Chapter 4 Price Of Disobedience

• Ivy’s heart pounded hardly as Harrison’s grip tightens on her chin, his sharp eyes locked onto hers. The room seemed to close in on her.
• “I…. I wasn’t trying to betray you,” she hesitated, her voice trembling.
• “Weren’t you?” Harrison said in a low growl, each word feels like a threat. “Then explain why you were digging into things you have no business knowing.”
• Ivy struggled to find the right words; her thoughts was a mess. “I was just... curious.”
• Harrison gave a smirk. “Curiosity can be dangerous, darling. It has killed more in my world.”
• His hand released her and she stumbles back, gasping for air. Harrison turned away.
• “You want to know what’s in this file?” he said suddenly, holding it up.
• Ivy shook her head, fear prickle at her skin. “No, I…”
• “Too late,” he interrupted, his voice was sharp. “You’ve already seen it. Now, you’ll learn what it means to carry that burden.”
• Harrison strode to the desk and slammed the file down. “Sit,” he ordered.
• Ivy hesitated, but her knees closing slightly as she lowered herself into the chair.
• “These names,” Harrison began, tapping the open file, “represent people who owe me, people who fear me. Some are associates. Others... likely liabilities.”
• He leaned closer, his face few inches away from her. “You’ve just become one of them.”
• “What does that mean?” Ivy asked.
• “It means you’ve crossed a line,” Harrison said, his voice was dangerously calm. “And now, you have to prove that I can still trust you.”
• “I didn’t mean to…”
• “I don’t care what you meant,” he snapped, his cold posture cracked just enough to reveal the anger beneath it. “Intentions don’t matter. Actions do.”
• Harrison straightens. “You’ll fix this. Tonight.”
• “How?” Ivy asked, fear residing in her.
• “There’s a name in this file,” he said, sliding a page toward her. “A man who’s been browsing from my accounts. You’re going to confront him.”
• Ivy’s eyes widen. “Me? I don’t know how to do that!”
• “You’ll learn,” Harrison said, his voice was merciless. “Consider it a test of your loyalty. Succeed, and I might forgive your little... carelessness.”
• “And if I fail?”
• Harrison’s smile was cold. “It isn’t an option. You know that.”
• Later that night, Ivy was in another unfamiliar part of the city. Harrison’s men had driven her to a small bar where her target, a man named Rector Garza, was waiting.
• Her hands shakes as she pushed the door, the scent of beer and cigarette smoke attacking her senses. Rector sat at a corner table, a large man with a thick beard and a sharp eye.
• She took a deep breath and approached the table.
• “You must be Rector,” she said, her voice steady.
• Rector looked her up and down, suspicion passing in his eyes. “And you are?”
• “Someone who knows what you’ve been doing,” she said with boldness in her voice.
• Rector leaned back; he gave a sneer. “Is that so?”
• Ivy’s heart pounded, but she goes on. “Harrison knows. And he’s not happy.”
• The mention of Harrison’s name wiped the sneer off Rector’s face. “What does he want?”
• “To give you one chance to make things right,” Ivy said, repeating the words Harrison had said to her before sending her here.
• “And if I don’t?”
• Before Ivy could respond, the door to the bar opened. She turned to see Harrison stepping inside.
• “I told you to handle this, Ivy,” Harrison said as he approached the table. “But I suppose I shouldn’t have expected you to do it alone.”
• Rector tensed, his eyes go between Ivy and Harrison. “I…”
• “Save it,” Harrison snapped, cutting him off. “You’ve been caught, Rector. Now, the question is how we handle it.”
• He turned to Ivy. “What do you think, darling? Should we give him another chance?”
• Ivy’s breath stuck. He was testing her again, forcing her to make a decision she wasn’t prepared for.
• “I...” She hesitated; her heart raced.
• “Well?” Harrison prompted, his eyes digging into her.
• Rector looked at her, his eyes pleading. “Please,” he whispered.
• Ivy swallows hard. “I think...”
• The sound of a gun raising made her heart jumped. She turned to see Harrison aiming a pistol at Rector.
• “Wrong answer,” he said, pulling the trigger.
• Ivy screamed as Rector collapsed forward, the sound of the gunshot ringing in her ears.
• Harrison turned his face to her. “Lesson one: Never hesitate.”
• The smell of blood hung in the air, and Ivy’s hands were cover over her mouth as Rector’s lifeless body fell across the table. Harrison stood unmoved; his gun still raised.
• “Clean it up,” he commanded to his guards, as if disposing of a corpse was his routine of clearing a dinner table.
• Ivy couldn’t get her eyes away from Rector. She could still hear his plea echoing in her ears: “Please.”
• “Don’t look so shocked,” Harrison said, turning his icy eyes on her. “I warned you what would happen if you hesitated.”
• “I... I didn’t think…” Ivy hesitated, her voice shaking.
• “That’s the problem,” Harrison interrupted. “You don’t think, hesitation gets you killed. Sympathy is a weakness we can’t afford.”
• He stepped closer, tilting her chin up so she was forced to meet his eyes. “And weakness, darling, is something I won’t tolerate.”
• The drive back to the house was suffocating. Ivy sat quiet; her hands gripped the seatbelt. Harrison sat beside her, his posture was relaxed, as if they’d just returned from a usual business meeting.
• “Why did you bring me here?” she finally asked.
• Harrison’s lips curved into a smile. “Because you need to learn. If you’re going to survive with me, you’ll have to harden yourself to the realities of this life.”
• “Why me?” she pressed, anger boiling under her fear. “You could have anyone. Why drag me into this?”
• “Because you’re unique,” he said simply. “Most people break under pressure. You bend, but you don’t break. That’s rare. And I don’t let rare things slip through my fingers.”
• His words feel like a noose tightening around her throat.
• Back at the house, Ivy goes to her room. She wanted to shout, cry and run. But no matter how much she wanted to escape, Harrison’s shadow will be always with her.
• A soft knock on her door broke her thoughts. Ivy froze.
• “Ivy,” Harrison’s voice came from the other side, softer than usual.
• She didn’t respond, but the door opened anyway. Harrison stepped inside.
• “You’re upset,” he said, his voice was gentle.
• “What gave it away?” Ivy snapped; her fear sank out by her anger for a moment.
• Harrison chuckled, almost genuine sound. “You’re braver than most people give you credit for. But bravery doesn’t mean much if it’s not controlled.”
• “Controlled?” Ivy scoffed, rising from the bed. “You mean like you? Killing people without a second thought?”
• Harrison’s smile fades, and for a moment, something passed in his eyes.
• “You think I enjoy it?” he asked.
• Ivy looked at him, taken aback.
• “I do what is necessary,” he continued. “That doesn’t mean I don’t feel the weight of it. But feelings... they are a luxury I can’t afford.”
• The exposure in his voice was brief, gone almost as soon as it appeared.
• Before Ivy could respond, Harrison’s expression replaced by his usual mask. “Get dressed,” he said.
• “What? Why?”
• “We’re going out,” he said, already heading for the door.
• “To where?”
• Harrison paused, glancing back. “You’ll see.”
• An hour later, Ivy was seated in the back of Harrison’s car, dressed in an elegant black dress that clung to her like a second skin. The man who had delivered it to her room hadn’t said a word, simply nodding toward it before leaving.
• The car stopped to a grand hotel, its golden lights illuminating the night. Ivy’s heart was on edge as Harrison helped her out of the car, his hand was on hers longer than necessary.
• “What is this place?” she asked with suspicion.
• “An auction,” Harrison said, leading her inside.
• “An auction?”
• “Of kinds,” he said giving a smirk.
• Inside, the atmosphere was thick with tension and greed. Men and women in designer suits and dress mixed, their conversations laced with whispers of power and betrayal.
• Ivy stuck close to Harrison, her unease growing with every step.
• “Why am I here?” she whispered.
• “To observe,” Harrison replied. “And to understand.”
• As the auction began, Ivy watched in stunned as items were shown across the stage; not paintings or jewelry, but people.
• She turned to Harrison. “This is... human trafficking.”
• He didn’t flinch, his eyes fixed on the stage. “It’s business.”
• Ivy felt sick. “You’re a part of this?”
• “Not directly,” he said, his voice dismissive. “But these are powerful players. Men who can make or break you with a single word. Understanding them is hard.”
• As the auction continued, Ivy’s horror deepens. She wanted to run but Harrison’s hand on her arm kept her rooted in place.
• The final item of the night was announced and the room fell into a quiet anticipation. Ivy’s blood ran cold as a young woman was taken onto the stage; her tear-marked face illuminated by the harsh lights.
• The auctioneer began the bidding, and Ivy’s heart pounded loudly as numbers were shouted across the room.
• “Stop it,” she whispered to Harrison.
• He turned to her. “Why?”
• “Because it’s wrong!” she hissed.
• Harrison’s eyes go on her for a moment before he raised his hand, his voice breaks through the room. “Two million.”
• The room fell silent, all eyes turned to him. Ivy stared at him in shock as the auctioneer declared him the winner.
• “What are you doing?” she asked.
• Harrison’s smile was cold. “Teaching you a lesson.”
• To be Continued….