Six days passed by and no one came except for the butler, who brought trays of food and left without a word. Even when I asked him questions, he never answered me.
I stood by the window, staring down at the estate. Everything felt cold and lifeless here. In fact it was even worse than the place I ran from.
Speaking of places, my thoughts drifted back to my family. I wondered how they were doing now. Did Claudia and her mother celebrate their victory of finally having me erased? Did my father even notice? Did he even care? And my mother… Did she feel my absence? Or was relieved that I was finally out of her life?
I let out a sigh and tried to push those thoughts away. I shouldn't be thinking about that. I should be more concerned with getting out of this prison.
I made my way to the door. I knew it wouldn't open. But today, something strange happened. As soon as I reached for the handle, the door opened. I didn't know if I should be happy or scared. What if this was a trap?
Before I could think further, a presence enveloped me. Unlike anything I have ever felt before, this was alarming. I slowly raised my head, my heart pounding wildly inside my chest, and when I saw it, a gasp almost escaped my lips. He couldn't be a human, right? It was as if I died and went to hell and a demon in his human form stood before me.
This man, if he was a man, was beautiful. No, that was an understatement. Alluring. He was tall with broad shoulders, his dark hair was neatly styled and his features were dark, sharp, and cold. But it wasn't his appearance that unsettled me; it was his eyes.
They were piercing, midnight blue that seemed colder than glacier, and when he looked at me, my lungs froze.
"You're alive?" he finally said, his deep voice void of any emotion.
I stared at him, stunned. Did he just ask if I was alive?
"Who are you…?" I whispered, my voice trembling.
He didn't answer. Instead, he studied me for a long moment, before walking past me, his polished shoes clicking against the floor. He stopped at the table and dropped some papers.
"Sit," he said, not glancing at me.
When I didn't move, "I said sit," he repeated, his tone sharper this time
Swallowing the lump in my throat, I moved slowly to the chair opposite him. My hands trembled as I sat down.
"I'm Alexander Vaughn, CEO of AV Holdings," he introduced. "And you… Miss Steele."
I blinked twice. He knew me? How?
He pushed the papers to me and put a pen on top. "Sign this."
Sign what? How could he just meet me and tell me to sign? I glanced down at the papers and my jaw dropped as the first few words written in bold ink caught my eyes. Marriage contract?! What?!
I abruptly stood up from the chair. "Sir… you're joking…"
"Do I look like I'm joking?"
No, he didn't. I shook my head in disbelief. "Sir… I… I can't sign this… I don't even know you. I can't–"
"You can," he interrupted. "And you will."
"No, I won't. You can't force me into this," I strongly insisted.
His gaze darkened. Then he rose to his feet and started approaching me. I shifted in fear as I felt his presence behind me, before he gently placed his hands on my shoulders and carefully forced me back to sit down.
"I saved your life," he uttered, leaning over so that I could feel his breath on my neck. "You own your life to me now, and you will do what I say."
A shiver crawled down my spine as his words rang through my ears. Since when did saving someone's life give the right to own it?
I clenched my fists, forcing myself up to meet his gaze. He might think I was some helpless girl he could control, but he was wrong.
"I appreciate what you did. But I don't owe you anything. I'll find a way to repay you someday. For now, I'm leaving."
I grabbed my bag and turned toward the door, expecting him to block my way. Instead, he didn't even flinch. Just as I reached for the handle, the door swung open, and the blonde guy from a few days ago entered, pushing a cart laden with food. He bowed slightly to Alexander before locking the door behind him. My shoulders dropped. What were they doing? Trapping me here?
"Miss Steele, you must be hungry," Alexander said, flatly, almost sounding bored. He gestured toward the cart. "Eat. Once you're done, we'll continue."
Continue?
Before I could respond, he walked out of the room, his blonde accomplice following close behind. And the door clicked shut again.