Page 7 of All The Pretty Little Lies

“Yes, you are.” Before I can register his movements, he effortlessly lifts me off the ground and tosses me over his shoulder as if I were weightless.

"Where are you taking me?" I shout, my legs flailing against his solid stomach with no effect. My heart pounds in my chest as I try to make sense of what is happening.

"Somewhere safe," Oscar replies, his voice surprisingly gentle compared to the chaos raging behind us. He leads me through a maze of hallways, the sound of the ongoing scuffle fading into the distance as we move further away.

"I don't need your protection," I say defiantly, my voice laced with resentment. "I can take care of myself."

Oscar chuckles softly. "Oh, I have no doubt about that." His words catch me off guard. We finally come to a stop in a secluded classroom far away from the chaos of the fight. Oscar puts meback on my feet and turns to face me, his gaze searching mine. I reach for my phone in my pocket, but Oscar plucks it from my hand before I can even unlock the screen.

“You won’t be needing this.” He shoves it in his back pocket. “Now, where were we?”

“Take me back to my brother. Let me go.”

“Can’t do that, solnishko. We need to talk without an audience.”

I narrow my eyes, wariness creeping back into my heart. “I have nothing to say to you.”

“Are you so sure about that?”

I hesitate, unsure of what to make of his unexpected statement. "What do you want from me?”

Oscar stills in front of me. As I stand there staring at him, a mixture of confusion and fear swirling within me, Oscar's eyes seem to pierce into my soul. He moves closer to me until the wall is at my back, the only barrier separating us. His eyes blaze with intensity, and I can feel the danger emanating from him.

“I don’t think my fiancé would like you being this close to me.”

“No, he wouldn’t, but I don’t see him around.”

“What do you want from me?”

A predatory smile forms on his lips. “Everything.”

"You don't know anything about me," I whisper, my voice barely audible.

"Oh, but I do," he replies, leaning in even closer. “You’ve spent your entire life locked in your family's cage. The Rossi’s prized pretty little princess whose unspoiled pussy everyone has been salivating to get a chance to taste. I wonder if it’s as sweet as we’ve been led to believe.”

I gulp at his words. “You wouldn’t dare touch me. Do you know what my father would do to you and your entire family?”

“Your father is no concern of mine,” he chuckles. “It’s a shame that my uncle chose you for my sick bastard of a cousin. Dmitri will take no pleasure in ruining another expensive toy, whereas I would relish watching you break in front of me.” His words are like a cold slap to the face, and I feel myself trembling under his intense gaze. “The things I would do to you, solnishko.”

I swallow hard at the thought.

He runs a finger down the side of my face before his hand wraps lightly around my throat. Black inks his irises as his grip tightens like he’s considering his next move very carefully. I force myself to remain still. Fighting back is pointless. Oscar could overpower me without even breaking a sweat. The only way I am getting out of this unscathed is to fake it. Playing along and living seems like a much better option than defying and dying.

“If you defile me, my father will kill you.”

“Might be worth it,” he shrugs.

“I’m not worth dying for,” I mutter. The darkness around his eyes recedes at my words.

“Whoever told you that is a fool, solnishko. There are three things in our world that matter. Power, money, and heirs. Without all three, you’re nothing. You have more power and worth than you realize.”

“Is that what you’re doing? Seizing your chance for more power?”

“Power only matters to those who need it. I have it in spades. If I wanted to defile you, as you so eloquently said, I could for nothing more than my own pleasure, and yours, of course.”

I feel my face pale.

“You’re afraid of me,” he declares flatly, cocking his head slightly. “Interesting.”

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