Chapter 1

In an exclusive presidential suite at the Lunar Hotel in Tiston, a sudden salacious moan jolted Ella Grant awake. The memory of the night before flooded her mind, sending a shock so intense through her body that she thought her heart might stop. The room was pitch dark, and she couldn't make out the man's face. Her instincts flared—was he sent to mess with her? If so, a confrontation was inevitable. She needed to escape. Moving swiftly but quietly, Ella reached into her bag, pulled a pair of handcuffs, and placed them near the bed's headboard. The man was oblivious, and Ella knew it, which meant he wouldn't see it coming when she forcefully pushed him to the other side of the bed. This was her only chance, and she couldn't risk it. "Be good now…" the man let out a low chuckle. In a flash, Ella yanked his hands toward the headboard, where her handcuffs lay waiting. With practiced speed, she cuffed his left wrist and fastened the other end to the bedpost, effectively securing him to the bed. Ella swiftly leaped off the bed, moving so smoothly that the man barely registered what was happening. His dazed expression quickly morphed into a chilling smile, his eyes glinting with dangerous amusement in the darkness. In this situation, of all things, she dared to scheme against him? Absolutely brilliant! Yet, he had to respect her for being the only one to ever get the cuffs on him. He'd let his guard down earlier, and her lightning-fast reflexes had taken him by surprise. One thing was certain—she had definitely captured his interest. The man gave his cuffed wrist a slight shake, then slowly sat up, reclining against the headboard with an air of composed grace. Even now, he appeared completely at ease. His eyes followed Ella intently, a predatory gleam in them that seemed to pierce her very core. Once he had his prey in sight, escape was impossible—he would never let them go. The suite, reserved exclusively for Liam Jones, came with heightened privacy, including windows and curtains engineered to keep the room bathed in darkness. In the shadows, Liam quietly detached a tracker from his left wristwatch while Ella searched for her things. With expert precision, he slipped the tracker into her bag, which still sat where she had left it. Ella remained blissfully unaware. "Did you honestly believe you could run?" Liam's voice was calm but edged with a warning, hoping she wouldn't trap herself in an inescapable situation. From the tender age of three, Ella had been rigorously trained as the Grant family's heir, dedicating 15 years to mastering various disciplines. As a result, she became intelligent, skilled, and highly resourceful, with a shrewd, adaptable nature. Yet, her intelligence didn't overshadow her endearing sweetness and charm. Ella was also remarkably flexible—both physically and mentally. Ella took pride in the words of her grandfather, Philip Green, who had once told her that she was an unrivaled figure, so unbeatable that no one could ever hope to stand against her. After all, she had never faced defeat in her 18 years of living—losing was simply not in her nature. So when Liam threatened her, she couldn't help but scoff. How absurd—there he was, cuffed to the bed and completely immobilized, yet still acting as though he had the upper hand. Of course, that was all he could do—talk. Smirking at his pitiful attempt, Ella laughed and replied, "Of course I can." Her tone dripped with dominance as she made her exit, leaving Liam stunned by the sheer boldness of her words. Ella's provocative remark had irritated him, making him question whether her arrogance was ingrained in her very being—so much so that she dared act so haughtily, even when caught. Before leaving, she casually waved him off, completely unaware of the real danger nestled in her bag. "Good luck with the handcuffs. Take your time. Don't rush, alright? Bye for now—oh, oops. I meant to say, I hope we never meet again." She exuded an air of confidence that verged on arrogance, and it gnawed at Liam. She was, without a doubt, insufferably arrogant. In the darkness, Liam easily picked up on her triumphant smirk. Ella looked so infuriatingly proud that it bordered on arrogance. Oh, she was arrogant, no doubt—Liam could feel the air of self-satisfaction she carried as she left him behind in the dark room. But with a slight shake of his cuffed wrist, he let out a quiet laugh. Did she truly believe he was helpless? That she wouldn't be caught? How naïve. If Ella thought for a second that Liam would let her escape, she was sorely mistaken. His gaze flickered toward her handbag, where he had slipped the tracker earlier. He wasn't in a rush—they'd meet again soon enough. Without wasting a second after she spoke, Ella dashed out of the room, heading straight for the nearest elevator—Elevator No. 5. Her intuition screamed a warning—Liam was not a man to be taken lightly. She had to escape immediately. But Ella didn't realize just how powerful Liam truly was. Back in the suite, Liam remained seated against the headboard, his hand still cuffed to the bed. The room was in disarray, with the thin blanket barely covering his abdomen, yet despite the chaos, Liam exuded calm composure. His posture remained elegant, as if completely unbothered by his situation. Now that the tracker was activated, the red dot on his watch revealed her every movement. When he noticed Ella descending in Elevator No. 5, a slow smile crept across his face, his cold eyes glinting with amusement—a gaze sharp enough to send shivers down anyone's spine. Though she had bound him, the cuffs were a mere inconvenience. He could have her caught with a single command. "Catch the woman in Elevator No. 5," Liam calmly ordered through his watch. He hadn't planned for her to be on the run for long. Yet, the thought of catching Ella himself stirred something within him. He was eager to see her reaction when she realized she couldn't escape. But first, he needed to be freed. He made another call. "Come to my room, Jasper." The message was brief, but Jasper Whitmore was always on standby, and Liam knew he would arrive within the minute no matter the circumstance. Liam watched the red dot on his watch, tracking Ella's movements as a quiet laugh rumbled in his chest. She was still in Elevator No. 5, but it didn't matter. Her escape would end there. Aidan Earhart was already positioned to catch her, but Liam planned to go down himself as well. She was trapped, with no way out. How naïve she had been to believe she could escape him. After she had toyed with him and cuffed him to the bed, Liam would never let her get away. Soon enough, she'd realize her mistake—he'd deal with her personally.