Chapter 3: The First Night
961 Words
The sound of the front door clicking shut downstairs echoed through the silent penthouse like a gunshot. Lia’s breath hitched. She quickly wiped her tears away, scrambling off the bed as if she’d been caught doing something illegal. She couldn’t let him see her cry. Weakness would be just another thing for him to despise.
She heard his footsteps confident, measured strides on the concrete floor moving through the living area. There was the faint clink of glass, the quiet glug of liquid being poured. She stood frozen in the middle of her room, her heart pounding a frantic rhythm against her ribs. Was she supposed to go out there? Hide? What were the rules for this?
A soft knock on her door made her jump. It wasn’t demanding, but it wasn’t gentle either. It was efficient.
“Dinner.” His voice, muffled by the door, was flat and devoid of invitation.
Lia took a shaky breath, smoothing down her simple dress. She opened the door.
Alexander stood there, having shed his suit jacket and tie. His white shirt was unbuttoned at the collar, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, revealing taut forearms. He held a glass of amber liquor in one hand. He looked less like a corporate titan and more like a dangerously tired man, but his eyes were still that same winter storm.
“I’m not hungry,” Lia said, her voice smaller than she intended.
“It wasn’t a question,” he replied, turning and walking away, fully expecting her to follow. “You need to eat. I won’t have you fainting from malnutrition. It’s bad for the image.”
The meal was laid out on the vast dining table something elegant and gourmet that had been delivered and plated by invisible staff. They sat at opposite ends of the table, a mile of polished wood between them. The silence was oppressive, broken only by the precise sound of silverware on china.
Lia pushed the food around her plate, her stomach in too many knots to eat.
“The rules,” Alexander said suddenly, his voice cutting through the quiet. He didn’t look up from his plate. “We’ll establish them now.”
Lia said nothing, just waited.
“You have free reign of the penthouse, except for my bedroom and my private study. The doors are locked for a reason.” “You will have a weekly allowance deposited into an account for you.Use it for clothing, personal items. Everything must be of a quality befitting your position.” “You will accompany me to any public or business event I require.You will be polite, engaging, and convincing. You will act as though you are in love with me.” He finally looked up,his gaze piercing. “Is that clear?”
“Crystal,” Lia whispered, the word tasting like ash.
Another stretch of silence. Lia gathered every ounce of courage she had left.
“Why me?” she asked.
He stilled, his fork hovering above his plate. “What?”
“You’re Alexander Blackwood. You could have hired an actress. Someone who knew how to play this part. Why pick a desperate nobody from the wrong side of town?”
For a long moment, he just looked at her, and she saw something flicker in his eyes something dark and unreadable. It was gone in an instant.
“Because actresses have agendas and talk to the press,” he said coolly, taking a sip of his drink. “Desperation makes you predictable. Easy to control.”
The words were meant to wound, and they did. They landed with the precision of a scalpel. Lia looked down at her plate, her cheeks burning with a mixture of shame and anger.
When the agonizing meal was finally over, Alexander stood. “I have work to do. Do not disturb me.”
He disappeared down the hall towards his study, leaving her alone with the wreckage of their first dinner.
Hours later, the penthouse was dark and silent. Lia couldn’t sleep. The bed was too big, too soft, too unfamiliar. She crept out into the living room, drawn to the breathtaking, dizzying view of the city lights. She felt like a ghost in her own life.
A sliver of light spilled from under the door of Alexander’s study. She could hear the low, muffled sound of his voice. He was on a phone call.
She knew she shouldn’t. She knew it violated his precious rules. But a compulsion she couldn’t name made her edge closer, her bare feet silent on the cold floor.
His voice was tense, different from the cold control he used with her. It was edged with frustration.
“the merger is on track, but it’s delicate. Yes, the marriage settles the board’s concerns No, she has no idea it’s about more than her family’s debts”
Lia’s blood ran cold. More than her family’s debts?
His next words were quieter, almost a growl. “She’s a means to an end, nothing more. I’m perfectly aware of what’s at stake. This deal will not fail because of some complication.”
Means to an end. Complication.
The words echoed in her head, each one a confirmation of her worst fears. She was a pawn in a game she didn’t understand. There was a larger scheme here, and her role was bigger, and more dangerous, than she had ever imagined.
She stumbled back from the door, her heart hammering against her ribs. She had signed a contract to save her family, but what else had she just signed up for?
As she fled back to the cold isolation of her room, one terrifying thought was crystal clear.
Alexander Blackwood wasn’t just cold.
He was hiding something.
- Writer
