allowing me to straighten my clothes. The elevator doors slid open, revealing a dimly lit hallway that seemed to stretch on forever. Without another word, I followed him, my mind a whirlwind of emotions. Fear, anger, curiosity, and a strange, unbidden excitement all battled for dominance within me.

Each step I took felt like it was taking me closer to some unknown fate. Finally, we reached a door at the end of the corridor. Thiago slid a keycard into the lock, pushing the door open and stepping aside to let me enter first.

The room was dim, heavy curtains drawn shut, casting shadows across the plush furnishings. The air was thick with tension as Thiago closed the door behind us, the sound echoing in the silence.

I turned to face him, my questions burning on my tongue, desperate for answers. But before I could speak, Thiago raised a hand, silencing me. “Before we begin,” he said, his voice calm but authoritative, “we need to settle the terms of our agreement. Only then will I answer your questions.”

Swallowing hard, I nodded, my earlier defiance melting away in the face of his unwavering determination. Whatever this agreement was, I knew I had little choice but to see it through.

As Thiago began to lay out the terms, I listened intently, my mind racing to piece together the puzzle of who this man really was and what he wanted from me. The night had taken an unexpected turn, and I could only hope that by the end of it, I would finally have the answers I so desperately sought.