Secrets of The Penthouse

Chapter 2

Kieran’s grip was like a steel trap. He didn't just lead me back into the office. He dragged me. My heels skidded on the polished floor. The smell of his expensive, woodsy cologne filled my senses. It was a cold, sharp scent. It reminded me of winter nights and frozen hearts. He kicked the door shut. The sound echoed through the high ceilings like a gunshot.

He shoved me toward the leather chair. I didn't sit. I gripped the back of it to keep my hands from shaking.

"Answer me, Aria," he said. His voice was low. It was dangerous. "Is it Liam's?"

A fresh wave of panic made my throat feel dry and tight, "I told you. It's not what you think."

"What do you mean by that?" he snapped. "I saw the lab slip. I saw the test. And I saw my brother holding you like you were his world."

"He was just being kind, Kieran. Something you wouldn't understand."

He stepped closer. He invaded my space until I was pressed against the mahogany desk. He placed his hands on the wood on either side of me. I was trapped.

"Kindness has a price in this house," he hissed. "What did you promise him for that kindness? A piece of the Storm fortune? A seat at the table?"

"I don't want your money," I said. My voice was faint.

"Liars always say that," Kieran said. He leaned in. His eyes searched mine for a c***k. "You're a maid, Aria. You're a girl with no past and a secret art hobby you think I don't know about. You're the perfect example of a gold digger. You saw Liam as the weak link. The nice brother. The one who would fall for a sob story and a positive test."

"It wasn't a trap," I said.

"Then whose is it?" he demanded. "If it's not his, whose is it? Did you find some other rich man at the gala?"

The room started to spin. The edges of my vision went dark. A wave of nausea hit me so hard I felt my knees buckle. It was the morning sickness. It was the stress. It was the fact that the father of my child was calling me a w***e.

I grabbed the edge of the desk. My knuckles were white.

Don't faint, I told myself. Don't give him the satisfaction.

"Are you even listening to me?" Kieran growled.

"I...I need water," I gasped.

He laughed. It was a cold, jagged sound. "You need a lawyer, not water. If you think you're going to use this baby to tie yourself to my family, you're wrong. I will burn your life to the ground before I let you ruin Liam."

"Please, Kieran. Stop," I pleaded.

I closed my eyes. The metallic taste of blood filled my mouth. I had bitten my lip to stay conscious. The cold air from the vent hit my damp neck. It didn't help.

"Stop? I'm just getting started," he said. "I'm going to find out who the father is. I'm going to find every debt your parents left behind. I'm going to make sure you never pick up a paintbrush again."

Suddenly, there was a loud bang on the office door.

"Kieran! Open this door right now!" It was Liam. His voice was full of a rage I had never heard from him.

Kieran didn't move. He kept his eyes locked on mine. "Go away, Liam. This doesn't concern you."

"It concerns me when you're screaming at Aria!" Liam shouted. He hammered on the wood again. "I know she's in there. Let her out!"

Kieran leaned closer. His breath hitched. "See? He's already under your spell. He's simping for a girl who's probably already figured out how much child support she can squeeze out of him."

"He's just a good person!" I yelled.

Kieran's eyes flashed. He grabbed my chin, forcing me to look at him. "There are no good people in this world, Aria. There are only predators and prey. Which one are you?"

"I'm the one you're hurting," I said.

The banging on the door became a rhythmic thud. Liam was trying to shoulder the door open.

"Kieran, I'm warning you!" Liam yelled. "If you touch her, I swear to God I'll!..."

"You'll what?" Kieran shouted back, not looking away from me. "You'll marry her? You'll give this bastard my last name?"

"It wouldn't be a bastard if it was mine!" Liam roared from the hallway.

Kieran froze. The silence in the room was absolute.

Fragile.

That was the only word for the air between us. Kieran's grip on my chin softened, but his expression stayed hard. He looked at me like he was seeing me for the first time. He looked at my stomach. Then he looked at the door.

"You hear that?" Kieran whispered. "He's claiming it. He's falling right into your trap."

"He's just trying to protect me because you're acting like a monster," I said.

"A monster protects his own," Kieran said.

He let go of me and walked to the door. He unlocked it and swung it open. Liam stumbled in, his face flushed and his hair a mess. He looked at me instantly, his eyes full of worry.

"Aria, are you okay?" Liam asked. He moved towards me.

Kieran stepped between us. He was a wall of black silk and aggression.

"Back off, Liam," Kieran said.

"You were harassing her," Liam said. "I heard you. You were accusing her of things that aren't true."

"How do you know they aren't true?" Kieran asked. "Did she tell you she's pregnant? Did she tell you she's looking for a father?"

Liam paused. He looked at me, then back at Kieran. "I don't care. She's a human being. She's someone we should care about."

"I do care," Kieran said. His voice had changed. It was no longer loud. It was quiet. It was certain. "I care very much about the reputation of this family. I care about the Storm name."

"Then let her go," Liam said.

"No," Kieran said.

He turned back to me. I was still leaning against the desk. My head was clearing, but the fear was deeper now.

"Liam thinks he can save you," Kieran said to me. "He thinks he can be the hero in your little tragedy. But he's soft. He doesn't understand what it takes to survive."

"And you do?" I asked.

"I'm the only reason this family survives," Kieran said.

He walked back to me. He didn't look at Liam. He didn't look at the door. He only looked at me.

"You want a Storm to be the father?" Kieran asked.

"I never said that," I whispered.

"You didn't have to," Kieran said. "But I won't let it be Liam. He's too important to the company's image. He's the face of our future. He can't be tied to a scandal like this."

"So what? You're going to fire me?" I asked. A part of me hoped he would. I could run. I could disappear.

"Fire you?" Kieran laughed. It wasn't a nice sound. "No, Aria. That's too easy. If I fire you, you go to Liam. If I fire you, the story gets out."

"Kieran, what are you doing?" Liam asked. He sounded scared now.

Kieran ignored him. He took my hand. His skin was hot. It burned against my cold fingers.

"I checked the dates," Kieran said. His voice was a low vibration. "Six weeks. The night of the gala."

I felt my heart stop.

"The night I was drugged," Kieran continued. "The night I remember a girl in a red mask. A girl who smelled like linseed oil and jasmine."

I tried to pull my hand away. He held on.

"You were that girl," he said.

"I don't know what you're talking about," I lied.

"Yes, you do," he said. "And if that baby is mine, it stays with me. If it's Liam's, I’ll buy it from you. But either way, you aren't leaving this penthouse."

"You can't keep me here," I said.

"Watch me," Kieran said.

He looked over his shoulder at Liam. "Go home, brother. This is handled."

"It's not handled!" Liam shouted. "You can't just decide her life for her!"

"I'm the head of this family," Kieran said. "I decide everything."

He turned his full attention back to me. The intensity in his gaze was enough to make me want to scream.

"You wanted a life of luxury, Aria? You wanted to be more than a maid?"

"No," I whispered.

"Too late," Kieran said.

He pulled me closer to him. One hand went to the small of my back. The other stayed locked on my wrist.

"We have a PR problem," Kieran said. "The tabloids are already sniffing around the gala night. They know something happened. They know I was compromised."

"That's your problem," I said.

"It's our problem now," Kieran corrected. "Because tomorrow, we're telling them we're engaged. We're telling them this baby is the heir to Storm Tech. And we're telling them that you're the love of my life."

"I won't do it," I said.

"You will," Kieran said.

He leaned down. His lips brushed my ear. The sensation sent a shiver of pure terror down my spine.

"You'll marry me tomorrow. That's not a request."