The warehouse air crackles with suppressed power as she bursts through the metal doors, telekinetic energy already rippling around her. "Release them, Chen Fei!" Her voice echoes, but the man before her merely smirks—Qiu Dingjie in the flesh, surrounded by his mindless followers kneeling like worshippers.

His golden eyes lock onto hers, and she feels the full force of his attempt to breach her mental defenses—a brutal, invasive pressure that would shatter any normal mind. She grunts, flinging a metal crate at him with a flick of her wrist. He doesn't even bother dodging, letting his followers take the hit as he strides toward her, unhurried, predatory.

"Finally," he purrs, reaching out to trace her jaw with one finger. She tries to pull away, but invisible force pins her in place. "The woman who thinks she can resist me."

"Let. Them. Go." Her voice shakes with the effort of maintaining her mental shield against his onslaught.

He leans in, warm breath against her ear. "Make me." His hand slides down to grip her throat, not hard enough to choke, but enough to remind her who holds power here. "Or better yet... surrender. Let me feel that beautiful mind of yours submit to mine."

The hostages scream in unison as his power surges through them, a demonstration of what he could do to her if she weren't so stubbornly resistant. His thumb brushes her lower lip, and she hates the way her body betrays her with a shiver. "You want this as much as I do," he growls, pressing his body against hers so she can feel every inch of his arousal. "Admit it."

When she doesn't answer, he tightens his grip on her throat, pupils blown wide with desire and power. "I'll break that shield of yours eventually. And when I do... you'll beg me to control you."