Her hands tighten on the bed, her knuckles turning white. But she doesn’t say anything. She just lifts her head slightly, her green eyes locking on his, defiant.
Tobias smiles faintly. “Do you really think this silence is going to save you? You’ve been in the room for every deal, every negotiation. You know things no one else does. So why don’t you save us both some time and tell me what I want to know?”
When she speaks, her voice is steady, but there’s a faint edge to it, a tremor she’s trying to suppress. “I don’t know anything useful.”
The smile fades from Tobias’s face. He steps closer, his hands clasped behind his back, his head tilting slightly as he studies her. “Loyalty is such a dangerous thing,” he murmurs. “Especially when it’s misplaced.”
He leans down, his face just inches from hers, and I see her flinch, barely noticeable but enough to twist something sharp in my chest. Tobias is too close, too invasive, his presence suffocating. And I hate it.
Hate him.
“Do you think your father cares about you?” Tobias asks softly, his voice almost kind, but there’s venom in his words. “Do you think Marcus Taylor is out there right now, planning to save his precious daughter? Or are you finally realizing what you’ve always been to him? A tool. A pawn.”
Her head jerks up, her green eyes blazing. “You don’t know anything about me,” she spits, her voice stronger now, her anger breaking through her fear.
Tobias’s smile sharpens, his gaze narrowing. “Oh, but I do,” he says, grabbing her chin with one hand and forcing her to look at him. “I know you’re not their daughter. You’re their asset. Just like you are to me.”
She doesn’t flinch this time, but I can see the cracks forming in her defiance, the way her hands clench harder on the mattress, her knuckles trembling.
Then Tobias hits her.
The sound of it snaps through the speakers, and I feel my jaw tighten, my fists curling in my lap. Paige stumbles, her head snapping to the side as blood streaks her lip. But she doesn’t cry. Doesn’t even gasp. She just straightens, her breathing ragged, her green eyes burning with something fierce and raw.
Tobias grabs her arm, yanking her to her feet, and I lean forward slightly, my muscles coiling with tension. Her voice cracks as she screams, “I don’t know anything!” but Tobias doesn’t let go. He slams her back against the wall, his voice a low growl. “Think harder.”
“Enough!” Silas snaps suddenly, standing so quickly his chair scrapes against the floor. He storms out of the room, his footsteps echoing in the hall.
I don’t move. I stay seated, my gaze fixed on the monitor as Silas bursts into the room, his voice sharp and commanding. “That’s enough, Dad!”
Tobias turns, his irritation clear, but Silas doesn’t back down. “You keep this up, and she won’t be able to talk even if she wants to,” Silas says coldly. “We’ll try again later.”
Tobias releases Paige reluctantly, brushing off his suit as if the entire scene was nothing more than a mild inconvenience. “Fine,” he says, his voice cool. “But this isn’t over.”
They leave her crumpled on the floor, bloodied and shaking. Silas slams the door behind them, and I stay where I am, watching her drag herself to the bed and curl into herself, her body trembling.
She’s nothing to me. Just another pawn. And yet, I can’t stop watching her. Can’t stop the anger burning through me like fire.
I hate her. And I hate myself more for caring.
