Chapter Three – The Chains Tighten
919 Words
I should have felt relieved.
Signing that contract meant security, a stable job, a paycheck bigger than anything I’d ever earned. It meant escaping my suffocating life of overdue bills, cheap apartments, and the constant fear of not making it.
But as I followed Damien Blackwood down the dimly lit hallway of his skyscraper, relief was the last thing I felt.
Because I had just sold my freedom.
And the worst part?
I didn’t even know what kind of man I had sold it to.
An Introduction to Power
Damien led me through a set of double doors, and the moment I stepped inside, I knew one thing for certain.
This was his kingdom.
The office was massive, dark wood, black leather, and an entire wall of glass overlooking the New York skyline. The space was cold, impersonal, and intimidating… just like him.
He walked around his desk and sat down, his sharp eyes never leaving me. “You start now.”
I hesitated. “Now?”
“Do you have somewhere better to be?”
I swallowed. No, I didn’t.
His fingers drummed lightly against the desk. “Your first task is simple. Read.”
He slid a stack of legal documents toward me.
I frowned. “What am I looking for?”
He leaned back in his chair, watching me like a predator watching prey. “Mistakes.”
I blinked. “Mistakes?”
“You heard me.”
I stared at the thick stack of contracts. Pages and pages of business jargon I didn’t understand.
He had to be kidding.
But one look at his face told me Damien Blackwood never joked.
I hesitated, my fingers trembling slightly as I picked up the first page. My mind spun at the endless paragraphs of terms I didn’t recognize, mergers, acquisitions, liabilities.
I had no idea what I was doing.
And somehow, I could feel him smirking.
I gritted my teeth, my pride flaring. Fine. If this was some kind of test, I’d pass it.
Even if it killed me.
A Dangerous Game Begins
For the next two hours, I forced myself to read every single word on those pages. I had to re-read sentences three times over before they made sense.
And all the while, I could feel his gaze burning into me.
I refused to look at him. Refused to let him see my frustration.
Finally, I found something.
I squinted at a particular clause on page eighteen, my stomach twisting. “This section contradicts clause 4.2 from the previous page.”
Silence.
I dared a glance at Damien.
His expression had shifted.
The amusement was gone. In its place was something sharper.
He reached for the paper, scanned the section I had pointed out, and then, to my absolute shock, smiled.
Not the smirk I had seen before. A real, genuine smile.
And somehow, that was more terrifying.
“Very good, Sophia,” he murmured.
Something dark flickered in his gaze. A knowing look. A look that said, You’re exactly what I was hoping for.
I shivered.
Rules I Didn’t Know Existed
The day blurred by in a mix of papers, phone calls, and meetings where I mostly sat in silence. I didn’t understand why Damien had hired me, I had no experience in the corporate world.
And yet, every time I doubted myself, his gaze reminded me…
He knew exactly what he was doing.
By the time evening rolled around, my brain felt fried.
I let out a sigh of relief as I gathered my things. “So… what time should I come in tomorrow?”
Damien didn’t look up from his laptop.
“You’re not leaving.”
I froze. “What?”
His eyes flicked to me. Unyielding. Final.
“You belong to me now, Sophia. And I don’t let what’s mine walk away so easily.”
The air in the room turned suffocating.
Belong to him?
I opened my mouth, ready to argue, but he continued before I could protest.
“The contract states you are at my disposal twenty-four hours a day.”
My stomach plummeted.
I had read the contract. But I hadn’t thought… I hadn’t realized…
“You’re staying at my penthouse.”
I took a step back. “No. That’s not happening.”
His expression remained unreadable. “I wasn’t asking.”
The Trap Snaps Shut
I stormed out of his office, my heart hammering in my chest.
I had to get out. Had to breathe.
The elevator doors closed behind me, and I leaned against the wall, shaking.
This was insane. This was,
“Change of plans, Miss Caldwell.”
I yelped, nearly jumping out of my skin.
A man stood beside me. Tall, dressed in black, broad shoulders blocking the exit.
He wasn’t just some employee.
He was security.
A chill swept over me.
I turned back toward the button panel, pressing the ground floor button. Nothing happened.
I pressed it again.
The elevator didn’t move.
I turned to the man, my voice unsteady. “Let me out.”
He didn’t respond.
Instead, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small black keycard.
He slid it into the panel.
The light above the top floor penthouse button flashed.
The doors slid shut.
And then, we were moving.
My chest tightened with panic as the realization slammed into me.
I wasn’t going home.
I was being taken to Damien Blackwood’s penthouse.
I had stepped into his world…
And now, he wasn’t going to let me leave.
- Writer
