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AFTER A WEEK:
She didn't realize I was still there, watching her from the shadows. Leah sat against the wall, knees pulled up to her chest, breathing slow and tense, like she was trying to steady herself. Trying to prove, even here in the dark, that she was unbreakable.
But I knew better. I could see the cracks, the way her shoulders slumped when she thought no one was watching, the slight tremor in her hands. She was close, so close to shattering. And I was going to be the one to do it. To see that fire of hers go out.
I stepped into the room, quiet, slow, like a predator stalking its prey, letting her feel my presence before she saw me. Her head snapped up, and I almost laughed at the flash of surprise in her eyes. She recovered quickly, of course, throwing up that wall of defiance. But it was too late. I'd seen it-the momentary flicker of vulnerability she couldn't hide.
"I thought you left," she muttered, her voice sharp, trying to mask the wariness beneath it.
I smirked, taking another step closer, savoring the tension that radiated off her. "And let you think you'd won? Not a chance." I could see her bristle, see the anger flare in her gaze, but that was just the surface. Beneath it, she was rattled. I was sure of it.
She squared her shoulders, crossing her arms as if that would protect her. "You can stand there and try to intimidate me all you want, Zayan. It won't work."
"Is that so?" I tilted my head, amusement lacing my voice. "Because from where I'm standing, you look like you're about to break."
Her lips pressed into a tight line, a clear challenge in her eyes, and for a second, I almost respected it. Almost. But that fire-that was the very thing I'd destroy, piece by piece, until she had nothing left.
"I'm not scared of you," she shot back, her voice edged with steel. But there was something else in her gaze, something she couldn't hide. Fear, maybe. Or maybe it was just the realization that she was in way over her head.
I leaned down, closing the distance between us until my face was inches from hers, until she couldn't look away. "You can say whatever you want," I murmured, my voice low, each word deliberate, "but I know the truth. Deep down, you're just a frightened little girl pretending to be strong. Pretending you're not completely at my mercy."
Her jaw clenched, and for a second, I thought she might actually try to hit me. Instead, she held my gaze, her breathing heavy, the defiance still there but thinner, like she was barely holding it together. Perfect.
"Is that all you've got?" she whispered, her tone a mix of defiance and something else-something raw. "Because I'm not backing down. Not for you, not for anyone."
I laughed, dark and low, straightening to my full height. "Then this will be fun." I reached out, brushing a strand of hair from her face, watching her flinch as my fingers lingered, cold and possessive. "But remember-fun for me, not for you."
She held herself rigid, every muscle tense, fighting to keep her composure. But I could see it now-the cracks I'd put there. The fear, the doubt, everything she was desperately trying to hide from me. She was unraveling, and she knew it. She was just too proud to admit it.
"You'll break," I said softly, letting the words sink in, watching her flinch. "Maybe not tonight, maybe not tomorrow. But it'll happen, Leah. And I'll be there to watch every second of it."
She didn't respond, her silence telling me more than any words could. I had her. She was mine, whether she knew it yet or not.
I straightened, smirking as I turned to leave, feeling her gaze boring into my back. But I didn't look back. I didn't need to. I'd already planted the seeds of doubt, of fear. And from now on, every time she looked at me, every time she thought she could stand up to me, she'd remember tonight.
This was only the beginning. And Leah would learn that no one-no one-challenged me and walked away unscathed.
