The Casanova's Bride

Chapter 6

CHAPTER SIX

ZOLA

THE WAREHOUSE

Zola

The first thing I noticed was the cold.

It wasn't the kind of cold you felt during winter when you forgot to close a window.

This was different.

It was the kind of cold that made me immediately aware that I wasn't home anymore.

I slowly opened my eyes.

For a few seconds, I couldn't remember where I was.

The ceiling above me was made of corrugated metal. A single light hung from a long wire, flickering every few seconds.

I sat up.

My head felt heavy.

I looked around.

Nothing.

No bedroom.

No couch.

No familiar photographs on the walls.

No sound of traffic outside my apartment.

Just an enormous empty room filled with old wooden crates, metal shelves and several covered pieces of equipment.

A warehouse.

My breathing became quicker.

"Where am I?"

My voice sounded strangely small in the huge room.

I stood up carefully.

My phone wasn't in my pocket.

I checked again.

Nothing.

"Okay..."

I took a deep breath.

"Stay calm, Zola."

I said the words aloud because I needed to hear them.

I remembered the last thing I had been doing.

Waiting for Amara.

She had called me earlier, sounding frightened.

She'd told me everything.

Her parents wanted to force her into an arranged marriage.

I had immediately told her to come to my place.

I remembered preparing the spare room.

I remembered checking my phone.

Then...

Nothing.

I couldn't remember how I had ended up here.

I walked toward the nearest door.

It was locked.

I tried the handle again.

Nothing.

I stepped back.

"Hello?"

My voice echoed.

"Is anybody there?"

Silence.

I looked around again.

There had to be something.

A window.

Another door.

Anything.

I walked along the wall until I noticed a small window high above me.

It was too high to reach.

I dragged one of the wooden crates underneath it and climbed carefully onto it.

I couldn't see much through the dusty glass.

Outside was darkness.

No houses.

No pedestrians.

Just a large empty yard surrounded by what looked like a tall fence.

I climbed down.

My heart was pounding.

Who had brought me here?

And why?

Then I remembered Amara.

I grabbed my head.

"Oh God."

Amara.

She was supposed to come here.

If whoever had brought me here knew that she was coming...

I couldn't even finish the thought.

I needed to warn her.

I needed my phone.

I searched the room again.

Nothing.

Then I heard something.

Footsteps.

I froze.

Someone was coming.

The sound grew louder.

One step.

Then another.

I moved away from the door.

It opened.

A man walked inside.

He was wearing a dark jacket and black trousers.

He didn't look at me immediately.

He closed the door behind him and checked something on his phone.

I stared at him.

"Who are you?"

He looked up.

For several seconds, neither of us spoke.

"Where am I?"

He ignored the question.

"Are you Zola Mkhize?"

My stomach dropped.

"How do you know my name?"

He looked toward the door.

"You're not supposed to be here."

I laughed nervously.

"Well, I'm clearly here, so maybe you should explain why."

He studied me.

"You shouldn't have gotten involved."

"Gotten involved in what?"

He said nothing.

I stepped forward.

"Where is Amara?"

That got his attention.

His expression changed.

"Amara?"

"My best friend."

He looked away.

"She's safe."

I didn't believe him.

"How do you know?"

"Because if she wasn't, you'd know."

I stared at him.

"What does that mean?"

He walked toward a table and placed a bottle of water on it.

"Drink."

I didn't move.

"I'm not drinking anything."

"It's sealed."

"I don't care."

He sighed.

"You're making this harder than it needs to be."

I folded my arms.

"You kidnapped me."

"I didn't."

"Then who did?"

He remained silent.

I stepped closer.

"Who?"

Finally, he looked at me.

"The Devereaux family."

My blood ran cold.

"Why?"

He didn't answer.

"Why would the Devereaux family take me?"

He rubbed his forehead.

"Because you're important to Amara."

I stared at him.

"So this is about her."

He nodded.

I immediately understood.

"They're using me to control her."

He didn't deny it.

I felt anger replace my fear.

"That's disgusting."

He looked uncomfortable.

"I didn't make the decision."

"But you're helping them."

He said nothing.

I turned away.

My mind started racing.

Amara had been right to be suspicious.

Her parents weren't simply arranging a marriage.

There was something much bigger happening.

Something involving the Devereaux family.

Something they were desperate to keep hidden.

I looked back at the man.

"Tell me the truth."

"I can't."

"You can."

"No."

"Then tell me one thing."

He waited.

"Is Amara in danger?"

He hesitated.

That was enough.

My heart sank.

"She is."

"I didn't say that."

"You didn't have to."

I walked toward him.

"If anything happens to her..."

My voice shook, but I kept going.

"Her family will regret it."

For the first time, the man almost smiled.

"You're very protective of her."

"She's my best friend."

He nodded.

"Then you should understand why they brought you here."

I stared at him.

"No."

I shook my head.

"I understand exactly why."

I pointed toward the door.

"They're scared."

He frowned.

"Of what?"

"Of Amara."

He said nothing.

I continued.

"She's not going to accept this marriage quietly."

His expression became serious.

"And neither am I."

A loud sound suddenly came from somewhere outside.

The man immediately looked toward the door.

Someone else was approaching.

He moved quickly.

"Stay here."

I laughed.

"Where exactly do you think I'm going?"

He opened the door.

Before stepping outside, he looked back at me.

"Don't trust anyone who tells you this marriage is about money."

The door closed.

I stood completely still.

His words repeated in my mind.

Don't trust anyone who tells you this marriage is about money.

I walked back toward the table.

There was something underneath the bottle of water.

A folded piece of paper.

I picked it up.

My hands trembled as I opened it.

There was only one sentence.

AMARA DOESN'T KNOW WHO SHE'S MARRYING.

I stared at the words.

"What does that mean?"

I turned the paper over.

Nothing.

I read it again.

Amara didn't know who she was marrying.

Of course she didn't.

She had never met Alexander.

But there was something about the wording.

It wasn't saying she didn't know him personally.

It was saying she didn't know who he really was.

I suddenly heard voices outside.

I moved toward the door and listened.

Two men were talking.

"...the wedding has to happen."

Another voice answered.

"Alexander won't agree."

"He doesn't have a choice."

"And the girl?"

There was a pause.

"She'll agree once she understands what's at stake."

My eyes widened.

They were talking about Amara.

I pressed my ear closer to the door.

"What about the friend?"

"Keep her here until the wedding arrangements are finalized."

My stomach twisted.

They planned to keep me here.

Until the wedding.

I stepped away from the door.

"No."

I looked around the warehouse.

There had to be a way out.

I wasn't going to sit here and wait for someone else to decide when I could leave.

I searched the shelves.

Nothing.

I checked behind the crates.

Nothing.

Then I noticed a small emergency exit sign on the opposite side of the warehouse.

I smiled.

"Found you."

I hurried toward it.

The door had a metal bar across it.

I pushed.

Nothing.

I pushed harder.

Still nothing.

I stepped back and looked around.

There was a long metal pole lying beside one of the shelves.

I picked it up.

"Okay."

I looked at the door.

"You want to keep me here?"

I tightened my grip.

"Let's see about that."

I raised the pole.

Before I could strike the lock, the warehouse lights suddenly switched off.

Darkness swallowed the room.

I froze.

Then I heard footsteps behind me.

Slow.

Calm.

Coming closer.

I turned around.

A man's voice echoed through the darkness.

"You're looking for a way out?"

I couldn't see his face.

"Who are you?"

The footsteps stopped.

Then the lights came back on.

I looked up.

A man stood several metres away from me.

He wasn't wearing the same clothes as the others.

He was dressed in an expensive charcoal suit.

His expression was calm.

Far too calm.

He looked at me for several seconds.

Then he said,

"You should be more careful about what you discover, Zola."

I tightened my grip on the metal pole.

"Who are you?"

He smiled faintly.

"Someone who knows exactly what is coming."

My heart pounded.

"And what is coming?"

His smile disappeared.

"Your friend is about to marry Alexander Devereaux."

He paused.

"And neither of them knows the real reason."

I stared at him.

"What reason?"

He turned toward the door.

"You'll find out soon enough."

He walked away.

I watched him disappear.

Then I looked down at the piece of paper still clutched in my hand.

AMARA DOESN'T KNOW WHO SHE'S MARRYING.

For the first time, I wasn't worried about the wedding.

I was worried about what would happen when Amara finally discovered the truth.

Because whatever secret the Devereaux family was hiding...

It was big enough to make them afraid of one university student.

And that scared me more than being locked inside this warehouse ever could.