Chapter 123: Stop at nothing

NANCY’S POV

I had no idea how much time had passed, but in that time, I had done everything I could to get out of this room, even climbing up the window ledge, only to find out that I was high up in the sky.

Literally, I was many feet above the ground, and one other thing I was scared of more than a man who only wanted me for my body was falling to my death from a height so high, so begrudgingly, I’d returned to the room to think of other ways to escape this place.

My mind dredged up many ideas I could exploit, but so many of them had loops that would inevitably backfire on me.

One of such was for me to wait until Hudson returned, then find a way to knock him out.

While that seemed like the most effective way to get out of here, I knew it wasn't.

Knowing Hudson, the house was surrounded with guards. Who knew if there were alarms that would even alert them of my escape?

Left with no choice, I sat on the stool next to the dresser, making sure to stay away from the bed lest I be caught off guard.

The thought had barely just settled when my mind strayed again. This time, it strayed to Florida, to Nathan and Mr Landon.

I couldn’t help but chuckle through my blurred vision when I imagined Nathan panicking at my disappearance, but my laughter died quickly when my thoughts moved to Mr Landon.

Would he panic as well? Would he try to find me? Was he worried about me?

A part of me hoped he was, even as the other part tried to decline sympathy from a man who couldn’t even be genuine to me.

But overall, I knew I wanted him to be worried about me, if only just to convince myself that he had truly felt something for me.

You know, I’d thought about it many times, thinking what if Mr. Landon hadn’t meant to lie to me. What if he was truly just trying to keep me safe?

I had even asked myself if I would be able to forgive him even if that wasn’t the case.

The irrevocable truth was that I would. Even now, I didn’t feel as angry as I felt before I was bundled and brought here.

Now, I just wish none of this had happened and that I was back in the room he’d decorated for me, daydreaming about his hands wrapped around my waist.

I was startled out of my thoughts when the lock clicked.

In an instant, I was on my feet, staring warily at the door while my gaze landed on the brush that was lying idly on the table.

It wasn’t sharp or anything like that, but I was determined to make it suffice as a weapon if it boiled down to it.

When the door opened fully, my entire body went rigid.

“I hope you had a pleasant rest, mi amor?” Mr Hudson walked in smiling.

“Did you miss me?” He continued in a low and amused voice.

I didn’t answer. My fingers reached for the brush instead and tightened around it.

His gaze dropped, and his smile faltered for a minute.

“Don’t even…”

“You think that will help you get out of here?”

I glared at him for longer, but then my grip released.

As much as I hated to say it, I’d thought the same and knew he was right.

Thinking I could break out of here with just a brush was a foolish thought I shouldn’t even have conceived.

“I do like the fact that you’re still defiantly seeking ways to escape, though,” he hummed. “Makes you even more interesting.”

He stepped in, and to my dismay, he locked the door, slipping the key into the inside of his shirt, into what I assumed was a hidden, inner pocket.

My gaze followed his actions, trying to see if there was a way I could slip it out without him knowing.

Unexpectedly, my eyes met his, and his lips curled higher. “The last thing you should be worrying about is getting this key from me.”

“I’m not opposed to having you try,” he said, patting his chest. “…But only if you can actually get past my guards and make it out of here in one piece.”

I knew it.

Who was I kidding, thinking I could successfully escape this place?

Mr Hudson wasn't a fool, and he wouldn’t have brought me here without a foolproof plan to keep me secured here.

My stomach churned at the discovery and rumbled even harder when he began to step towards me.

I backed up, snarling, “Get away from me.”

He smirked, but he didn’t listen, and each step he took towards me felt like a countdown to destruction.

“I spoke to your lover…”

My brows pulled together. “What lover…”

What he meant clicked at that instant, and my words trailed off.

“You spoke to Mr Landon?” My eyes flew open.

He seemed to find that amusing because he chortled.

“I must say, he is quite the devoted lover, promising to do everything to find you…”

“He did?”

I had no idea why I found that so difficult to believe, but I wouldn’t put it past Hudson to lie to me just to break me.

“However, that’s exactly what I need him to do. Only by virtue of his coming here to find you can I enact my revenge and erase him from the surface of this earth.”

My heart thudded, and my eyes widened until they were as large as saucer pans.

I didn’t know that was his intention, and finding it out now was enough to strike fear in my heart.

“You called him… just so you could make him come here and kill him?” I repeated uncertainly.

He flashed me a smile, then gesticulated, “Exactly that.”

“What do you say? Fun, right?”

Fun?

What the hell was fun about that?

If I didn’t know before, I discovered that I was talking to a depraved fool who would stop at nothing to get what he wanted.