Chapter 100\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ridley\u2019s POV\u00a0<\/p>\n
The gala continued in full swing around me. Chicago\u2019s social climbers clinked their wine glasses, exchanging manufactured laughter and transparent business propositions disguised as small talk. I drummed my fingers against the white tablecloth, my expression darkening\u00a0<\/p>\n
with each passing minute.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I checked my watch again. Cedar had been gone too long. If it weren\u2019t for her, I wouldn\u2019t have set foot in this place.\u00a0<\/p>\n
My jaw tightened as I scanned the corridor where Cedar had disappeared. Something felt off. The Sterling instincts that had guided me through countless business negotiations were now sending warning signals.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cLooking for my sister, Mr. Sterling?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Selena appeared beside my table, her smile practiced to perfection. She had mastered the art of appearing wherever she wasn\u2019t wanted.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cCedar\u2019s still changing,\u201d she continued, leaning slightly closer than propriety allowed. \u201cI can show you to the dressing room if you\u2019d like.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cLead the way,\u201d I replied coldly, rising from my seat.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Selena walked ahead of me, her designer heels clicking against the marble floor.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The hallway grew quieter as we moved away from the ballroom. Selena stopped at one of the doors, knocking gently. When no answer came, she pushed it open with surprise.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s strange. She was just here.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I stepped past her into the room. Cedar\u2019s handbag sat on the chaise lounge, but there was no sign of her. The air felt disturbed somehow, as if the room had witnessed something it shouldn\u2019t have.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cShe must have stepped out for a moment,\u201d Selena said, closing the door behind us. The soft click of the latch sliding into place echoed in\u00a0<\/p>\n
the silent room.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I turned sharply, my eyes narrowing. \u201cWhat are you doing?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMr. Sterling\u2013Ridley,\u201d she corrected herself, her voice dropping to what she presumably thought was a seductive tone. \u201cI think we should talk honestly about Cedar.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I remained silent, watching her with the same cold assessment I\u2019d use on a failing business proposal.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMy sister is beautiful, I can\u2019t deny that. And she has a certain\u2026 charm,\u201d Selena continued, moving closer. \u201cBut there\u2019s so much you don\u2019t know about her. Cedar has been through countless relationships since high school. Men come and go so quickly I can barely remember\u00a0<\/p>\n
1\/4\u00a0<\/p>\n
10:43 Tue, Feb 3\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 100\u00a0<\/p>\n
their faces.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
My expression hardened further with each word.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She knows exactly how to charm powerful men like you. It\u2019s what she does,\u201d Selena\u2019s voice took on a venomous quality. Even while she\u00a0<\/p>\n
was with you, she was seeing other men. She can\u2019t help herself\u2013she craves attention, validation\u2026\u00a0<\/p>\n
I watched her advance, disgust rising in my throat.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cBut I\u2019m different,\u201d she whispered, reaching for the strap of her gown. \u201cI\u2019ve admired you for years. I don\u2019t have grand ambitions\u2013I just\u00a0<\/p>\n
want to please you.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The designer dress slipped to the floor, pooling around her feet. She stepped forward, completely bare, her eyes never leaving mine.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cLet me show you what real devotion feels like,\u201d she murmured, approaching me with unearned confidence.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I extended my hand slowly, watching her lips curve into a triumphant smile\u2013a smile that vanished the instant my fingers closed around\u00a0<\/p>\n
her throat.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere is Cedar?\u201d My voice came out like ice cracking.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her eyes widened in shock, hands clawing desperately at my grip. \u201cI\u2013I can\u2019t breathe-\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou have five seconds to tell me where she is before I crush your windpipe,\u201d I stated calmly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t-\u201d she gasped, her face paling rapidly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I tightened my grip incrementally, watching panic flood her eyes.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThird floor\u2013room 318,\u201d she choked out.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I released her throat, and she collapsed to the floor, gasping for air. Without another glance, I strode toward the door.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Cedar\u2019s POV\u00a0<\/p>\n
The private dressing room was quiet, removed from the buzz of the charity gala. I sat on the velvet bench, checking my watch again and wondering why Selena was taking so long with the dress she\u2019d insisted I try.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Something about this entire situation felt wrong. The Wright family rarely did anything out of genuine kindness, especially not Selena.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The sound of heavy footsteps in the hallway drew my attention. Too heavy for Selena\u2019s signature Louboutins. Instinctively, I rose and\u00a0<\/p>\n
moved toward the door.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I had barely reached the handle when it burst open, revealing a man in a dark suit\u2013thick\u2013necked, with hands like sledgehammers. Not\u00a0<\/p>\n
2\/4\u00a0<\/p>\n
10:43 Tue, rep\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 100\u00a0<\/p>\n
hotel staff, Definitely not a guest.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWho are you- 1 started, backing away.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He moved with surprising speed, lunging forward with a white cloth in his hand. The sickly\u2013sweet smell hit my nostrils as he pressed it against my face. Some kind of drug\u2026 I held my breath instinctively, but not before inhaling enough to make my head swim.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I bit down hard on my tongue, using the sharp pain to fight through the fog threatening to consume me. Even as my vision blurred, I kept my wits enough to track our movement\u2013down a service corridor, into an elevator, third floor.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The man dragged me into a hotel room, tossing me onto the king\u2013sized bed. I scrambled toward the headboard, fighting the\u00a0<\/p>\n
disorientation.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cStay back!\u201d I warned, my voice weaker than I intended.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He laughed, a sound like gravel being crushed. \u201cFeisty one, aren\u2019t you? Most women are out cold by now.\u201d He moved to a dresser, retrieving several lengths of cord. \u201cGuess we\u2019ll have to do this the old\u2013fashioned way.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I tried to scramble off the bed, but my limbs felt like they were moving through molasses. He caught my ankle, yanking me toward him\u00a0<\/p>\n
with brutal efficiency.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cLet me go,\u201d I demanded, struggling against his grip as he began binding my wrists to the bedposts. \u201cWhatever Selena\u2019s paying you, I\u2019l\u00a0<\/p>\n
double it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
His eyes traveled over me with disturbing intent. \u201cMoney\u2019s nice, but some opportunities are priceless.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The ropes bit into my skin as he secured them, leaving me spread\u2013eagled on the bed. Panic surged through me, temporarily clearing the\u00a0<\/p>\n
chemical haze.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople will be looking for me,\u201d I said, forcing strength into my\u00a0<\/p>\n
voice.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThis entire floor is booked solid. No one\u2019s coming to save you,\u201d he growled, looming over me. \u201cNow, we can do this easy, or we can do this rough. Your choice.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I twisted my head, managing to sink my teeth into his forearm when he reached for my dress.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He howled, backhanding me hard enough to make stars explode behind my eyes. \u201cYou stupid bitch!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I tasted blood, but held his gaze defiantly. My mind raced through options, calculating survival odds, searching for any potential weapon\u00a0<\/p>\n
or escape.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSelena won\u2019t get away with this,\u201d I said, trying to buy time. The effects of the chloroform were fading, but I was still bound and\u00a0<\/p>\n
vulnerable.\u00a0<\/p>\n
10:43 Tue, Feb 3\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 100\u00a0<\/p>\n
The man laughed, his fingers moving to his belt. \u201cThat\u2019s what you don\u2019t understand. She already has.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I heard the zipper descend like a death knell, and closed my eyes, summoning every ounce of strength I had left. Whatever happened next.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I wouldn\u2019t make it easy for him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The sudden splintering crash of the door being kicked in came like a thunderclap.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Sky Remembered the Touch of Our UnfiAnished Goodbyes by Lysa Orion Rehn 100 Chapter 100\u00a0 Ridley\u2019s POV\u00a0 The gala […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[88],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-30499","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-zero-stars-for-daddy-novel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30499","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=30499"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30499\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30499"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30499"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30499"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}