Kidnapped to love

chapter 12

The room was tense, the kind of silence that felt too loud. Crystal’s brother, Elijah, stood at the front, his face twisted with rage. Dimitri, however, leaned casually against his desk, his lips curling into an infuriating smirk.

"Where is she?" Elijah demanded, his voice a mixture of anger and desperation. "Give my sister back."

Dimitri chuckled, the sound light but dripping with mockery. "Is that how you greet people now? Barging into their home and making demands?" He spoke calmly, as though the entire situation amused him.

Elijah's fists clenched, but before he could speak again, their father stepped forward. "This isn’t a situation to laugh about, Dimitri. You kidnapped our daughter. Why?"

Dimitri’s grin widened. "Kidnap? Now, who told you that?"

"We know you’re holding her here," Elijah snapped. "The police already searched, but we’re not idiots. You can trick them, but not us. We know she’s here."

Dimitri raised an eyebrow, still unfazed. "Then go ahead. Look for her." He gestured lazily with his hand, as though inviting them to play a pointless game.

The bodyguards moved swiftly, tearing through the house as Elijah’s eyes remained locked on Dimitri. Every second that passed heightened his frustration, but Dimitri only seemed more entertained. The door to Crystal’s room was locked, but it didn’t matter. For some reason, Dimitri wasn’t worried about being caught, almost as if he wanted them to find out. As if it would add to the fun.

Crystal's father spoke again, trying to calm the storm between the two. "Whatever happened in the past is over. Your father chose to end it. Why are you dragging it back up?"

Dimitri’s face took on a look of confusion—mock confusion. "What are you talking about? What am I doing?"

Before their father could answer, the bodyguard returned, shaking his head. "She’s not here."

Elijah's face reddened in frustration. "Search again!" he roared. "She *is* here!"

Dimitri’s eyes narrowed, his playful demeanor shifting just slightly. His voice, however, remained calm. "Enough." The word was sharp, cutting through the air. "You’ve searched. You didn’t find her. Now, get out. I don’t like disturbances."

Elijah stepped forward, rage burning in his eyes. "You’ll regret this if we find out you’re hiding her."

Dimitri's smirk returned, colder than before. "We’ll see about that." He held Elijah’s gaze, the tension between them crackling like electricity.