CHAPTER 14
“Well, well,” Uncle Henry drawled, his voice echoing off the damp walls. “Sleeping beauty’s finally
awake.”
Maya’s grin stretched wider, sickly sweet. She tilted her head like she was looking at a doll she’ broken. “Hello, cousin.”
“You,” I spat, my voice raw from screaming. “You did this?”
Uncle Henry spread his hands like it was the most obvious thing in the world. “Of course I did. You left me no choice, Jada.”
“No choice?” My voice cracked into bitter laughter. “You had plenty of choices, Henry. But you chose betrayal.”
His jaw tightened. “Don’t make it sound so personal. This isn’t about betrayal. It’s about survival You’ve proven over and over again that you can’t handle what your father left behind. Someon has to.”
“And let me guess-” I snapped, jerking my head toward him. “That someone is you?”
Maya stepped forward, crouching in front of me. She brushed a strand of hair from my face almost tenderly before her nails scraped my cheek. “Not just him. Me too. Matt was supposed to be the key, but you ruined that. You embarrassed him, you embarrassed all of us. So now we’r fixing it.”
My stomach flipped. “What the hell is this? Let me out!”
Uncle Henry stepped closer, his shoes scraping on the cement. “Relax. You’re safe. For now.” “Safe?” My voice shook with disbelief. “You drugged me and tied me up! You think this is safe?” Maya rolled her eyes and leaned forward, her eyes gleaming in the low light. “Don’t be sc dramatic. You always were, though, weren’t you? Always acting like the world revolved aroun you. Daddy’s perfect little princess.”
I yanked at the ropes. “You’re insane. Both of you!”
She laughed softly, a sound that crawled under my skin. “Insane? No. I’m just tired, Jada. I’m tired of living in your shadow. I’m tired of watching everyone choose you, when you don’t ever know how to hold on to what you have.”
Uncle Henry crossed his arms, his expression was sharp. “We warned you. We gave you chances. But you had to go and marry that Galanis boy. You had to spit in our faces, and take everything for yourself.”
“This company isn’t yours!” My voice cracked. “It was never yours. And this… this kidnapping? Do you have any idea what you’ve just done?”
Maya crouched low, her face inches from mine. Her perfume was cloying, choking in the damp air. “We did what had to be done. Because if you won’t hand it over willingly… then we’ll have to make you.”
The blood drained from my face.
“What?”
Uncle Henry smiled thinly, cruelly like a villain. “You’ll sign it all away, sweetheart. The house, the
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12:14 pm &
shares, Sinclair Industries. Everything. Or you’ll stay down here, and nobody will ever hear from you again.”
My chest heaved. “You’re bluffing.”
“Am I?” He raised a brow. “Matt’s already half-broken. The press will spin whatever story we feed them. And your dear husband won’t find you. He’ll never be able to find you in time.”
Maya giggled then, twirling a strand of her hair. “I bet Asher’s worried sick already. Maybe he thinks you ran back to Matt again.”
The words pierced through me.
“You don’t even know what you’re doing. I’m married now, remember? Everything’s in Asher’: name. I can’t sign over anything even if you keep me here for years.”
At that moment, I was grateful that Asher and I hadn’t gone through the process of signing back everything to my name.
That caught them both off guard. A flicker of confusion crossed Uncle Henry’s face. “What dc you mean?”
I lifted my chin, savoring the tiny sliver of power I still had. “The company. The estate. The inheritance. It’s not under my name. It hasn’t been since the wedding. It’s in Asher’s. My husband.”
Maya’s smile faltered. “You’re lying.”
Obviously, they both thought everything would be transferred to my name by now.
“Am I?” I shot back. “Why do you think Matt was scrambling so hard? Why do you think the board backed down? Because they all knew. I’m not the owner anymore. Asher is. And no matter what you do to me, you’ll never get your hands on it.”
For the first time, Uncle Henry’s mask slipped. Rage flashed in his eyes.
He stepped forward, gripping the back of my chair, leaning down so close I could smell the sour tang of his breath. “Then he’ll give it to me. Or he’ll lose you.”
Before I could reply, he pulled my phone from his pocket. My heart lurched.
He’d taken it.
He swiped through with ease, then pressed a button. The screen lit up with Asher’s name.
“No! Don’t!” I thrashed against the ropes, panic clawing at my throat.
But it was too late.
The call rang once. Twice. Then-
“Jada? Honey, I’ve been calling you all day. I’m so sorry for everything I said. I didn’t mean it. Where are you? I’ll come pick you up right now.”
My chest constricted. Just hearing his voice made my throat ache.
“Darling,” Uncle Henry said smoothly, switching to video and turning the phone so the camera faced me. “Why don’t you show him where you are?”
The video feed snapped to life.
I stared at the screen. Asher’s face filled it. His eyes widened when he saw me.
12:14 pm
CHAPTER 14
“Well, well,” Uncle Henry drawled, his voice echoing off the damp walls. “Sleeping beauty’s finally awake.”
Maya’s grin stretched wider, sickly sweet. She tilted her head like she was looking at a doll she’d broken. “Hello, cousin.”
“You,” I spat, my voice raw from screaming. “You did this?”
Uncle Henry spread his hands like it was the most obvious thing in the world. “Of course I did. You left me no choice, Jada.”
“No choice?” My voice cracked into bitter laughter. “You had plenty of choices, Henry. But you chose betrayal.”
His jaw tightened. “Don’t make it sound so personal. This isn’t about betrayal. It’s about survival You’ve proven over and over again that you can’t handle what your father left behind. Someone has to.”
“And let me guess-” I snapped, jerking my head toward him. “That someone is you?”
Maya stepped forward, crouching in front of me. She brushed a strand of hair from my face almost tenderly before her nails scraped my cheek. “Not just him. Me too. Matt was supposed to be the key, but you ruined that. You embarrassed him, you embarrassed all of us. So now we’r fixing it.”
My stomach flipped. “What the hell is this? Let me out!”
Uncle Henry stepped closer, his shoes scraping on the cement. “Relax. You’re safe. For now.”
“Safe?” My voice shook with disbelief. “You drugged me and tied me up! You think this is safe?”
Maya rolled her eyes and leaned forward, her eyes gleaming in the low light. “Don’t be sc dramatic. You always were, though, weren’t you? Always acting like the world revolved aroun you. Daddy’s perfect little princess.”
I yanked at the ropes. “You’re insane. Both of you!”
you, when you don’t ever
She laughed softly, a sound that crawled under my skin. “Insane? No. I’m just tired, Jada. I’m tired of living in your shadow. I’m tired of watching everyone choose know how to hold on to what you have.”
Uncle Henry crossed his arms, his expression was sharp. “We warned you. We gave you chances. But you had to go and marry that Galanis boy. You had to spit in our faces, and take everything for yourself.”
“This company isn’t yours!” My voice cracked. “It was never yours. And this… this kidnapping? Do you have any idea what you’ve just done?”
Maya crouched low, her face inches from mine. Her perfume was cloying, choking in the damp air. “We did what had to be done. Because if you won’t hand it over willingly… then we’ll have to make you.”
The blood drained from my face.
“What?”
Uncle Henry smiled thinly, cruelly like a villain. “You’ll sign it all away, sweetheart. The house, the
From Broken Engener
12:14 pm S
shares, Sinclair Industries. Everything. Or you’ll stay down here, and nobody will ever hear from you again.”
My chest heaved. “You’re bluffing.”
“Am I?” He raised a brow. “Matt’s already half-broken. The press will spin whatever story we feed them. And your dear husband won’t find you. He’ll never be able to find you in time.”
Maya giggled then, twirling a strand of her hair. “I bet Asher’s worried sick already. Maybe he thinks you ran back to Matt again.”
The words pierced through me.
“You don’t even know what you’re doing. I’m married now, remember? Everything’s in Asher’s name. I can’t sign over anything even if you keep me here for years.”
At that moment, I was grateful that Asher and I hadn’t gone through the process of signing back everything to my name.
That caught them both off guard. A flicker of confusion crossed Uncle Henry’s face. “What do you mean?”
I lifted my chin, savoring the tiny sliver of power I still had. “The company. The estate. The inheritance. It’s not under my name. It hasn’t been since the wedding. It’s in Asher’s. My husband.”
Maya’s smile faltered. “You’re lying.”
Obviously, they both thought everything would be transferred to my name by now.
“Am I?” I shot back. “Why do you think Matt was scrambling so hard? Why do you think the board backed down? Because they all knew. I’m not the owner anymore. Asher is. And no matte what you do to me, you’ll never get your hands on it.”
For the first time, Uncle Henry’s mask slipped. Rage flashed in his eyes.
He stepped forward, gripping the back of my chair, leaning down so close I could smell the sour tang of his breath. “Then he’ll give it to me. Or he’ll lose you.”
Before I could reply, he pulled my phone from his pocket. My heart lurched.
He’d taken it.
He swiped through with ease, then pressed a button. The screen lit up with Asher’s name.
“No! Don’t!” I thrashed against the ropes, panic clawing at my throat.
But it was too late.
The call rang once. Twice. Then-
“Jada? Honey, I’ve been calling you all day. I’m so sorry for everything I said. I didn’t mean it. Where are you? I’ll come pick you up right now.”
My chest constricted. Just hearing his voice made my throat ache.
“Darling,” Uncle Henry said smoothly, switching to video and turning the phone so the camera faced me. “Why don’t you show him where you are?”
The video feed snapped to life.
I stared at the screen. Asher’s face filled it. His eyes widened when he saw me.
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12:15 pm A
“Asher-” I could barely talk with the tears streaming down my face. “I-”
“Jada?” He leaned closer to the camera, his eyes narrowing as he took in my bound wrists, the ropes, the concrete walls behind me. His voice dropped to a dangerous growl. “What the hell is happening?”
Uncle Henry slid into view, his face calm, smug. “Mr. Galanis. It seems we have a problem. You have something I want. And I have something you can’t afford to lose.”
Maya appeared too, smirking as she leaned into the frame. “She doesn’t look very safe, does she?”
Asher’s expression hardened, fury blazing across his face. “Touch her and I swear to God-”
“Save your threats,” Henry cut in smoothly. “You want her alive? Then you’ll do exactly as I say. want every piece of Sinclair property signed over to me by tomorrow night.”
“That’s impossible,” Asher snarled. “Those documents take time-”
“You have twenty four hours,” Uncle Henry interrupted, his voice cold as stone. “Bring the papers. Alone. Or she dies.”
“Asher, don’t-” I sobbed, shaking my head violently. “Don’t listen to him! He’ll kill me anyway-”
The phone was yanked back from me, cutting off my plea.
Asher’s voice thundered from the tiny speaker, raw and vicious. “If you touch her, Henry, I’ll bury you myself.”
Uncle Henry only smiled. “Then you’d better hurry.”
12:15 pm
