Chapter Nine

Theo’s smirk deepened as he straightened, stepping forward into the doorway, effectively blocking our path. His gaze flicked over the duffle bags slung over our shoulders, and his eyebrows arched in mock surprise.

“Well, well,” he drawled, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “A family getaway? And you didn’t think to invite me? I’m hurt.” He placed a hand over his chest as if genuinely wounded, but the glint in his eyes betrayed his amusement.

My throat tightened, and I felt the weight of Theo’s gaze pinning me in place. “Please, Theo,” I said, my voice trembling despite my efforts to sound calm. “Just let us go. We don’t want any trouble. I just need to leave.”

His smirk didn’t falter; if anything, it deepened. He took another step forward, towering over me, his eyes darkening with something unreadable. “Let you go?” he repeated mockingly, as if the idea itself were absurd. “Have you forgotten, Sofia? You and I made an agreement.”

I flinched at the sound of my name on his lips, cold and sharp like a blade. My mind raced as his words sank in, dread blooming in my chest. “Theo—” I started, but he cut me off with a low chuckle.

“No,” he said, his voice soft but firm, the kind of tone that demanded attention. “You don’t get to walk away. Not after everything.

Theo's grip tightened around my wrist, his fingers digging into my skin painfully as he forced me a step forward. I winced, the sharp pain making it hard to breathe, but I couldn't let him see my fear. I jerked my arm in an attempt to free myself, but his hold was unyielding.

"Let go of me!" | demanded, my voice breaking, but it only seemed to amuse him.

He chuckled darkly, leaning in so close that I could feel his breath against my ear.

"You think you can just walk away from me?" His words were low, the mocking tone never leaving his voice. "After everything we've been through, you think l'll just let you go like that?"

I struggled against him, trying to break free from his painful grasp. "You have no right!" I shouted, my voice rising with desperation.

"You don't control me anymore, Theo!"

He laughed, a sound that sent chills down my spine. "Oh, but I do, Sofia. You seem to have forgotten the small details of our little agreement." He jerked me forward again, dragging me further into the house. "You'll learn soon enough that leaving is not as easy as you think."

I fought against his grip, my nails scraping against his hand as I tried to pull away. "Let me go!" I gasped, my heart pounding in my chest.

Theo's face twisted with amusement, his smirk widening. "Struggling, are we?" he said with a sarcastic edge. "Come on, Sofia.

We both know you're not getting anywhere.

You're mine, remember?"

I clenched my jaw, the anger and fear rising in me like a storm. I couldn't let him break me, not now. But as I tried to dig my heels into the floor, the strength of his grip and his cold determination reminded me just how little control I had left.

"Such a fighter," he taunted, his voice dripping with mock admiration. "Too bad you're fighting the wrong battle."

I continued to struggle, but Theo wasn't letting go. The room seemed to close in around me, the walls pressing in with the weight of my helplessness. Every inch I tried to move, he countered it with another harsh tug. My father's voice came from behind, but Theo's presence was like a wall between us.

My father’s voice broke through the tension in the room, shaky but defiant. “Take me instead, Theo. Let her go. She’s just a girl; she doesn’t deserve this.”

Theo’s grip tightened around my wrist, but he stopped in his tracks, glancing over his shoulder at my father. The amusement never left his face, though his eyes flickered with something darker.

“Aren’t you brave?” Theo said, his voice dripping with mockery. He let out a low chuckle, then turned back to face me. “But really, what can you offer me, old man? You’re a relic of a bygone era, worthless. No one cares for someone like you anymore.”

He took another step closer to me, his free hand trailing lightly across my shoulder, sending a shiver of disgust through me. “Now, your daughter, on the other hand…” His voice dropped to a low, almost seductive tone, and I felt my stomach turn.

He leaned in, his breath hot against my ear. “She’s young, beautiful, and full of life. She has so many ways she could satisfy me.” His words dripped with lust, and I fought the urge to vomit. “You should know, old man, she’s much more useful to me than you’ll ever be.”

I couldn’t breathe. His words echoed in my mind, each one more suffocating than the last. The way he spoke of me, as if I were a possession, a mere object to be used—it was too much to bear. I could feel the bile rise in my throat, the sting of helplessness and disgust mixing together.

My father, his face contorted with fury and desperation, stepped forward, his eyes filled with a sudden resolve. “You don’t get to talk to her like that, Theo!” he shouted, his voice cracking with emotion. “She’s my daughter, and I won’t let you—”

Before he could finish, Theo’s expression shifted, his smirk disappearing into a cold, calculating stare. With a swift motion, he raised his arm and shoved my father hard. He stumbled backward, crashing into the side table with a thud that echoed through the house. My father crumpled to the floor, gasping for air as he tried to push himself up.

“Pathetic,” Theo muttered under his breath, shaking his head as he watched my father struggle. He stepped closer to him, looking down at him with contempt. “You’re not even worth my time.”

I gasped, my heart pounding in my chest as I saw my father on the ground, his face pale from the impact. “Dad!” I cried out, tears welling up in my eyes.

My father’s hand reached out weakly, but he didn’t have the strength to stand up. My breath caught in my throat, panic rising in my chest.

Theo glanced back at me, his eyes glinting with amusement as he watched my reaction. “I suggest you stop pretending to care about him,” he said, his voice dangerously low. “Because as long as he’s here, you’ll never be free.”

I felt my stomach turn, the weight of his words settling like a stone in my chest. The room seemed to close in on me, suffocating me with the realization of just how trapped I was.

I swallowed hard, forcing myself to steady my breath as I looked from my father to Theo. My heart broke at the sight of my father lying helplessly on the floor, but I knew I couldn’t let Theo harm him any further.

“No… please, Theo,” I whispered, my voice trembling with both fear and desperation. “Please, don’t hurt him. I’ll go with you. I’ll follow you, just leave him alone.”

Theo’s smirk widened, his cold eyes gleaming with satisfaction. “Now that’s what I wanted to hear,” he said, his voice low and full of cruel amusement. “If you’d just said that from the start, we could’ve avoided all this unnecessary trouble.”

He paused for a moment, his gaze flicking to my father, who was still struggling on the floor. “You really should’ve known better than to defy me. It’s never been about you, Sofia. It’s always been about your willingness to bend to my will.”

My chest tightened as the reality of my situation sank deeper. Theo was a master of manipulation, and I had just handed him exactly what he wanted. My heart ached as I thought of my father, still lying on the floor in pain, but I knew I couldn’t change what I’d just agreed to.

Theo turned away from me with a dismissive wave, as if my father’s existence was irrelevant. “Get her,” he ordered sharply, his voice carrying a cold command.

Immediately, two of his bodyguards, who had been lurking at the edges of the room, moved into action. They approached quickly, their eyes cold and unfeeling. I didn’t have time to react before they grabbed hold of my arms, their grips tight and unrelenting.

“No!” I screamed, thrashing against their hold, but it was no use. The guards were too strong. They began to drag me toward the door, each step feeling like a defeat, as if every inch I was pulled away from my father was tearing a piece of me apart.

“Let go of me!” I shouted, my voice breaking. “I’ll go with him, but please, don’t hurt my father!”

Theo didn’t even look back as the guards ushered me out the door. “Don’t worry,” he called over his shoulder, his tone almost amused. “He’ll be fine… for now.”

I wanted to scream, to fight, to break free, but the more I struggled, the more I realized how hopeless it all felt. The guards’ grip was like iron, and Theo’s power seemed insurmountable.

We reached the front steps, and I saw the waiting limousine parked at the curb. Its dark windows gleamed like a predator’s eyes.

We reached the front steps, and I saw the waiting limousine parked at the curb. Its dark windows gleamed like a predator’s eyes, and I could almost feel the weight of everything I was about to lose.

As they shoved me into the back of the limo, I glanced out the tinted windows, looking for one last glimpse of my father. He was still on the floor, looking up at us with pain and helplessness in his eyes. My heart shattered as the door slammed shut, cutting off my view.

The car lurched forward, and I was thrown back into the plush leather seat, my body stiff with fear and regret. The silence in the limo was suffocating, thick with the weight of everything that had just happened.

Theo finally turned to me, his eyes gleaming with that same unsettling confidence. “We’re just getting started, Sofia,” he said softly, his voice barely a whisper. “You’ll learn soon enough that there’s no escaping me.”

I sat there, my stomach churning with a mixture of fear, anger, and the crushing weight of helplessness. I had no idea what awaited me, but I knew one thing for sure: I was no longer in control of my own fate. And it was all my father’s fault.