His Untamed Rose novel Chapter 81

Lumina’s screams echoed throughout the manor, so sharp and desperate that even Hilton found them hard to bear.

The bodyguards—each one handpicked and rigorously trained by the Royce family—were efficient, but not known for their gentle touch. And Ms. Jardin, with her fierce temper, was bound to get hurt if she tried to resist.

Hilton parted his lips, intending to plead for leniency, but a cold, cutting glance from Cedric stopped him in his tracks.

“If you dare beg for her, I’ll deal with you the same way.”

“I… wouldn’t dare, Mr. Royce.” Hilton kept his eyes down, gripping the steering wheel. “Please, sir, try to calm down. You’ve got a charity gala tonight. Both your father and your brother will be there.”

Cedric took a deep breath, Hilton’s words breaking through his stormy thoughts. The tension in his jaw eased just a little. He pressed the back of his hand to his forehead, but the darkness inside him would not lift.

How much time, energy, and emotion had he poured into Lumina over the years? He knew he was obsessed with every detail of her—her body, her voice, the smallest flicker of her smile. In that obsession, he’d neglected to keep a closer watch on her.

He’d forgotten that, in the beginning, she was a woman he’d bought—nothing more. The cruelest betrayals, he reminded himself, always come from those closest to your heart.

Sensing the worst had passed, Hilton dared to ask, “Mr. Royce, you were planning to bring Ms. Jardin to the event tonight. But given the situation… who will you take instead?”

Without hesitation, Cedric pressed his hand to his brow and answered, “Tonia.”

...

Meanwhile, in the dim bedroom of the manor, Lumina sat shivering, her face ghostly pale.

Her phone and anything else she could use to contact the outside world had been confiscated by those rough-handed men.

For the first time, Lumina faced the crushing reality: Cedric truly meant to keep her here, a prisoner in this gilded cage.

Desperate, she lunged past the guards and smashed a vase on the table, gripping a shard of glass in her trembling fingers, pressing it to her throat in a final act of defiance.

To her shock, the bodyguards barely reacted. Behind their dark sunglasses, their eyes were as cold and lifeless as reptiles.

Of course, Lumina had no real intention of ending her life—she still had hope growing inside her.

After she’d exhausted every desperate option, she curled up against the wall, hugging her knees, hiding in the shadows at the edge of the room.

At the boutique, she picked out a pale pink gown, but the bodice was a little too loose.

When she asked to try a smaller size, the saleswoman smiled apologetically. “I’m sorry, miss, but that’s the smallest size we have.”

Tonia arched an eyebrow. “Is this Lumina’s size?”

“It is.”

That answer pleased her immensely. Straightening her dress, she smiled with smug satisfaction. “Never mind, I’ll keep this one for tonight. But in the future, make sure you have my size in stock.”

She was certain she’d have many more occasions to wear them.

When she arrived at the charity gala, Cedric was already waiting for her by the entrance.

Lifting her skirts, Tonia walked toward him, her heart thundering in her chest. In that moment, she felt like his bride. After all her struggles, all her longing, she was finally walking toward the man she’d always wanted.