03. The Proposal

With blurred vision and a weakened body, Elena struggles to move, but cannot.

Her senses seem distant and her legs refuse to obey her brain's commands. The loud sound of music echoes in her ears, mingling with the mocking laughter of the two sadistic men watching her.

"No..." she stammers, desperately trying to resist the sedation taking hold of her body.

James and Evan approach her again, with satisfied smiles on their faces. Valentina joins them with a small gun in her hands, watching the scene with pleasure. The journalist was struggling to keep her eyes open and focused, but her body was quickly giving in to the action of the tranquilizer.

The cold ground in contact with her skin was nothing compared to the icy tone of the dark-haired man's voice.

"It's a shame you've decided to do this the hard way," says James, watching the fallen woman. "But anyway, you already knew you wouldn't get out of here alive, didn't you?"

Elena barely feels the strong, rough fingers of the two men holding her, one on each side. Unconsciousness sweeps over her before the two of them can actually hold her up.

When she wakes up, the first thing she notices is that her arms are tied behind her back. There is a similar sensation in both her legs too. Her eyes can't detect anything due to the surrounding darkness, and her dry mouth is covered by a gag.

Her confused sense of gravity wavers for another moment, and minutes later the woman understands that she is sitting up. There was no sound nearby, not even that of the party.

This could mean two things: that enough time had passed for the guests to have left, or that she had been dragged somewhere else. A more discreet and safer place, where two bloodthirsty billionaires could have their fun.

Trying to see how numb her body was, Elena tried to wiggle her fingers a little. A faint tinkling, but loud enough to be noticed given the total silence around her, immediately caught her attention. Chained; that's how she found herself.

"Well, well."

Evan's voice sounds from somewhere. At once she stops moving.

"Did Sleeping Beauty finally wake up? There wasn't that much sedative in that dart."

Her heart felt like it was going to burst out of her chest, racing with the utmost urgency.

"You don't have to do this," she tries to speak through the gag, but her voice comes out muffled and unintelligible. She feels anxiety and fear taking over her body, but also a silent determination to survive.

Faint light begins to filter in from somewhere, partially revealing the figure of Valentina standing in front of her. The woman has a sadistic smile on her face, and Elena can feel the presence of James and Evan, although she can't see their faces.

In a rude and quick hand gesture, the tall and extremely sensual blonde removes the blindfold from Elena's eyes.

"You don't have to do this," she repeats in her mind, hoping that her pleading eyes can express what her words cannot.

Valentina understands the silent message and laughs, a cold, dismissive sound.

"Oh, but we must, my dear. You journalists have a nasty habit of going where you don't belong and causing problems for people like us. We can't let you go around spreading stories about our dirty business."

Elena felt a wave of panic run through her body. She knew that the risks of her job as an investigative journalist were high, but she never imagined that she would end up in a situation like this.

"Please," she tries again, her voice failing with fear and partially blocked by the gag.

This time it's Evan who loses his temper, ripping off the cloth that bound Elena's trembling, pleading lips. Once free to verbalize, she bursts into speech:

"I'm not going to tell anyone what I found out here. Never, I swear! They don't pay me enough for that, I just want to stay alive. Don't hurt me, for God's sake! Just let me go, I promise no one will know, I promise, I promise, I promise!"

"Understand, darling, that your pleas are pleasant enough to our ears, but you already know too much," says Evan, moving closer to her. "And we can't take any risks."

Elena struggles against her bonds, but it's no use. She is completely at the mercy of these predators. Her eyes fill with tears, but she forces herself to stand firm, refusing to give in to despair.

"You don't have to do this," she repeats once more, her voice losing strength and becoming increasingly whispery and faltering, this time looking into Valentina's eyes. "I promise, I won't tell anyone. Just let me go."

Valentina seems to consider her words for a moment, but then her sadistic smile returns.

"Oh, my dear, you don't understand. It's not a question of trusting you. It's a question of our safety."

Elena feels a shot of adrenaline coursing through her as she realizes what they are about to do.

"No," she whispers, in a mixture of pleading and defiance.

The glint in the eyes of the three of them is the scariest thing Elena has ever seen in her life. She begins to struggle; the chains jerking violently, but leaving her completely immobile and useless.

Her whispers now become desperate screams of horror. In the midst of her screams, Valentina complains:

"Why did we even decide to take this girl's gag off?"

"She'll shut up soon," Evan replies, pulling a very sharp Swiss Army knife out of his pocket. "One blow to the throat and soon the only sound will be her blood splattering on the floor."

"What if we gag her one more time and play around a bit?" asks James.

"You and your sick humor. What's the fun in torturing someone who's already practically surrendered?"

"No, no. Just listen to those screams. She obviously wants to live."

Elena continued to struggle desperately, watching her whole life flash before her eyes. Her racing heart pounded in her ears as her glazed eyes fixed on Evan's sinister figure, holding the sharp knife in his hands.

Valentina didn't seem very happy to see the whole scene, apparently wanting to get it over with quickly. James, for his part, seemed to be enjoying the sadistic game they were about to play.

Amid the screams, however, Elena once again tried to appeal to any trace of humanity within the billionaires.

"Why are they doing this? What's in it for you?" Elena asked, her voice shaky and frightened, but maintaining a stubborn determination.

"It's not about winning. It's about teaching meddlers like you a lesson," Valentina replied with a mischievous smile. "You journalists think you can poke around in other people's lives without consequences, but now it's time for you to learn that there's a price to pay."

Evan moved even closer, holding the pocketknife inches from Elena's face.

"It's nothing personal, understand. It's just business. And the most important part of our business is keeping secrets."

"Please, I can forget everything I've seen here! I can pretend nothing happened!" Elena begged, tears streaming down her face. "Let me go, I swear I'll never write another word about you!"

"We can't take any risks, Elena," Valentina replied coldly. "If we let you go, who's to say you won't change your mind and tell the world everything? No, we can't take that risk."

Elena took a deep breath, searching for courage in the midst of the terror that was consuming her.

"You can't do this! It's murder, it's a crime! You'll be caught, I promise you, you will!"

"Do you really believe that? Really?" said James, with a cynical smile. "We're untouchable, we have power and influence. We can shape the narrative however we want. No one will stop us. What did they teach you in college, girl?"

Elena herself didn't know what she was doing, but she knew she had to stay alive at all costs.

She then looked the billionaires deep in the eye and said:

"I... I'll do anything you want. Anything! I promise!"

And surprisingly, they both blink: the only sign that they've become slightly interested.

The two men look at each other and remain silent for a long time.

"So?" murmurs Elena, feeling the weight of the chains sink into her.

James glances once at Valentina, who silently walks away towards the back door.

Evan crosses his arms.

"You're brave, girl."

James cracks a smile.

"And you know what? I think we know exactly what you can do for us."

Trembling, but very grateful to be alive, all Elena does is lower her head and murmur:

"I'm listening."