He released her abruptly, his expression turning terrifyingly dark. His teeth ground together, and his eyes practically glowed with lethal rage. "How dare he touch you?"
With that, he spun around and stormed toward the door.
Panic spiked in Willa's chest. She snatched the dress from the bed, hastily throwing it on as she chased after him.
"Randal!" she yelled. "I was just saying that to make you mad. Don't do anything stupid."
Randal halted, turning slowly to look at her. A bitter, self-deprecating smile twisted his lips, and the emotion in his eyes was unreadable. "Trying to protect him? Hoping I'll let him off the hook?"
Willa froze, unsure for a second whether to say yes or no.
After a moment's hesitation, she finally nodded.
Randal stalked back toward her, stopping just a foot away. His expression remained fierce, his voice ominously low. "Trying to make me mad? You really care about him that much?"
She had no safe answer to these loaded questions, so she chose to stay silent, hoping he would drop the subject.
Randal's gaze darkened, a heavy shadow of obsession falling over his eyes.
He took another step forward, completely erasing the distance between them.
"Not talking? Does that mean yes?"
His cold fingertips traced the line of her cheek. Willa smelled the distinct scent of danger and stumbled backward in panic.
He clamped his hand around her wrist, jerking her forward effortlessly. His voice was eerily calm. "Willa, you've been a bad girl."
He pulled off his necktie, a chilling, humorless smirk forming on his face.
"Since you refuse to behave, you need to be punished."
Before Willa could react, he wrapped the necktie around her wrists, deftly tying a knot.
"Randal! What are you doing?!" she gasped, frantically trying to tear the tie off with her other hand, but he easily subdued her. Both her wrists were forced together and firmly bound in front of her.
The tie wasn't uncomfortably tight, nor did it chafe, but the utter helplessness of being restrained made panic bubble up in her chest.
"Randal, are you a total psycho?"

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