Psycho Billionaire

Chapter Seven

Kiara

I closed the door of the basement behind me as I took a few steps downstairs. My heart was beating faster. I was scared out of my wits. A part of me wanted to get the hell out of the basement because some things are better left undiscovered, but curiosity was a b***h. Even a little information, would get me closer to the truth.

As I walked further down, I realized it smelled of wine. It was a large space with built in wooden walls holding hundreds of wine bottles. Modern and polished mahogany dining set for two and a leather sofa dominated the center of the room.

I scanned my surroundings, it didn"t seem like scary place at all.

What else did you expect, Kiara? Dead bodies?

To be honest, I"d expected something along the line. Those bones in the woods had haunted me for nights and it still scared me when I thought about it. Sometimes I just lied in my bed and the tears would start spilling from my eyes thinking about my mother. What would she think of me? That I"d abandoned her and hadn"t even contacted her after I accidentally killed my father. She would think of me as a selfish daughter.

I was about to get back upstairs feeling a bit let down when something else caught my eye. A patch of carpet at the far end of the wooden floor. I had watched way too many detective movies to know that things were always camouflaged in situations like these. I walked towards it and inspected it with the sole of my shoe. As if I"d been prompted by a daring spirit, I kicked away the carpet revealing a square.

Perhaps a trap door?

Did I really want to check what was in there?

But there was no lock or anything to lift the lid. With much hesitation and pondering, I pressed my foot over it. Nothing happened.

Then I stood over the square and jumped on it with all my strength. I heard the sound of a door sliding. I glanced back to find a wall stacked with wine bottles had opened just a bit. I stepped down from the square and slid the door open all the way.

I was once again welcomed by darkness that seemed to stretch on forever. I reached for the lights, finding nothing within reach. I didn"t even have a torch, how was I going to walk into this darkness without freaking out?

Then all of a sudden a familiar voice from behind me called out. "Lights On."

*****

One hour ago

Jasper

I sat there in the dark room, sipping a hot coffee as I watched the footage on the dozen screens mounted in the surveillance room. I took a Butterfinger biscuit from the box and dunked it in the coffee, it quickly softened and melted into the cup.

Fucking biscuit!

My jaw ticked as I watched Kiara walk through the passageway on screen four and then walked towards the end of the hallway on screen five. She was being sneaky. She probably thought I was still at one of my business trips. I"d been cautious and purposely never informed the house staff that I hadn"t been out of the country in the first place.

It was a test. Not for anyone else, but Kiara. And it made me mad to think that she was sneaking into the basement that was restricted and I knew I"d been clear when I mentioned it in the list.

Why, Kiara, why did you have to defy me?

Although it was against the rules of the Silver Benefits, I"d still bought her a beautiful diamond necklace, because I was seriously happy that Kiara was different. Far better than those ugly whores. My fingers were balled unto fists. I felt my face heat up when I saw her lifting up the carpet on the wooden floor.

This was a test that she was supposed to pass with flying colors. I expected her to stay in her room, dressed like the lovely lady that she was so I could surprise her with a visit when she least expected it. I wanted her to have the Gold and the Platinum envelopes. But now that she had broken a rule, she would have to be demoted back to being a prisoner in her room.

There was only one way she could make it right and it was by playing by my conditions. My knuckles were turning white. Kiara was not like those other women.

What the f**k was wrong with me? Why was I thinking this way?

I let out a frustrated yelp and swiped the contents off the table, bringing the cup of coffee shattering down to the floor.

*****

Kiara

"Lights On." I heard the silky voice call from behind me.

As soon as my eyes registered the face in the darkness, I stood speechless. How could I have been so stupid to think it was going to be so easy? Jasper"s eyes were hard, his expressions nonchalant. We stared at each other for what felt like an eternity. I thought I was going to melt away beneath that hot stare.

The rule book said that if I were to break the rules, I"d be demoted back from my Silver status. That meant, I wouldn"t be able to watch a movie, swim in the pool, take long walks within the property among other things. My freedom was about to slip away.

My eyes were moist. I couldn"t spend another month doing the same thing in that cell of a bedroom.

"I"m sorry."

His expressions softened and a smile cracked his lips as he slipped his arm around my shoulders. "Shhh...shhhh."

"I didn"t mean to..." I started saying.

He caressed my bare shoulder slowly. "It"s okay, Kiara. Look." He turned me around to face the room.

It was an empty room with nothing but some furniture. Nothing creepy. Just a clean basement.

"What do you see?" Jasper whispered in my ear, holding me close. "Do you see dead bodies? How about severed body parts? Did you expect to see those things?"

When I didn"t answer, he laughed. "Have you been watching too much Criminal Minds?"

"I didn"t mean to come here. I just somehow---"

"Found your way inside the basement?" He chuckled, then suddenly his expressions turned cold. "Kiara, the basement was mentioned restricted not because I had anything to hide here. It was a simple f*****g test that you failed. I hadn"t even been out of the country for my business trip. I stayed in a hotel that is a few minutes away, and I wanted to surprise you. Do you know how disappointed I am to find you here?"

"I just saw the door to the basement open. It was just harmless exploration." I lied.

He cupped my face in his hands, his uncanny smile turning into a strange sneer. His fingers dug into my cheekbones making me yelp in pain. "Don"t you f*****g lie to me one more time, or I"ll drag you back to my room and do things to you that you will be forced to beg for me to kill you. But, I don"t want to do that to you, Kiara, because you are different. You will never lie to me again, will you?"

I shook my head, on the verge of tears. "I won"t. So, does that mean you forgive me?"

"Just this once, because I think you"re worth another chance. You have done great since the last month and I really don"t want one small mistake to screw it up. I can be very lenient sometimes. You are still on the silver benefits. I"m not demoting you."

"Thank you, Jasper." I said.

"One chance, Kiara, but don"t screw up."

"Of course."

I thought I was off the hook and I was about to do a happy dance thinking Jasper was going easy on me but my fantasies came crashing down faster than a building on arson. He pulled open a wooden chest and summoned a pair of silver shackles. "Although we need to make sure you don"t make the same mistake again. This is not acceptable behavior and a punishment is a must. It"s not going to be harsh, I swear."

The air left out of my lungs thinking about what he had planned with it. "NOOOOOO! PLEASE."

He grasped my wrist and dragged me towards the far end of the room. I screamed for him to let go but those muscular arms weren"t for show. He told me to sit down on the floor, his voice devoid of any emotion. I knew putting up a fight wasn"t going to get me anywhere. No amount of crying would ever soften the bastard because he lacked empathy like normal people.

Because Jasper Lockhart wasn"t normal. He was a psychopath.

I wasn"t giving up. I would never give up, but I was just accepting my fate just the way I had accepted a few times before. I sobbed as I realized what he was about to do.

There were long silver chairs embedded in the walls. He had grasped me so hard that I knew I"d have angry marks again, but that was hardly an issue in that particular moment. He pulled the chain towards my right ankle and trapped it, then he proceeded to do the same with my left ankle. He did it with so much practice that I knew it wasn"t the first time. The metal wound so tight around my ankle that I wondered if it would bite into my flesh if I tried to pull away.

He inspected the silver shackles he had retrieved from the chest a few minutes back and glanced back at me with a sly smile. "I"m such a considerate guy that I"ve decided to leave your hands open." He threw the shackles back in the chest.

"I can kiss you again. I will do anything you ask me to, please let me go." I pleaded.

I couldn"t imagine being in this place. Alone.

His face turned grim, and I knew I"d said the wrong words.

Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!

"You are sounding like a f*****g w***e right now, Kiara." He was so worked up that I thought he was going to burst a nerve. "That"s not the way a lady speaks. You are a nice, sweet woman who will never offer things like that to any man. Not even me, because whores do that, and you are not a w***e. Am I right?"

"Yes. You are right. I"m sorry."

That seemed to have satisfied him. He smiled and kissed my cheek lightly. "I hope this punishment will teach you a good lesson to never disobey me, or break rules."

"When will you let me go?" I asked in a weak voice.

He acted as if he was thinking about that whether to leave me here shackled by the ankles for a year or the rest of my life. "Let"s just say as long as you learn your lesson and be a good girl."

I sat with my back against the wall and my legs pulled against me. He jerked the chains from the walls hard, checking if they were good to keep me here.

"There are no sharp objects in this room to help you break through so you may as well leave that idea in case you are thinking of it."

I wasn"t stupid. I knew that wasn"t possible, considering how psycho Jasper was.

He continued. "Don"t try to pull away from the chains, it"s just going to hurt more."

I remained silent.

He pushed the hair away from my face and kissed me on my forehead with so much love, almost like a boyfriend saying goodnight to his girlfriend. "Good Night, Kiara."

I didn"t offer a word. Just stared at the floor.

He chuckled, amused for some reason. I watched as he commanded the lights to go off, leaving only a dim bulb on. I heard the door lock and the sound of footsteps retreating out of the wine cellar.

I lied down on the cold wooden floor, my cheek touching the ground. The chains making the clanking sound. I stared at the basement door, thinking that he would be back to take me to my room, telling me it was an elaborate joke. But, no one came. When I tasted salt, I realized I was crying.