CREWE'S POINT OF VIEW
Handcuffed and sporting a black eye, Joseph Ingram sat on a black chair with his hands tied behind his back. The left side of his lip was swollen from a brutal punch, and his suit was riddled with cigarette burns. On each side of him stood one of his men, both just as bloodied as he was.
Stirling Castle was so ancient that my mind struggled to comprehend it. It had been built in the twelfth century by my Scottish ancestors, men who had lived in luxury and excess. Times had changed, but the family legacy remained untouched. I owned this historic monument, though I only used it to conduct business.
Business like this.
I entered the room dressed in a black suit with a matching black tie. My silver cufflinks caught the dim light as I sat across the table from Joseph, a man I deeply despised. When it came to business, personal feelings had no place. Whoever paid the price deserved everything I had to offer.
But this man had made the mistake of betraying me.
He couldn't meet my eyes, terrified of my anger.
Foolish enough to think he would walk away unharmed, he was now completely at my mercy. I could do anything I wanted to him, and he knew it. I could kill him and bury him in the cemetery where my ancestors rotted. I could skin him alive and dump the pieces off the coast.
Joseph tilted his head slightly, as if the muscles in his neck could no longer support it. He reminded me of a baby, too weak to hold up its own weight.
I crossed my legs beneath the table and unbuttoned my jacket. One hand rested on my raised knee as I studied my enemy, this idiot with an oversized ego. I had sold him valuable information at a very high price — four million dollars.
But he never paid.
Instead, he handed me counterfeit bills.
As if I wouldn't notice.
"You insulted me, Joseph."
The sound of my voice made him flinch. He straightened in his chair, but no matter how hard he tried to hide it, he was trembling. I watched the shaking in his arms, the twitching in his hands.
"And do you know what I do to people who insult me?"
He cleared his throat, his Adam's apple moving as he swallowed.
"Crewe…"
"Mr. Donoghue," Dunbar corrected sharply.
Dunbar was my right-hand man, devoted to a life of willing servitude. I had saved his life and given him the revenge he deserved. In return, he had dedicated his life to serving me — loyally.
Joseph shuddered at his tone.
"Mr. Donoghue… I'm sorry."
I chuckled because he was only making things worse.
"Don't apologize. Men like us don't apologize for our crimes. We lie, steal, and deceive because we have the right to. Admit it — like a man."
Joseph fell silent, out of excuses.
"I'd respect you for that."
At last, he looked at me, his brown eyes exposing every ounce of weakness inside him.
"I'll double what I owe you. Eight million. Just let us go."
"Now we can start talking."
I adjusted the sleeve of my suit, careful to maintain my appearance. An invisible crown rested on my head, something I was always aware of.
"I can get the money within twenty-four hours," he said. "In small bills. If you let us leave."
"A tempting offer."
Now that we were getting to the interesting part, things had become entertaining.
"So we have a deal?"
He shifted his arms, trying to ease the pain from the metal biting into his wrists.
I glanced at his two accomplices, both equally unimpressive. They were big and muscular, but they lacked true strength and agility. Their eyes reeked of stupidity, the kind of men who followed orders without understanding them. That was exactly how they ended up in this situation — because their boss was even dumber than they were.
"Money means nothing to me, Joseph. Reputation is worth gold."
His eyes dropped in despair.
"I'll give you twelve million."
A small smirk spread across my lips.
"You need to learn how to listen."
His breathing quickened, his chest jerking as he anticipated imminent death.
"I have an image to protect. If I let you walk away this easily, my other associates will think they can betray me too. Obviously, I can't allow that."
"Please don't kill me…"
His voice trembled with desperation.
"I made a mistake. You've made mistakes too."
"But it wasn't a mistake."
My voice deepened as my anger swelled into something monstrous.
"You're not a child, Joseph. You knew exactly what you were doing. Your only mistake was foolishly believing you could get away with it."
He lowered his head, his chest rising faster and faster.
"I won't take your money. But I am going to let you live."
Joseph slowly lifted his head and stared at me in disbelief.
I had found the perfect compensation for his betrayal, something far more valuable than money. I felt no remorse for what I had done. It was my duty to be ruthless with my enemies — and I was.
"I stole something from you worth far more than cash. I took something innocent. Something pure. And you'll never get it back."
At that moment, Joseph started trembling for entirely different reasons.
"I took your lovely sister, London. She belongs to me now."
I tilted my head as I studied his expression, knowing his reaction would be priceless.
"She's on her way here — to become my prisoner."
Joseph's jaw dropped and his eyes widened like marbles. He jerked violently against the chair like a wild horse charging through a rodeo arena. Thick veins bulged from his forehead, and his face turned red as blood.
"You son of a bitch—"
Dunbar slammed a fist into his stomach and forced him back into the chair. Then he punched him across the face for daring to insult me.
"Watch how you speak to Mr. Donoghue. Those could very well be your last words."
He stood behind Joseph, looking threatening with his arms crossed over his chest.
Joseph clenched his jaw in frustration. He was completely powerless, and that only fueled his rage. The only family he had left in the world had been taken from him, and he had no choice but to sit there and behave.
I almost felt sorry for him — almost.
"Would you rather I kill you?"
For a moment, his anger faded as he considered the question.
"Absolutely."
I tilted my head slightly, intrigued by his selfless answer. Men like us used others as shields, letting bodies pile up around us so we could survive. But Joseph hadn't hesitated for a second before answering me.
"Then I made the right choice."
The vein in his forehead bulged again. He yanked at the handcuffs, trying to break the chains through sheer force.
"She has nothing to do with this. Please, leave her alone."
When I had read the detailed report on London, I'd been impressed. So young, yet already studying medicine at NYU — New York University. Top of her class. She was destined for greatness. My men had also informed me she was stunning, with dark brown hair and hazel eyes. Intelligent and beautiful.
Such a shame she would spend the rest of her life chained up.
"Cut off one of my hands instead, alright? Spare her."
He was practically spitting his words because he was speaking too fast.
"Sorry. I need to make an example out of people who try to betray me. Every time my associates see London chained to the wall during business meetings, they'll think twice before crossing me. When they witness her cruel treatment, her torn clothes, they'll understand it's better not to disappoint me."
Joseph jerked against the cuffs again.
"It's not fair."
"No, it's not fair," I replied calmly.
Life wasn't fair. Like everyone else, I had suffered once. But instead of accepting my fate, I changed it. Everyone had a choice — whether they realized it or not.
"I'll take her whenever I want. My men will take her if they want. Every night when you sleep peacefully in your warm bed, remember that London will be wishing for death."
His face turned pale as the blood drained from it. More than pale, he looked horrified. Knowing his sister was condemned to a life of cruelty because of his mistake had to be the heaviest guilt a man could carry.
"I'm letting you go, Joseph. Your punishment is to live. To live knowing your sister's life ended because of your stupidity. If you try to save her, I'll kill you. It's that simple."
I snapped my fingers for Dunbar to act.
Dunbar removed their handcuffs, freeing their arms. Joseph rubbed his wrists, now red and cut in several places. He stared at me with the same rage as before, but now it was buried beneath grief.
I waited for him to do something — to attempt to kill me. I hoped he would. Then I could eliminate him and still violate his sister anyway. It was a win-win situation. Everyone in my world would know I held absolute power. I saw everything — even when I chose not to show it.
Joseph finally stood up, followed by his two men. Dunbar and my guards escorted them outside while I remained seated. I didn't watch him leave, and once he was behind me, I never turned around. My back was exposed and completely vulnerable to him, yet I wasn't worried in the slightest.
Because whatever attack he attempted…
He would miss.
TO BE CONTINUED....❤️
👉 In your opinion, will London:
A – Break down
B – Rebel
C – Manipulate Crewe
D – Fall in love with her captor 😈
👉 Be honest…
Do you already hate Crewe… or do you secretly love his ruthless side? 😈
This is only the very beginning of our book, so I truly need your support 🙏