*Rowena's POV*
The first thing I noticed was the cold. The air was damp and unforgiving, clinging to my skin like a second layer. My wrists ached, bound behind the wooden chair by something sharp—wire, maybe? The metallic tang of blood told me I must have struggled in my sleep, or perhaps I'd already tried to escape and didn't remember. My thoughts were sluggish, like wading through syrup. My head throbbed with each heartbeat, my mouth dry, my tongue like sandpaper.
I blinked through the darkness. There were faint lights above, buzzing with a low hum, as if even they were too tired to fully come alive. I was in some sort of basement—stone walls, rusted pipes, a single door bolted shut. The stench of mildew, iron, and something else—something rotten—clung to every corner of the room.
And then I heard her heels.
Click. Clack. Click.
They came like a rhythm of death.
She emerged from the shadows like a serpent. Tall, elegant, impossibly composed for someone with such cruelty in her eyes.
Vasilisa.
"Did you sleep well, darling?" she asked, her voice a mix of poison and silk. She walked around me, studying me like a painting, or perhaps prey. Her manicured hand brushed my shoulder, and I flinched.
"Where... where am I?" I rasped. Even my voice was foreign to me.
"Somewhere no one will find you," she whispered near my ear, and a shiver ran through my spine.
I jerked away, only to feel a sharp sting on my upper arm. She had jabbed something into me—a needle. The pain was brief, but the fear it brought was overwhelming.
"What did you do?!"
"Nothing lethal. Not yet. Just something to loosen your tongue and tighten your nerves. You see, Rowena, I'm an artist. And you, my dear, are my canvas."
She stepped back, admiring her work, then brought out a small blade. Slim, almost dainty.
"This," she said, twirling it between her fingers, "was a gift from Alexander. Ironically fitting, don't you think?"
At the sound of his name, my heart twisted.
She dragged the blade gently across my collarbone, not enough to draw blood. "He chose you," she whispered. "Over me. Over everything we had."
"You were... a mistake," I managed, summoning strength I didn't have.
The blade cut deep across my skin.
I screamed.
And Vasilisa smiled. "Mistakes are always punished."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*Alexander's POV*
I paced like a madman in my office. The sun had long set, but the darkness around me was nothing compared to the black hole inside my chest. Bryan sat quietly by the door, but even he couldn't hide the tension in his shoulders.
The phone buzzed.
Unknown number.
I answered instantly. "Rowena?"
Laughter. Male. Arrogant.
"Still charming, Alexander. Always so hopeful."
My blood turned to ice.
YOU ARE READING
Unexpected Rendezvous
RomanceAlexander Hammond is well-known for his ruthless, cold and charming traits. He has it all - wealth, fame, even ladies; but deep down, he was lonely. Little did he know, his life would be turned upside down when he met an unexpected person in an une...
