The fluorescent hum of the office lights felt like a constant thrumming in Eve Netherland's skull, echoing the furious tap of her fingers on the keyboard. Another late night, another task for Justin Carter, the man whose very presence curdled her stomach. She leaned back in her plush black leather chair, a stark contrast to the threadbare couch awaiting her at home. The city lights twinkled beyond the massive glass wall of her exorbitant office, a glittering mockery of the freedom she craved.

A sudden, violent thud ripped through the quiet. The glass door to her office slammed against the wall, a sound that should have shattered it, but didn't. Her breath hitched. She didn't need to look up. She knew that smirk, that predatory presence. Justin Carter. He strode towards her, nibbling his lower lip, a gesture that sent shivers of revulsion down her spine.

"I'm almost done with it," she forced out, her voice a thin wire of politeness stretched over a chasm of loathing. He ignored her, pulling her roughly back into the chair, then perched on her desk, caging her between his presence and the expensive furniture.

His face, too close, leaned in. "Now, how do you think you'll escape, Eve?" he whispered, the words a chilling promise.