Chapter 211

Logan stood before the man, sweat beading on his brow, each drop betraying his
nerves.
On the sofa, Harrison sat motionless, his eyes half-closed, lost in a silence that had lasted far too long.
In front of him, resting on the coffee table, were two cell phones.
One had just ended a call, the screen flashing “User unavailable,” the line dead. The other was looping a recording, the tinny voice echoing through the room-
I don’t want to marry Mr. Harrison Lancaster!”
“He’s terrifying. And he’s dying
“I’d rather marry some stranger off the street than spend my life with him!”
The girl’s voice was thick with tears, raw, and full of rejection.
What made it all the more chilling was that it was unmistakably Anastasia’s voice.
This was the file Logan had received on his phone, sent from an anonymous account. The recording had already been authenticated: it was real, untouched-a genuine confession.
Her voice, broken and hopeless, played again and again in the suffocating hush of the room, pressing down on everyone’s chest.
If she truly didn’t want to marry him, then what had all their recent sweetness meant?
Had she just been lying to him all along?
The man on the sofa finally opened his eyes. There was a wild, barely contained fury in his gaze-a predator’s glare. His striking features were clouded with a darkness so dense it seemed to chill the very air.
At last, he moved.
He stood.
Tall and imposing, Harrison’s very presence filled the room with an overwhelming pressure.
“Logan.”
“Yes, sir. Mr. Lancaster.” Thıs content belongs to.net
“Bring the car around.”
Logan’s sweat broke loose in rivulets. “Right away, sir.”
He knew exactly where Mr. Harrison Lancaster was heading.
The car sped toward a destination that needed no explanation-the hotel where Anastasia was staying.
In the back seat, Harrison sat with his eyes closed, impossible to read.
Suddenly, his voice cut through the silence.
“I’ll be dead soon, Logan. Tell me should I let her go?”
Logan’s knuckles whitened on the steering wheel. He didn’t dare answer.
A cold, humorless laugh escaped Harrison’s lips, chilling to the bone.
He opened his eyes, the darkness in them swirling like a storm.
“No.” His tone was glacial, each word carved from ice. “Even if I only have three days left to live, she will still be mine. Only mine.”
***
Hotel. Room 808.
Anastasia slid her key card and stepped inside, her heart fluttering with anticipation.
The room had been decorated with romance in mind-rose petals scattered across the bed.
But Harrison was nowhere to be seen.
Confused, Anastasia took a step forward. Suddenly, the click of the door locking behind her made her whirl around.
There, standing between her and the exit, was Samuel.
In an instant, the smile vanished from Anastasia’s face, replaced by an icy glare.
“You?”
“That’s right. Me.” Samuel’s grin was smug, bordering on cruel.
Anastasia narrowed her eyes, folding her arms across her chest as she leaned back, her voice cold and sharp. “What do you want?”
“What do I want?” He sneered. “Come on, Anastasia. Isn’t it obvious?”
“I tried to win you over the right way, but you wouldn’t give me a chance. So don’t blame me for using other methods.”
He brandished his phone, waving it with a self-satisfied flourish. “Oh, and by the way, I went live on the college forum tonight. After this, everyone at Kingsbridge will know about us. How does that sound?”
The live stream had been Mrs. Sterling’s idea; Samuel didn’t know why she wanted it, but he was more than happy to oblige. After all, Anastasia was the new darling of Kingsbridge University. What could be more thrilling than broadcasting to the whole campus that she was his?
He started to unbutton his shirt as he advanced. “You’d better cooperate,
Anastasia. You’re mine now. No need to make a scene, right?”
Anastasia didn’t flinch as he came closer.
A slow, dazzling smile curved her lips, her voice soft but laced with ice. “You’re right.”
***
With security clearing the way, Harrison strode into the hotel.
Every unrelated guest had already been ushered out.
The manager hurried over, visibly trembling. “Mr. Lancaster, sir
“Room 808,” Harrison said, his voice cold as steel.
The manager rushed to lead the way.
His footsteps echoed down the hallway-steady, relentless, as if heralding a
coming storm-until he stopped before room 808.
Harrison waited, unmoving.
The manager wiped sweat from his brow and knocked.
There was a click, and the door swung open.
“Who is it-oh, sweetheart?!”
Anastasia froze in the doorway, clutching the frame, her voice faltering in shock.
Panic and guilt crashed through her. Why was Harrison here?
“Ana, what are you doing?” Harrison’s tone was deceptively calm, but there was a tempest raging beneath.
“I… —”
She started to explain, then glanced down—and went rigid.
She’d taken off her jacket because the room was warm, leaving her in a thin slip dress, her skin flushed with a sheen of sweat. Behind her, in plain view, a pile of men’s clothes lay scattered on the floor, as if someone had been in too much of a hurry to remove them properly.
She forced herself to look up, meeting Harrison’s pitch-black, predatory gaze. Clearly, he’d seen it all.
“Honey Her voice was barely a whisper, thick with guilt. She gripped the doorframe tightly, making no move to open the door wider-as if she was trying to hide something. Or someone.
Harrison closed his eyes for a moment, fighting to rein in his fury.
“What are you doing?” he pressed, stepping closer.
Before Anastasia could react, he grabbed her and yanked her into the hallway.
“Wait-!” she gasped.
But it was too late.
With a savage kick, Harrison slammed the door open.
For a heartbeat, the world outside the room fell utterly silent.