Anton was dressed exactly as always , a neat brown suit, pressed and proper, the kind of outfit that looked too composed for the chaos surrounding them. Without hesitation, he stepped inside the car and took the seat directly across from Sheri.
It was a special kind of SUV, designed with four seats in the back that could swivel to face each other. The setup made the space feel more like a meeting room than a getaway vehicle. Thankfully for Anton, it also meant he didn’t have to sit directly beside her.
"What are you doing in here!" Sheri shouted, her voice sharp and unsteady. Too many thoughts were crashing through her mind at once.
Had these men kidnapped Anton too? Was he another victim like her? Or,
Then she noticed the way he entered. Calm. Peaceful. As if nothing about this situation surprised him. They hadn’t dragged him inside. They had picked him up.
And that was when it clicked.
"It was you," Sheri said, her voice shaking as the truth hit her. "You were the one behind this! You were the one who got me kidnapped! How could you?!" Her words rose with every breath, her anger boiling over. "Do you have any idea what will happen when this gets out? When everyone in Notting Hill finds out what you’ve done? No one will ever do business with your family again!"
"SHUT UP!" Anton exploded. His leg shot forward, kicking the seat in front of him. The impact rattled through the entire car, and Sheri flinched instinctively, curling into the corner. Her body trembled as his glare bore into her.
"Do you really think you’re in any position to talk like that right now?" Anton shouted, his voice cracking under the strain. "No one is going to find out about this, Sheri, because if they do, your life is going to get a lot worse. You understand me? A lot worse."
He leaned forward, his tone shifting, lower and venomous. "This could’ve been easy. It could’ve all been simple. But no , it’s always you. Always choosing the hard road."
His words were like a buildup of years of frustration finally breaking loose. "You could’ve just accepted my invitations. You could’ve gone out with me , just once. You could’ve seen how great things would’ve been with someone like me!" His fists clenched on his knees. "You could’ve had someone who always had your back, who could’ve saved you from all this. No matter what happened to your family, I could’ve helped you. But what did you choose? To be alone? To be with that deadbeat Max? Everything happening right now , every single thing , it’s all because of you! "
When he finally stopped, Anton’s breathing was ragged, his chest heaving. His face was red, his jaw tight. For a long time, he had wanted to say those words. He had carried them like poison, bottled up for months, afraid that speaking them would make him look desperate, weak. That it would destroy whatever fragile image he’d built for himself. But now there was nothing to lose. The situation had already crossed that line.
Sheri’s fingers tightened against her seatbelt. "You say you would’ve helped me," she said quietly, though her voice trembled with anger. "You say you care, that you could’ve saved us. But when my family needed help , when things really fell apart , you didn’t do anything. You and your family turned away. You talk about love, but all I see is pride. You could’ve done the right thing back then, but you didn’t. You turned a blind eye." Her eyes glistened as she met his glare. "We had to rely on a stranger to pull us out of it."
"I’m not an idiot, and neither is my family," Anton snapped back. "People do stupid things for love, right? But I knew you didn’t love me. If I had convinced my father to help you, what would’ve happened? You’d have married me out of pity?" He let out a bitter laugh. "You have no idea how great of a person I am. Screw you, Sheri. You lost your chance. I’m done being the nice guy."
He leaned forward, his expression twisting into something darker. "I’m going to use you however I want, for whatever I want , the same way you used me."
Sheri’s breath caught. She wanted to shout back, to deny everything, but the words refused to come out. Nothing she said would matter to him now.
When did I ever use him? she thought. All I ever did was keep my distance.
She understood, in her heart, why his family had refused to help hers. People in their world didn’t do things out of kindness. They helped only when there was something to gain. But this, this was something far uglier. They hadn’t just turned away; they had taken things into their own hands, kidnapping her to get what they wanted.
Her thoughts stopped when a laugh came from the front.
"Haha! I’ve been listening to you two back there," Jett said, glancing at them through the mirror. "I didn’t realize things were this personal between you." His grin widened. "I thought you just had a grudge against that redhead kid. But it turns out you’ve got a personal one against her too. A two-for-one deal, huh?" He chuckled darkly. "We’re going to have to talk about upping the payment, Anton. You’re getting way too much out of this."
Anton froze.
Sheri noticed it instantly , the sweat running down the side of his face. For the first time, she understood what was really going on. Anton wasn’t the one in charge here. He wasn’t controlling this. He was just the reason behind it , the man who had set everything in motion but no longer had control of where it was going.
The car kept moving, the hum of the tires and the faint whine of the engine filling the silence. But then, from somewhere behind them, came a different sound.
The roar of a high-powered engine.
Jett leaned forward, glancing into the rear-view mirror. His eyes narrowed.
"What the..." he muttered, his grin fading as a bright yellow car came into view, speeding up fast behind them.