𝐏𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐕𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞

6. Playing with fire

"Zoom in on my breasts one more time, and I'll make sure you join Emily in that grave," I warned Lorenzo, brandishing my shovel as he continued to film me digging.

"You should be careful with your words, Camille," He warned. "You wouldn't want this footage to end up with the authorities, would you?" I gritted my teeth and shoved Emily's body into the hole I had dug, seething with anger at the thought of Kai Parker's atrocities going unpunished. The forest we were in belonged to his absentee uncle, giving him free rein to commit whatever horrors he pleased. Lorenzo's phone buzzed, and he smirked at the message before glancing at me.

"Your master is calling you." He cheekily threw around the word master to get under my skin.

"That arrogant dog is not my master." I gritted, and a straight line settled on his face. Despite his carefree demeanor, he possessed a menacing side that could emerge at any moment. It was a chilling reminder of his role in Emily's death, as he killed her before my eyes and smiled like a psychopath as her blood splattered on his face.

"Watch that pretty little mouth of yours around him. He is not always nice." He warned.

"So you are telling me all this time he was being nice to me?" I asked with disbelief, dusting my hands and walking towards him.

"You made an attempt on his life. You should be thankful that you're still breathing and that your organs are intact. Kai Parker doesn't show mercy to just anyone. Perhaps he has different plans for you," He reasoned.

"We both know he'll use me as a tool to reach Brandon, which essentially makes me an asset," I remarked, smoothly flipping my hair with an air of self-assuredness.

"You know Kai is not that easy to manipulate. He can see right through people. He knows you won't help him get anywhere near Brandon." He scoffed, making my prior confidence run down the drain. Fuck. Meekly inching closer, I whispered,

"So why do you think he is keeping me alive?" He glanced at all the men standing at a distance before leaning in and hunching down a little, as if divulging a top-secret conspiracy, before whispering,

"Why do you think I'm going to answer that?" He pulled back, smirking, and I clenched my teeth, frustrated at his smugness. They took me back to the mansion. There was a gym on the third floor that I had briefly visited with Leo. As I stepped out of the elevator, I heard the relentless thuds echoing through the air- the unmistakable sound of someone unleashing a series of punches on a punching bag. I spotted Kai in a white shirt that clung to his sculpted frame, with the buttons undone and sleeves casually rolled up; he was relentlessly pounding the punching bag. Each punch showcased his raw strength and unwavering determination, his intense gaze fixed on the target as beads of sweat glistened on his forehead. The combination of his commanding presence, the rhythmic thud of his blows, and his undeniable allure created an aura of magnetism that made it impossible to look away. As his eyes registered me, he stopped punching. One of his men stepped forward with a bottle of water, and instead of drinking, he poured it down his head, and I averted my gaze.

"Are you ready to talk about your boss, who's been pulling the strings against me?" He questioned.

"I need some time to think things through."

"I have heard that sentence before. Damn, I thought you were different." He chuckled, shaking his head. "Will a sum of 50 million bucks help you reach a decision faster?" This sucker thinks I'm trying to get money out of this situation.

"I have more than that in my bank account. But thanks for the generous offer." I couldn't help but curl the corners of my mouth into a sly smirk, my eyes glinting mischievously.