novelraw Chapter 170: Make A Run For It
Chapter 170: Make A Run For It
Chapter 170: Make A Run For It
The opulent lobby of the White Blossoms Hotel shimmered under the crystal chandeliers, a stark contrast to the storm brewing in Levi’s heart. He spotted her instantly, just as Justin had described: Anya, perched on a plush velvet chair near the ornate fountain, her gaze darting nervously around the room.
A knot of anger tightened in his stomach. He remembered how frustrated he had felt when she disagreed and how he had spent countless sleepless nights trying to convince Lyse of his honesty. Anya seemed to have disappeared, despite the fact that he had sent people to search for her. Now, here she was, back in his life, a ghost from his past resurrected and not soon enough.
He moved towards her with a determined stride, his face set in a grim mask. He refused to let his emotions betray him. He would not show her the hurt, the confusion, the lingering sense of loss that still clung to him. He would be cold as always, detached, a force to be reckoned with.
Anya’s eyes finally landed on him, and her carefully constructed facade crumbled. The practiced smile faltered, her painted lips trembling slightly. Her eyes, once so full of warmth and laughter, now flickered with a mixture of fear and apprehension. She glanced around the lobby, as if searching for an escape route, a way to vanish into the crowd.
Levi’s pace didn’t falter. He was close enough now to see the subtle signs of her unease: the way she nervously twisted a strand of her hair around her finger, the rapid rise and fall of her chest beneath her silk blouse.
"Don’t even think about it," he warned, his voice low and menacing. The words hung in the air between them, a stark warning. "If you try to make a run for it, my men will handle you roughly."
Anya’s breath hitched. She knew that tone, that icy edge in his voice. It was the sound of a man pushed to his limits, a man on the verge of snapping. The carefully rehearsed excuses she had prepared evaporated from her mind, leaving her feeling exposed and vulnerable.
"Levi," she began, her voice barely a whisper. She tried to force a smile, a desperate attempt to diffuse the tension that crackled between them. "I... I didn’t expect to see you here."
"Really?" Levi’s lips curled into a sardonic smile. "Because I’m sure that I made it perfectly clear that I was not finished with you."
He stopped directly in front of her, his tall frame towering over her. The air between them crackled with unspoken words, with the weight of their shared history. Anya could feel the heat of his gaze burning into her, and she instinctively recoiled.
"Listen, I... I can explain," she stammered, her eyes darting nervously from his face to the crowd milling around them. She gestured vaguely towards the elevators. "Why don’t we go upstairs to my suite? We can talk in my privacy without letting those pesky paps see us together, I’m sure that Mrs Van Doren would hate that."
Levi’s jaw tightened and he grabbed her arm so painfully that she winced. He was not a fool. He knew exactly what she was trying to do. She was trying to manipulate him, to lure him into a more private setting where she could use her charm, her wiles, to try and weasel her way out of this situation.
"I am not stupid, Anya. And don’t ever speak on my wife!" he said, his voice dangerously low. "We are going to talk in a place of my choosing, right now. You are coming with me."
A shiver ran down Anya’s spine. The casual threat in his voice was unmistakable. The charming, easy-going Levi she had known was gone, replaced by a cold, hard stranger. She had hoped that the time she had spent away from the city would have softened him, that he would have forgiven her for her deception. But it was clear now that he had not forgotten, and he certainly had not forgiven.
Fear gnawed at her. She had been so sure that she could handle him, that she could talk her way out of this mess. But the look in his eyes told a different story. He was not playing games anymore. He was serious, deadly serious. The brief exhilaration she had gotten from giving Levi and Lyse problems was gone and in its place was regret that she let herself get talked into an ugly situation like the one that was staring down at her.
"Levi, please," she pleaded, her voice trembling. "Let’s just talk about this somewhere more private, I promise that I will tell you everything."
"We will talk wherever I damn well please," Levi retorted, his voice cutting through her pleas like a knife. He grabbed her arm, his fingers tightening around her wrist. "Now, let’s go."
Anya winced at his touch. His grip was firm, almost painful. She tried to pull away, but he held her fast. The fear that had been simmering within her now erupted into full-blown panic. She had made a terrible mistake coming back.
She had returned to the city driven by desperation. She was broke, her funds depleted thanks to her reckless spending and horrible financial decisions. The Golden Mantle had reached out to her for a place as a judge and she had been unable to resist.
She had convinced herself that Levi was probably happy for destroying his marriage with Lyse, there was no way he was happier with a simple woman like her. She had also hoped that she could get back into Levi’s life, that she could use him again to get what she needed. She had underestimated his capacity for anger, his ability to still hold unto her small lie.
As Levi dragged her through the lobby, Anya’s mind raced. She desperately searched for a way out, a way to escape the consequences of her actions. She regretted coming back. She regretted ever crossing paths with Levi. But it was too late for regrets. She had made her bed, and now she had to lie in it.
He led her out of the hotel and towards a waiting car parked at the curb. He opened the back door and practically shoved her inside. He slid in beside her, slamming the door shut. The driver, a large, imposing man with a stoic expression, didn’t even glance back. He simply put the car in gear and pulled away from the curb.
Anya sat huddled in the corner of the seat, her heart pounding in her chest. She glanced at Levi, but his face was set in a hard, unreadable mask. He stared straight ahead, his jaw clenched, his hands resting on his knees, clenched into fists.
The silence in the car was thick and suffocating. Anya could hear the frantic beating of her own heart, the rush of blood through her veins. She felt trapped, like a cornered animal with no way out.
"Where are you taking me?" she finally managed to whisper, her voice trembling.
Levi did not answer her. He continued to stare straight ahead, his silence more terrifying than any words he could have spoken.
The car sped through the city streets, the neon lights blurring past the windows. Anya watched the passing scenery, her mind filled with dread. She had no idea where Levi was taking her, but she knew it couldn’t be good.
The car eventually left the brightly lit city center and entered a more industrial area. The streets became narrower, the buildings more dilapidated. Anya’s fear intensified. This was not the way to his apartment. This was not the way to anywhere familiar.
Finally, the car pulled up in front of a large, imposing warehouse. The building was dark and foreboding, its windows boarded up. A single dim light hung above the heavy steel door.
Levi turned to Anya, his eyes glinting in the dim light of the car’s interior. "We are here," he said, his voice cold and devoid of emotion.
Anya’s breath caught in her throat. She stared at the warehouse, her heart sinking. This place felt ominous, isolated. A chill ran down her spine.
"What is this place?" she whispered, her voice barely audible. "Why have you brought me here."
Levi didn’t answer. He simply opened the car door and stepped out then he watched as the driver walked around to Anya’s side and opened her door. As he opened the door, Anya had the bright idea to make a run for it but the driver simply reached out and grabbed her around her waist, restraining her from going anywhere.
After Anya was placed back on her feet, she stumbled, her legs weak and trembling. She looked up at the warehouse, her eyes wide with fear. She knew, with a chilling certainty, that whatever Levi had planned for her, it was not going to be pleasant. The reckoning she had tried to avoid had finally arrived, and she was utterly unprepared for the storm that was about to break.