“No,” I said. “I am not going back to that house, and I am not going back to you.”

Elias leaned over the desk, his shadow falling over me.

“If you refuse, I will make your life unbearable,” he said quietly.

“I will cut off the funding for your sister’s medical treatments.”

“You wouldn’t,” I whispered, the air leaving my lungs.

“I will do whatever is necessary to protect my company,” Elias said.

He checked his platinum watch, his expression completely blank.

“The car is waiting outside,” he said. “We leave for New York in ten minutes.”

He turned and walked toward the entrance, leaving the envelope on the desk.

I stood alone in the dim light of the library, my chest heaving as I stared at the paper.

Suddenly, the burner phone in my bag began to vibrate, its harsh buzz echoing in the quiet room.

The screen lit up with an incoming call from an unlisted number.

I pulled the vibrating phone from my bag.

The screen flashed in the dimness, displaying the unlisted number.