The Billionaire's Substitute Wife

Chapter4

Serena's POV

Slowly, my eyes fluttered open. I looked around me, memories of the past few hours coming to me. The blindfold was no longer on my eyes, I could see where I was. A luxurious and tastefully furnished room. Who knew kidnappers could own such a nice place? Or was this a hotel? I moved my arms and realized I wasn't bound. My feet were not strapped to the bed frame either. A smile played out on my face and relief flooded me.

I couldn't help but wonder if the man who has become my husband, realized that I was missing. I also wondered if Ethan knew. I couldn't help the odd feeling that Ethan was responsible for my kidnap. But why would he kidnap me?

I pulled the sheets away and climbed out of the bed. I walked to the door and just like I thought, it was locked.

"Anybody here?" I said, scanning the room for a way out. "Why would you guys keep me away from my dear husband?" My voice got louder as my hands rested on my hips. I paddled to the window and looked out through it. There was a wide lake down there, and I had never seen anything like it. This place was unfamiliar. I was probably in a strange city. I guessed that I was perhaps on the fifth floor. Given that I had an extreme fear of heights, jumping was out of the question. Taking another glance down didn't seem wise, either. I stepped away.

I returned to my bed, about to settle in. I could feel my stomach rumble. "I'm hungry!" I said out loud, aware that the kidnappers were probably watching me through a camera. Although I couldn't see any of the men who I imagined were huge and ugly in the room, I was certain that they were keenly taking note of every move I made.

A phone began to ring. I looked around, confused. The ringtone was mine. Why would they leave my phone with me? I was genuinely curious. I reached out for it and grabbed it from the table. The phone was mine and It was my father's call.

"Good evening, pumpkin," He said. I could picture him grinning. His age-given gap teeth revealed. I still couldn't understand why he gave me away like he did. But that was the least of my worries at the moment. I needed to get out of here, somehow.

"Dad!" I responded with a sense of urgency, taking another glance around the room and swallowing hard, so I don't break down while speaking.

"Yes, pumpkin. You sound a lot more relaxed, now. I told you he isn't that bad."

With a voice lower than a whisper, I said to him, "I was kidnapped."

"Huh?" He didn't seem to believe me.

"I don't know where this is, Dad. I'm going to check my location right now. I was kidnapped this evening, right outside the wedding hall."

He paused, so did I. The silence lingered for a few seconds. He finally said, "I don't believe that." He took a deep breath and continued speaking, "You're just playing games with me. Happy married life." Without any further hesitation, my father hung up the phone. Every affection I felt towards him died at that moment.

I tried calling him back, but it wouldn't go through. "What the f**k?" I said, letting out a sigh. I began to surf through my contact list, wondering who would be able to help.

The fact that my father knew I could be hurt or at great risk, but didn't seem to care made me develop a strange dislike for him. As tears made another attempt to find their way out, I used my elbow to dab them off.

My phone was almost out of battery, so I needed to find someone. Anyone.

"Hello!" I said, my heart racing as my eyes scanned the room for the umpteenth time.

"Hi," He responded, calmly.

"Where are you? Listen, I'll check my location right now, I need your help. I was kidnapped minutes ago and I know this sounds crazy because we haven't spoken in a while, but I need help and you're the only one I can think of at the moment."

"What the f**k, Serena?" He said, with obvious disbelief. "Your pictures are everywhere. I know you got married today and I know you didn't tell me because well, you got married to the previously anonymous celebrity and CEO."

"I'm serious!" I threw both hands in the air, letting my phone go. "I'm f*****g serious. This whole thing is a facade of some sort and I'm lost trying to find a way out of it. More riddles keep popping up, and honestly, I'm exhausted. Right after the wedding, I stood outside at the city hall, talking to Ethan, and then..."

The door creaked and slowly opened. My heart skipped as I looked up at it. I was curious to see who the kidnapper was. For some reason, I didn't feel endangered. Whoever it was, probably just wanted money. It was either that or the kidnapper was a love interest. Either way, I was certain that I would make it out of the room healthy.

I saw a shadow but no one. I swallowed hard and put the phone speaker on my lips. "Please, track my location. Do something. Anything. Get me out of here!" I had just one percent left, the phone was about to die.

Bang! A sound came from behind the shadow, sending shivers down my spine and causing a bolt of adrenaline to travel up my spine. I suddenly realized that I was kidnapped and whoever this was, could shoot me. He had shot the wall next to me and surely, that could have been me.

"Keep the phone!" The unfamiliar voice said as the shadow drew closer. I put the phone on the bed and kicked it away from me, raising both hands into the air.

"Please don't harm me, sir. I don't have any money, nor does my father. He lost all his money recently, he isn't wealthy anymore. Please let me go. I'll do anything."

"Anything?" He responded, chuckling. "Are you sure?"

I soon realized how broad that statement was. Tears were falling freely to the sheets as the scary figure approached the door. I spotted his outfit. A black hoodie. He was tall and huge. Probably taller than Ethan and all of my other suspects. Even more huge than they were, as well.

I guessed he had a remote control with him because somehow, he turned the lights in the room off. I felt his weight on the bed as he dropped a knee and then his whole body.

"What do you want from me?" I asked, shivering.

The man pulled me close and stroked my neck, breathing on my skin. "It's not much, I promise. Just take your clothes off."

"What the f**k?" I retorted, shivering at the odd request he made.

"You are not as smart as you think you are. Isn't this familiar to you, Serena? This scene, this room, all of this?" He took the cap of the hoodie off and memories flashed back to me. The tattoo by his left breast. Although the room was dark, I could see the silhouette of it. I gasped and cupped my lips with my hands. "What do you want from me?”