“You are my fucking business.”

“No one hurt me!” she shouted back.

His eyes narrowed into slits. “Don’t fucking lie to me.”

“I’m not!” She was cornered, soul weary, and in so much pain she could barely think straight. “It was what was said that...” When her voice broke, she shook her head, angry at her pitching emotions and slashed her hand through the air. “Just words. No one touched me or hurt me in the way you’re thinking. It was nothing.”

“It wasn’t nothing if it made you sick.”

As images crowded her mind, her nails cut into her palm. “I didn’t vomit because of what was said to me.”

Roth’s unblinking gaze was fixed on her face. “This is about Colette?”

“Yes,” she sighed.

“Something happened between Colette and Warren?”

Suddenly uneasy, she took a step back. “That… that isn’t for me to say.”

Roth stood there, blocking her way. He didn’t move or speak for a full minute before he said, “I don’t believe you.”

Her head snapped up. “What?”

“Colette’s a part of it, but this isn’t just about her. Something happened with you too. What did you and Warren talk about?”

“None of your fucking business!” she spat.

He closed the distance between them. This time, he invaded her space and didn’t stop until his hard body was pressed against her.

“You are my fucking business. Every inch of you.”

Business being the operative word. “It’s only your business if it affects your reputation or finances,” she said through clenched teeth. “This doesn’t. This is personal. Therefore—”

He moved so quick, there was no way to counteract him. One moment she was standing, facing him with her hands on her hips and the next she was pinned against the wall, his hand to her throat, and his face was in hers. His eyes were feral. His brutal energy swamped her, making her heart beat thud in her ears.

“You’re mine.”

His even tone didn’t match his aggressive body language.

“Every single aspect of you is my business, not just what affects my money or reputation. Who you speak to is my business. What you wear is my business. Who upsets you is my business whether that’s your sisters or one of the Trenthams.”

What better revenge is there than dressing the woman who ruined you like a slut?

Rage raced through her like fire. She lashed out, uncoordinated, unplanned, but accurate. Roth’s head snapped hard to the left from her slap. She didn’t wait to see his reaction. She flung herself to the side, slipping from his hold and ran through the opening to the rest of the cabin.

**This is a raw draft of Bitter Sins. Please do not share or distribute.

Copyright © 2025 Mia Knight. All Rights Reserved.