Chapter 5

The second-floor hallway was a different world.

The thick carpet swallowed the sound of their footsteps, and the heavy silence was a stark contrast to the chaotic noise of the party below. It felt like walking into a tomb.

Kade Thorne stopped in front of a set of dark double doors. He reached out and twisted the brass handle, pushing the door open with a flourish.

"After you." he said, his smile never wavering.

Cassidy stepped inside, expecting to see a boardroom or a lounge full of investors. Instead, she found a dimly lit, opulent hotel suite. There were no other partners. No business discussions. Just a massive sitting area bathed in shadows.

On the leather sofa, Kade Thorne was swirling a glass of bourbon, watching her with an amused smirk. The charming mask he had worn in the hallway was gone, replaced by something colder and more calculating. He had clearly just entered through a side door; the two drinks on the table-one half-empty, one untouched-suggested he and Jaret had been waiting for her.

Every alarm in Cassidy's head went off at once. She turned around, reaching for the door, but the man who had led her here was already stepping back into the hallway.

"Wait-" she started.

The door clicked shut. She heard the distinct sound of a deadbolt sliding into place.

She grabbed the handle and pulled. It didn't budge. She jiggled it frantically, her pulse skyrocketing.

"Don't strain yourself, sweetheart," Kade drawled, taking a sip of his drink. "That door could withstand a battering ram."

Cassidy backed away from the door, her eyes darting around the room. A door to the inner bedroom was ajar, a faint orange glow flickering from within.

The smell of cigar smoke hit her first. Then, Jaret Taylor stepped out of the shadows of the bedroom, a thick cigar between his fingers. His eyes locked onto hers, dark and unreadable.

The air left her lungs. She had been played. This wasn't a business meeting. It was an ambush.

"What is this?" she demanded, her voice trembling despite her best efforts. "Last night is over. You said it was."

Jaret walked over to the bar, pouring a glass of whiskey. "I thought I made myself clear. We aren't finished."

Cassidy squared her shoulders, trying to project a confidence she didn't feel. "This is a public event. I'll scream. Security will come."

Kade laughed out loud. "Scream all you want, honey. These walls are soundproofed for a reason. Nobody is coming."

Cassidy felt the walls closing in. She was trapped again.

Suddenly, the muffled sound of high heels clicking rapidly in the hallway reached her ears.

"Cassidy? Are you up here?"

Meredith. It was Meredith's voice.

A spark of hope ignited in Cassidy's chest. She lunged toward the door, opening her mouth to scream, but Jaret was faster. He pressed a button on the intercom console on the desk.

"Kade," Jaret said, his voice calm and commanding. "Execute."

Kade pushed himself off the sofa, his smirk never wavering. He walked to the door, slipping through it with practiced ease. Through the heavy wood, Cassidy heard a muffled conversation. She couldn't make out the words, but the clicking heels stopped. Then, they started again, fading away down the hall.

"No," Cassidy whispered, her hand dropping from the door handle. The spark of hope sputtered and died.

Jaret picked up two glasses and walked toward her. He held one out.

She knocked it out of his hand. The crystal shattered on the hardwood floor, shards scattering across the carpet.

Jaret didn't flinch. He just took a step closer, forcing her backward until her back hit the cold glass of the window.

He planted one hand on the glass beside her head, caging her in. He leaned down, his face inches from hers, his breath smelling of whiskey and smoke.

"Your boss just went downstairs to have a drink with Kade," Jaret said, his voice a low, dangerous rumble. "She thinks he's going to invest. She's not coming back for you."

Cassidy pushed against his chest, but it was like pushing against a brick wall. He didn't move an inch.

"What do you want?" she spat, her voice cracking. "Money? Is this just more humiliation?"

Jaret's gaze dropped to her lips, which were trembling slightly. The look in his eyes shifted, becoming darker, heavier. The cold calculation was still there, but it was being swallowed by something else. Something hungry.

He leaned in closer, his lips brushing her ear.

"You." he whispered.