Chapter 3

• "I bet on you and lost, Meghan."
• Meghan closed her eyes, bit the inside of her cheek to keep from letting out the sob that rose in her throat; however, that didn't stop her eyes from filling with tears.
• "Now... he is your owner."
• She was not an object, but her brother was treating her as such, his illness had crossed the line and had done the unthinkable.
• "Won't you say anything?" Paul asked, feeling her tremble.
• "Once again you make me feel disappointed" she said. Meghan tried to ignore the men around her, they were not important at that moment.
• "Meghan, I..."
• "These last six months have been hell by your side. The anguish and fear of not seeing you again kept me up many nights. I tried to understand you, to support you, but I understand that you are sick and cannot control your need to gamble" Meghan paused, freed herself from Paul's grip as he loosened his hold and stepped back to look at him, "You have pushed me to the limit, Paul, you have left me on the edge of the cliff and now it is me who decides to jump into the void." tears slid down Meghan's cheeks, the pain in her heart made her stagger, but she forced herself to maintain a serenity she did not feel.
• "Forgive me, Meghan," Paul begged, his hands trembling, "I didn't know how to be a good brother, I'm sorry." he sobbed.
• "I hope that one day you can change, not for me, Paul, but for yourself. You have to seek help and if you truly feel guilty for what you have done, do not gamble again. Do not bet again..."
• Paul sobbed and fell to his knees in front of Meghan.
• "How sentimental," Ray mocked as he watched the scene before his eyes, Patrick gave him a cold look while Harrison watched, the pain in Paul's eyes moved him.
• Meghan wiped away her tears rebelliously, turned and faced Patrick, he had his hands in his pockets, his gaze fixed on Meghan, as if he expected her to shout at him, fight him, or say something.
• Patrick hoped that the girl would refuse to go with him, but there was disappointment, pain, and exhaustion in her eyes.
• "Are you the man my brother bet me to?" she asked.
• Patrick nodded, feeling uncomfortable.
• "You shouldn't be different from him." she said, "I feel like I'm coming out of the fire to fall into the embers." she murmured.
• Patrick gritted his teeth at being compared to Paul.
• "I don't have all the time in the world, Patrick, take your trophy and go." Ray intervened.
• "Trophy."
• Meghan's body trembled at hearing the way Ray called her, she didn't know the man, she didn't know his name. She didn't even have the certainty of living beyond that day.
• "Come on, Patrick, it's better if we leave." Harrison suggested, trying to prevent Ray from continuing to speak.
• Patrick took Meghan's arm, perhaps more roughly than necessary, but he was at the limit of his patience and all he wanted was to get away from that building. Stop seeing Paul before beating him to a pulp and get away from the idiot Ray who only made the situation worse with his words. They got into the car and drove away.
• The journey to Patrick's apartment was in complete silence, the tension was palpable in the air and the three of them were sure they could cut it with the edge of a knife.
• Meghan did not look at Patrick once, her gaze was fixed on the window glass, crying silently as a halo of anger was born from the depths of her being. The shock had passed and the anger was taking its place. She was not an object, she had no owner because she was not a dog or another animal, she was a thinking person, how could Paul do this to her? And worst of all, how could the man sitting beside her accept it?
• Patrick asked himself the same question, what the hell was he thinking when he agreed to enter Ray's game? And most importantly, what would he do with the girl?
• "Meghan," he thought, they had not been officially introduced, but he had heard when Paul had pronounced her name.
• "We've arrived, are you sure you'll stay with her?" Harrison asked, as if Meghan wasn't listening. She tensed up.
• Patrick looked at her, Meghan reminded him of a scared little cat, her gaze sharp and distrustful, and for good reason.
• "Thank you for accompanying me, Harrison, you can go back to the casino," he said.
• Meghan looked up at the sound of his voice, but said nothing, watching as her "owner's" companion got out of the car and into a gray sports car. That signaled to Meghan that she was not in the hands of just anyone. The building was luxurious, everything screamed wealth and power. She wasn't surprised, she had also belonged to the Elite.
• "What do you plan to do with me?" Meghan asked when Patrick opened the car door for her to get out.
• "This is not the place to talk, Meghan, right?"
• She nodded.
• "I'm Patrick Ferreira Spencer," he introduced himself.
• Meghan looked up to meet Patrick's green eyes, she swallowed hard and remembered seeing him in some important magazines.
• "What do you want from me?" Meghan insisted.
• Patrick walked to the elevator, that question was not difficult to answer, as he simply didn't want anything from her, yet he didn't say so. He had mentioned that this was not a good place to talk, so he wouldn't.
• Meghan clenched her teeth, torn between walking behind her "owner" or running away; but where would she go? She didn't have a penny in her pockets, Paul had taken her out of the apartment with nothing.
• Meghan was a whirlwind of emotions, she wanted to cry from the pain she felt, she wanted to scream from the anger running through her body, she wanted to explode and Patrick Ferreira was not helping at all, showing such indifference that it scared her.
• "You're not much different from Paul," she taunted as they crossed the door. The tension in the elevator had been the last straw.
• Patrick turned to her, it wasn't the first time she had compared him to Paul and he was going to make sure there wasn't a damn third time.
• "Don't repeat that, Meghan," he warned.
• She swallowed, but didn't back down.
• "It's the truth, if you weren't like him, I wouldn't be here with you."
• Patrick stepped forward to face her, towering over Meghan's 5'3", she looked him in the eyes.
• "I just wanted Paul to leave the Casino, it was him who insisted on continuing the game when he was already losing. It was him who decided to bet on you, Meghan."
• "But you accepted! You are just as guilty as Paul, if not more. I can understand it from my brother because he's sick. He's a gambler, but you? What reasons led you to accept such a crazy bet?" she exploded, finally letting out her frustration and pain with Patrick.
• "You can leave whenever you want, Meghan, I have no interest in you; in fact, I had no interest in collecting the bet and bringing you to my house as a trophy."
• "Then why did you do it?" she wanted to know. Meghan had a lump in her throat.
• "Because I was an idiot, because I let myself be convinced by my best friend that I couldn't leave you in the hands of your brother and the idiot who caused all this, but you know what? You still have time to go back to his side and become his damn bargaining chip!"
• Meghan took a step back, her eyes filled with tears.
• "I don't think you have good intentions, no one does anything without asking for something in return. Especially a man," she whispered.
• Patrick raised an eyebrow, perhaps he should feel offended by Meghan's words, but she was right. In this world, everyone expected to gain something, which was why Ray had taken advantage of Paul, hoping to upset him and he had certainly succeeded.
• "I have a girlfriend, I assure you that you are not in any danger in this house. My parents have raised me well," he finished.
• Meghan looked at him with distrust.
• "How can I trust you?" she asked, biting her lip.
• "You don't have to," he retorted, "however, you can stay in this apartment if you want, if you have the courage to do so and to trust a complete stranger."
• Meghan felt a knot form in her throat, her legs trembling like jelly.
• "Think carefully, Meghan, I am not your enemy," he murmured. "It's your decision, do what you think is right. However, I warn you, if you leave now, I won't be able to do anything for you in the future."
• "What do you mean?" Meghan asked in a hoarse voice.
• "If you go back to Paul, you will be putting yourself in danger again. If he doesn't bet you in another game, you might end up as payment for a loan and in the hands of a criminal. But only you can decide, Meghan."
• The truth in Patrick's words hit Meghan like a punch to the gut, leaving her breathless. Her legs gave out at such truth, she couldn't deceive herself and accuse Patrick of lying, because she knew it would happen sooner or later. Paul wasn't going to stop, he had already shown that. The pain overwhelmed Meghan and she fell to her knees in front of Patrick, letting her tears and sobs flow freely. It was a heartbreaking cry that moved Patrick.
• He was a demanding man, maybe a bit cold and arrogant, but he couldn't help but feel sorry for Meghan. Seeing her collapse like that made him think of his two sisters. They were fortunate to have their parents and siblings. Both Marcelo and he were capable of killing to keep them safe.
• That wasn't the case for Meghan, that poor girl had no one, her parents were dead and Paul was a danger to her.
• Patrick reached out his hand, hovering over Meghan's head, but not touching her, there was no reason to do so, so he clenched his hand into a fist and stepped back.
• "Stay tonight, if you decide to leave, rest assured that I will never come looking for you," Patrick said, with a strange sensation in his chest, something he had never experienced before, especially for a stranger.
• Meghan looked up as Patrick left the apartment, leaving her alone with her loneliness and her pain.