Elena’s POV.
The silence after Nikolai’s words felt inside my chest. My heart was still racing. I could feel all three of them watching me, waiting to see if I would break or keep fighting. My hands were clenched so tight that my nails dug into my palms. I forced myself to breathe slower.
If this was really my new life… if I truly had nowhere else to go… then I needed to know the rules.
I lifted my chin and looked straight at Viktor.
“If you’re going to be in charge of me,” I said.
“can I at least go out? Can I go partying? You cannot just lock me inside this mansion forever like some prisoner. I’m not a child.”
For a second, nobody spoke.
Viktor studied me carefully. His half-open shirt and the glass of wine on the table made him look even more dangerous under the low light. He too
