THE GLASS CAGE
1270 Words
The SUV moved through the city like a silent predator.
I sat as far away from Xavier as possible, pressed against the door, watching the familiar, grimy streets of my neighborhood dissolve into the neon-lit perfection of the downtown core. For twenty years, the skyline had been something I looked at from a distance, a shimmering mountain of glass and ego that had nothing to do with me.
Now, I was being sucked right into the center of it.
"You can stop gripping the handle, Jade," Xavier said, not looking up from his phone. The blue light of the screen sharpened the edges of his face. "The child locks are on. You aren't jumping out at a red light."
"I wasn't going to jump," I lied, my knuckles white. "I was just making sure the door was shut."
"Naturally." He finally tucked the phone away and turned to look at me. "We’re heading to my residence at The Apex. You’ll have the north wing. It’s private, secure, and most importantly, far enough away from my father’s security detail that we can keep the 'contract' details between us."
"The Apex?" I whispered. It was the tallest residential building in the country. The penthouse alone cost more than the GDP of a small nation. "Of course you live there."
"It’s convenient for work."
"It’s a fortress for people who are afraid of the world," I snapped back.
He didn't argue.
He just watched me with that unsettling, quiet intensity. "Maybe. But for the next thirty days, it’s home."
When the car pulled into the underground garage, the transition was jarring. Everything was white marble and polished steel. A private elevator waited for us, opening with a soft chime. There were no buttons, just a biometric scanner that recognized Xavier’s thumbprint.
As the elevator shot upward, my ears popped. I stared at my reflection in the mirrored walls. I looked like a disaster. My hair was a mess from a day in the lab, my sweater had a coffee stain on the sleeve, and I was carrying a duffel bag that had a broken zipper. I looked exactly like what I was: a girl whose life had just been bought.
The elevator doors slid open directly into the living room.
I’d seen pictures of places like this in magazines, but being inside one was different. It didn't feel like a home; it felt like a museum. The walls were mostly floor-to-ceiling glass, offering a terrifyingly beautiful view of the city lights below. Everything was shades of grey, cream, and chrome. There were no family photos. No cluttered bookshelves. No signs of life.
"Your room is through those doors," Xavier said, gesturing toward a hallway. "My assistant, Marcus, has already stocked it with the essentials. If you need anything else, there’s an intercom."
"I don't need 'essentials,' Xavier. I have my bag."
He glanced at my duffel bag and then back at me. "Jade, you’re about to be the most photographed woman in the city. You cannot show up to a Knight gala wearing a hoodie that looks like it was chewed by a dog."
"It’s comfortable," I defended, feeling a hot flush of embarrassment.
"It’s a liability. Go change. We have dinner in forty minutes. My father is expecting us at Le Sel."
"Tonight? You said I had time."
"I said we had thirty days. Every hour we spend pretending I'm single is an hour my father spends drafting Lucas's promotion. Move."
I glared at him, but I moved.
My 'guest suite' was larger than my entire apartment. The bed was a cloud of white silk, and the bathroom was bigger than my kitchen. On the bed sat a series of boxes and a garment bag. I opened it to find a dress that looked like it was spun from midnight, a deep, navy silk that felt like water against my fingers.
I didn't want to wear it. I wanted to put on my oversized pajamas and hide under the covers until this nightmare ended. But then I remembered my mother’s face. I remembered the $200,000 debt.
I showered quickly, the water pressure alone enough to tell me I wasn't in the slums anymore. I put on the dress. It fit perfectly, hugging every curve I usually tried to hide under baggy lab coats. I looked in the mirror and didn't recognize the girl staring back. She looked expensive. She looked like she belonged here.
When I walked back out into the living room, Xavier was standing by the window, a glass of amber liquid in his hand. He had changed into a tailored suit, his tie perfectly knotted.
He heard my heels click on the marble and turned around.
The silence that followed was heavy. He didn't say anything for a long time. His gaze traveled from my face down to the hem of the dress and back up again. For the first time, I saw a flicker of something in his eyes that wasn't boredom. It was heat.
"The dress fits," he said, his voice a little lower than before.
"It’s tight," I grumbled, tugging at the neckline. "I feel like I can't breathe."
"Good," he murmured, walking toward me. "That means you’ll stay alert."
He stopped right in front of me and reached into his pocket. He pulled out the diamond ring from earlier. "Hand."
I hesitated, then held out my left hand. His fingers were cool as he slid the ring onto my finger. It was heavy, a constant reminder of the weight of the lie I was telling.
"Rule number one, Jade," he said, his hand lingering on mine for a second too long. "In public, we are obsessed with each other. You look at me like I’m the sun, and I look at you like I’m starving. If you flinch when I touch you, the deal is off."
"I don't flinch," I lied. My heart was thumping against my ribs so hard I was sure he could see it through the silk.
"We'll see." He leaned in closer, his scent wrapping around me again. "My father is a shark. He’ll look for any c***k in the story. He’ll ask you about our first date. He’ll ask you what you love about me."
"I'll tell him I love your shoes," I said dryly. "They’re very shiny."
Xavier actually smiled, not the cold smirk, but a real, quick flash of teeth. "Try harder than that, Jade. Tell him you love my ambition. Tell him you love that I don't take 'no' for an answer."
"I think he'll already know that part."
"Probably." He let go of my hand and checked his watch. "The car is downstairs. Remember, Jade: you aren't a microbiology student tonight. You’re the woman who tamed Xavier Knight. Act like it."
I took a deep breath, clutching my small clutch bag like a shield. I looked out the window one last time, watching the city lights. Down there, someone was probably scrubbing a beaker in a lab. Someone was counting quarters for the laundry.
I wasn't that girl tonight. I was a fake fiancée with a diamond ring and a debt to pay.
"Let’s go," I said, stepping toward the elevator.
I didn't look back at the glass cage. I knew the real prison was waiting for me at the dinner table.
- Writer
