Lunessa clasped her hands together, frozen in a car she was riding in for the first time in her entire twenty-two years of life.
Julian suddenly looked forward and gestured to the driver. The car halted instantly, coming to an abrupt stop and making Lunessa jerk forward.
"Get out," he muttered coldly.
"Sorry?" she asked in confusion.
He turned his head, glaring down at her. "Get… out."
"Uh—oh!" Lunessa quickly reached for the door handle and tried to open it, but it was locked. "Uh—sir, the door is locked."
He then glanced at the rearview mirror, and at that exact moment, the driver and his assistant rushed out of the car.
"I asked them," Julian said calmly. "Not you."
He then moved closer to her, making her stiffen in her seat.
"Excuse me, sir? A—about what just happened, I—I can ex—"
Her words didn't finish when he swiftly leaned in and whispered, "I'll let that one go if you sleep with me…"
Hearing that, Lunessa's face turned red instantly, not from shyness, but from anger.
"You are crossing the line, Mr. Julian Hale. That is rude." She frowned, locking her eyes onto him.
Honestly, she didn't expect that. She expected a slap, or being thrown into jail, or something like that but asking her to sleep with him?
'Ah. So this was how men turned after a hundred years living with deadly virus.'
The thought barely settled before Lunessa moved.
She shoved him hard, her palm striking his chest as she twisted sideways. "Don't touch me."
Her hand shot for the door handle.
But she didn't make it.
An arm caught her waist and yanked her back before she could escape. The door clicked shut at the same time, the sound sharp in the cramped space.
Locked.
Lunessa sucked in a breath, her back hitting his chest, his hold firm and unyielding.
"Let go of me," she snapped, struggling. "Now."
Then, at the absolute worst timing, the system ding in her ears.
[MISSION SUCCESS]
[$5000 HAS BEEN CREDITED TO YOUR ACCOUNT]
The sound rang in her head like a cruel joke.
Lunessa froze.
A short, breathless laugh slipped out of her before she could stop it.
"Great," she muttered under her breath. "Great timing."
Her grip loosened slightly, disbelief mixing with anger.
Five thousand dollars.
Just like that.
Her heart was still racing. His arm was still around her.
"Let me go. Right now. Or I will shout," she said, continuing to wriggle in his arms.
"And do you think that will work?" he whispered coldly into her ear. "You just announced to everyone in my company that you're my girlfriend. If I did anything to you right now, every single one of my staff could testify for me…"
Lunessa stopped struggling.
Slowly, she turned her head just enough to look at him from the corner of her eye.
"So that's it?" she said quietly. "Is this how all people with power are?"
His grip didn't loosen, but a subtle smirk appeared at the corner of his lips.
"You walked into my world yourself," he said softly. "And you still want to act pure?"
Lunessa let out a slow breath.
"Pure?" she echoed. "No. I walked in desperate. There's a difference."
His arm tightened slightly, as if reminding her who had control.
"Desperate people make dangerous choices," Julian said calmly. "You should've thought about that before you used my name."
She laughed under her breath.
"And you should've thought about what kind of woman would dare do that," she shot back. "Did I look like someone who had anything left to lose?"
The smirk on his lips faded, just a little.
Silence stretched between them, thick and uncomfortable.
Julian studied her face again. The anger. The defiance. The lack of fear he was used to seeing.
"You're very bold," he said at last. "For someone in your position."
"And you're very confident," Lunessa replied. "For someone who thinks control is the same as safety."
Julian's gaze dropped, lingering at her neck for a brief second.
"How old?" he asked.
"What does my age have to do with this…?" she replied, keeping her voice steady even as anxiety coiled tight in her chest.
"Just making sure you're past the legal age," he murmured. His voice was low, cold, brushing too close to her ear.
Her body went rigid. Her lips trembled. Instinct screamed.
Lunessa twisted sharply, throwing her weight forward and wrenching herself out of his hold with more force than she knew she had.
"Don't," she snapped, breathing unevenly. "I will scream—no! Help!"
The word barely left her mouth before the car door unlocked with a sharp click.
Julian's hand withdrew.
"Enough," he said flatly.
The sudden absence of pressure made her stumble forward. She didn't wait to see if it was a trick. Lunessa shoved the door open and half-fell out of the car, her shoes hitting the pavement hard.
She turned, chest heaving, ready to run.
Julian remained seated inside, one arm resting casually against the seat, his expression unreadable. Calm and controlled, like he had expected this outcome all along.
"You're not wrong," he said quietly. "You should scream."
She froze.
"But think carefully," he continued. "About what happens after."
Her fingers curled into fists. "You think I'm afraid of you?"
"No," Julian replied. "You are afraid of the power… I hold."
Julian's gaze stayed on her, steady and cold.
"If you don't want this to happen again," he said quietly, "then don't ever pull a stunt like that."
Lunessa didn't look away.
"And don't appear in front of me again," he continued. "Not at my office. Not in my space. Not anywhere I can reach."
His voice lowered, sharp enough to cut.
"Because if you do," he said, "I won't let go as easily as I did this time."
Silence stretched between them.
The warning wasn't loud. It didn't need to be.
Lunessa swallowed, her fists still clenched, every nerve in her body screaming to move.
Julian watched her for a moment longer, as if committing her face to memory.
Then he faced forward. The driver rushed to close the door, and a moment later, the car drove away, leaving Lunessa alone.