chapter151

Elysia was shoved into the skeletal frame of an unfinished high-rise, the raw concrete and exposed rebar mirroring the cold dread pooling in her stomach. Two burly men held her firmly, their amusement echoing through the hollow structure.

"Look at this one," one whispered, a predatory glint in his eyes. "Quite the prize. I'd say she was worth the trouble."

A bald man sat perched on a makeshift throne of stacked crates at the center of the room. With a lazy flick of his wrist, he signaled his men to rip the tape from Elysia’s mouth.

The moment she could breathe, Elysia’s voice rang out, sharp with desperation. "Who are you? Why am I here? What do you want?"

Ignoring her, the bald man leaned forward, his eyes gleaming with malice. "Listen carefully, doll. We’re going to have a little chat. Play nice, and maybe you walk out of here in one piece."

Elysia’s eyes darted around the cavernous space, looking for any sign of escape. "What do you want to know?"

"Tell me about Gage Slater," the man said, his voice dropping into a dangerous register. "What was your role in his... recent misfortune?"

"Gage?" Elysia’s mind raced through a fog of fear. For a second, she couldn't even place the name.

"Don't play games," the man warned. "Word is you’re the reason someone decided to retire him permanently from polite society. Someone made sure he’d never bother a woman again, and they did it in your name."

Elysia’s eyes flared with indignation. "That’s a lie! I despise the man, but I never ordered anyone to harm him. I don’t even have the means to do such a thing!"

Skepticism creased the bald man’s forehead. With a subtle nod, he signaled his goons.

Without warning, they forced her toward a barrel filled with ice-cold water. The shock was instantaneous, a freezing wall of silence that seemed to stop her heart. They held her under just long enough for the panic to take root before yanking her back up. Drenched and shivering, Elysia gasped for air, her senses reeling from the sudden assault.

"Let’s try again," the man persisted. "Did you arrange for Gage’s ‘accident’?"

"No!" Elysia shouted, her voice hoarse from the cold. "I’ve told you! Even if you kill me, I won't confess to something I didn't do!"

The men exchanged a dark look, ready to resume the interrogation, when a voice cut through the shadows from the back of the room.

"She’s lying!"

A woman stepped into the light—it was Oriana Sutton, Keaton Huber’s ex-girlfriend. The bald man immediately straightened, his demeanor shifting to one of practiced respect. "Ms. Sutton."

Elysia’s eyes narrowed as she put the pieces together. "You... you set this up? Why?"

Oriana ignored the question, her expression a mask of cold fury. "When Gage was attacked, the man responsible explicitly mentioned you. He warned Gage to stay away from you, as if he were your personal guardian. You still claim you have no idea who that was?"

Elysia was struck dumb. Someone had sought revenge on Gage and used her name? It seemed impossible. Since returning to Jindale City, her circle was incredibly small. Aside from Blossom and Zane, she had no allies with that kind of power or brutality.

Who would take such a risk for me? she wondered, the cold water dripping from her hair as a new, more terrifying realization began to dawn.