Her voice cracked. "Maybe I should just leave... Miss Robles seems so angry. I'm scared..."
Kevin tightened his hold around her, soothing her gently. "Don't be afraid. I'm here. I'll handle it."
Then he turned to Venice, his expression hard as steel. "When you make a mistake, you take your punishment. Take her to the cold storage."
Before she could resist, two bodyguards grabbed her, ignoring her frantic gestures. They stripped off her coat and shoved her into the freezing chamber.
The air was sharp as knives, and the temperature was negative twenty degrees.
By midnight, Kevin stood outside the frosted glass window, a cigarette glowing between his fingers. Through the haze of smoke, his eyes were still dangerously beautiful, but his words cut colder than the air.
"I told you to be patient. Why do you always have to disappoint me?"
Be patient.
The same words he'd whispered years ago, when his hand had brushed over the scars he'd left on her back, his eyes full of guilt and tenderness.
"Venice, I swear I'll never fail you."
Now, those same eyes looked at her as if she were nothing.
When they finally dragged her out, her limbs were stiff and numb, her skin pale as snow.