ELLA.

I looked up to the direction in which the voice from earlier came from and it was him---Lawrence.

"Do you even realize I have been looking for you, Theresa. How could you think of leaving without me?" Lawrence said, his voice firm, carrying that familiar edge that always made people around him pause.

He took a deep breath, like he was trying to steady himself, but it didn’t soften his expression. Instead, his gaze shifted, narrowing slightly as it landed on the person seated across from me.

"And who is he?" he asked.

I rolled my eyes instantly, irritation bubbling up inside me.

Not again.

Was he seriously about to start this kind of behavior here? In public? In front of everyone? What exactly was he trying to imply....that I wasn’t allowed to talk to anyone? That I couldn’t sit down and eat with someone else without being questioned like this?

I opened my mouth, ready to respond, ready to put him in his place right then and there, but before I could get a single word out, Lawrence reached for my hand.

"Let’s go eat upstairs," he said quickly, his tone leaving no room for argument. "I have already ordered our meal."

I froze.

For a moment, I just stared at him, completely dumbfounded by how fast everything had shifted. This wasn’t even a suggestion, it was a decision he had already made.

And when I glanced around, I noticed it.

Eyes.

A few people nearby had already turned in our direction, their attention fixed on us. Some curious, some whispering quietly among themselves.

I hated it.

I hated being the center of attention. I hated being watched like this, like I was some kind of spectacle.

Without another word, I lowered my head, my appetite suddenly gone. I didn’t even bother looking back at Micheal. I simply allowed Lawrence to lead me away, his hand still wrapped around mine as we walked out of the cafeteria and toward the elevator.

The silence between us felt heavy.

The moment the elevator doors slid shut behind us, cutting us off from the outside world, I yanked my hand away from his grip.

"I really do not like the way you behaved just now," I shot at him immediately, my voice sharp with irritation.

He looked at me, clearly caught off guard for a second.

"What?" he asked, as if he didn’t understand. "I really did not like the way he was looking at you, Theresa," he said, his tone hardening as he turned fully to face me. "And the idea of both of you sitting there, eating together..." He paused slightly, his jaw tightening. "It irritates me even more."

I blinked.

For a moment, I just stared at him, taken aback by the intensity in his voice.

Was he even hearing himself?

"So you are trying to say I am not permitted to eat with anyone else?" I shot back, raising my eyebrows as I folded my arms across my chest.

The elevator hummed softly around us, but the tension inside it was anything but quiet.

I waited, my gaze locked on his, expecting an answer, but more than that, expecting him to realize just how ridiculous he sounded.

And honestly, I was trying...truly trying...to keep my anger in check, to swallow it down and let it pass, but with every second that ticked by, it only grew stronger, hotter, more impossible to ignore.

Before I could say anything else, Lawrence reached for my hands again, his grip firm, almost desperate.

"Yes, Theresa," he said without hesitation, his voice low but resolute. "I don’t want you eating with anyone else. It gives me the picture of a loving couple."

For a moment, I just stared at him.

Was he actually serious right now?

The audacity of his words made something snap inside me.

"From what I can remember, Lawrence," I said slowly, my tone sharp and laced with irritation, "I am not your prisoner. Therefore, you have no right to dictate what I can or cannot do."

I didn’t wait for a response. I yanked my hands out of his grip again, creating distance between us.

"You—" he started, his expression tightening as if he wanted to argue further.

But the words never came.

Instead, everything shifted in an instant.

Before I could react, his hands were on my waist, pulling me forward with sudden force. My back hit the cold wall of the elevator, the impact knocking the breath slightly out of me.

"Lawrence—" I began, but he didn’t give me the chance to finish.

His hands moved quickly, pinning mine above my head against the wall, trapping me in place. My heart slammed against my chest as I struggled against his hold, but it was useless.

And then...He leaned in.

His lips crashed against mine, possessive and unyielding.

My eyes widened in shock as I tried to pull away, but he didn’t let me. His grip only tightened, holding me there as if I might disappear if he loosened it even slightly.

"Theresa... why don’t you just get it?" he murmured against my lips, his voice uneven, almost strained. "Don’t you understand how I feel?"

But I wasn’t in the mood to understand anything.

All I wanted was space.

I struggled against him, turning my face away, trying to break free from the kiss, but he followed, relentlessly, as though he had already lost control.

"You are my mate, Theresa," he continued, his words coming in between each forceful kiss. "I feel... I just don’t want anyone else around you."

His voice carried something raw, something intense, but it didn’t change how I felt in that moment.

If anything, it made it worse.

He deepened the kiss again, almost frenzied, like a man who had completely given in to his impulses.

And just then...the elevator door slid open.

"What the hell?"

The voice rang out sharply, cutting through the moment like a blade and everything froze.