It would be a far cry of a statement to even say Jerald didn’t love her. He didn’t care for her one bit, at least not genuinely. He never had.
As she thought about it, even the way he looked at Violet was the same. She had spent years bleeding for a man who saw her as nothing more than a useful weapon.
’Guess I was a very sharp weapon too. A perfect weapon in fact.’ She thought to herself, a bitter laugh escaping her lips. She felt incredibly stupid. How had she been so blind for so long?
The new feelings Edward had awakened inside her only made the realization sharper. That strange sense of freedom, belonging, and being wanted... it was totally foreign to her senses, yet springing up from her very heart. Honestly, it terrified her as much as it liberated her.
At this moment, she felt lost and directionless. For the first time in her adult life, she didn’t know where her loyalty should lie.
After a long time standing in silence, Sasha made a decision. One thing was sure, she needed answers.
Almost immediately, darkness gathered at her feet once more. The shadow portal opened, and she sank into it, under seconds.
...
Back in Sasha’s private quarters, Edward sat in a chair, his mind working furiously. He had spent the past hour cycling through possible escape plans, weighing risks, and trying to figure out how deep Sasha’s loyalty to Jerald still ran. The system had confirmed her conquest, but that didn’t mean she would immediately betray everything she had known, apparently.
It really sucked that alongside the deep and unconditional love, there wasn’t total submission in every single aspect. That would have been perfect. Thinking about it, he even searched for different powers from the shop that would allow such possibilities. That way he would be able to give this weakness the middle finger.
While in deep contemplation, suddenly, a corner of the room grew unnaturally dark. The same type of swirling shadow portal that had brought them to the facility appeared instantly. Edward tensed, knowing that it meant Sasha. He readied himself for anything.
Sasha stepped out of the darkness. Before Edward could speak, she moved like a ghost. In an instant, she closed the distance between them, seemingly before he could react. A sharp dagger appeared in her hand, its cold blade pressed lightly against his throat.
"What did you do to me?" she demanded, her voice low and dangerous. Her eyes burned with confusion, anger, and something deeper—vulnerability.
Edward remained perfectly still, feeling the razor edge of the dagger against his skin. He could sense her emotional turmoil at that moment.
"I’m waiting," Sasha pressed, the dagger steady in her grip. "Answer me."
Edward looked directly into her eyes, calm despite the blade at his throat. He could feel the tension in her body—the conflict between years of loyalty to Jerald and the new, overwhelming pull she felt toward him.
"Nothing, I swear on my life. Hey, you need to calm down," he said carefully. "Whatever is going on, I can assure you it’s not what you think."
Sasha’s grip on the dagger tightened slightly. "Not what I think? Do you know what I think?"
The air in the room grew thick with tension. Edward knew this moment was critical. One wrong word could turn Sasha from a potential ally back into a deadly enemy. But he also sensed the cracks in her armor. He had to navigate this conversation perfectly if he wanted to turn her fully to his side.
...
After several prolonged minutes of explanations and convincing, Edward managed to salvage the situation, calming Sasha down much.
The blade of the dagger remained steady against Edward’s throat. Sasha’s eyes were sharp, filled with a turbulent mix of suspicion, confusion, and lingering desire. For several long seconds, neither of them moved.
Finally, Sasha exhaled slowly. She didn’t lower the dagger, but some of the lethal tension in her posture eased.
"I know something is wrong with me," she said quietly, her voice tight. "These feelings... Just no, not after everything I’ve been through. But I’m not going to blindly trust you. Not yet."
Edward stayed perfectly still, feeling the cold steel against his skin. "Fair enough." He said. "Your blade, please?"
Sasha studied his face for another moment before finally lowering the dagger. She stepped back, though she kept it in her hand, ready if needed.
Edward rolled his shoulders and spoke carefully. "If you’re still loyal to Jerald, then I need to leave. I can’t remain here as a prisoner."
The moment the words left his mouth, Sasha’s expression darkened with visible anger.
"You’re just going to leave?" she snapped. "What about Maya? You’re really going to abandon her here?"
Edward blinked, then shook his head. "Hey-hey-hey, it’s not like that."
Sasha’s eyes narrowed. "Explain."
He sighed and sat back down in the chair, gesturing for her to listen. "Maya and I... we’ve only known each other for two days. We met at the gym. She came to my place that night, things got very intense very quickly and we seemed to click really well. We had amazing sex, but we’re not in a committed relationship. We barely know each other beyond that."
Sasha stared at him, clearly surprised. A faint flush of embarrassment colored her cheeks as she processed the information. She had assumed Maya and Edward were deeply involved. Hearing that their entire connection was basically a two-day fuckfest made her feel strangely awkward, especially remembering the reason she slept with him to begin with.
"So... you don’t care what happens to her?" Sasha asked, her voice quieter now.
Edward hesitated. "I didn’t say that."
Sasha paced a few steps, then turned back to him. "What if I told you that there’s a vault in this facility? It’s high-security. It contains millions in cash, experimental drugs, rare materials, and valuable tech. If you agree to help me get Maya out of here, it’s yours. All of it."