Kidnapped by the Cold-Hearted CEO: His Sweet Obsession

"Hey! Let go of me! Help!" Ashley Carter screamed as the man threw her over his shoulder like she weighed nothing. She kicked and flailed, pounding at his back, but he didn't budge, like a wall of steel.

Her pure white wedding gown stood out sharply as she struggled, attracting every pair of eyes around.

She couldn't believe it. Just twenty minutes ago, she had been standing beside her fiancé, about to say her vows. Now, this random guy in a sleek suit had barged into the ceremony with a bunch of men in identical black suits and dark glasses-then straight-up carried her away like a scene from a bad action movie.

Crashing weddings might be old news in rom-coms, but could someone explain why the guy who kidnapped her was a complete stranger?!

Ashley's resistance only made him clench his jaw tighter, a vein on his forehead twitching. Clearly pissed, he suddenly swung his free hand and smacked her hard across the butt.

The sound stunned her. For a second, she was frozen. Then she shrieked, "You-!"

"Easy now, okay?" he said, coming to a halt. His calm was unnerving. The expensive, dark-toned suit hugged his tall, sharp figure, easily over six feet. Chiseled jaw, perfectly proportioned nose, and those eyes-cold, emotionless, untouchable.

He leaned down and muttered the words in a deep, warning-laced voice, brushing close to her ear. It made her hair stand on end.

Ashley wasn't dumb. Surrounded by his people and facing a guy who seemed like he could snap at any second, she bit her lips hard and forced herself to stay quiet.

Only then did he allow a faint, almost smug smile to tug at the corners of his mouth.

"Sir!" The moment they entered the grand villa's lobby, the dozen or so uniformed staffers stood at attention and greeted him in perfect unison. Not once did he look their way.

He just strode past them, carrying Ashley up the wide staircase like a sack of potatoes.

Ashley clenched her teeth, forcing herself to stay calm. She peeked from his shoulder, scanning the place for exits, anything she could use, mind spinning with escape plans.

Bang! He reached the second floor, lifted one long leg, and kicked open a nearby door like it owed him money. He walked inside and dumped her onto a huge bed with zero hesitation.

Ashley winced but sat up fast, trying to slide off the bed.

She didn't even make it to the edge before he pushed her back again. "Where do you think you're going, huh?"

His voice was low, with that gravelly kind of tone that sounded way too steady for someone who just broke into a wedding.

There were barely a few inches between them now.

His gaze locked onto her face, sharp and intense, like a hawk sizing up its prey. Something dark flickered in his eyes-he was clearly holding something back.

"Who are you? Why did you bring me here!" Ashley tensed up, trying to squirm out from under him, but he was too strong. No matter how hard she resisted, it was useless.

"Who am I?" His expression turned even colder, his voice laced with sarcasm. "We've shared a bed, and now you're playing the 'I don't know you' card? That's a pretty lousy excuse to pretend nothing ever happened."

Shared a bed? What?! That was insane.

Relief washed over Ashley as a possible explanation hit her. He'd gotten the wrong person. "Sir, you've clearly mistaken me for someone else. I don't even know you, let alone have that kind of history. You need to let me go now. If my fiancé reports this to the police, you'll-"

Fiancé...

His grip on her wrist tightened abruptly. His eyes turned icy, filled with something almost murderous. Three years ago, that word should've belonged to him...

Ashley noticed his silence and cautiously hoped he was reconsidering. She pressed her palms against his chest, trying to push him away. "Okay, so the misunderstanding is cleared up, right? Can I leave now? My wedding is-"

She moved to get off the bed, eager to get out of there.

But before she could get far, his weight pinned her again. He leaned down, caging her in with an arm. His voice was low and threatening. "You really think I'm just gonna let you walk away after that?"

Ashley...

Ashley!

He held her down with terrifying force, his eyes practically on fire.

The white wedding dress she wore only stoked his anger-it was blinding to look at.

"You actually know me?" Ashley froze when he said her name so accurately. She'd thought this was all just a huge mix-up.

"Don't you think your act's getting a little too fake?" he sneered, his hand on her arm tightening without him even realizing.

"Maybe there's someone out there with my name and face? Look closely at me-I'm serious, you've got the wrong person!" It was the only logical explanation she could think of.

"Oh, so same name, and just happening to look exactly like you too?" His words came out through clenched teeth, eyes nearly spitting fire.

"..."

God, what kind of absurd coincidence would that even be?

"What's wrong? Run out of lies?"

He stared at her blankly, smirking coldly when she didn't respond. A flash of pain flickered in his eyes, but it disappeared quickly.

Ashley's face turned pale as she was pinned down on the bed. Above her loomed his sharp, handsome face, eyes dark and unreadable. She turned her head slightly, feeling completely cornered, her voice shaky. "I really don't know what this is all about, but I swear... I don't know you."

The moment those words slipped out, his whole vibe changed-his eyes grew cold, dangerous.

"You think just because I haven't hurt you yet, I won't?" His voice dropped low, every word laced with fury.

Three years ago, she'd vanished from his life without a trace. He'd turned the world upside down looking for her, and now, this? She didn't even recognize him?

What a joke.

Did she really think she could just walk away and pretend nothing happened, relying on how much he once doted on her?

Ashley felt something tighten in her chest-fear creeping in fast-but she forced herself to stay calm. "You seriously need to back off. My fiancé won't let this slide if he finds out."

"Oh?" His laugh sounded more like a scoff. "So that's why you left me? For that guy?"

He looked at her like she'd told the world's dumbest joke.

Out of nowhere, a flare of frustration hit Ashley. She pushed at his chest, her voice rising. "How many times do I have to say it for you to get it? I don't know you! I'm with Lucas-"

"Shut up!"

He cut her off, his patience snapping. That small sliver of sanity left in him vanished entirely. She was here, right in front of him, yet her heart was already gone. That truth nearly broke him.

Three years of searching, three years of hollow nights, and this is how it ends? Her falling for someone else?

"Guess I'll just have to remind you who you really belong to."

With those chilling words, he pinned her wrists above her head with one hand, locked her legs down with his, and wrapped his other arm around her waist. He leaned down swiftly, catching her lips in a fierce kiss, leaving her no chance to escape.

She could only take his kiss-nowhere to run, nowhere to fight.

Marry someone else? Not a chance.

As long as he was breathing, she would never stop being his.The second his lips crashed against hers, Ashley froze. Her whole body flushed with heat in a blink.

First came the shock, then a spike of anger.

She was being kissed-forcefully-by a total stranger!

Her mind blanked out for a second before she snapped back. "Get off...! Let me go!" she kept pushing at the man pinning her down.

But her strength didn't even register to him. He effortlessly shut down all her struggling.

In an instant, she was completely restrained.

"Let me go or... Lucas won't let you off!" she shouted, desperate now, pulling out her fiancé's name like a lifeline.

Big mistake.

Mentioning Lucas only made him snap harder.

"Oh? Let's see if he's really all that," he sneered, then with a ruthless tug, shredded her wedding dress to pieces.

"Are you insane? Let go of me!" she screamed, trying to cover herself, twisting and shifting wildly to escape.

Her sudden frenzy gave her a sliver of hope-she managed to crawl a few steps across the bed before he yanked her back under him. Her legs kicked wildly, but he locked them down with terrifying force. "Stop! You lunatic!"

Ashley looked up, and her scream choked off when she met his eyes.

They were bottomless... but burning with fire. It chilled her to the bone. Instinctively, she shrank back.

He looked like a predator who just got back something stolen-dangerous, cold, and ferocious to the core.

"Yeah..." He stared at her, a twisted smile slowly creeping onto his face. That smile sent a jolt of fear straight through her. Something primal screamed at her: Danger. Run.

But before she could think, he leaned in closer. The tips of his rough fingers traced her lips and slid downward-it made her skin crawl. His breath was hot, deep, right against her ear. "You wanna see crazy, Ashley? I'll show you crazy..."

There was a loud ripping sound, and the last bit of her covering was gone.

Panic surged in her chest like a tidal wave. And then-absolute, paralyzing despair.

...At first, her body fought hard, pushing against him with all she had. But then, her resistance suddenly weakened, turning into a faint tremble, so light that for a moment, he almost thought she was responding to his touch.

But then...

A cold, salty taste touched his lips-wet and unmistakable.

She was crying. Because of him touching her?

Was the idea of his touch that unbearable to her?

That stung-badly. Especially since she was the one who came into his life first. But looking at her, tears streaking down her face, he couldn't make himself go any further.

Damn it.

He'd always been ruthless when it came to others, never hesitating. But when it came to her, he just couldn't cross the line. She had a grip on him-heart, soul, everything. Like some curse he couldn't shake off.

Shutting his eyes tight, he let out a shaky breath and pulled away. He straightened his suit jacket, forcing back the urge to look at her one more time, and walked out in a hurry.

The room, once thick with tension, settled into an eerie silence. Ashley sat up slowly on the bed, dazed for a moment, then hugged herself tightly, curling into a ball. Raw fear and pain filled every corner of her mind.

Lucas... where are you? Please... help me.

She couldn't stop the tears-it hurt too much. Her whole body was shaking uncontrollably, like she was freezing from the inside out.

She knew crying wouldn't solve anything. She had to pull herself together.

Wiping her tear-streaked cheeks with the back of her hand, she tried hard to make sense of the chaos from today.

One second, she was at the altar getting married to Lucas. The next, this man had crashed her wedding and dragged her away like a psychopath. He kept insisting he knew her-even called her by name. And he didn't seem like he was lying. But could she really look that much like someone else? Same name, same face? How was that even possible?

It all happened so fast. Her mind was still reeling. Something had to be wrong here.

His scent was still lingering faintly on her lips, and she scrubbed at them hard, as if trying to erase everything that just happened.

The way he kissed her, so rough and desperate-it terrified her thinking about it. She was this close to... No. She couldn't go there.

It didn't matter who he thought she was or what the hell he wanted. What mattered was that she couldn't just sit around waiting for Lucas to find her. She had to get out-today.

But how the hell was she supposed to escape?

There was no landline in the room, and she didn't have her phone on her. So yeah, calling for help? Not happening. That meant she had to find her own way out. But if she just walked out the front door, she'd be spotted for sure. What now? Ashley scanned the room, her eyes finally landing on the bedsheets beneath her.

After stepping out of Ashley's room, Charles Blackwood headed back to his own. He pulled out a cigarette, slumped down by the floor-to-ceiling window, and lit up, the smoke curling slowly around him.

The tiny glow at the end of the cigarette blinked in and out like a heartbeat, the smoke wrapping around him like a fog-clouding his thoughts just as much.

God, the moment his guy told him they'd found her, he was over the moon. Then, bam-next thing he knows, they tell him she's at a church, marrying some other guy. He thought they screwed up, figured it had to be a mix-up. It couldn't be her... not his Ashley. But he saw it with his own eyes. She was really going through with it.

How could she possibly marry someone other than him?

That one sentence from her-"I don't know you"-kept echoing in his head, burning hot. It pissed him off beyond belief.

Still, no matter how mad he was, seeing her look hurt like that... he just couldn't bring himself to actually lash out at her.

Ashley, what am I supposed to do with you?

He'd been sitting there forever, lighting cigarette after cigarette, searching for an answer that just wouldn't come.

"Sir, lunch is ready," George Finley said as he walked in after knocking. "Would you like to eat now?"

Charles gave a slight nod and calmly snuffed out his cigarette.

"What about Miss Carter? Should I send someone to bring her to the dining room?" George asked.

"No," Charles said, one hand slipping into his pocket. "I'll go get her myself."

With that, he made his way toward Ashley's room.

"Sir!" the two guards at the door immediately straightened when they saw him, one of them opening the door for him right away.

Charles walked in.

Silence. The bed was empty. Completely empty. His expression turned icy in an instant.

"We've been here the whole time, sir. Miss Carter didn't leave," one of the guards blurted out, clearly panicked.

Charles didn't say a word. His fist clenched tightly at his side. He glanced at the empty bed, then strode straight to the balcony. Gripping the railing, he leaned out to look down.

Ashley was halfway down the building, using the bedsheets as a rope. Just as some sound came from above, she looked up, startled.

And for a moment-it was just the two of them, eyes locked mid-air.