Grace :
Adrik forcefully ushers me into his penthouse, and a stern-looking old lady with white hair and blue eyes greets us. "No one should enter my room," he commands her.
"Y-yes, sir," she stammers, quickly scurrying off to another part of the house.
I try to take in the surroundings, but Adrik cuts me off. "Gaze around later," he growls, and before I can react, he lifts me over his shoulders.
"Let me down!" I scream, struggling against his hold.
"Shut the fuck up," he retorts, finally entering a neutral grey room and throwing me onto the bed.
"Undress," he orders me, removing his clothes.
"What? No. Don't get any wrong ideas in your mind," I protest, my voice quivering with a mixture of fear and defiance.
"I didn't ask for your input. Your options are to undress willingly or make me forcibly remove your dress," he declares, unbuttoning his freshly pressed white shirt.
" You won't touch me," I say, my voice clenched in determination.
He shifted on the bed, his fingers wrapping tightly around my throat, and the room seemed to close in as he hissed, "What did I say? I didn't ask you." His eyes blazed with anger, and I struggled for breath as the pressure on my throat intensified. It felt like the air was being squeezed out of me, and panic washed over me as I gasped for precious oxygen. The anger in his eyes wasn't just of the present moment; it seemed to be fueled by something buried deep within him, something that was now constricting both of us.
Desperation surged through me as I placed both of my trembling hands on his, attempting to push him away, but his grip on my throat only tightened further. My vision blurred with tears, and a sense of helplessness enveloped me. It felt as though the world was closing in, and I struggled to breathe.
Just when it seemed unbearable, he suddenly released his hold, and I gasped greedily for the sweet relief of air. Tears streamed down my cheeks, and I clutched at my throat, grateful for the breath that had been momentarily stolen from me.
His arm wrapped around my waist, and with a forceful motion, he turned me around, leaving me on my stomach on the bed. The abrupt movement left me disoriented and vulnerable. Just as the tension in the room reached a breaking point, his phone rang.
"This better be important," he muttered, his irritation evident in his voice as he reached for the phone.
"What is it?" Adrik asked the person on the call, his tone laced with urgency. I could sense his frustration when he muttered a curse after hearing something on the other end.
"How long will it take you to be here?" he inquired urgently before promptly ending the call. He then swiftly picked up his shirt and put it on.
My heart raced as he turned his attention back to me, his expression serious. "Grace, listen to me carefully," he said, his tone firm. "We are under attack right now. Change and come with me. Jeremy will be here in 10. Keep this with you and stay behind me," he instructed, handing me his gun and a pair of clothes.