"Who are you? What do you want?" Hadley cleared her throat, trying to project strength as she stared directly at the man.

He returned her gaze with a smile, as though he saw her as a mere object of amusement.

“Nothing serious. I just thought you looked charming, so I brought you here to chat, and..."

Before he could finish, Hadley cut in sharply, "I'd rather die than succumb to your demands! I'm an actress, not a prostitute!"

The man's expression soured. He rolled his eyes in disdain and asked, “What, are you frightened?"

How could she have been so naive?

"No, I'm not frightened. How could I be? If you dare harm me, Lilah will shred you to pieces. She cares a lot for me!" Hadley's response was icy, her gaze piercing.

The mention of Lilah visibly shook the man.

He rose slowly, advancing toward her. “I've made no mistake in bringing you here. You are indeed close to Lilah Phillips, which makes you quite valuable to me."

The man was Darian, long hidden in this secluded place.

With Lilah and Gerard's men scouring for him, showing his face meant capture, forcing him to hide in this signal-dead zone, teetering on the edge of sanity.

Today, however, presented a diversion.

"Are you an enemy of Lilah's?" Hadley's tone grew colder, her suspicions confirmed by his treacherous demeanor.

"She played with my feelings, you naive girl. Don't you think I deserve my revenge?" Darian retorted, his smile twisted as he regarded Hadley like a child unwittingly caught in a game.

Hadley's patience snapped, and she retorted sharply at Darian, “I'm not the one who's naive here, you are. It's ludicrous to think Lilah would ever be interested in you. She played with your feelings? Please, you're not even in her league!"

It was one thing to insult her, but she couldn't stand anyone demeaning Lilah.

Darian's expression darkened visibly.

With a wave of his hand, two men in black approached.

Pale but defiant, Hadley eyed them warily. "What do you want?"

"What do we want? We're just going to have a little fun with you, you naive girl. You talk big for someone so clueless," Darian sneered, signaling the men to release her from the ropes.

One of the burly men stepped forward, his imposing figure casting a shadow over her like a predatory wolf.

Hadley's eyes widened in fear.

The man initially had no ill intentions, but her visible fear seemed to amuse him, prompting a malicious grin to distort his face.

"Let's get you untied-Ah!"