Bound To The Ruthless Billionaire Captor

The crisp autumn wind of New York whipped through the grand portico of the Turner Mansion.

Jocelyn Yang stood on the cold marble floor. Her fingers twisted the fabric of her black dress so tightly her knuckles turned a stark, bone white.

"Stand straight," Sterling Finch, the head butler, muttered. He snapped his Patek Philippe pocket watch shut.

The sharp click severed Jocelyn's instinct to step back into the shadows.

A heavy, low engine rumble vibrated through the iron gates. A black Rolls-Royce Phantom crushed the fallen maple leaves beneath its tires. It stopped dead at the base of the stone steps.

The silence in the mansion became absolute.

Leland Vance, the driver, stepped out and pulled the rear door open. A pair of polished, custom-made leather shoes touched the pavement.

Elam Turner stepped into the fading light.

His dark, tailored suit stretched across his broad shoulders. He stripped off his wool overcoat and threw it at the waiting butler without looking.

The oxygen vanished from the grand hall. Every maid and staff member bowed their heads in unison.

Jocelyn's lungs locked. She stared fixedly at the tips of her own worn shoes.

Elam's cold gaze swept over the bowing staff. It stopped, with lethal precision, on the thin figure trembling in the corner. A dark, suppressed gleam flashed in his eyes.

He ignored the butler's greeting. His long legs closed the distance across the marble floor.

His heavy footsteps echoed like a death countdown.

The shadow of his tall frame swallowed Jocelyn. The sharp scent of cedar cologne mixed with raw tobacco invaded her nose.

Her body shook. A violent, uncontrollable tremor. She tried to swallow the dry sand in her throat, but no sound came out.

Elam stared down at her shaking shoulders. His jaw tightened. Her absolute terror of him sparked a flare of irritation in his chest.

He raised his hand. His thumb and forefinger, calloused and unforgiving, clamped around her jaw.

He forced her head up.

Jocelyn's breath hitched. She met his eyes. They were deep, freezing pools of dark water. She saw nothing but pure, unadulterated hatred in them.

Elam's thumb roughly dragged across her pale bottom lip. She flinched.

His eyes darkened instantly at her retreat.

"You turned eighteen this year," Elam stated. His deep voice, a low baritone laced with the clipped tones of old money, bounced off the high walls, devoid of any warmth.

The ice in his voice pierced her chest. Her eyes burned.

"Yes," Jocelyn forced a pathetic, broken whisper past her lips.

A humorless smirk twisted Elam's mouth. His grip on her jaw tightened, pressing hard enough to leave red marks blooming on her pale skin.

He leaned down. His lips brushed the shell of her ear.

"Since you are an adult," he whispered, "it is time for you to start atoning for your father's sins."

The brutal sentence hit her like a physical blow to the stomach. The blood drained from her face. Her knees buckled.

Elam released her jaw abruptly. He watched her stumble backward. A flicker of frustration crossed his features, buried instantly beneath a mask of ice.

He turned his back to her.

"Sterling," Elam barked. "Prepare the second-floor study. No interruptions."

"Right away, sir," the butler said.

The staff scattered like frightened mice. Jocelyn remained frozen, her feet glued to the marble.

Earlean Medina, a senior maid, took a step forward to support Jocelyn's swaying body.

Elam shot Earlean a look so lethal the older woman froze in her tracks.

He unbuttoned his suit jacket and started up the grand spiral staircase. Every step he took hammered against Jocelyn's frayed nerves.

Halfway up, Elam stopped. He turned his head slightly, his peripheral vision locking onto the shattered girl below.

"Get back to your room," he ordered, his voice echoing down the stairs. "Do not step foot outside that door tonight without my permission."

Jocelyn nodded frantically. She grabbed the skirt of her dress and ran. She sprinted down the long, dimly lit hallway toward the guest bedroom like a prey escaping a predator.

Elam watched her run. The veins on the back of his hand bulged as he gripped the wooden banister. He fought the violent urge to drag her back.

He snapped his gaze away, walked down the second-floor corridor, and slammed the heavy oak door of his study.

The boom shook the walls.

Jocelyn slammed her bedroom door shut and locked it. She slid down the solid wood until she hit the floor. She pulled her knees to her chest, buried her face in her arms, and let the desperate, silent tears tear through her throat.