Chapter 22
I was done with my 2nd surgery today and being a Castillo heiress was playing a big role too. The press was still sniffing around, but I had bigger things to do than entertain them. I slid intc my car, stretching a little, the leather cool under me. Maximilian had gone overboard again.
Two bodyguards were in my car. Ten more were trailing behind in black SUVs like I was some nafia queen instead of a woman fresh from the hospital.
grabbed my phone and called him.
Maximilian, you’re treating me like a glass doll. I can handle myself, you know.”
His voice came back smooth, low, steady.
A queen doesn’t walk without her knights. You are the crown jewel of Castillo. You don’t wall
lone.”
rolled my eyes even if he could not see me.
Knights? You do realize I’m driving my own car right now. My knights are babysitting me while ave the wheel.”
heard him exhale. Almost like a laugh, almost like frustration.
You don’t get it, Dahlia. You don’t get how many people want you gone.”
Then let them try,” I said with a smile. “I’m not afraid.”
le went quiet for a second. Then his tone shifted-colder, sharper.
I need to go. Something came up in the European shipment. Stay with the guards. Don’t argue.” Before I could argue more, he cut the line. Typical Maximilian.
tossed the phone aside and let the music fill the car. The hum of the engine, the thrum of bass The convoy moved smooth and sharp, like a snake cutting through the highway. For the firs ime in days, I felt like I could breathe.
hen I saw it.
the rearview mirror, a swarm of black motorcycles slicing through traffic. SUVs slipping in etween my cars like sharks in water. My chest went tight, but I didn’t panic. Not yet.
Something’s wrong,” I said, gripping the wheel tighter.
One of my guards leaned forward.
Ma’am, stay calm. We’ve got this.”
The motorcycles cut in front, engines roaring. Tires screeched. One of our SUVS slammed sideways, metal crunching like bones breaking. Glass shattered in the air like glittering knives.
Shit,” my other guard hissed, already pulling out his gun.
Keep driving!” I snapped, swerving as another SUV slammed against us. My seatbelt cut into my chest, but I pressed harder on the gas. “Do not let them separate us!”
Bullets cracked. My guards fired from the windows, shouts over the roar of engines. One bike went spinning, rider tumbling like a rag doll. But more came. Too many.
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In seconds, the convoy was shredded. One SUV of ours flipped on its side, skidding in sparks Another spun out, smoke billowing. My car was boxed in before I could even blink.
“Not today,” I hissed, jerking the wheel hard. I rammed the car into the SUV beside us. Meta screamed, pain shooting up my arms, but I kept pressing, forcing space. For one wild second, thought I could break through.
Then another SUV slammed into my side so hard the world tilted. My head cracked against the window. Stars burst behind my eyes.
“Ma’am!” one guard shouted, firing until his clip was empty.
Glass shattered on my left. A masked man lunged through the broken window, grabbing me. Hi gloves burned against my skin.
“Get off me!” I screamed, clawing at his face, nails tearing through fabric. My legs kicked, wild my boot catching him in the ribs. He grunted, but he didn’t let go.
I felt my body being yanked, dragged out of the car, my guards fighting but outnumbered. On went down with a bullet to the chest. The other cursed, swinging at another attacker before they smashed his head against the hood.
The masked man pulled me against him, his grip iron, his voice muffled but mocking.
‘Got you, princess.”
spat at his mask, thrashing.
‘I’m no princess. I’m a Castillo. And you’ll regret ever touching me-”
‘Stop talking.”
saw darkness after that.
+++
woke up with my head pounding like a hammer was inside my skull. My wrists were tied sc tight the rope burned my skin raw. The air smelled of rust, gasoline, and damp concrete. The whole place was dim, shadows crawling over walls like rats. My chair creaked every time I shifted.
Voices echoed nearby.
‘Castillo… price… kill if necessary.”
My stomach twisted. This wasn’t some random kidnapping. This was war.
A man walked out from the dark, leader written all over him. Cold eyes, scar on his jaw, smug like he already won. He crouched in front of me, too close, his breath stinking of smoke. “Your family thinks money makes you untouchable,” he said slowly, like he wanted the words to sink deep. “But money doesn’t stop bullets. Castillo or not, you bleed like the rest.”
I lifted my chin. “If you think I’ll beg, you chose the wrong woman.”
He laughed. His men laughed with him, the sound bouncing off the steel walls.
“Bold,” he sneered. “Let’s see how bold you are when we put a price on your head. One hundred billion. That’s what you’re worth to your family. And when they pay-” he leaned even closer, his grin ugly “–we kill you anyway.”
I spat right in his face. His men roared with laughter, slapping their knees like it was comedy
Chapter 22
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night. He wiped his cheek with his glove and chuckled. “Good. I like fire. It burns faster.”
Time blurred after that. Hours. Days maybe. They starved me, water only enough to keep me conscious. My body ached, my lips cracked, but my spine refused to bend. I replayed my grandparents’ voices in my head, Maximilian’s steady gaze, the Castillo name running like iron through my blood. If this was the game, then fine. But I would not be anyone’s victim. Not again.
One night, the warehouse was quieter than usual. Just two guards, drunk off cheap liquor, laughing too loud. One of them stumbled over, his eyes heavy and mean.
“Pretty little heiress,” he slurred, touching my cheek with dirty fingers. “Let’s see what a Castillo tastes like.”
My stomach turned but I didn’t flinch. When he bent close, I snapped forward and sank my teeth into his hand. I bit so deep I tasted blood. He screamed, yanking back, crimson pouring down his wrist.
“You bitch!”
