Dee huddled in the corner of the plush leather seat, trying to make herself small. The vast space of the car felt suffocatingly intimate with him in it. Droplets of water from her ruined dress seeped into the expensive wool carpet.

Angelo put down his file. His gaze traveled over her, lingering on the way the wet fabric clung to her body. She was a wreck, but a strangely alluring one.

He didn't say a word. He pressed a button, and a silent, dark panel rose, sealing them off from the driver.

Her heart skipped a beat. "Where are you taking me?"

He leaned toward her, his presence overwhelming. She flinched, but he wasn't reaching for her. He opened a hidden compartment and pulled out a thick, cashmere blanket, tossing it onto her lap.

"I don't like my car smelling like a wet dog," he said, his voice devoid of any warmth.

The words were a slap, but the blanket was a lifeline. She wrapped it around her shivering body, the soft warmth a stark contrast to his cold demeanor.

This was her only chance.

"Mr. Monroe," she said, her voice steadier now. "I know last night was just... a transaction for you."

He watched her, his fingers drumming a silent, impatient rhythm on his knee.

She forced herself to meet his gaze. "I need your help. My father, my mother... I need money. And I need the kind of power that makes people shut up."

She laid everything on the table, her voice trembling but her gaze unwavering."I know you have everything. And I have nothing. Nothing except myself."

She paused, the next words catching in her throat. Her voice dropped to a whisper."I'll be your collateral. Whatever you want, for as long as you want me. Just help me."

A strange light flickered in the depths of his dark eyes. He seemed almost... interested. He leaned in closer, so close she could see her own terrified reflection in his pupils.

"Collateral?" he repeated the word, drawing it out with a mocking tone. "Miss Wallace, what makes you think you're worth the price?"

The humiliation burned her cheeks, but she didn't look away. She lifted her chin. "You already tested the merchandise last night, didn't you? You tell me if it was worth it."

The silence inside the car grew heavier. The faint amusement in his eyes disappeared, replaced by a colder, unreadable expression.

The car stopped at a red light. Dee glanced out the window, and her heart seized. In the next lane, in a Porsche, was Donny. His face was a mask of shock and disbelief, seeing her wrapped in a blanket in Angelo's car.

Dee instinctively tried to shrink back, but Angelo moved with chilling speed. He reached out, his fingers tipping her chin up, not painfully, but with an unmistakable command that she face the window.

Donny saw the gesture. His shock morphed into fear. He gave a weak, pathetic smile in Angelo's direction and quickly looked away, speeding off the second the light turned green. He was running.

Dee's heart was pounding. Angelo had done that on purpose.

He released her chin, leaning back as if nothing had happened. He studied her for a long, silent moment, as if assessing a new acquisition.

Finally, he spoke, his voice a low rumble. "Deal."

Before she could process the relief, he added, "You'll receive your down payment tomorrow."

His eyes bored into hers. "And from now on, you remember what you are. You're mine. No one touches you without my permission. Not even your pathetic ex-fiancé."

The possessiveness in his voice sent a shiver down her spine, a terrifying mix of fear and something else.

The car finally stopped in front of a sleek, impossibly luxurious high-rise she'd never seen before.

Angelo got out. After a moment's hesitation, Dee followed.

He didn't look at her. "The driver will take you home," he said, his voice once again a cold, dismissive wall. "Tomorrow, you'll begin fulfilling your obligations as my collateral."

He turned and walked into the building, his tall frame disappearing behind the glass doors. He left her standing in the cold night air, clutching a cashmere blanket that still held his scent.