six
1532 Words
The hallway felt different this time.
Quieter.
Heavier.
Like the air itself knew she didn’t belong here.
Lia walked between the two guards, her footsteps muffled by the thick carpet beneath her feet. The soft lighting cast long shadows along the walls, making everything feel distant and unreal.
A few hours ago, she had been in her cramped apartment, arguing with herself over lines of code.
Now she was walking through the private floor of one of the most dangerous men in Europe.
“Unbelievable,” she muttered under her breath.
“What was that?” one of the guards asked.
“Nothing.”
They reached the elevator again. One of the men pressed the button, and the doors slid open instantly, as if they had been waiting.
Lia stepped inside.
The mirrored walls reflected her from every angle.
She barely recognized herself.
Same face.
Same clothes.
But something had changed.
Or maybe… everything had.
The elevator moved upward this time.
Not down.
Lia frowned slightly.
“I thought his office was already at the top,” she said.
“It is,” one of the men replied.
“Then where are we going?”
“You’ll see.”
She rolled her eyes.
“Everyone here says that.”
Neither of them responded.
The elevator chimed softly after a few seconds.
The doors opened.
Lia stepped out—and stopped.
This floor was nothing like the one below.
The lighting was warmer.
The space more open.
Less corporate… more personal.
A long hallway stretched ahead, lined with dark wooden doors instead of glass walls.
“This doesn’t look like an office,” she said slowly.
“It isn’t.”
Her stomach tightened slightly.
“Then what is it?”
The guard glanced at her.
“Living quarters.”
Lia blinked.
“Living quarters?”
“For you.”
Her steps slowed.
“No,” she said immediately.
“I didn’t agree to live here.”
“You agreed to work for him.”
“That doesn’t mean I move in.”
The guard didn’t argue.
He just kept walking.
Lia clenched her jaw and followed.
They stopped in front of one of the doors.
The guard opened it.
“Inside.”
Lia hesitated.
Then stepped in.
And froze.
The room was… huge.
Not just big—luxurious.
A king-sized bed sat in the center, covered in soft, neutral-colored sheets. Floor-to-ceiling windows stretched along one wall, revealing a breathtaking view of the city lights below.
A sitting area occupied the corner, complete with a couch, a low table, and a sleek television mounted on the wall.
To the side, a door stood slightly open, revealing what looked like a private bathroom.
Lia turned slowly in place.
“This is a joke,” she said.
“No.”
She looked back at the guard.
“I’m not staying here.”
“Yes, you are.”
Her frustration flared.
“You don’t get to decide that!”
“The decision has already been made.”
“By him.”
“Yes.”
Lia let out a sharp breath.
“Of course.”
She walked further into the room, her arms crossed tightly.
“This is ridiculous.”
“It’s secure.”
“I don’t care if it’s secure.”
“It’s necessary.”
“For what?” she snapped.
“For you.”
She turned to face him.
“What does that even mean?”
The guard didn’t answer immediately.
Then he said,
“There are people who would be very interested in someone with your skills.”
Lia frowned.
“Interested how?”
“In ways that wouldn’t end well for you.”
A chill slid down her spine.
She hadn’t thought about that.
Not really.
“You’re saying staying here protects me?” she asked.
“Yes.”
She huffed.
“Or traps me.”
The guard didn’t deny it.
That silence said everything.
Lia looked around the room again.
The beautiful, expensive, controlled space.
A gilded cage.
“You can’t seriously expect me to be okay with this,” she said.
“We don’t expect you to be okay with it,” the guard replied calmly.
“We expect you to adapt.”
She let out a quiet, humorless laugh.
“Right.”
Of course.
Adapt or break.
Those were the only real options here.
“Your things will be brought here in the morning,” he added.
“I don’t need them.”
“Yes, you do.”
“I can manage.”
“That’s not the point.”
Lia shook her head.
“I hate this place already.”
“That will pass.”
“I doubt it.”
The guard stepped back toward the door.
“Get some rest,” he said.
“You’ll start work tomorrow.”
Lia frowned.
“Work already?”
“You don’t get a grace period.”
“Figures.”
He paused at the door.
“If you need anything, there’s a phone on the table.”
Lia glanced at it.
Of course there was.
Always watched.
Always controlled.
“Goodnight,” he said.
The door closed behind him.
The click echoed softly in the room.
Lia stood there for a moment, completely still.
Then she exhaled slowly.
“Okay,” she muttered.
“Okay… don’t panic.”
She walked toward the window.
The city stretched endlessly below her, glowing under the night sky.
From up here, everything looked small.
Distant.
Her old life felt like it was miles away.
Because it was.
Lia pressed her hand lightly against the glass.
“This is temporary,” she whispered.
It had to be.
There was no way she was staying here forever.
No way she was becoming part of his world.
No way—
A soft sound behind her made her freeze.
The door.
It hadn’t opened.
But she felt it.
That shift in the air.
Someone else was in the room.
Lia turned slowly.
And there he was.
Nikolai leaned casually against the door, as if he had been there for a while.
Watching.
Her heart skipped.
“How long have you been standing there?” she asked.
“Long enough.”
“That’s creepy.”
“Noted.”
She crossed her arms.
“Don’t you knock?”
“No.”
“Of course you don’t.”
Silence settled between them.
Then he pushed himself off the door and stepped further into the room.
“What do you think?” he asked.
Lia looked around.
Then back at him.
“I think it’s too much.”
“For you?”
“For anyone.”
Nikolai tilted his head slightly.
“You’ll get used to it.”
“I don’t want to.”
“That doesn’t change anything.”
She sighed.
“Yeah, I’m starting to notice that’s a theme with you.”
A faint smile touched his lips.
Then his gaze shifted slightly, more serious now.
“Are you settling in?”
Lia raised an eyebrow.
“You mean, am I comfortable being kidn*pped and relocated into a luxury prison?”
“Something like that.”
“Then no.”
He nodded once.
“Fair.”
She watched him carefully.
“You didn’t come here just to ask that.”
“No.”
“Then why are you here?”
A brief pause.
Then he said,
“To give you your first task.”
Lia blinked.
“You’re serious?”
“Yes.”
“Right now?”
“Yes.”
She stared at him.
“You really don’t believe in easing people into things, do you?”
“No.”
She sighed again.
“Okay,” she said. “What do you want me to do?”
Nikolai’s eyes locked onto hers.
“There’s someone trying to access one of my private networks.”
Lia frowned.
“And you want me to stop them.”
“Yes.”
“That’s it?”
“No.”
Something in his tone made her pause.
“What else?”
His expression darkened slightly.
“I want you to find out who they are.”
A small chill ran through her.
“Why?”
Nikolai’s gaze didn’t waver.
“Because,” he said quietly,
“They’re using the exact same method you used.”
Silence filled the room.
Lia’s heart skipped.
“That’s not possible,” she said.
“It is.”
She shook her head slightly.
“No,” she insisted. “I didn’t share that method with anyone.”
“I believe you.”
“Then how—”
“That,” Nikolai interrupted softly,
“is what I want you to find out.”
Lia stared at him.
Something about this felt… wrong.
Too precise.
Too familiar.
“Okay,” she said slowly.
“I’ll look into it.”
Nikolai nodded once.
“Good.”
He turned toward the door.
Then paused.
“And Lia?”
She looked at him.
“What?”
His eyes held hers for a moment.
“Welcome to my world.”
The door closed behind him.
And for the first time since she had been taken—
Lia felt something other than fear.
Curiosity.
And something much more dangerous.
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