AT THE PARTY NEXTDOOR BY MELLA

The silk of Daniel's blazer felt like lead against my skin. Every stitch of the expensive fabric seemed to whisper Summer's words back to me: A bet. Five grand. Scholarship girl.

I didn't wait for Daniel to speak. I didn't even look at the plush guest suite he had prepared. I shoved my feet into my heels, clutched the oversized blazer around my stained dress, and bolted for the front door. The penthouse was mostly empty now, the air smelling of extinguished cigars and the cold, sharp scent of betrayal.

I reached the elevator bank in the hallway, hitting the 'Down' button with a trembling thumb. Just get to 12A. Just get behind your own door.

"Where do you think you're going?"

The voice was a low crack of thunder. I froze. Daniel was walking toward me, his white shirt unbuttoned halfway down his chest, his face a mask of controlled fury. He didn't look like a protector anymore. He looked like a hunter whose prize was trying to bolt.

"I'm going home, Daniel," I said, my voice cracking. "The party is over. The show is done."

The elevator chimed, the silver doors sliding open like an invitation to freedom. I stepped inside, but before I could hit the button for my floor, a large, tan hand blocked the sensors.

Daniel stepped into the small, mirrored box with me. The space was suddenly too small, too hot, and far too intimate.

"The show?" he repeated, his eyes narrowing into silver slits. "I just cleared my house for you. I just threatened the elite of this city for you. And you're walking away because of a 'show'?"

"How much was it, Daniel?" I lashed out, the tears finally burning my eyes. "Five thousand? Ten? Was I a difficult target, or did you think I'd be easy because I don't have a trust fund?"

Daniel went perfectly still. The confusion on his face lasted only a second before it was replaced by a dark, terrifying realization. "What are you talking about?"

"The bet!" I screamed, the sound echoing off the elevator's gold-trimmed walls. "The bet with Dave. To see how fast you could get the 'scholarship girl' into your bed. Summer told me everything. So stop acting like you care. You won, okay? You got me into your apartment. Now let me go!"

The air in the elevator turned frigid. Daniel's jaw tightened so hard I heard the bone click. He didn't deny it with words. Instead, he took a predatory step forward, forcing me back until my spine hit the mirrored wall.

"Summer told you that?" he asked, his voice dropping to a whisper that was scarier than any shout.

"She's my best friend! Why would she lie?"

"Because she wants what you have," Daniel growled. He slammed both hands onto the wall on either side of my head, pinning me. The sheer power radiating off him was suffocating. "And she knows that once I've marked something as mine, no one else can touch it."

"I'm not yours!"

"You think this is a game?" Daniel leaned in, his nose brushing mine, his breath smelling of dark bourbon and obsession. "You think I'd let just anyone wear my name? You think I'd stand in front of Miami's finest and declare war for a bet?"

He pulled his phone from his pocket with a jagged movement. He swiped the screen and turned it toward me.

It was a map of the building. A glowing red dot was pulsing exactly where we stood.

"I didn't just meet you last night, Tyla," he murmured, his eyes burning into mine. "I've known where you were every second since you moved in. I put a tracker in that 'welcome' gift your landlord left on your counter. I know when you go to class. I know when you're on your balcony. And I know exactly where you're going tonight."

My blood turned to ice. "You... you're insane. Let me out!"

I reached for the buttons, but Daniel caught my wrists in one hand, pinning them above my head with effortless strength. He reached out with his free hand and pressed the button for the PH-the private penthouse roof.

"You're not leaving, Tyla," he whispered, his lips grazing my jawline, sending a traitorous jolt of electricity through my body. "Not tonight. Not tomorrow. Not ever. You wanted to know if the protectiveness was real? It's very real. But so is the cage."

The elevator didn't stop at the 12th floor. It bypassed my apartment entirely, soaring upward toward the clouds.

"Summer can have the lies," Daniel said, his voice thick with a dark, possessive promise. "But I have you. And I keep what belongs to me."

The elevator chimed. The doors opened to his private sanctuary-a world of dark marble, silk sheets, and no escape.

Tyla tried to struggle, but Daniel didn't give her the chance. In one swift motion, he hooked his arm under her knees and lifted her into his arms. He didn't look at her with kindness anymore; he looked at her like a king who had finally brought his queen home to stay.

As he carried her over the threshold and the elevator doors hissed shut behind them, Tyla realized Summer was right about one thing.

Daniel Thorne had won. But the prize was never her heart,it was her entire life.