Lily's POV
The man in the black suit did not speak as the elevator went up. It was too quiet and I was a wreck. As the numbers lit up one by one. My heart was beating fast in my chest. What was I doing? Where was he taking me?
The elevator doors opened. We then stepped out into a room with a very large space. Everything in it was dark and shiny, even the floor was made with dark wood. The walls were dark too and with no pictures. It felt really empty and cold.
A man stood with his back to us, looking out at the city lights, he seemed to fit in with the room. he then slowly turned to face us, my breath hitch he was the most beautiful man i've ever seen young, and dangerous. He had dark hair and eyes that were even darker. He wore a suit that probably cost more than my life. He was really handsome. and i knew it right there that this was Kaelum Visconti.
He looked at me with a scowl. His eyes moved from my wet hair down to my old, soaked shoes.
"Lily," he said. His voice flat.
"Sit."
I walked to the chair. My wet shoes g,drippin making little noises on the wood floor. I sat in the giant chair gestured to me in front of his desk, feeling like a little mouse even though the chair was really soft and comforting, he stood towering over me.
"I will be direct, I need to get married."
I stared at him with opened mouth "What?"
"I need to get married," he said again, slow and clear.
"It is a business arrangement. My partners prefer a married man. It makes me look… stable, trustworthy. I need a wife for one year. Just one year."
My mind was spinning. "Why… why are you telling me this?"
"Because you are going to be her," he said matter of factly while placing a piece of paper on the desk in front of me. "This is a contract. You will be my wife in public. You will live in my home and you will do as I say. For one year."
I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I shook my head. This was too much. "No". This had to be a joke.
"Do you think your landlord was joking?" he asked, his eyes locked on mine. "Do you think your empty bank account is a joke?
I looked down at my hands. They were folded in my lap, still shaking.
I am offering you a way out. After one year, you will get a divorce. And I will give you one million dollars."
One million dollars??. I could never, ever earn that much money. And I could be free, truly free.
"What's the catch?" I asked, my voice trembling.
"The catch is me," he said, his voice like ice. "The catch is my world. You will do as I say. there will be no freedom for you Lily. You will belong to me. But in one year, you will be rich. What is your choice, Lily?
I stared at him. "Why me?"
"Because you have no one," he said. "No family, no friends, No one to call. No one who will wonder where you went. No one who will miss you. You're perfect for what I need."
His words were like knives. Yet, true, and they hurt.
"Sign it, and your problems disappear."
My hands shook as I picked up the paper. I tried to read the words. They were long and complicated. It talked about rules and duties.
"What if I say no?" I asked.
He smiled, but it wasn't a kind smile. "Then you can go back to the rain darling. Back to being hungry. Back to being nobody."
I thought about sleeping on the street, about being cold and alone. then i thought about never having to be afraid again.
I picked up the pen.
"Wait," Kaelum said. "There's one more thing. If you sign this, you belong to me. Your life is mine for one year. Do you understand?"
I nodded, tears in my eyes.
"Say it," he commanded.
"I understand," I whispered.
I signed my name. And just like that I signed away my freedom.
Kaelum took the paper. "Welcome to your new life, Mrs. Visconti."
He pressed a button. The man who brought me here returned.
"Take her to the mansion," Kaelum said. "She needs to be ready for the gala tomorrow night."
"Gala?" I asked.
But he had already turned back to the window, dismissing me. The man took my arm and led me out of the office.
As we rode down in the elevator, I looked at my reflection in the shiny doors. I looked the same, but everything had changed. I had sold myself to a stranger.
The man drove me to a huge Mansion surrounded by tall gates. He showed me to a bedroom bigger than my whole apartment.
"This is your room," he said. "Mr. Visconti's room is down the hall. You are not to go in there, ever."
Then he left. He closed the door behind him. leaving me alone.
I walked to the big window and looking out, i sighted a beautiful garden below and the rain had stopped. The moon was now shining through the clouds. It was indeed a pretty night.
I was safe. I was warm. I was dry.
I tried to open the window to feel the fresh air. I pushed on the handle. It would not move. I pushed harder. It would not budge. It was locked shut.
A bad feeling started forming in my stomach. I walked quickly to the door, turned the handle, it wouldn't budge either.
But then I realized the truth. It was worse. I had been locked in.
The doors to this room, to this beautiful prison, had been locked from the outside.
My blood ran cold.