DAMN EVERYTHING THAT EVER EXISTED.

Chapter: 4

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Liam's POV

"Alexis? What are you doing here?" Beads of sweat trickled down my face as fear filled me. She was the last person I expected to see, and now she was standing in the middle of a death trap. I can't believe this. We're both going to die here.

"Who is she?" His baritone voice cut through the room, sharp as ice. His expression twisted with both anger and disgust.

"S…She's my best friend, please! She has nothing to do with this. Don't hurt her." I desperately begged, dropping to my knees at the same time lowering my head as far as it would go, my voice trembling. "You can kill me instead of her, just let her live her life, please," I pleaded again while Alexis stood there, still unable to recover from the shock.

"I should kill you instead?" The boss's lips curled into a smirk, but there was no warmth in it—only the promise of something far worse. "Or are you trying to play a trick on me? One that might just cost you your head?"

The temperature in the room dropped, a chilling stillness settling over us. I knew it hadn't taken him a second to say those words, nor had it cost him a thing—but for me, it was unbearable. I couldn't. I couldn't live with the guilt of Alexis dying because of me, not even for a moment. The weight of it would crush me. I didn't want to feel it. I didn't want to witness it.

"I swear we're not." My voice cracked as I pleaded, my chest tightening with fear. "I swear on my late parents' lives, Boss. She's my childhood friend. We're not involved in any way."

But even as the words left my lips, I knew they meant nothing. My desperation was useless against the man standing before me. He was brutal and ruthless—he never spared anyone who saw him and lived to tell the tale.

So what was I thinking? That he'd let Alexis go? That he'd let me go? That he'd let us go?

"Give me just one genuine reason, and I'll set you free. But make sure it's convincing—because your life depends on it."

Silence filled the room the moment he finished speaking. My heart pounded in my chest. Was he serious? He wanted me to justify my own survival? If he was going to kill us, then he should just do it already—this wasn't fair.

"Your time is running out." His voice yanked me back to reality. I lifted my gaze, meeting his cold, calculating stare. He looked amused like this was nothing more than a game to him. And we? We were his playthings.

"Fuck." The curse slipped from my lips as I clenched my fists so hard my nails dug into my palms. I hated this. Hated him. Hated the way he toyed with my life like it was meaningless. But most of all, I hated myself—because no matter how much I despised this moment, I had no power to change it. I had never been anything more than a worthless man.

And now, my best friend's life rested in my hands.

"She deserves to live. Everyone does. But her? She is not just a friend—she's a lifesaver. Not just a lifesaver, but my lifesaver. When I had no one, when my parents were brutally murdered, she begged her parents to take me in. She fought for me when no one else would. She has always watched over me." My voice shook with anger, my chest heaving. "She deserves to live."

A heavy silence settled over the room, broken only by a soft, trembling sound. It was then that I realized—Alexis was crying.

I swallowed hard, my throat burning with the words I couldn't say. I couldn't look at her—not when she was already falling apart. If I did, I wasn't sure I'd be able to hold myself together. My chest felt tight, each breath heavier than the last. This isn't fair. None of it was. But what was worse? Seeing her cry and knowing I couldn't do a damn thing about it.

A sharp sound—two taps against the table.

The door opened, and two sturdy men stepped in, their heads bowed in silent obedience.

"Take her," the boss commanded.

I shot to my feet, my body tensed, ready to fight. No. Not like this.

"And make sure she gets home safely."

I froze. My breath hitched. Did I hear him right?

My head snapped up, my gaze locking onto his. Disbelief washed heavily over me, drowning out every other thought. Was this real? Was he… serious? Or was this some cruel joke? But his face revealed otherwise, that he wasn't joking at all.

"She will get home safely," the boss said, his voice laced with finality. He emphasized those last words as if daring me to doubt him. And I did.

I didn't want to believe him. I had no reason to. But I was at his mercy—this was what I asked for. Alexis would live, and that was enough. It had to be.

"How can I trust you?" My voice wavered with uncertainty, doubt clawing at my throat.

"It's up to you," he said coolly. "Not like you'll live to tell the tale, anyway."

His words should have terrified me, but instead, a strange sense of relief settled in my chest. This is it. My life for hers. A fair exchange.

Alexis, on the other hand, was frozen in shock, still unable to speak as one of the men lifted her effortlessly into his arms. She didn't struggle. She just stared. Her wide, tear-filled eyes locked onto mine, silent and pleading.

And then—the door shut.

They were gone. And I was here. Alone with the devil.

I exhaled shakily, then sank back onto my knees, my eyes squeezing shut. I was ready. Ready for him to pull the trigger, to smash my skull against the wall—whatever it took to make this quick. If I had to die, I didn't want it to be slow. I prayed for it to be painless.

But instead—

"It seems you're fully prepared for your death," he mused, his voice almost amused. Then, after a pause—

"But you know what? I changed my mind."

My eyes snapped open. My heartbeat thundered in my chest, frantic and wild.

"You… changed your mind?" My voice was barely above a whisper. This couldn't be good.

He tilted his head, watching me like a predator toying with its prey. "Yes. I changed my mind." A slow, deliberate smirk curled on his lips. "And now, I want you to earn your life."

My stomach twisted.

"At this very moment, I want you to suck my dick till I cum. If you could make me cum, then you would live" Those were his words and it made my blood run cold.

My breath hitched. Did I hear him right?

My pulse pounded in my ears as I stared at him in shock. Was he… seriously kidding me?