Filed to story: Watch Me Win Alpha (Olivia & Ethan)
I forced another nod.
His face twisted into something almost pleased. “Fine. Upstairs, then. But don’t try anything funny”
He loosened the ropes around my wrists and ankles but kept the long end wrapped around my neck like a leash. “One wrong move,” he warned, “and I’ll throw you into the sea. Nobody will ever find you.”
But I wasn’t thinking about the ocean. I was thinking about the phone in his back pocket. It had rung twice now-short buzzes. I recognized the distinct hum of Gai’s encryption ringtone.
They were calling him. Not because he was my captor. But maybe because they’d figured it out.They must have checked the factory records. They must have realized who hadn’t been accounted for during my disappearance.
Upstairs, the air felt heavier, the walls narrower. Jimson’s phone kept buzzing in his back pocket. He cursed under his breath and fumbled with it, using the dim glow of his screen to look for a light switch on the wall.
That’s when I saw it.
A broken window. Its jagged edge gaped open just ahead, framed by the dusty hallway. Beyond it-nothing but the ocean, black and endless.
My pulse surged. That was it. My only chance.
I whispered to Yve in my head, checking in.
“Are you with me?”
Yve’s answer was sharp.”Better to fight than let scum like him win.”
I nodded to myself, swallowed my fear, and let my knees go slack. I staggered forward slightly, pretending I could barely stand, like the struggle downstairs had drained every ounce of strength from me.
Jimson, buying the act, grunted and turned his back to open the bedroom door. “Move faster,” he muttered. “Or I’ll-“
That’s all he got out.
I ripped the rope from around my neck, the burn on my skin forgotten. My legs launched forward with everything I had left.
His head turned-just in time to see me throw myself toward the shattered glass.
“Olivia!”
But I was already gone.
The wind roared in my ears as I crashed through the broken window. My skin stung as glass sliced my arms and shoulder.
Then gravity took over.
I shut my eyes. The salty air was gone-replaced by the cold, violent embrace of the sea.
Alexander’s POV
The moment I stepped into the factory’s main conference room, the chaos simmered down like oil hitting cold steel. Dozens of voices fell silent. All eyes turned to me-some relieved, some terrified.
Gai was at my side, stone-faced. Ethan stormed in seconds later, his presence radiating heat. My wolf, Heath, stirred inside me- impatient, ready to rip the truth out of someone.
“I’ll ask once,” I said. My voice echoed off the bare walls. “Has anyone found Olivia?”
John, the factory manager, stepped forward. Sweat dotted his brow. “N-no, Alpha Alexander… we’re still looking. She left the building around one p.m.-“
“And you were the one assigned to show her around today,” I cut him off coldly. “So you would know where she went.
Correct?”
He swallowed hard. “I escorted her to the front gate… after that, she said she had a personal errand…”
“What if I told you I had proof that’s a lie?” I stepped forward.
“What then?”
The blood drained from his face. He opened his mouth, but no words came out.
Beside me, Ethan moved. He was on John in a second, fist twisting the collar of his shirt, dragging him forward like a rag doll. “Where the hell is my wife?”
The room erupted.
“You son of a bitch!” Ethan roared and landed a punch across
John’s jaw. John crumpled to his knees, coughing blood.
“Talk!” Ethan shouted again, fists clenched.
“Enough,” I ordered, but Ethan barely heard me.
John stammered, “I-I didn’t do anything! I just-just-“
Before he could finish, the door burst open.
Jess and Jimson strode in.
“What’s going on here?” Jess demanded, clearly alarmed.
Ethan’s eyes blazed. “You dare interrupt now?” He pointed to
Jimson. “Drag him out!”
Gai stepped in, calm but firm. “That’s Jimson Howard, assistant branch manager.”
Jess blinked. “And who are you?”
Gai turned to her. “That’s Ethan Hawthorne. Olivia’s husband.”
Jess was shocked.
Before another word could be said, more men burst in-John’s loyal staff, trying to pull him away. Ethan’s men surged forward, clashing in the doorway. The factory turned into a battlefield of shouting and shoving.
I ignored the noise and focused on Jimson.
He was too calm. His eyes shifted slightly when he saw me watching.
I crossed the floor slowly, deliberately. “Jimson,” I said. “Where is Olivia?”
He squared his shoulders. “I don’t know. Whatever this is, it has nothing to do with me.”
“Really?” My tone dropped colder. “Because right now, your name is the one I’m hearing the most.”
“Alpha, I… I really don’t know,” His lips twitched. “These accusations are just defamatory.”
Alexander’s POV
