"Yeah," Jean replied quietly. "I did."

Her gaze shifted toward the women behind him. "What’s all this?"

Tyler smiled immediately, clearly pleased by the absence of resistance in her voice.

"I picked out a dress for you," he said. "They’re going to help you get ready for tonight."

One of the women stepped forward carefully and opened a large garment bag. Jean’s breath caught slightly at the sight of the dress inside... elegant, expensive, carefully chosen.

Tyler had planned every detail.

Jean forced another smile onto her face despite the exhaustion hollowing her out inside. "Thanks for doing all this for me..."

Tyler’s expression softened almost instantly.

"Don’t thank me for trivial things," he murmured, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear possessively. "I’ll always want the best for my woman."

The words made her stomach tighten painfully.

Still, Jean nodded faintly, playing the role he wanted so desperately to believe.

Satisfied, Tyler leaned down and placed one last kiss against her forehead before stepping away.

"I’ll come get you personally once you’re ready."

Then he left the room.

The door clicked shut behind him.

Silence settled heavily afterward.

The two women immediately began preparing everything without unnecessary conversation... laying makeup products across the vanity, steaming the dress, arranging jewelry. Their movements were efficient and practiced, like this wasn’t the first time they had prepared someone for Tyler Dominic.

Jean watched them carefully through the mirror while sitting silently at the vanity.

One woman gently began styling her hair while the other adjusted the dress nearby. Neither looked at her directly for too long.

Fear.

Jean recognized it immediately.

Not hatred. Not judgment.

Fear.

And suddenly, another thought struck her hard enough to make her chest tighten:

How many people inside this villa are trapped under Tyler’s control just like me?

Jean sat quietly at the vanity while one of the women brushed through her hair with careful movements. Behind her, the other prepared the dress and jewelry in complete silence.

Too much silence.

The room didn’t feel like women helping another woman get ready for dinner.

It felt controlled. Monitored.

Jean studied their reflections through the mirror. They looked young... perhaps only a few years older than her. Beautiful in a tired sort of way. Their expressions remained neutral, but their eyes carried something heavier beneath the surface.

Fear.

Jean decided to test the waters carefully.

"This place is beautiful," she said softly, pretending casual conversation. "Are you both locals here?"

The woman behind her paused only for half a second before continuing to brush Jean’s hair.

No answer.

Jean tried again, gentler this time. "I’ve never been to Greece before. I was wondering what the people here are like."

Still nothing.

Not even a glance.

Only silence.

Jean’s chest tightened slightly.

They weren’t ignoring her naturally.

They had been instructed not to speak.

Her eyes slowly drifted toward the corners of the room again. Cameras probably hidden somewhere. Audio too perhaps. Tyler wasn’t foolish enough to leave her completely unmonitored. Not yet.

Which meant one thing:

Despite the kisses... the soft words... the dinner plans... Tyler still didn’t fully trust her.

Jean lowered her gaze carefully so the women wouldn’t notice the shift in her expression.

Good.

That meant he was watching her closely.

But it also meant he was emotionally invested enough to want to trust her. And emotional people made mistakes eventually.

The woman beside the dress finally spoke for the first time, though her voice sounded almost rehearsed.

"Please stand, Miss Jean."

Jean obeyed quietly while they helped her into the dress Tyler had chosen. The fabric hugged her body elegantly, soft and expensive against her skin.

Like everything else in this villa, it felt beautiful on the outside while hiding something suffocating underneath.

As the women adjusted the final details, Jean caught one of them briefly looking at her through the mirror.

For only a second.

But it was enough.

There was pity in her eyes.

And that terrified Jean more than silence ever could.

The women left as silently as they had entered.

And once the bedroom door clicked shut behind them, the quiet returned again.

Jean stood alone in the middle of the room, dressed like someone preparing for a romantic evening instead of surviving captivity.

The elegant fabric clung softly against her body. Her hair framed her face perfectly. The makeup hid the exhaustion beneath her eyes almost completely.

She barely recognized herself.

Slowly, Jean walked toward the window overlooking the ocean. Darkness had started settling over the coastline now, city lights glittering in the distance like scattered stars. Somewhere beyond those lights, people were living normal lives. Laughing. Eating dinner. Existing freely.

Meanwhile she stood trapped inside a nightmare no one even knew she was alive in.

Her chest tightened painfully at the thought of Logan.

What was he doing right now?

Was he still searching for her?

Or had the world already convinced him she was gone forever?

Jean closed her eyes briefly, leaning her forehead against the cool glass.

And then another thought shattered through her heart.

What would Logan think if he knew I kissed Tyler?

The memory made her stomach twist violently again.

She could still feel Tyler’s hands on her waist. His lips against hers. The way she had forced herself to kiss him back just to survive.

Would Logan understand?

Or would he look at her differently afterward?

Would he still accept her after all this?

A broken breath escaped her lips.

Would she even get the chance to tell Logan how much she truly loved him?

The sound of the bedroom door opening suddenly snapped her out of her thoughts.

Jean turned immediately.

Tyler walked inside dressed in a fitted black suit, his dark hair neatly styled, expensive watch glinting beneath the warm lights. He looked polished. Handsome even.

A monster wrapped beautifully in human skin.

This is how he deceived the world but not me... I would never fall for a man like him.