"Let's talk now," he said, his voice smooth but laced with something darker.

He dragged a chair in front of her and sat down, his eyes fixed on her with an unsettling intensity.

Petal swallowed hard, her throat dry. The weight of his stare made her chest tighten.

"Tell me, Petal, why do you need to know that I'm not Chase?" he asked, tilting his head slightly, his tone almost mocking.

She didn’t answer.

His jaw tensed. "Why can't you just blindly believe me?" His voice sharpened, frustration creeping in.

Still, she remained silent.

His patience snapped. "Why can't you act like the naive girl you look like?" His voice rose, cutting through the tense silence.

She flinched.

He exhaled sharply and yanked her chair closer, the legs screeching against the floor. Now, she was too close to him, their breaths almost mingling.

"I asked you something," he said coldly.

She shut her eyes tightly, turning her head away, her fingers still desperately struggling against the ropes binding her wrists.

He watched her for a moment, then grabbed her chin, forcing her to face him. His grip was firm, unforgiving.

"Tell me?" he demanded.

Her lips trembled. "Why are you doing this?" she whispered.

He smirked. "What exactly am I doing?" he asked, feigning innocence.

"Tell me, Petal, what am I doing?" he demanded.

She hesitated. "Why... why did you lock Chase there?"

His expression darkened. "Because of you, Petal," he said, his voice venomous.

She barely had time to process his words before he spat them again. "Because. Of. You."

Her breath hitched. "I—I don't understand."

"I'm doing this to take revenge on you and him," he said, his eyes gleaming with something sinister.

"Revenge?" she echoed in confusion, her mind scrambling for answers. "For what?"

His smirk widened, but there was no humor in it. Only something far more terrifying.

"I'm taking revenge on Chase because he tried to kill me! How dare he?" he growled, his voice laced with venom.

"You’re lying! Why would Chase do this?" Petal shot back, disbelief tightening in her chest.

"I'm not lying. He did—and you know for whom," he said, his tone sharp, almost taunting.

She refused to ask. Refused to give him the satisfaction.

"Ask me, Petal," he pushed, stepping closer, his presence suffocating. "Ask!" His voice cracked through the room like a whip.

Her pulse pounded. Her body screamed for her to stay silent. But the words left her lips before she could stop them.

"Who?"

"Because of you," he spat.

Her entire body went rigid. Because of her? What was he saying?

Before she could react, his hand shot out, closing around her throat. A strangled gasp left her lips as he slammed her head back against the chair.

"Because of you, he tried to kill me!" His grip tightened, nails digging into her skin. "He shot his own brother—because of you!"

Panic surged through her veins. The air in her lungs turned thin, slipping away like sand through her fingers. She clawed at his wrist, her nails scraping his skin, but he didn’t budge.

Her vision blurred. Her chest ached.

Then—he let go.

She slumped forward, coughing, gasping for breath as oxygen flooded back into her lungs. Every inhale felt like a battle, her body trembling in the aftermath.

He simply sat there, towering over her, watching. His eyes dark, calculating.

"You’re lying," she whispered, her voice raw. He had to be. "Why would Chase do this?"

"Because he has feelings for you," he said, his voice eerily calm.

Petal’s breath hitched.

Her eyes snapped to his, searching  for a lie. But there was none.

"Yes, exactly, Petal." He stepped closer, his words pressing into her like a blade. "He has feelings for you."

Her body recoiled, head shaking in denial. Lies. Twisted, cruel lies.

"You are disgusting!" she spat, anger flashing in her eyes. "He is my stepdad! You’re twisting things—dirtying our relationship!"

He scoffed, shaking his head. "See? This is exactly the naïveté I was talking about. Where did it go when it came to me?"

"I'm not naïve!" she snapped, her fists clenching.

"You are, Petal," he said, his voice laced with mockery. "You're the most foolish girl I’ve ever come across."

Her heart pounded, frustration surging through her veins. "Whatever! Believe what you want, but you’re wrong. He doesn’t feel that way about me."

A slow, knowing smirk curled on his lips. "Oh? If that’s true, then tell me—why is he always smiling at you? Always watching you? Always taking care of you?"

"Because he cares! He’s my stepdad. Obviously, he cares," she shot back, exasperated.

At that, his head fell back, and laughter erupted from his chest. A deep, amused laugh that sent chills down her spine.

She frowned, watching him in confusion. "What’s so funny?"

He wiped a tear from the corner of his eye, struggling to contain himself. "Oh, Petal… no, no, don’t tell me—" He broke into another fit of laughter.

She stiffened. "Tell you what?"

"You actually think—" He tried to stop, but another wave of laughter took over. "You actually think he cares for you as a daughter?"

Her stomach twisted. "That’s the truth," she whispered, though her voice lacked its usual conviction.

He exhaled, shaking his head as if pitying her. "Oh, Petal… you are truly the most naïve girl when it comes to Chase. Too naïve."

A cold shiver ran down her spine.

"Chase really did you dirty. How will you ever accept it?" he said, trying to stifle his laughter—but he couldn’t. It bubbled out of him, dark and mocking.

She just stared at him, her face pale.

She didn’t believe a single word he was saying.

"Oh, huh. Okay, enough of that," he said, wiping at his eyes as if he had just heard the funniest joke. "Let’s move on to where we were, yeah? Revenge."

His laughter faded instantly, replaced by the chilling edge of his rage.

"I'm taking revenge on him for betraying his brother," he said, his jaw tightening. "And on you—for snatching my brother away from me."

Her breath hitched.

"When my brother stood against me for you,  I made up my mind in the  instant " he continued, his voice dangerously calm. He grabbed the legs of her chair and yanked her closer. Her body tensed, her breathing turning uneven.

His dark eyes bore into hers, unwavering. "I decided right then that I am not  going  to forgive you—for turning the only family I had against me." His grip on her chair tightened. "And then, in that very instant, I also decided—I will take your life with my own hands."

Her stomach twisted in terror.

"That's why I’m carrying this gun," he said, casually patting the weapon at his waist.

She stared ahead, her gaze locked on nothing.

"Are you going to kill me?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

"In the beginning, that was exactly my plan," he admitted with eerie honesty. "I won’t lie to you. Why would I?"

His fingers brushed against the side of her face. She jerked back, but he caught her chin, forcing her to look at him.

"But then… the moment I saw you, I changed my mind."

She swallowed hard. Why?

"The moment I laid eyes on you, I understood why Chase went to such lengths to protect you," he murmured. His grip tightened. "To take care of you. You are worth it."

Her pulse thundered.

"If I were in Chase’s place," he continued, "I think I would have done the same."

His eyes traced over her, and she shuddered.

"This beauty of yours… it’s worth everything. Every risk." His lips curled into a slow, wicked smirk. "The ultimate victory would be to claim you."

Her blood turned ice cold.

"I fell for you the same way Chase did."

She clenched her eyes shut. No. No, this was nonsense. She refused to listen.

His fingers dug into her jaw, forcing her to meet his gaze. She flinched.

"Believe it or not," he whispered, "it won’t change the truth. He was in love with you. He still is."

A hollow feeling settled in her chest. His confidence, his unwavering certainty—it made her question everything.

"But it doesn’t matter now," he said, his voice eerily soft.

Her breath hitched as his fingers trailed down, cupping her cheek.

"Because now…" He smiled—a slow, twisted smile that made her stomach churn. "You. Are. Mine."

Her throat closed up.

"His love? Whatever it was?" He scoffed. "It no longer matters. The only thing that matters now is my love for you."

But as he spoke those words, there was only one thing gleaming in his dark, hungry gaze.

Lust.

Her skin prickled.

She just kept looking at him, her body frozen in terror.

He tilted his head. "What are you thinking?"

She couldn’t speak.

"Tell me, Petal," he coaxed, brushing her hair from her face.

She flinched violently.

His grin widened. "Scared, are we?"

Her heart pounded painfully against her ribs. Yes.

"The moment I saw you," he murmured, tilting his head, "I made up my mind to make you mine."

His eyes gleamed with something dark, something unhinged.

"I'm a better choice, aren't I?" He smirked. "Don’t you think?"

She just stared at him, her lips parted slightly, too stunned to speak.

"I mean," he continued, his voice sickeningly casual, "you wouldn’t fall in love with your stepdad, now, would you? So that makes me the better option."

Her stomach churned.

She tried to ignore his nonsense, tried to focus on anything but him.

His mood shifted in an instant.

"Don’t ignore me." His voice turned sharp, slicing through the air like a blade.

She stiffened.

"So this is all for revenge?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. "Is that why you sent Mom away?"

He chuckled. "Not just for revenge."

Her breath caught as he leaned in, his lips hovering near her ear.

"I sent her away..." His voice dropped to a whisper, making the hairs on her neck stand.

"To have fun with you."

Her entire body locked up. No.

A violent shudder ran through her as she clutched the arms of the chair, her knuckles turning white.

He leaned back slowly, watching her with amusement.

Her frozen, horrified expression made him laugh.

"Look at you," he grinned. "You look like you’ve seen a ghost."

Her breathing became uneven, her chest rising and falling too fast. This can’t be happening.

"Yeah, Petal." His voice took on a slow, taunting rhythm. "I got you alone... just for me."

Her heartbeat pounded in her ears.

"Yeah, I fell in love with you," he continued, eyes dark with desire. "Just like Chase did."

He tilted his head, his lips curling.

"But sorry to say..." He licked his lips, watching her like a predator.

"My love? Isn’t as pure as his."

His words dripped with something terrifying.

Something wicked.

Something obsessive.

She tried to shrink back, but there was nowhere to go.

He just grinned.

"Now, Petal," he whispered, tilting her chin up with his fingers, forcing her to meet his gaze.

"Enough talking , shall we  have some fun."

To be continued...

Author’s Note: The word limit  ( I Set for my stories 2000 words per chapter) filled up too fast again, and this part ended up as a "to be continued" moment again  🥲. Oh well! Hope you liked it.❤ BTW isn't he being narcissist  , when really Chase tried to kill him , he just warned him by shooting on his leg 😅 ( don't say it's error here , it going to be used in the future)

See, this is exactly what I was talking about—not only will he be the reason Petal regains her memories, but before he leaves the stage, his very existence will expose what Chase have for Petal.