"Or should I call you Margaret?" Jared leaned forward, meeting Maggie in the eye. There was a hidden threat in his words, and Maggie realized she was screwed. "Did you send today's finding to the Intelligence?" Jared did not move back, keeping Maggie frozen in her place. She was scared witless to even speak, let alone take a step away from him.

"What happened Maggie? You are usually bold with me. What happened now? Why aren't you responding?" Jared smirked, his evilness flashing like a medal in his lethal eyes.

Jared took a step back and raised his height, towering over her, trying to intimidate her, and it was actually working. Although Maggie was trying hard to hide her fears, Jared could sense it. And why wouldn't he, when he preyed upon his victim's fears?

He started to circle Maggie, maintaining a distance from her. "I must commend you for your bravery, Maggie." He uttered, his voice carrying a hint of appreciation and something else Maggie could not perceive. It was as though he was accusing her of doing something she was not supposed to.

Maggie knew there was no chance of her escape, and only Joshua and his team could save her now. 'Why now?' She complained in her mind. 'Why did he have to catch me when I was well prepared with my escape plan? Wait a minute!' She stopped complaining when she realized something. 'How did he even find out the truth? Who told him? Who?'

"Maggie, I never expected you to betray me this way." Jared continued, not stopping walking. He kept circling her while he reiterated how he had been impressed with her and her skills, and how he had slowly fallen for her. However, Maggie was in no mood to listen to them. She was worried about her life, and she knew it was best she alerted Joshua about her situation.

When Jared was busy with his monologue, she sent a text secretly to Aria's phone, in the hope that Joshua would see it. 'I am busted. Jared has found out my truth. Please save me.' She then deleted the message immediately. She was yet to turn off the phone when Jared stood before her, stunning her by his swift move.

"Tell me, Maggie. Why did you betray me? Why did you play with my feelings?" He queried, his face losing his anger and evilness for a split second. It was as though Jared was demanding answers from her as a lover, rather than a dangerous criminal, who did not hesitate to take people's lives just for fun.

"Betray?" Maggie's fears vanished, and fury and disbelief replaced them. "Do you really think I betrayed you? You?" Maggie pointed at him with a sardonic smile on her face. "Says the man who does not even hesitate to take innocent people's lives for his sick pleasure. Do not accuse me and hold me responsible for a small act of mine when you have a long list of crimes detailing your heinous acts."

"Maggie," Jared warned her, his voice turning deadly low, not liking the way things were turning.

"Do you think I don't know what you have done? I know every crime you have done, Mr. Jared Augustus, and don't worry, I will make sure that you will get your retribution." Maggie did not back off even after seeing his venomous gaze. She was already caught; what more could he do to her? She could only prolong her chat with him so that it could give Joshua and his team to reach her before Jared decided to punish her.

"You are talking about your feelings for me, right?" She continued, her finger still pointing at him. "When did I even tell you that I have feelings for you? Did I ever say that I loved you, or liked you even? How can you accuse that I played with your emotions?" Maggie took a step closer to him, lifting her head with confidence to meet his eyes.

"I never did, nor will I like you. You are nothing but a disgusting creature I loathe the most." Maggie's words were like a huge slap that kept reverberating in Jared's ears. His male chauvinist ego escaped from its leash, and his control snapped. Jared's anger was at the highest possible level, and Maggie knew that she was done for. But she too was not scared of him, or for her life. Joshua would save her for sure, she just had to wait for his arrival.

Jared glowered at her long and hard before he started clapping, while Maggie stood unfazed by his actions. She did not even flinch when the man got closer to her. "You know Maggie, I would never have found out your truth if my Godfather had not informed me about it. Let me be honest here. I had denied his allegations against you, crossing him for the first time in my life. But who knew Maggie that he was well prepared? He presented me proofs to show how foolish I had been with you."

Jared started laughing like a manic all of a sudden. "Bravo, Maggie. Bravo. You are the first person ever to trick me, and I must say I am impressed. You are brilliant, as expected of the girl I like." Jared did not stop complimenting but his words only made Maggie want to puke. His mere presence was irritating her, and she did not know how long she could tolerate him.

"My Godfather was right," Jared said, changing the topic suddenly. Maggie frowned at the way his emotions fluctuated as time ticked by. Her patience had reached its peak, and she was just short of lashing out at him. But she stood still doing nothing, although she had all the intentions of choking him to death. "He always told me never to trust anyone, not even my own shadow. Who knew that I would break the promise I had made him and would end up trusting the girl, who had all the intentions of ruining my life? How awesome am I!"

Maggie rolled her eyes at the man's obvious sarcastic words. However, she did not retort back, standing silently listening to his laments. "What do I do with you, Maggie?" Jared sighed, his switch in behavior shocking Maggie for the first time after her truth came out. Jared lifted his hand to caress his cheek, and Maggie moved away from him at once, avoiding his touch.

Jared's hand lay frozen in the air as he gazed at the girl who had captured his heart. "Your behavior towards me hurts me, Maggie." Jared sighed and dropped his hand. "My Godfather wants me to torture you and kill you slowly. He wants me to make you curse your entire existence and yourself for even crossing us. But do you know what I have in mind?" Jared tilted his head, his eyes gleaming in evilness.

"I cannot bear to hurt you or inflict any pain on you. I love you so much, Maggie." Jared pouted and clicked his tongue. "We could have led a blissful life and have had a family of our own if you had not betrayed me."

Maggie stared at the man as though he had grown three heads. She understood the underlying meaning behind his words. 'What the fuck is he talking about? He must be delusional to think that I would marry him and start a family with him. That is impossible even if he is the last man standing on earth. No way.'

"But not to worry." Jared declared as though he had everything under control, and Maggie was having a bad premonition listening to his confident words. "We can still fulfill my dreams, and we will. So what if you deceived me? I am willing to forgive you."

"What?" Maggie was perplexed by the sudden turn of events, and she gaped at the man, who seemed hellbent on making her his.

"Yes. So what if I cannot inflict pain on you or torture you like I do with my enemies. I have other ways to punish you. And I assure you, Maggie, they will not be pleasant at all, not for you, my dear."

Maggie shuddered at his words, alarm bells ringing in her mind. "What are yo-you talking about?" She stuttered, fearing the worst.

"Oh, don't worry, my dear. I am not going to kill you, not now, not ever. That is not your punishment. It is something else, something I loved doing the most in the past, and I would do that to you too. I mean, do it with you." Jared's threats made Maggie fear for life. It was as though she was standing on a deserted road with a speeding bulldozer charging at her, with no way to escape from the disaster.

"You brought this upon yourself, Maggie, and you will have the bear the consequences of your actions."

"No freaking way." Maggie shook her head, her eyes widening in fear. "No way. You must be dreaming. I will not allow you to do anything like that."

"And who will stop me?" Jared smirked, her expression turning sinister.

"I will. I will stop you." Without another word, Maggie pushed him with all her strength and dashed out of the room, running for her dear life. However, she had barely taken a step outside the room when she stopped. Jared's men surrounded her, not allowing her to move further. She was completely at his mercy, and Maggie realized that there was no way out of this until Joshua arrived.

"Tch, tch, tch. Did you think you could escape from me, my dear Maggie? This is my turf. Nobody can enter or leave from here without my permission, and that includes you too.' Having had enough of Maggie's games, Jared held her hand, dragging her with him, his men making way for him at once. Maggie tried to wriggle her way out of his grasp, only for him to hold her tighter. He led her to his room, and he hurled her onto his bed.

"I would love to have you right away. But I need to make an important call. Wait for me, my sweet Maggie. I will be right back." Jared cautioned her, his lips rising in victory. "Be prepared. I am going to fuck you today, by hook or by crook."