The Vulture
780 Words
The sun had not yet risen when Mia slipped out of Damien’s bed. Her body ached, and her heart felt heavy, like it was made of lead. She moved quietly, gathering her clothes from the floor and dressing in the dim light of the moon. She didn't look at the man sleeping on the other side of the massive bed. She couldn't bear to see his face, not after the things he had called her.
On the nightstand sat the two checks. Ten thousand dollars. She took them, her fingers trembling, and tucked them deep into her pocket. This was her escape. This was her father's safety.
She walked to the door and turned the handle as softly as she could. She stepped out into the long, silent hallway of the mansion, letting out a breath she didn't know she was holding.
"Up early, aren't you?"
The voice made Mia jump so hard she nearly screamed. She spun around, her back hitting the cold wood of Damien's bedroom door.
Standing a few feet away was Richard Cross.
Damien’s cousin was dressed in an expensive silk robe, holding a cup of coffee. He was thinner than Damien, with sharp, bird-like features and eyes that always seemed to be looking for a secret to steal. He was the one person Damien had warned her about... the man who wanted to take the company for himself.
Richard looked at Mia’s messy hair. He looked at her wrinkled clothes and the way she was clutching her pocket. Then, he looked at the door she had just come out of.
"Coming out of the lion's den?" Richard asked, his voice full of fake kindness. "I didn't think Damien allowed anyone to stay the night in his private quarters. He’s very... particular about his space."
"I... I was just leaving," Mia stammered. She tried to walk past him, but Richard stepped to the side, blocking her path.
"You look a bit pale, Mia," he said, his eyes narrowing as they moved down to her stomach and then back to her face. "And you’re shaking. Is my cousin being too rough with his new 'bride'? Or is there something else going on?"
"I'm fine, Richard. Please let me go to my room," Mia said, her voice regaining some of its strength.
Richard tilted his head. He didn't believe her. He had seen the way she looked at food with disgust lately. He had seen the way Damien treated her like a stranger in public and a prisoner in private.
"You know, Mia," Richard whispered, leaning closer. "Damien is a very rich man, but he is also a very dangerous one. If you are hiding something from him—something that might ruin his reputation—he won't be kind when he finds out. But me? I can be very helpful to a girl in trouble."
"I don't know what you're talking about," Mia said. She shoved past him, her heart hammering.
"Don't you?" Richard called out after her. "Then why were you at the pharmacy three days ago, Mia? I saw your car there. You didn't come out with aspirin."
Mia didn't stop. She ran down the hall and slammed her bedroom door shut, locking it instantly. She slid down the door until she was sitting on the floor, her breath coming in gasps.
Richard knew. Or he was very close to knowing.
She reached into her pocket and pulled out the checks. She needed to get this money to a bank. She needed to hide it where Damien couldn't find it. But most of all, she realized that the "golden cage" was full of traps.
Between a husband who thought she was a w***e and a cousin who was hunting her like prey, Mia felt the walls closing in. She had to stay focused. She had to play the game better than both of them.
She walked to her bathroom and splashed cold water on her face. She looked at her reflection. The girl who had entered this house was gone. In her place was a woman with ten thousand dollars in her pocket and a baby to protect.
"I won't let them take you," she whispered to her reflection. "I'll take their money, and then I'll take you far away from here."
But as she spoke, another wave of nausea hit her. She fell to her knees over the toilet, the morning sickness returning with a vengeance.
Outside her door, the house remained silent, but the vultures were already circling.
- Writer
