Captive To The Boss's Lust

1

Adrian

As the door creaked softly, its sound echoing across the storage room, I gripped the man's hair tightly and shouted,

"Why did you beat your wife!"

The man, in his thirties, trembled before me. I signaled to the two men beside me.

"Bring the bucket of water."

"Hold his head underwater until he comes to his senses. And if he doesn't... well, his last breath will be filled with water."

"Please, Attorney... I beg you, have mercy! I didn't mean to hit her," he whimpered.

I pulled my gun from my waistband and cocked it.

"The attorney is in court. There's no lawyer here. There's only my judgment now. For example... what if I put a hole right in the middle of your forehead, Austin?"

"I swear it'll never happen again. I'll sleep at her doorstep until she forgives me."

"Oh no, it doesn't work like that."

"Tomorrow, you'll go to court, and you'll give her whatever she asks for in the divorce. If she forgives you after that, it's her stupidity. But if you ever bother my client again, I'll find you-no matter where you are-and I'll drink water out of your precious skull. Got it, you filthy bastard?"

I gave a nod to my men.

"Beat him just like he beat his wife... but harder," I ordered.

My right-hand man tilted his head.

"How many bones should we break, Mr. Black?"

They called me Mr. Black.

Adrian was the name on my ID and in my legal circles. But I also existed in a world far from legal.

Not even my mother knew about this side of me.

"Leave the face clean. The rest is fair game."

"I'll report you! I'll call the police!"

I raised a brow, staring him down.

"Is that so, big man? Have you ever heard of the Alder name? Or Beyzade?"

"Before you even manage to explain your little problem to the police, someone will blow your brains out. Go ahead, try your luck."

I held the phone out toward him.

Instead of taking it, Austin fell to his knees.

"Please, Mr. Adrian, I was out of my mind. I swear-if only my hand had broken instead of hitting her! I promise I won't hurt a single soul again!"

I didn't forgive him.

My men made sure he had a long lesson-one that soaked him to the bone.

I closed the file in front of me and scribbled down my final notes for tomorrow's trial.

And just like that, another woman was saved from a psychotic husband.

--

The Next Day

The following day, I attended the hearing. Austin's face looked untouched, but his body was covered in bruises. My men were quite meticulous when it came to following my orders.

Once the case was closed, I rushed back to the office. Mrs. Elisa came along, offered her final thanks, and left. The smile on her face was enough for me.

Lately, my days had been overwhelming. Between my family's constant pressure to get married and juggling divorce cases, I barely had time to breathe. Of course, when it came to domestic violence cases, I didn't just hand them over to the team-I handled them personally.

The only person who truly listened to me these days was my cousin, Vincent Beyzade. We'd been close for years. In fact, he had even helped me when I was first dipping my toes into the underworld. Then there was Herman-my doctor and my friend. A notorious playboy, and he wore that title proudly.

That evening, Herman called just as I was leaving work. I had no plans, so I agreed to his offer to blow off some steam. We headed to a bar, and after a few shots of vodka, two women joined us. Both were dressed rather provocatively.

"Ladies," Herman said, smirking, "meet Attorney Adrian Alder. If you ever make the mistake of getting married, he's the man who'll set you free in one court session."

The blonde extended her hand. I took it and brought it to my lips. She looked pleased.

"I'm Carmen. But what if I don't want a divorce, Adrian? What if I just want... release?"

The two women burst into sultry laughter, while Herman chuckled under his breath. I didn't like their attitude.

"Tempting offer," I said coolly. "But I'm quite selective. Anything else I can help you with?"

2

The women clearly didn't appreciate my tone. While Herman took them elsewhere, I stayed at the bar, sipping my drink and letting the noise around me drown out the tension.

As I sat there, I started observing the room. I half-listened to the cheerful conversations floating around, trying to shake off the weight of the day.

Herman returned alone and sat down beside me, his tone sharper now. "Adrian, you always hide behind excuses. Carmen was a beautiful woman. Do you even realize how unnecessarily cold you were?"

I looked him in the eye and said seriously, "You know damn well I can't stand women like Carmen."

"Yeah, yeah, I know. But seriously-when was the last time you were even with a woman? And don't count Sarah, Vincent's sister, just because your mother wants to marry you off to her. I haven't seen you with anyone in months. What's going on? Did your preferences change or something?" he teased with a smirk.

"Don't be ridiculous. I'm just waiting for the right woman."

"Oh, come on! There's no such thing as 'the right woman.' Love is a complete myth. You're just using it as an excuse. Drop the excuse and find someone already. Or you'll end up giving in to your mother's pressure and marrying your cousin."

I stared at him thoughtfully, torn between resistance and reason. He had a point-maybe it was time to just let things flow. I had no intention of marrying Sarah, but how long could I keep fighting my mother?

"And who exactly am I supposed to find as an alternative to Sarah? If I ever do get serious, it has to be with someone so solid, my family won't dare object. And don't you dare suggest anyone like Carmen. My family would never accept her-and I want someone who won't stab me in the back, either."

Herman slowly swirled his drink, then suddenly his eyes lit up with mischief.

"Let's play a little game," he said. "From what I hear, your last assistant quit. Not that I'm surprised. But that means you'll be hiring a new one soon, right?"

"Yeah, that's true. What's your point?"

"Instead of just choosing a new assistant, why don't you pick your next lover from the pool of applicants?"

I stared at him, listening, though I wasn't taking him seriously. Typical Herman-always the playboy.

"I prefer to keep my professional and personal lives separate."

"With that attitude, you're going to die alone. And let's be real-even if you wanted someone, who the hell's going to fall in love with a giant grump like you? Your assistants barely last a week!"

My brows furrowed involuntarily. He wasn't wrong about the assistants. I was strict-demanding, even-and I didn't tolerate mistakes. The long hours were too much for most people, even with the generous pay. Some I had to fire for being inappropriate. Still, hearing Herman throw it in my face was irritating.

"You're wrong, Herman. If I wanted, I could make any woman fall in love with me. But I'm looking for something rational. If I find the right woman, I'll marry her. Simple as that."

"Well then," he said with a grin, "hire your assistant accordingly. If she fits, marry her. If she doesn't, fire her. But here's the real question-if you do like her, can you get her to agree to marry you in a week?"

"Of course. I'm one of the most successful attorneys in the country. You underestimate my powers of persuasion, Doctor."

Herman raised his glass. "Then shall we make it a bet? If you don't fire the woman after her probation period, you'll have one week to convince her to marry you."

"Deal," I said, smirking. "Loser pays one million dollars."

"A million-dollar bet? You're going to lose, Mr. Attorney."

"We'll see about that, Doctor."

We shook on it and stood. I didn't particularly like this game, but I had a fatal weakness-my obsession with winning every case I entered. And I wasn't about to lose this one.

Not that it really mattered. I was certain the new assistant wouldn't even make it to the end of her trial period.

So this bet? It would die long before the game even started.

⸻

3

Amber

When Lucas took my hand and asked, "When should I go ask your father for your hand in marriage?" I was stunned. I hadn't seen it coming. Normally, I should've felt excited-but instead, I froze.

Maybe it was because after my mom passed away, my father married his assistant right away. Since then, I haven't been able to trust men.

"We barely know each other yet," I said. "And we haven't even finished college. I want to stand on my own first. I've already started looking into internships-I want to land a good one right after graduation."

Lucas frowned. "Your dad owns a massive company. Do you really need to work?"

I shrugged. "Maybe not. But that's his company, not mine. I don't want to be the company's lawyer. I spent years studying law to become a divorce attorney. Hopefully, my first case will be my dad's."

Lucas looked at me with frustration in his eyes. It was the same look my father gave me when I said I didn't want to defend chickens or write up merger contracts. And it drove me crazy.

"Do you even realize how many people would kill to be in your shoes? And you don't want to work at the company."

"No, I don't. And I don't want to talk about it anymore either. My dad nags me enough," I snapped.

"Okay, okay, let's drop it. No need to ruin the mood while we're finally alone, babe."

When he tried to get closer, I subtly pulled back.

"Amber... don't you want me?" he asked, clearly hurt.

"Look, this relationship is still new. If my distance is bothering you, we can break up."

"Don't be ridiculous. I'll wait as long as you need. It's not a problem."

But something didn't sit right inside me.

Lucas was the most mature, intelligent, and cultured guy in our class. Most of the girls were crazy about him. Since his mother was also from Lubbock like my family, we'd grown close-and eventually, that friendship turned into something more.

At the time, I was drawn to his many qualities and accepted his proposal months ago.

Now... it felt like something was missing.

I didn't believe in love, but I did believe that passion was essential in a relationship. And with Lucas, I didn't feel it.

Maybe it would come with time... or maybe ending it would be the right thing.

My head was a mess.

I decided to give our relationship a chance-at least until graduation night.

⸻

One Week Later

Eva called me on video that afternoon. She usually just shows up at our place when she's bored, so the video call caught me off guard.

"Amber," she said, sniffling.

She looked like she'd been crying.

"What's wrong, Eva? Have you been crying?" I asked.

Eva blinked rapidly and took a deep breath.

"Our dads went bankrupt, Amber... We lost everything. I'm not okay at all... My mom's crying too," she said, her voice cracking.

My eyes widened in disbelief.

"What? If that were true, my dad wouldn't hide it from me. Are you sure, Eva?"

"Ask my uncle. Ugh, my mom's breaking things again-I need to check on her."

She hung up before I could say anything. I wanted to know how Maria was doing, but I was still too shocked to process it.

I tried calling Eva's brother, Dean, but he didn't answer. My anxiety was growing by the second.

I couldn't reach my dad either. And there was no way I was calling that witch Grace.

So I got dressed and decided to head to Uncle Darian's house.

At least there, I could cry with someone who'd understand.