Chapter 2

Jasper was horrified when he arrived at Liam's suite. The room was in complete disarray, clothes scattered all over the floor, and the mess was so overwhelming he couldn't bring himself to look at it for long. What caught his attention the most was Liam, leaning against the bed's headboard—his upper body covered with angry red scratch marks. The worst part was the handcuffs that chained Liam to the bed. Jasper could barely believe what he was seeing—Liam, of all people, had ended up cuffed to the bed. It was clear that Liam had been outplayed. He had even deployed their latest advanced tracker to try and catch his assailant. With the clues scattered about, it didn't take long for Jasper to piece the situation together. Someone had clearly slept with Liam, then handcuffed him to the bed before making their escape. And although the culprit had fled, Liam had managed to place a tracker on her. Despite witnessing the situation firsthand, Jasper found it difficult to believe. But the truth was undeniable—someone had bedded Liam and left him as a victim. Freeing Liam from the handcuffs took Jasper only three seconds. As soon as he was loose, Liam muttered, "Check for fingerprints on the handcuffs." He had always prided himself on his meticulousness, and he was certain Ella's fingerprints were on the handcuffs. This evidence was crucial. With the tracker and those prints in hand, he couldn't help but ponder how she would try to escape his grasp. Glancing at his watch, Liam noticed the tracker still showed Ella inside Elevator No. 5, pausing on different floors. He chuckled to himself—she was still stuck in the elevator after all this time. Although Liam had already called Aidan, he didn't mind catching Ella himself. The thought of confronting her where the elevator stopped amused him. He could already imagine her surprise when she realized she had walked straight into his trap. Quickly pulling on his clothes, Liam left the suite and entered the exclusive elevator. It was fast—he'd reach the first floor well before Ella, giving him time to intercept her. After all, it was his own exclusive elevator—he did not need to wait. Inside the elevator, Liam made another call. "Block all the hotel's exits. No one leaves the hotel." Then he instructed Jasper, "Check the hotel's CCTV footage for Elevator No. 5." Liam's reputation for meticulousness was well-earned. He effectively cornered Ella, cutting off all her escape routes. When Casey Brown, the hotel manager, received Liam's call, he was slightly surprised, but he still did as Liam asked without further questions. Meanwhile, inside Elevator No. 5, Ella remained composed on the surface, though deep down, she felt the pressure mounting. The elevator had been stopping intermittently to let passengers on and off, which had wasted her some time. However, she soon found herself alone in the elevator after everyone else exited on the third floor. The previous night, Ella had been drugged. At first, she stayed clear-headed long enough to plan her escape, but her memory afterward was hazy. When she woke, she found herself in a strange man's bed. Ella wasn't sure if she'd been set up, and the dim light in the room had obscured the man's face. Yet she could sense that Liam was dangerous and knew she needed to escape. That was why she'd cuffed him to the bed before fleeing. But Ella knew handcuffing Liam wouldn't be enough to stop him for long. If he had freed himself already… Her eyes darted to the digital panel as the floor numbers descended. A sudden realization dawned on her, and with a slight smirk, she hit the button for the second floor. She wasn't sure if Liam was pursuing her, but she needed to remain cautious to avoid any traps. When the elevator stopped on the second floor, Ella quickly made her way to the stairwell. Just as she was about to step inside, she overheard a voice saying, "Mr. Thompson, we've stationed guards at all exits. No one will leave the building." Ella's breath hitched—just as she expected. She would've been caught immediately if she had gone straight to the first floor. She had underestimated Liam's abilities—only minutes ago, she had left him cuffed to the bed, yet he had already taken control of the situation. It was clear now that Liam held significant power within the hotel. Handcuffing him had only bought her a little time. As long as she remained inside the hotel, every path would lead to a dead end. Liam would soon catch up to her. Would she even have a chance to escape by then? What Ella didn't realize was that Liam had already arrived at the first floor and was waiting for her by Elevator No. 5. Though Ella had a nagging sense that she was walking into a trap, she wasn't ready to give up yet. She refused to believe Liam could catch her so easily. Ella eventually returned to the hallway where the elevators were. When she had exited Elevator No. 5, she'd left her bag at the elevator's door track, preventing the doors from closing and keeping the elevator stuck on the second floor. Now that Liam had blocked all exits, she figured there would also be guards waiting by the elevators on the first floor. If she descended now, she'd be caught instantly. Realizing this, Ella grabbed her bag and watched as the doors of Elevator No. 5 closed and the elevator began its descent. The moment it started to move, she quickly pressed the buttons to go up. Since Elevator No. 5 was already descending, another one would soon arrive on the second floor. As she expected, Elevator No. 5 stopped on the first floor. The button she had pressed inside was for the basement floor, but the fact that it stopped on the first floor instead meant someone was waiting for her there. It was just as she had suspected. At the same time, Elevator No. 3 arrived on the second floor, its doors sliding open. Ella stepped inside, pressing the button for the 48th floor, but just as the doors began to close, she blocked them with her handbag and slipped back out into the hallway. The doors shut, and the elevator ascended to the 48th floor without her. A satisfied grin spread across Ella's face. If Liam and his men were monitoring the elevators from the first floor, they would see Elevator No. 3 going up and assume she was inside. This would give her the chance she needed to make her next move. Ella remembered that a costume party was happening on the third floor that night, hosted by a wealthy scion. The party was known to last well into the night—this might be her only shot at slipping away unnoticed. As she made her way to the stairs, Ella took out a slim mobile phone from her coat and sent a quick message. Meanwhile, Liam had already noticed Elevator No. 3 climbing to the top floors. He glanced at his watch again, raising an eyebrow in amusement. Ella was quick on her feet, playing a game of hide-and-seek. Oh, but what a shame…