The Villains Must Win
Chapter 234: No Second Chances 34

Chapter 234: No Second Chances 34

Lina was flung sideways into Fredrich, his arms instinctively wrapping around her as the vehicle spun once, twice—before coming to a smoking, tilted stop.

Airbags exploded. Horns blared.

Then silence.

Lina’s vision blurred, her ears ringing. Something warm trickled down her temple. She couldn’t move. She couldn’t think.

And then—nothing.

When her eyes fluttered open again, everything had changed.

She was no longer in Fredrich’s car.

The soft purring hum of a different engine filled her ears. Cooler air pressed against her cheeks.

And when she sat up, dazed and disoriented, she realized the vehicle she was in was moving—and much faster than before.

A black SUV. The interior unfamiliar. Sleek. Dark. Tinted windows on every side.

And across from her, sitting like a shadow of her past, was Christian.

He was lounging in the seat with that maddeningly calm expression, a faint smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. His crisp white shirt was spotless, his suit jacket draped beside him. But his eyes—oh, those eyes—were alight with something feral.

Possessiveness.

Relief.

And fury.

"Miss me?" he asked, voice silkier than she remembered, but with an undercurrent of danger that made her skin crawl.

Lina’s breath caught in her throat. Her heart pounded. He had expected this, but certainly didn’t expect that he would crash their car.

"What—what did you do?" she croaked, hands fumbling against the seatbelt still strapped over her. "Where’s Fredrich? What happened to him?"

Christian leaned forward, his expression unchanging. "Relax. He’s alive. Unfortunately."

Her stomach twisted.

"You—" she started, but he cut her off, voice smooth and low.

"What did you expect?" he said, tilting his head slightly, his voice cool. "He took you away from me. And don’t forget—you and I are not over. I’ll make you pay the price for leaving me without a word."

She gaped at him, her hands trembling. "You rammed his car?"

Christian’s smile widened. "Wouldn’t be the first time I’ve knocked down a rival to get what’s mine. But you made it so easy, sweetheart. Sending me that message? That was practically a love letter."

"I didn’t send it for you!" she snapped.

He leaned closer, eyes narrowing. "No, but you sent it knowing what I’d do. And I did exactly what you wanted. I came for you."

Lina fell silent, her breathing ragged. This was it—the chaos she had summoned. But sitting here across from Christian, she wasn’t so sure who the bigger threat was anymore.

Fredrich might have caged her.

But Christian? Christian would burn the entire world to the ground just to own what wasn’t his anymore.

Still, she had made her choice.

And now, she would have to play this new hand—and survive it.

And now . . . what would Fredrich do?

Lina secretly smiled.

"I’ll make sure to punish you severely after we get out of this mess, Lina. Don’t think for a second that I’ve forgiven you."

His voice was low, but sharp with menace—like a blade sheathed in silk. There was no tenderness in it, no illusion of reconciliation. Only cold intent.

Lina kept her expression neutral, but inside, she smirked.

Ah, there it was. The truth wrapped in threat.

She’d suspected it from the moment he showed up—the dramatic car crash, the swift abduction, the false sense of control he radiated. It wasn’t love that brought Christian here. Not the kind she once foolishly believed in. No, this wasn’t about reunion or redemption.

It was about pride.

He wasn’t here to win her back. He was here to reclaim her—as property, as a possession, as something that had dared to slip through his fingers and now needed to be reminded who she belonged to.

And that punishment he mentioned? Lina was willing to bet it had nothing to do with justice and everything to do with revenge.

Love? That was secondary.

If it even existed at all.

But she didn’t flinch. Didn’t argue. Because if there was one thing Lina had learned, it was how to play the long game.

And Christian, for all his manipulation and control, had no idea just how much she’d planned for this.

Let him think she was scared.

Let him believe he had the upper hand.

She’d been underestimated before. And it never ended well—for them.

The car roared down the winding coastal highway, the sun dipping low behind a jagged mountain ridge as shadows streaked across the pavement.

Lina gripped the door handle as Christian swerved the wheel, barking orders into a Bluetooth earpiece.

"Faster!" he snarled at the driver. "We’re not losing them!"

"Who’s behind us?" Lina asked, though her voice barely rose above the wind screaming through the cracks in the windows.

One of Christian’s men turned around from the front seat, face pale. "It’s Fredrich. And his men. Five SUVs. Gaining fast."

Lina’s blood turned to ice, but she was happy inside.

Fredrich.

He finally arrived.

A part of her was still reeling from the crash—the way it had come out of nowhere, the violent spin of the world before she’d blacked out.

And now she was here, with Christian, the very man she’d escaped from months ago. But her shock was quickly being replaced by something else:

A terrible, sinking clarity.

She had become the object of obsession between two powerful, dangerously unhinged men.

Neither was here to protect her. They were here to own her.

In that moment, Lina realized the truth.

She wasn’t a lover. She was a trophy.

A symbol. A prize to be won.

And just like that, she understood what it must’ve felt like to be Helen of Troy—beautiful, desired, and caught between two empires, both willing to burn the world just to keep her.

Outside, the dark SUVs tore down the road like hunting wolves, headlights blinding. The men inside weren’t guards anymore. They were soldiers. And this wasn’t a rescue. It was war.

Glass shattered as a bullet struck the rear windshield. Lina screamed, ducking instinctively.

"Drive faster!" Christian barked. "I don’t care how—just get us to the airstrip!"

"We’re almost there," the driver replied, his knuckles white on the wheel.

Lina’s heart thundered in her chest. Her mind raced. She couldn’t afford to die again. She didn’t have enough stars to compensate for another resurrection.