Chapter 4

The music stopped abruptly, and the entire hall fell into dead silence.

Everyone held their breath, staring at the scene in horror.

I, Ella, was straddling James, clutching the ring that symbolized power tightly.

I was breathing heavily, my chest heaving violently.

I had won.

I raised my right hand, the ring in my palm glinting coldly under the lights.

"Mr. Smith."

My voice was hoarse, still carrying unsteady breaths, but I tried to make it sound confident. "A bet's a bet."

James said nothing, remaining in the position with me straddling him, looking up at me.

In those eyes was a depth that made my scalp tingle.

A low chuckle rumbled from his chest, traveling through our pressed bodies and into my bones.

I couldn't help but shiver, wanting to get off him. "Since I've already gotten the ring, please keep your promise and let Michael go."

As I spoke, I tried to move away from him.

However, a large hand suddenly gripped my lower back, pressing me firmly against him, making it impossible to move.

"Did I say you could leave?" His voice was low and husky, yet dangerously threatening.

I froze.

"I've already taken the ring off," I emphasized, trying to use the rules to control him.

James ignored my words. He slowly raised his other hand and gripped the wrist of my hand holding the ring.

His fingertips were rough, calloused, gently rubbing against my tender palm.

That sensation was like an electric current running through me, raising goosebumps all over my body.

He didn't take the ring back, just held my hand, playing with my fingers.

"You're very bold." He suddenly leaned in, his cool nose tip brushing against my cheek.

His warm breath sprayed on my ear.

My whole body trembled, instinctively wanting to dodge, but his hand on my waist tightened sharply, pulling us even closer together.

He pinched my chin, forcing me to look at him. "Michael, I can let go."

Hearing this, my heart relaxed. Michael could survive, and Mary would be saved too.

However, James's next words extinguished all my joy. "But you have to stay."

My pupils contracted sharply. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, you replace him." James's fingers suggestively traced across my lips, his eyes dark.

This was bandit logic. Anger rushed to my head.

"That's not fair!" I retorted through gritted teeth. "That wasn't part of our bet!"

"This is my casino." James smiled, his smile wild and arrogant. "My word is the rule."

As he spoke, his hand on my waist began to wander inappropriately, that desire-laden touch making me sense danger.

"Let me go." I pressed both hands against his chest, trying to push him away. "I have a boyfriend."

"I love my boyfriend very much. We're getting married soon."

Hearing the words "boyfriend," James's hand that had been caressing my waist stopped.

The hint of amusement in his eyes cooled down at a visible speed.

"Boyfriend?"

"The man who lets you run to a place like this alone in the middle of the night to face danger by yourself?"

"A man who can't even come up with a measly fifty thousand dollars? He's worth you rejecting me for?"

"That's between us; no need for Mr. Smith to worry about it." I said stubbornly. "Please keep your promise, let Michael go, and let me leave."

James narrowed his eyes, examining me, his gaze like looking at a disobedient child.

"Let you leave?" He suddenly laughed coldly.

The next second, the world spun. Before I could react to what was happening, I was already airborne.

I cried out in surprise.

James stood up directly and hoisted me onto his shoulder.

His hard shoulder pressed against my stomach, making me nauseous.

In my field of vision, all I could see was his broad back and those shiny leather shoes.

"James! Are you crazy? Put me down!" I frantically pounded on his back, kicking my legs wildly.

But he didn't budge. My strength meant nothing to him.

He roughly carried me on his shoulder, striding toward the elevator.

The surrounding bodyguards all lowered their heads, clearing a path. No one dared make a sound at this moment.

Even Michael, pinned against the wall, was stunned.

When they reached the elevator, James stopped and turned his face slightly. "Kai."

"Mr. Smith." Kai immediately stepped forward, bowing respectfully.

"Tell those old fools their game is over."

He patted my thigh, as if declaring ownership.

"Also, this woman is mine now."

"Anyone who dares touch her, I'll destroy them."

With that, he didn't linger, striding into his private elevator.

The elevator doors slowly closed. In the cramped car, only the two of us remained. A feeling of weightlessness came as the elevator began rising rapidly.

James released his grip. My feet hit the ground unexpectedly, and before I could steady myself, a huge force pushed me toward the elevator wall. James's tall figure pressed against me.

He braced one hand against the elevator wall by my ear, trapping me completely between him and the wall. This was a position of absolute control.

The elevator light poured down from above, casting shadows on his face.

In his silver-gray pupils, an undisguised possessiveness was burning.

I was suffocated by the intense aggression emanating from him.

I wanted to resist, but as soon as I raised my hands, he easily pinned them against the wall.

"What... what do you want?" I tried to keep my voice from trembling, but the tail end still betrayed my fear.

"What do I want?" James lowered his head, his high-bridged nose almost touching mine.

He looked at my panicked eyes, his lips curling into a cruel yet charming smile.

"Ella, aren't you smart?"

"You can calculate what the probability is of what I want to do right now."

His thumb pressed on the pulse at my wrist, seeming to enjoy this feeling of controlling my heartbeat, his fingertip lightly tracing across that thin layer of skin.

This touch was more suffocating than any violent threat.

"I have a boyfriend..." I repeated the sentence, trying to awaken his last bit of reason.

James suddenly extended a finger and pressed it against my lips.

"Don't mention that person in front of me."

"From the moment you took this ring from my hand."

"Your boyfriend can only be your ex-boyfriend now."

I glared at him defiantly. "You can't be this domineering! Feelings aren't transactions!"

"For me, this is a transaction." James didn't get angry. Instead, he seemed to have heard an amusing joke.

He leaned down and whispered in my ear, "You won my ring, I won you."

"Fair enough, isn't it?"

"As for feelings..." He chuckled softly. "We didn't have them before, but we can start developing them now."

"Develop them in bed, or..."

His gaze swept over the thin spaghetti-strap dress I was wearing. "In the elevator?"

All the blood in my body seemed to freeze in that instant.

This madman!

He would actually do it!