Sweet Hatred-Chapter 475: Andrew
"Hello, Sarah."
Andrew’s voice was smooth. Pleasant.
Like we were old acquaintances meeting for coffee.
Not like his men had just burst through the door and killed two of their own.
Not like I was zip-tied and bleeding on the concrete floor.
I tried to move... tried to shift my weight, get my feet under me but hands immediately grabbed me.
Rough. Brutal.
They slammed me face-first into the concrete.
The impact knocked the wind out of me, stars exploding behind my eyes.
My hands were wrenched behind my back, restraints pressing into my wrists so tight I felt the circulation cut off immediately.
Then someone grabbed my hair.
Yanked my head up violently, forcing me to look at Andrew.
Pain shot through my scalp, tears springing to my eyes.
Two men pinned me down one knee in my spine, another pressing down on my shoulders.
I couldn’t move.
Could barely breathe.
And Andrew sat there on the metal crate I’d used earlier, looking completely comfortable.
Smiling.
His eyes moved around the room slowly.
Taking in the concrete walls. The minimal supplies. The broken chair still lying on its side.
Then his gaze landed on Aria.
Still tied up. Still gagged. Eyes wide with terror.
"Apologies for the dramatic entrance," Andrew said to her, his tone almost apologetic. "But these things rarely go smoothly."
Then he turned back to me.
The smile widened.
"It’s been difficult tracking you down, Sarah. You’re quite resourceful."
*Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.*
My mind raced, trying to find a way out of this.
But there wasn’t one.
I was pinned. Outnumbered. Outgunned.
And Andrew had found us.
I glared at him with every ounce of hatred I could muster.
"But you made a critical mistake," Andrew continued, standing up slowly.
He walked over to where I was pinned, then crouched down to my level.
Eye to eye.
"You thought Kael was your biggest problem. The manhunt. The police. The FBI."
His expression was almost pitying.
"You forgot about me."
"I’m not useful to you anymore," I said, my voice strained from the pressure on my chest. "There’s no reason for you to be looking for me. Just let me go and forget I ever existed."
Andrew laughed.
Short. Sharp. Mocking.
"That’s where you’re wrong. You’ve become useless, yes. I’ll give you that. But I’m not done with you. Not after the shit you pulled at the club."
The club.
When I’d confronted him about using me. About setting me up to fail.
When I’d lost my temper and—
"Oh, that?" I said, forcing mockery into my voice despite the fear clawing at my throat. "Come on, Andrew. You can’t still be hung up on a girl getting the better of you."
His jaw clenched.
"What’s the matter? Ego still bruised? Pride wounded because you got beaten by someone you thought was beneath you?"
I saw the rage flare in his eyes.
Saw the exact moment I pushed too far.
His hand came up fast.
The slap echoed through the concrete room.
My head snapped to the side, pain exploding across my cheek.
I tasted blood immediately, my lip split, warm copper flooding my mouth.
Andrew grabbed my hair again, wrenching my head back to face him.
"You desperate little bitch," he hissed.
His face was inches from mine.
"You came crawling to me for help. Begging. Practically throwing yourself at my feet because you couldn’t handle your pathetic obsession on your own."
Each word was a knife.
"And when I gave you a chance... gave you resources, a plan, everything you needed... you fucked it up. Then you had the audacity to blame me."
He yanked harder on my hair.
"If you’d just been obedient. If you’d just done what you were told. You wouldn’t be in this mess."
"Following your plan is exactly what got me here," I spat back, blood dripping from my lip. "Your brilliant strategy of sabotaging Kael? It failed. Your idea to frame Kael? Failed. Everything you touch turns to shit, Andrew. Maybe that’s why Daddy gave the company to your brother instead."
The second slap was harder than the first.
My vision blurred.
Blood sprayed from my mouth.
"Shut your fucking mouth," Andrew snarled.
But I could see it in his eyes.
The raw, wounded rage of someone whose deepest insecurity had just been exposed.
He grabbed my jaw, fingers digging in painfully.
"You think you’re clever? You think insulting me makes you brave?"
His grip tightened.
"You’re nothing. A pathetic, desperate woman who destroyed her own life chasing someone who was never going to love her back."
The words hit harder than the slaps.
Because they were true.
---
"GET AWAY FROM HER!"
Aria’s voice cut through the tension.
Muffled by the gag but loud. Desperate.
Andrew ignored her.
Kept his grip on my jaw, kept his eyes locked on mine.
He hit me again.
This time with his fist.
My head snapped back, hitting the concrete.
Everything went white for a second.
"STOP HURTING HER! GET AWAY FROM HER!"
Aria was screaming now.
The sound raw and broken.
Andrew finally released me.
Stood up slowly.
Turned to look at her.
---
"You seem to be doing well," he said pleasantly, like they were having a normal conversation. "Considering Kael has put the entire city on halt looking for you."
He started walking toward her.
Slow. Deliberate.
Every step calculated to maximize the fear.
Aria tried to back up but she was tied to the chair. Couldn’t move.
Could only watch him approach.
"STAY AWAY FROM HER!" I screamed.
The men holding me pressed down harder, driving the air from my lungs.
"She’s not your problem! This is between us! LEAVE HER ALONE!"
Andrew didn’t even glance back.
Just kept walking toward Aria.
"ANDREW! ANDREW, I’M WARNING YOU—"
But my threats were empty.
And he knew it.
He crouched in front of Aria.
Close. Too close.
The smile on his face made my stomach turn.
He pulled something from his pocket.
A small pocket knife.
Flicked it open.
The blade gleamed under the fluorescent light.
"No," I breathed. "No, Andrew, don’t—"
He traced the knife along Aria’s face.
Slowly. Gently. The blade barely touching her skin.
Down her jaw. Along her throat.
Aria was frozen. Eyes wide with terror.
"I’ve always thought you’d look really good..." Andrew murmured, his voice taking on a sickening intimacy. "Under me."
Bile rose in my throat.
"I wonder how Kael would react," he continued, tracing the knife lower. Down her neck. Down to her chest. "If I had my way with you."
The tip of the knife poked against her shirt. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂
Not cutting. Just pressing. A threat.
"ANDREW, LEAVE HER ALONE!"
I was struggling now with everything I had.
Trying to break free from the men holding me down.
"I’M THE ONE YOU WANT! SHE HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THIS!"
Andrew laughed.
Glanced over his shoulder at me.
"You place too much importance on yourself, Sarah."
Then he looked back at Aria.
My stomach dropped.
Because I understood now.
This was never about me.
