2. In The Golden Cage

"Hey, can you slow down, Jordan!" Chantal exclaimed, stumbling after Jordan Fremantle, who clutched her wrist across the lobby of a luxury apartment in downtown Los Angeles.

The dark mahogany-haired head turned back. "You spoiled woman! Next time, don't wear high heels. They're likely to sprain your feet," said Jordan with a cynical look that made the usually cheerful Chantal turn sour.

"Please remember carefully, I don't want to come here with you. Just let me go, and you definitely won't have to bother with my slow footsteps in beautiful high heels, Mr. Fremantle!" Chantal spat while trying to free her hands from the hands as strong as the handcuffs holding her so she wouldn't escape.

The elevator Jordan had been waiting for finally arrived at the lobby floor. He owns this luxurious 80-story skyscraper property. It is a futuristic building with many functions besides just a residence. Sky Eternity Intercontinental, or SEI, is famous in the middle of one of these densely populated metropolises, the center of the Fremantle Group business empire. And Jordan, the CEO, lives on the 80th floor in a single penthouse there.

"Let's get into the elevator. Don't inflame me by fighting me!" Jordan insisted, dragging Chantal's hand roughly.

Two bodyguards stand guard on either side of the elevator door in front of Jordan and Chantal. They seemed to turn a deaf ear to whatever their boss was talking about with his captive girl.

Chantal's wrist was red and sore, but she held back her tears because she didn't want to appear weak in front of the annoying man beside her. "Let go of my hand. I can't run anywhere in an elevator going up, can I?" Chantal said coldly without looking at the person she was talking to.

"Ohh—okay!" Jordan released his grip on his hands and raised both of his hands indifferently. However, when he saw Chantal's veins turning blue as if they had burst because he was gripping too hard earlier, Jordan panicked.

He pulled Chantal's arm without touching the woman's wrist, which had a hematoma. "Hmm... looks like I held your hand too hard earlier. I'll call a doctor to treat this!" Jordan said, softening, no longer being rude.

(Hematoma is an abnormal buildup of blood outside the blood vessels. This condition occurs due to damage to the blood vessels, which causes blood to leak into other body tissues.)

"Be a little civilized, Mister Fremantle!" said Chantal, still annoyed. Her right-hand hurts when she moves it and is a bit numb.

"TING." The elevator reached the 80th floor, and the door opened. Jordan's two bodyguards exited first and then waited for the pair to walk toward the entrance of Jordan's private penthouse.

This sophisticated door can only be opened with Jordan's retina sensors. No one else could enter the penthouse without his permission. After scanning the retina of his eyes, Jordan invited Chantal to join.

The young woman spread her gaze, scanning the entire spacious penthouse with the west and north walls surrounded by window film that could see out of the room but could not be seen in the opposite direction. The interior of the penthouse looks classy and elegant. There are not many unnecessary items in the room with magenta red walls. Jordan's taste is unusual, with rooms with light or white walls in general.

"From now on, you live at my house. Get used to it, dear Chantal. Don't worry, I will take care of you very–well. There's only one condition: You have to obey my orders, anything!" Jordan crossed his arms in front of Chantal, who looked at him with a hostile gaze.

The woman's words slipped from her pink lips. With her left index finger, she poked Jordan's broad chest, "You don't think about it from my side. I have work that I have to take care of, too. Hey, listen carefully! I'm not unemployed or underemployed. My business is hectic and requires daily attention!"

Jordan grabbed Chantal's slender body until she sank into his arms. "You seem to like provoking me. I can buy your business if your father returns the capital he took away with me! 50 million dollars. AARRGGHH!" Jordan's emotional screams echoed in his penthouse. He jerked Chantal's slender body until she fell on the Turkish carpeted floor.

Chantal felt like she wanted to go berserk at being treated so arbitrarily like that. "You bastard! It's none of my business. You kidnapped me. Get me out of here!" she demanded as she tried to stand up from the floor.

"It's not that simple, Chantal. I will think of the best way to lure your father out of hiding. Hmm, I need a doctor who can treat the hematoma on your hand. Don't be fussy!" Jordan spoke in a tone that didn't want to be denied and then approached the telephone on his desk near the west side of the glass wall.

After talking to his doctor on the phone to come to the penthouse, Jordan approached Chantal, who was sitting on the sofa in the living room. "Are you hungry, Chantal?" asked the man lightly.

"Yes, of course, because I only had French toast for breakfast this morning, missed my lunch, and haven't had dinner until now, Mr. Fremantle!" replied Chantal sarcastically.

"Wait a minute, that's an easy thing to deal with. Tell me, what's your favorite food? The restaurant chef in this building can cook whatever I ask," replied Jordan, ignoring the woman's spicy tone.

So Chantal chose the dishes she liked as the man who had it all suggested, "Maybe Italian food will lift my broken mood from being cooped up in a golden cage."

"Hmm, okay!" Jordan answered, and then he returned to the telephone on his desk.

Chantal's bladder felt full and urgent to empty, so the girl looked around for a bathroom in Jordan's super luxurious penthouse. She rushed to an open door, and it was indeed the bathroom.

After urinating and washing her hands, Chantal opened the bathroom door. The woman suddenly let out a muffled scream as she collided with the giant figure waiting for her in front of the bathroom door.

"Aaarrgghh!"

"You shouldn't have disappeared suddenly and made me panic looking for you, Chantal!" Jordan scooped her slender body up so her feet lifted off the floor and carried her toward the bed.

"Put me down, you Bastard!" The woman's fist hit Jordan's broad back.

This annoyed Jordan so much that he slapped Chantal on the buttocks several times and said, "You woman is as stubborn as a donkey!" He threw Chantal's body down on the bed until it sank and then pinned her down with her Grizzly bear body.

"Move—you could kill me with your weight, Jordan!" protested Chantal fiercely. She thrashed under the man who was staring at her in amusement.

"Stop it! Chant, you love to make me sweat to serve your explosive temper. Maybe we should exercise in bed to avoid injury. What do you think?" The blue-eyed handsome man raised his right eyebrow and did not take his eyes off the beautiful face before him.