SUGAR BABY

Chapter:4 Stepping into the golden cage

By noon the following day, the dusty street where Glory had lost her home felt a million miles away.

Alexander’s word was absolute. Before the morning sun had fully risen, a private ambulance escorted Hope to the state's top cardiac centre, fully paid for under Alexander’s private account. The loan sharks had been permanently called off—their legal hold erased by a single phone call from Alexander’s lawyers.

Hope was safe. But Glory was no longer free.

"Hold still, please, Miss Glory," a sharp-eyed stylist murmured, adjusting the delicate shoulder straps of an obsidian-black silk gown.

Glory stood before a floor-to-ceiling mirror in the dressing room of an elite boutique in downtown Manhattan. The reflection looking back at her was that of a total stranger. Gone was the high school graduate in worn sneakers and a frayed jacket; in her place was a woman wrapped in dark elegance. Diamonds glittered at her collarbone, and her dark hair fell in sleek, shimmering waves down her back.

The door clicked open. Alexander stepped into the suite.

He wore a custom tuxedo, his imposing presence immediately filling the room. His icy grey eyes swept over Glory, starting at her bare shoulders, travelling down the line of her waist, and settling on her face. The intense, unblinking focus in his gaze sent a sudden heat straight to her core.

"Leave us," Alexander instructed quietly. The stylists instantly gathered their materials and exited without a word.

Glory swallowed hard, holding her posture straight. "Will I do? Or are there more rules about how I'm supposed to look?"

Alexander approached her slowly, his heavy steps muffled by the thick carpet. He stopped right behind her, meeting her eyes in the mirror. He reached out, his long, warm fingers brushing a stray lock of hair away from the back of her neck. His touch sent an electric shock down her spine.

"You look stunning, Glory," he murmured, his voice low and dangerous. "Which means you will draw eyes tonight. And that brings us to the rules of your contract."

Glory turned around to face him, forcing her chin up. "I'm listening."

"Tonight is the Vantage Gala—a gathering of the city's most powerful elite," Alexander said, his eyes locking onto hers with absolute authority. "You will stay by my side. You will speak only when spoken to, smile when necessary, and play the part of a woman entirely captivated by me."

"And when we leave?" Glory challenged, her stubborn pride flaring up despite the undeniable magnetic pull between them. "Do I go back to being an ornament you store in a drawer?"

Alexander stepped closer, closing the distance between them until her chest lightly brushed against his lapels. The scent of sandalwood enveloped her, intoxicating and thick.

"When we leave," Alexander whispered, leaning down so his breath fanned against her ear, "you remember who rescued you. Emotional attachment is strictly forbidden in our agreement, Glory. Do not mistake my protection for affection. You comply physically, you play your social role, and I keep your sister alive."

Glory’s breath hitched, her pulse racing wildly. The coldness of his words should have repelled her, but the sheer physical proximity, the warmth of his hand moving to rest lightly on the curve of her waist, made her heart hammer against her ribs for reasons that had nothing to do with fear.

"I know what this is," Glory choked out, refusing to back down. "A transaction."

"Good," Alexander said softly, his thumb tracing a slow, lingering line along her hip bone through the silk of her dress. The simple touch made a quiet gasp slip from her lips. His grey eyes darkened as he saw her reaction. "Then let's go show the world who you belong to."

Thirty minutes later, the black Maybach pulled up to the glittering entrance of the Grand Plaza Hotel. Flashbulbs exploded in rapid, blinding succession as paparazzi swarmed the vehicle.

Alexander stepped out first, extending a hand to Glory. As her gloved fingers slid into his firm grasp, the cameras went wild. The physical chemistry between them was palpable, electric, and terrifyingly real—so intense that the high-society crowd immediately turned to stare as Alexander pulled her close against his side.

Glory smiled for the cameras as instructed, but inside, her mind panicked. The contract was supposed to be a cold, unemotional deal. But as Alexander’s heavy hand gripped her waist tightly, pulling her body into intimate alignment with his, Glory realized the dangerous truth: keeping her heart out of this arrangement was going to be impossible.

Just as they crossed the threshold into the opulent ballroom, a tall, sharp-looking man with a cruel smile stepped into their path, blocking the entrance.

"Well, well, Alexander," the man drawled, his eyes scanning Glory with predatory interest. "I heard you took on a new... project. But I didn't realize you were keeping such a dangerous company."

Alexander’s posture instantly went rigid, his grip on Glory’s waist tightening to an iron squeeze.

"Get out of my way, Julian," Alexander warned, his voice turning lethally cold.

"Oh, I'm just admiring your new companion," Julian sneered, stepping closer to Glory. "Does she know who you really are, Alexander? Does she know what happened to the last girl who signed your contract?"