Orion’s POV

The figure holding her was draped entirely in black—gloves, boots, even a mask covering their face. Only their eyes were visible, cold and emotionless as they bore into me.

Ava squirmed, her breathing uneven, her panic barely contained. A thin line of blood trailed down her neck where the blade pressed too hard against her skin.

“Let her go.” My voice was low, steady despite the storm of rage and fear roaring through me. “You don’t want to do this.”

The masked intruder tilted his head slightly, almost as if he were amused. He didn’t say a word. Ava’s wide eyes met mine, pleading silently.

“Stay where you are,” he finally said, his voice distorted, unnaturally deep. He gestured with the knife, pressing it closer. Ava flinched, a small whimper escaping her lips. “One move, and I’ll cut her. I mean it.”

I swallowed hard, my hands curling into fists at my sides. My muscles screamed to act, to do something, but one wrong move and he could... I couldn’t finish the thought.

The guards who had left earlier bursted in. They stood frozen at the edge of the living room, their weapons drawn but useless. One of them took half a step forward, and the masked man shifted the blade, dragging it against Ava’s skin just enough to make her cry out.

“Stop!” I shouted, panic bleeding into my voice. My heart slammed against my ribs. “Don’t. Just—tell me what you want.”

The masked man didn’t answer. His silence was suffocating, his presence like a void that sucked the air out of the room. Ava’s shoulders shook as she tried to hold herself still, her eyes glistening.

“I can give you money,” I continued desperately. “Anything you want. Just let her go. You don’t have to do this.”

Still nothing. He didn’t so much as flinch.

“What do you want?” I barked. My voice cracked with frustration, with helplessness. The words I said to Ava came rushing in. No. I don’t want her dead.

Ava’s breath hitched as she attempted to wiggle free again. “Stop moving,” the intruder hissed in her ear, his blade catching the light as he pressed deeper. Blood welled up again, and a quiet sob escaped her lips.

“Ava...” My voice was barely above a whisper now, horror locking me in place. I’d never felt so powerless—so utterly incapable of protecting someone.

Her face twisted with fear and pain as tears started to spill down her cheeks. “Please, what do you want?”

“Don’t hurt her. Please.” I hated how desperate I sounded, but I didn’t care. I would do anything—say anything—to stop this. “If it’s me you want, take me instead.”

The masked man finally moved. He shifted slightly, dragging Ava back a step toward the open door. “No one moves,” he ordered coldly. “She comes with me.”

A fresh wave of panic rolled through me. “No!”

Before I could process what was happening, another voice broke through the tension.

“Orion?”

Chloe’s voice. I whipped around, finding her standing at the foot of the stairs, confusion etched across her face. She froze when she saw the scene in front of her—Ava trembling, a knife at her throat, and me, paralyzed.

The masked man shifted his gaze toward Chloe. He seemed to study her, a new tension filling the room like an electric charge.

“Let her go,” I said again, trying to regain control. “I’ll give you whatever you want—money, property, anything. Just—let her go.”

The man’s voice came low and deliberate. “I’ll let her go... if Chloe comes with me.”

Chloe visibly stiffened. “What? No!” She stepped back instinctively, and her wide eyes found mine. “No way am I going to be a replacement for her. Take her if you want to!”

I understood immediately. This wasn’t random. This wasn’t about Ava at all. Chloe knew this person. He fucking called her name.

“Could this be him?” I demanded in a low voice, turning to Chloe. “Your ex?”

She didn’t answer, but her silence said everything as she studied him.

I turned back to the intruder, fury boiling over in my chest. “You don’t have to do this. Whatever your problem is with her, don’t drag Ava into it. We can resolve this.”

He tilted his head again, that unsettling calm never wavering. “Chloe or her. You choose.”

My heart hammered in my chest. He was playing a game, one where no one won. I looked at Ava—still crying, her face streaked with blood and tears—and then at Chloe, who was visibly trembling now, her hands shaking at her sides.

I gritted my teeth, torn between rage and desperation. “Fine,” I spat finally. “But don’t you dare touch Chloe. If you hurt her—if you even think about it—I will hunt you down.”

Ava’s eyes widened. I could see the hurt and anger in her face and it twisted at my chest.

“But sir…” one of the guards started saying but I cut him off.

“Shut up,” I snapped, never taking my eyes off the masked man. “This is the only way.”

The intruder shifted slightly, dragging Ava backward another step. “Smart choice. But I would have preferred Chloe, you could reconsider.”

The reason I chose Ava was because he wouldn’t hurt her. She’s not who he wants. He’s obsessed with Chloe, so if I had handed Chloe over, he would do the unthinkable to her.

Ava is the smartest option right?

Before I could react, he jerked Ava hard, pulling her toward the doorway. She screamed, her hands clawing at his arm, but it was no use.

“I hate you!” She screamed at me, as he dragged her out, still wielding the knife to her throat.

Her voice was desperate, raw, and it shattered something in me. I lunged forward, instinct taking over, but the masked man spun, pressing the blade deeper into Ava’s throat as he moved toward the exit.

“Move, and she dies.”

I stopped dead, chest heaving, helpless as I watched him drag Ava away. Chloe stood frozen at my side, her hands snaked around my arms.

“Why are you doing this?!” Ava screamed as she fought him.

The man didn’t answer. The last thing I saw was Ava’s furious face staring straight at me, as they disappeared through the door. The guards surged forward a moment too late, their shouts mixing with the sound of tires screeching outside.

Ava was gone.

The silence that followed was deafening. Chloe was sobbing softly beside me, but I couldn’t look at her. My entire body was locked, paralyzed by the same feeling that had held me when I first saw the knife at Ava’s throat.

Helplessness.