Submitting to my Ex Uncle-Chapter 222

The first thing that pulled him back to reality was the cold. The cold seized him.

A bucket of icy water splashed over him, jerking him back into his body. The shock ripped a gasp out of his lungs. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

He blinked into the light. The room smelled like old smoke and leather, and something else.... cheap perfume trying to cover rot.

He was tied. His wrists were spread wide against the beam. A slow creak came from the rope each time he breathed. The floor beneath his feet was stained with a colour darker than water.

Footsteps moved around him. Hearing how measured, and deliberate the footsteps sounded, he knew who it was

"Elias."

The voice was calm, and steady. Too calm to belong to a friend, an ally, or someone who cares.

Carlos.

He stepped into the light. His expression was half-shadowed. A ring glinted as he dragged his vape across his lips. He exhaled slowly. The smoke curled upward, tracing the line of his jaw.

"Theresa said you’re in love with the girl," Carlos said quietly, circling him like a thought that wouldn’t leave. "Was that why you told us to wait?"

Elias said nothing. His head hung low. A small drop of water slid from his chin to the floor. He tried to take in a calm breath.

Carlos stopped behind him. "I’m speaking to you."

A fist met his ribs, sharp, and solid. He hissed, as his body jerked against the restraints. The rope cut deeper.

Elias coughed, but still didn’t answer.

Carlos sighed as if bored. "Do you know what I hate most?" He came around again. His tone was lighter now, almost teasing. "Waiting. Especially when I’m told to wait by someone I made."

The word made had him clenching his fist.

"I wasn’t in love with her," Elias muttered finally. His voice came out hoarse. He lifted his head just enough for the light to catch the bruise on his cheek. "Everything I did was for you. But I still think we shouldn’t rush."

Carlos studied him, then smiled faintly. "So you’re protecting her?"

Elias gave a dry laugh that broke halfway. "I’m protecting the job. You taught me better than to mix feelings with business."

Carlos hummed. "That I did." He took another pull of smoke, his eyes fixed on Elias. "But you also taught me that hesitation means weakness. And weakness," he said softly, "spreads."

He gave a signal. A lazy flick of his hand, and another man in the corner stepped forward. The whip cracked once, slicing the air before it landed across Elias’s back.

The sound was clean, and the pain damaged him.

Elias let out a quiet breath through his teeth. His body tightened, but he didn’t make a sound. His blood hit the floor, falling slowly.

Carlos tilted his head. "You’re still asking for time," he said, amused. "You think time is something I give."

Elias smirked through the sweat. "You’d have to give me tomorrow first."

Carlos’s lips twitched. "Still joking."

He stepped closer, dragging his chair from the corner. The legs scraped the floor in a sound that made Elias’s jaw tighten. Carlos sat down, his knees brushing Elias’s.

"You were always good with words," Carlos murmured. "That’s what I liked about you. You knew how to sound loyal even when you were lying."

"I’m not lying."

Carlos leaned forward. "Then prove it."

Elias’s breath came slowly, and steadily. "I can get you both girls," he said quietly. "You give me time, and I’ll bring them to you myself."

Carlos smiled, faint and cruel. "Still bargaining."

The whip struck again, across the shoulder this time. Elias groaned, his head falling forward. His voice was lower now, but it didn’t break.

"I said I’ll do it."

Carlos stood, exhaling smoke toward the ceiling. His steps circled Elias again, calm and cold. "You’re lucky, Elias. I don’t kill the useful ones."

Elias let out a rough laugh. "You wouldn’t dare. You like me too much."

Carlos stopped, his back to him. His jaw tightened. "Don’t mistake usefulness for affection."

"I wouldn’t dream of it."

Silence stretched between them, thin, and sharp. The other men in the room shifted uneasily, waiting for another command. Carlos didn’t give one. He just stood there, watching Elias as if weighing something in his head.

Then, slowly, he walked back. He came close enough that Elias could feel his breath near his ear.

"Tell me," Carlos whispered. "When you look at her, does she make you forget what you are?"

Elias turned his face slightly. "She makes me remember."

Carlos smiled. It wasn’t kind. "Then that’s worse."

Elias could feel the heat of his words against his skin.

Carlos moved even closer. His mouth near his temple, as his voice dropped into a dangerous whisper.

"Michelle."

Everything inside Elias froze.

The world went white.

Before Carlos could lean back, Elias snapped. His head jerked forward and slammed into Carlos’s face with a crack that echoed. Blood spattered across his own chest.

Carlos stumbled backward, with one hand flying to his nose.

"Did I not ask you never to call me that?" Elias’s voice thundered through the room, raw, shaking the silence that followed.

The men moved instantly, ready to strike but Carlos’s raised hand froze them all in place. His fingers trembled as he wiped the blood from his face, but his smile was back.

He looked at Elias through the haze of smoke and fury. "Good," he said softly, his voice flat now. "Keep that fire."

He stepped close again, blood streaking down his upper lip. "Now I want you to use that energy on her."

Elias stared at him, his breathing rough.

Carlos leaned in until their foreheads nearly touched. "Don’t test me. Don’t try to find out what I can do. Or you’ll be the first to hold her dead body."

The threat landed cold and real. Then, with a small flick of his wrist, Carlos snapped his fingers.

The ropes came loose.

The men stepped forward immediately, untying Elias, rough but silent.

Elias stumbled forward, his hands burning where the ropes had been.

Carlos’s voice followed him, low and even. "Now go clean yourself up. And when you see her, remember what name I called you tonight."

Elias didn’t answer. He just laughed once under his breath, a broken sound that barely made it past his teeth.

Carlos smiled, blood still dripping from his nose. "Good. Good boy."

The door opened. Light from the hallway bled into the room, swallowing the shadows for a second before closing again.