CHAPTER THREE
1106 Words
“Where is your sister, Elara ?”
I froze again at his question. ‘If I knew where she was I wouldn't be in this situation.’
“I don't know,” I answered instead, swallowing hard. My eyes darted toward the door, calculating how many steps it would take me to run out of the room.
“Don't even think about it” his voice cut through my thoughts instantly.
‘s**t. I really did offend someone in my past life.’
“I wasn't thinking about anything” I muttered, twisting my dress.
Damien stared at me for a long moment before taking the last sip of his whiskey.
“Lying seems to be a family hobby,” he said dryly.
“Unfortunately, I seem to be the least talented at it” I muttered before I could stop myself.
My eyes widened slightly as my hands flew to my mouth.
Did I say that out loud ?
Damien's gaze lifted slowly to mine.
“You're sarcastic when you're nervous,” he said calmly.
“No”
Damien leaned back in his chair, his attention still fixed on me.
“When did Selene disappear ?”
“This morning. Around eight maybe? I’m not completely sure.” I paused. “People were running around, panicking”
“And nobody contacted me,” he stated.
“They thought they could fix it before the ceremony started”. Damien's jaw flexed slightly at that.
“They did fix it. Didn't they ?”
The room fell silent again. I hated how calm he sounded. I wanted him to yell. At least when my parents yelled I could tell what they were feeling.
He stood suddenly and walked toward the table behind him.He poured himself another drink before speaking again.
“Who saw Selene last ?”
“My mother, I think.”
“You think ?”
“I wasn't there from the beginning. I was summoned later on.” His eyes flicked toward me again.
“And you replaced her quickly.”
Ouch.
I folded my hands together tightly so he wouldn't see they were shaking again.
“My family was desperate.”
“No,” Damien corrected. "They were selfish"
‘I had married a human lie detector.’
“They didn't want a scandal” I said softly.
I hated myself for defending them.
“And you ?” He asked
“What about me ?”
“Did you want this ?”
A laugh almost escaped me
‘Wanted this ?’
“I didn't really have a say” my voice was barely a whisper.
For the first time since this conversation started, Damien looked…thoughtful.
“You cower back when the conversation involves your family,” he said. My stomach tightened.
I exhaled slowly. “You think I planned this ?”
"I think you're used to letting them decide things for you.” he said, raising his glass.
He didn't have to state the obvious
A knock interrupted the silence before I could come up with a response.
A man dressed in black suit stepped inside.
“Sir, the press are waiting downstairs. They’re asking for post-wedding statements and photographs”
“Cancel everything.”
‘Thank God, I didn't have it in me to ‘be’ Selene again.’
“The reporters are refusing to leave.”
“Then security can remove them”. The man nodded immediately and disappeared.
Damien set his glass down and refocused on me.“We're leaving.”
‘Finally.’
“Leaving where ?”
“My house” he paused. “Until I decide what to do with you.”
‘At least he could've said our home so it doesn't sound like he's kidnapping me.’
I hesitated for a second before following him towards the door anyway because right now my life choices had transitioned hands again.
We left the room and walked through a secret exit where a black car with tinted windows was waiting.
We got in and I sat carefully, trying not to take up space.
“Do you do that often ?” Damien said, looking up from his phone.“Do what ?”
“Act like you're an inconvenience”. I shrugged lightly because I didn't know what to say to that.
“I don't trust your family,” he said looking down at his phone briefly. A document flashed across his screen with the Rhodes Enterprise logo on top of it. He locked it before I could read it and after a few minutes he added “And I don't trust what you don't say either.”
‘Lovely, I'm guilty by association and silence.’
We arrived at Damien's mansion not long after. We got down from the car and the staff were lined up waiting.
“Welcome home, Mrs. Voss.”
The sound of ‘Mrs. Voss’ made me feel like an intruder.
I gave them tight smiles and followed Damien inside. We climbed the stairs and got to a hallway that had three doors.
Damien stopped in front of one of them.
“The rules are simple” he turned fully to look at me. “You stay out of my business and I stay out of yours”.
‘Fine by me.’
I nodded.
Damien started walking away to the door farthest away then stopped.
“You're standing in front of your room.”
‘My room, not a guest room.’
“The staff already moved your things.”
‘Wait, what ? I didn't pack anything.
I didn't even agree to stay.’
Damien looked at me again, his expression unreadable.“Get some sleep” his voice was cold then he vanished.
‘How did my life become like this in less than twenty-four hours?’
“This feels illegal,” I muttered to myself.
“You'll adjust” Damien's voice rang from somewhere down the hall, making me flinch.
It sounded like I didn't have a choice.
I pushed the door open slowly and damn the room was huge.
Designer boxes sat neatly near the wardrobe and expensive dresses hung beside the wall.
Selene's clothes.
‘Of course, what was I expecting ?’
My stomach tightened slowly as I walked further into the room.
Then my eyes landed on the framed photograph sitting beside the bed.
It was Damien and Selene smiling.
Well, Selene was the one smiling, I don't think robots can smile.
I picked it up and stopped breathing for a second. Because written neatly at the bottom of the frame were the words:
Welcome home, Mrs. Voss.
- Writer
