?Chapter 248:


    Maia gasped for air, a sudden wave of horror crashing down, freezing her blood.


    Madness flickered in the man’s eyes as he stood over her, a shadow of who he used to be.


    Every breath Maia tried to take felt tighter, her mind slipping closer to the edge of unconsciousness.


    Only after a long, tense moment did Vince ease his grip, though his hand lingered like a threat.


    Back then, Vince had always treated Maia like something beneath him — good enough to adore him, but never good enough to touch.


    He had epted every ounce of her loyalty without guilt, soaking up her care as if it were owed to him, never offering her a single promise in return.


    To Vince, she had been nothing more than a convenient distraction, like a pet meant to entertain him or a servant meant to obey. That version of Maia, however, was long gone.


    Since the day Maia walked out of prison, colder and more distant than ever, Vince had been unraveling inside. Her indifference scraped against something raw in him, driving him to a rage that he could neither exin nor control.


    The farther she pulled away, the more frantically Vince wed to drag her back into his grasp.


    In his mind, she had always belonged to him — and she always would.


    Swinging her hand up, Maia tried to p him across the face, but Vince caught her wrist with ease, snuffing out her resistance. “Let go of me!” she cried, her voice ragged with fury and fear.


    “Don’t waste your energy,” Vince murmured, letting his fingertips drift across her flushed cheek. “You’re far too weak to fight me now.”


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    Earlier that night, he had ordered the server to spike Maia’s drink, ensuring that her body would betray her before she even realized it.


    Now that the drug was coursing through her veins, Maia pieced it together, hatred ring in her eyes. “You’re despicable! Absolutely disgusting!”


    A dark hunger flickered across Vince’s face as his gaze traced the sweat glistening on her skin, the quivering line of her corbone, the shape of her figure beneath the thin fabric.


    “Maia, are you aware? You’ve changed. You’re nothing like the person you once were. Back then, you were so dull that I couldn’t even find it in myself to care about you… But now, you are impossible to ignore.”


    Vince gave a low, mockingugh. Then he continued, “I have never once held back from using whatever it takes to im what I desire. Maia, you can only be mine.”


    Unflinching, Maia kept her eyes locked on Vince as he drew closer.


    “Vince, you have lost your mind!” Her tone was calm and detached. “You are on the verge of getting engaged to Rosanna. Do you not fear what will happen if she discovers what you have done?”


    Instead of fury, Vince let out a lowugh, a slow, unsettling grin stretching across his face. “As expected, you’re still thinking about my engagement, huh? Otherwise, why would you even mention it? Don’t worry, honey. As long as you belong to me, everything else can be handled.”


    While he spoke, Vince tugged at his tie, tossed it aside, then worked at the buttons of his shirt with feverish hands, hunger zing in his eyes. Maia stared at him in shock, stunned by just how far he was willing to sink.


    Clenching her fists, she red at him, revulsion etched deep in her expression. “Vince, if you dare toy a hand on me, you’ll regret it for the rest of your life.”


    “You’ll make me regret it?” Vince’sughter came rough and low, a dangerous glint shing across his face. He leaned close to Maia’s ear, his voice hoarse, “Alright, then let’s be locked in a struggle until then.”


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