Before either of them could react, a sudden, sickly sweet scent wafted through the van.
"Gas!" Gwen was the first to realize, her voice cutting through the silence, but it was too late.
Thud! Asher's body collapsed, his head hitting the floor with a dull thump.
Gwen's vision swam, and she staggered as her limbs grew heavy.
Darkness clawed at the edges of her consciousness, pulling her under.
She braced for the inevitable impact, but before she could fall, an invisible force caught her mid-collapse.
"Can't have my voyeur girlfriend-to-be getting hurt. Hehehe."
The voice, low and amused, echoed faintly in her fading awareness. Then, everything went black.
***
When Gwen woke, her head throbbed with a splitting headache. She groaned, pressing a hand to her temple, her thoughts muddled.
Slowly, fragments of memory resurfaced—the van, the gas, Asher collapsing. But after that? Nothing.
Her surroundings gradually came into focus. She was on a bed, the sheets rough against her skin.
The room was dimly lit, its bare concrete walls casting an oppressive atmosphere.
A single table sat against the far wall, and at it, a man reclined casually, his posture relaxed yet predatory.
Ross.
He was watching her with an unsettling mix of amusement and something darker.
"Ah, you're awake," he said, his voice smooth, almost playful. "Good. I was starting to think I might've overdone it with the dosage."
Gwen pushed herself upright, ignoring the pounding in her skull. Her hand instinctively went to her side, but her gun was gone. Her heart sank.
"Let's not waste time," Ross continued, standing and walking toward her slowly.
"Yes, it was me. I killed those pests in the Black Cross gang. They deserved it, wouldn't you agree? The city should be thanking me for cleaning up the streets. Instead, they send people like you to spy on me."
His tone shifted, a sharp edge creeping into his words.
"And now that you know the truth, I can't just let you walk away. Beautiful women like you… always so stubborn, always poking where you shouldn't. Didn't I warn you to stay out of my business earlier today?"
Gwen's fingers gripped the edge of the bed as she fought to stand, her legs unsteady but determined.
"You're insane," she hissed, glaring at him.
Ross only laughed, the sound low and mocking.
"Maybe. But you, Gwen… you're reckless. And now, you're mine."
She tried to dart past him, but he moved too quickly. In an instant, he was in front of her, blocking her path.
Before she could react, his hands grabbed her shoulders, forcing her back down onto the bed.
"Let me go!" she shouted, struggling against him.
Ross's grip tightened, his strength overwhelming. "Why fight, Gwen? You knew this would happen. You knew what I'm capable of." His voice was calm, almost conversational, which only made it more chilling.
He leaned closer, his face inches from hers.
"You've been watching me, haven't you? Trying to piece together the puzzle that is Ross Oakley. Well, here's the truth: I'm not someone you can control. I take what I want, and right now…" His gaze flicked down to her lips. "I want you."
"Don't you dare—"
Her protest was cut off as his lips crashed onto hers, silencing her struggles. Gwen froze, her mind racing.
She had anticipated many things during her investigation, but this?
This was a nightmare she hadn't prepared for.
Her fists beat against his chest, but Ross didn't relent, his dominance absolute.
"Mmmph!" she tried to scream, but her voice was muffled, lost in the suffocating press of his kiss.
Finally, he pulled back, his expression a mix of triumph and satisfaction.
"See? I can fix that stubbornness of yours."
Gwen glared at him, her chest heaving as she caught her breath.
"You're disgusting," she spat, her voice trembling with anger.
Ross tilted his head, unfazed by her defiance. "You'll thank me eventually. They always do."
He stood, towering over her as she struggled to sit up again.
"Now, let's see just how far that beautiful stubbornness of yours can go before it breaks."
Gwen's blood ran cold as Ross's words sank in. Explore hidden tales at empire
She had to think fast, had to find a way out—but in this moment, trapped and vulnerable, escape seemed like an impossible dream.
But that didn't mean she wouldn't try to fight back.
Desperation surged through her as she lashed out, aiming a vicious kick at Ross's most vulnerable spot—right between his legs.
She struck true, and as he reflexively shifted, she followed up with a hard, precise chop to his throat, putting all her strength into it.
Gwen wasn't holding back; she couldn't afford to. This wasn't just a fight—it was survival.
For a fleeting moment, she thought she had him.
She expected Ross to double over, choking or writhing in pain.
But instead, he remained standing, his posture unshaken.
His dark eyes met hers, calm and almost amused, as if her efforts were nothing more than a gentle breeze against a mountain.
Gwen's heart sank.
"Not bad," Ross said with a slow, mocking clap. His voice was calm, smooth, almost conversational, as though they weren't in a life-and-death struggle.
"But you'll need to do a lot better than that, sweetheart."
Her breath hitched, panic bubbling in her chest. Any other man would have been incapacitated, if not seriously injured.
She knew her strikes were precise, calculated—but against Ross, they might as well have been harmless gestures.
"What… are you?" she asked, her voice trembling despite her attempt to keep it steady.
Ross took a deliberate step closer, his movements slow and measured, like a predator savoring its prey.
"I'm not just any man, Gwen," he said, his tone laced with arrogance. "I'm built different. Stronger. Faster. Smarter. And I'm more than you could ever imagine."
She retreated, her instincts screaming at her to put distance between them.
One step, two steps—until her back met the cold, unyielding surface of the wall. The realization struck her like a blow: there was nowhere left to go.
Her mind raced as she tried to process what had just happened.
Her attacks, which should have at least slowed him down, had done nothing.
Nothing. And now he was advancing on her, unscathed and brimming with confidence.
Gwen's breathing quickened, her body pressed flat against the wall as Ross closed the gap.
The dim light in the room cast shadows across his face, making the predatory gleam in his eyes all the more terrifying.
She tried to look for anything she could find to help defend herself in the room but she found nothing which scared her even more.
She was quickly losing all the good options she had in this dangerous situation.