Can’t Win Me Back by Ginger Sue

Zoe exclaimed, "Landon! Where are you taking me? What else are you going to do to me?"
Just moments ago, Zoe was still causing a racket. Now, she was completely terrified. Yet, she remained stubborn and refused to beg for forgiveness. She shouted from behind Landon, "Have you forgotten the oath you pledged before Dad's grave?
"You said you would love and protect me all your life! Is this how you keep your promise to our dead father?"
Upon hearing that, Landon stopped in his tracks.
A million thoughts bombarded his mind. He felt like his heart was sinking in quicksand; exhaustion gnawed at him from all the struggling he'd been forced to do.
Slowly, with trembling hands, he unfurled his palms. These were the hands that once wove through his younger sister's silky hair, hands that fed her, cradled her, and hoisted her high in the air. Hands that, in happier times, grasped hers as they raced through the park, laughter echoing in their wake.
He was her older brother. Yet, he had taken on the role of a father from an early age. He did all he could to fill the void left behind by their late father during her formative years.
Yet, these same hands also harbored a simmering hatred for the family member who had shattered him. Now, with these very hands, he was severing the familial bond.
A tear escaped and dropped onto his palm.
"I vowed to love my younger sister. You, on the other hand, have been taken over by jealousy and desire. You're nothing but a parasitic monster."
With those final words, Landon walked away.
Zoe's heart plummeted to her stomach. Her expression was blank. It was as if her soul had left her body. Regret washed over her in a tidal wave. However, there was no turning back.
Night had fallen by the time Landon walked out of the abandoned manor.
Axel was leaning against the sports car's hood and smoking a cigarette. Spotting Landon, he threw the cigarette at his feet and stomped it out.
"Hey, Axel. You're still here." Landon approached Axel. The former's face was pale.
"I didn't dare leave, in case you did something rash. Jasper wanted me to keep an eye on you." Axel feigned relief. "Fortunately, you didn't go overboard." "Were you worried that I'd kill her?" Landon shook his head and continued, "I won't take her life. Jasper doesn't want blood on my hands. I don't want to disappoint him."
Axel fixed his eyes on Landon, hesitant to speak.
"Do you think it's unreasonable how I treat my sister?" Landon's voice wavered, his emotions barely contained.
Axel crossed his arms and briefly pondered before responding, "Let me think about this from a different perspective. If Lyse were the victim, I would have been even more brutal than you. I'd kill her, and no one would be able to stop me."
Landon lowered his head. He felt really tired. "Axel, I'm not sure why, but my heart still hurts, but I don't regret it."
Following Zoe's abduction, the police conducted an exhaustive search throughout the night, but she remained elusive.
The surveillance camera at the scene had been hacked, and both officers on duty didn't manage to get a good look at the abductor's face before they were each injected with a tranquilizer.
Zoe had vanished in plain sight.
The next day, an emergency board meeting was held at Harper Group. Unanimously, all board members voted for Landon to be officially promoted.
He hadn't even turned 30 and had already taken over the Harper Group and become the head of the Harper family. He was now the chairman of both the company and its board of directors.
Dressed impeccably in a black suit, Landon occupied the head of the conference table, receiving applause and well wishes from the attendees. Though now perched atop the pinnacle of power, his expression remained neutral.
Despite being the leader, Landon didn't appear particularly elated. After all, he had never wanted any of this.
Right at that moment, the meeting room door flung open.
"I object!" Penelope burst in, her eyes ablaze with fury. She glared and shouted angrily in front of all the board members. "Landon, you are such a cold-blooded and ruthless creature!
"I am a major shareholder at Harper Group. I have shares on hand too! I disagree with you being the head of the family! You're someone who even dared to harm your own sister! You're immoral and selfseeking. What gives you the right to be in charge of Harper Group?"