Secrets of The Penthouse

Chapter 3

The glass walls of Storm Tech HQ felt like a cage. Everything was too bright. Too white. The sun bounced off the chrome furniture and stabbed at my eyes. My stomach did a slow, sickening roll. I clutched my threadbare bag to my chest. Kieran didn't look back at me. He just kept walking. His strides were long. Powerful. He moved like he owned the air itself.

"Kieran, slow down," I whispered.

He didn't. He didn't even acknowledge I'd spoken. He reached the heavy oak doors of his private office and shoved them open. The scent hit me first. Expensive leather. Old paper. And a hint of that dark, sandalwood cologne that made my head spin.

"Sit," he said. He pointed to a chair across from his massive desk.

"I don't want to sit. I want to go home," I said. My voice was shaking.

"This is your home now, Aria. Get used to it."

He threw a thick stack of papers onto the desk. The sound was like a slap. Marriage Contract. The words were printed in bold at the top. My name was there. His name was there. It looked like a death warrant.

"Sign it," he commanded.

"I haven't even read it."

"You don't need to read it. I've taken care of everything. Your debts. Your parents' outstanding bills. Even a trust fund for the...child." He hesitated on the word child. His face went tight.

"I'm not a piece of property, Kieran. You can't just buy a wife."

"What is wrong with you? You were happy enough to play the part at the gala," he snapped. He stepped closer. His shadow fell over me. Cold. "You wanted this. You played the long game, and you won. Now sign the paper."

The room started to tilt. The bright morning light felt like a physical weight on my shoulders. A sour taste rose in my throat. It wasn't the wine from last night. I hadn't had a drop. It was the baby. It was the tiny life inside me reacting to the man standing in front of me.

"I...I can't," I gasped.

"Don't start with the theatrics," Kieran said. He leaned over the desk. "You think if you cry, I'll let you go? I'm not Liam. Tears don't work on me."

I didn't cry. I couldn't. I barely had enough energy to breathe. The nausea hit like a tidal wave. I looked around wildly. I saw the silver trash can next to his desk. I didn't make it in time to ask. I lunged for the bin. The sound was awful in the quiet office. I retched. My body shook with the force of it. I felt like I was turning inside out. My eyes watered. My throat burned.

Kieran didn't move. He didn't offer a hand. He didn't offer water.

I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand. I stayed on the floor for a moment. The carpet was plush. Deep blue.

"Disgusting," Kieran muttered.

I looked up at him. My vision was blurry. "I'm sick, Kieran."

"You're hungover," he corrected. He looked at me with pure disgust. "How much did you drink after I left you last night? Did you go back to the party? Or did you have a private celebration with my brother's stash?"

"I didn't drink anything!"

"Don't lie to me. I can see the shame all over you. You're messy, Aria. You're a liability. But you're a liability I have to manage."

"Please leave me," I whispered. "Just let me go. I'll disappear. I'll go to another city. You'll never see me again."

"And let you carry a Storm heir into the gutter? Not a chance."

He reached down and grabbed my arm. He hauled me to my feet. I stumbled. My legs felt like jelly. He shoved the pen into my hand.

"Sign. Now."

"No."

The office door flew open. It hit the wall with a bang that made me jump. Liam stood there. He was breathing hard. His shirt was untucked. He looked like he'd run all the way from the parking garage.

"Let her go, Kieran!" Liam shouted.

Kieran didn't let go. If anything, his grip tightened. "Stay out of this, Liam. This is business."

"Business? You're forcing her into a marriage! This isn't the Middle Ages," Liam said. He marched into the room. He looked at the trash can, then at me. "Aria, are you okay? What did he do to you?"

"She's fine. She's just dealing with the consequences of her choices," Kieran said.

"You're the one making the choices!" Liam yelled. He turned to Kieran. "I know why you're doing this. You're afraid. You're afraid that if she's with me, people will talk. You're afraid of the scandal. But you don't care about her."

"And you do?" Kieran asked. His voice was dangerously low. "You've known her for how long? You've been 'kind' to the maid for a few months, and now you're in love? Don't be pathetic."

"It's better than being a tyrant," Liam snapped. He reached out to take my other hand. "Aria, come with me. You don't have to sign anything. I'll take care of you. I'll take care of the baby."

Kieran’s face transformed. The coldness was gone. It was replaced by a raw, burning rage.

"You'll take care of my child?" Kieran asked.

"You don't even know if it's yours!" Liam countered. "You were drugged! You don't remember a thing!"

"I remember enough," Kieran growled.

He moved so fast I didn't see it coming. He released my arm, and his fist connected with Liam’s jaw.

The sound was sickening. A dull thud. Liam's head snapped back. He crashed into a side table, sending a glass vase shattering to the floor. Water and white lilies spilled everywhere.

"No!" I screamed. I rushed toward Liam.

Kieran stepped in front of me. He blocked my path. His chest was heaving. His knuckles were already turning red.

"Don't go to him," Kieran warned.

"You're a monster!" I yelled. I tried to push past him.

"I'm a Storm," he said.

Liam was on the floor. He was clutching his face. Blood was trickling from the corner of his mouth. He looked up at Kieran with a mixture of shock and hatred.

"You're going to regret that," Liam wheezed.

"Get out," Kieran said. "Before I do it again."

"I'm not leaving her here with you," Liam said. He tried to stand, but he winced and fell back.

"She's staying. She's signing. And then she's becoming my wife," Kieran said.

There was a knock at the door. Not a panicked knock. A polite, professional one.

"Mr. Storm? The board members have arrived. And the press is already gathering in the lobby. They heard a rumor about an announcement," a voice said from the hallway.

Kieran looked at the door, then back at me. A predatory smile touched his lips.

"Perfect timing," he whispered.

"Kieran, don't do this," I pleaded. "I'll do anything. Just don't do this."

"You should have thought of that six weeks ago," he said.

He grabbed the pen and forced it into my hand again. He guided my hand to the paper. I tried to resist, but he was too strong. He was a force of nature.

"Sign it, Aria. Or I'll have Liam arrested for trespassing and assault. I have the footage. I have the power. Do you want to see your 'protector' in a cell?"

I looked at Liam. He was shaking his head. "Don't do it, Aria. Don't let him win."

But I saw the blood on his face. I saw the way Kieran was looking at him. Kieran would do it. He would destroy Liam just to prove a point.

I signed. The ink was black. Final. My name looked like a stranger's on the page.

Kieran snatched the paper away. He looked at it for a second before tucking it into a folder.

"Now," he said. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small velvet box.

He opened it. Inside was a diamond so large it looked fake. It was a cold, hard stone. It caught the light and shattered it into a thousand pieces.

"Put it on," he said.

"No."

He grabbed my left hand. He didn't ask. He didn't wait. He shoved the ring onto my finger. It was too big. It felt heavy. It felt like a shackle.

The doors to the office opened again. This time it wasn't one person. It was a crowd. Men in expensive suits, the board members, and a swarm of photographers with cameras hanging from their necks. The flashes started immediately.

Pop. Pop. Pop.

The light was blinding. I tried to turn my face away, but Kieran grabbed my chin. He forced me to look at the cameras. He put an arm around my waist and pulled me close.

"Is this the one, Kieran?" one of the board members asked. He was an older man with a skeptical look. "The maid?"

"This is Aria Vale," Kieran said. His voice was booming. It was full of fake pride. "My fiancée. We've been keeping our relationship private, but with the news of our child, we felt it was time to go public."

"A child?" a reporter yelled. "So the rumors are true!"

I felt like I was going to faint again. The smell of the lilies on the floor was making my head swim. The water was soaking into my shoes.

"When is the wedding?" another voice shouted.

"Tomorrow," Kieran said.

The room erupted. Everyone was talking at once. The board members were whispering. The photographers were pushing each other to get a better shot.

Liam was still on the floor. He was trying to get up, but the crowd was blocking him. He looked at me, his eyes full of heartbreak.

Kieran squeezed my waist. It was a warning. Smile, his grip said. Play the part.

I looked down at the ring. It was so bright it hurt.

One reporter pushed through the front. She had a microphone with a local news logo. She looked at me with sharp, hungry eyes.

"Ms. Vale! Over here!" she shouted.

I looked at her.

"Ms. Vale, there are reports from the gala staff that you were seen leaving with Liam Storm that night," she said. Her voice cut through the noise like a knife.

The room went silent. Even the flashes stopped for a heartbeat.

Kieran's body went rigid. I could feel the heat radiating off him. His hand tightened on my waist until it was painful.

The reporter leaned in. Her microphone was inches from my face.

"Ms. Vale, is it true you're pregnant with Liam Storm's baby?"