Contracted to be the CEO pet

THE BALLROOM EVENT

Melanie was taken to a dressing room and it was a room in a big house.

“What do you want from me? I have been asking since we were in the car, and none of you have answered. I am not moving an inch until you tell me why I am here,” Melanie said, running her hand through her hair because she was mad.

Then a familiar face showed up.

“Miss Melanie, I’m very sorry for the ill-treatment you received. and please, we were in a hurry because the masked ball starts at 10 pm and it's already 9 p.m. Master wants you to be his dance partner,” Maxwell said.

“Mr. Maxwell, you have my number; why not call me? Instead, you dragged me here like a criminal!! Is this the hospitality here?” Melanie raised her voice out of rage.

Maxwell made eye contact with the lady standing there.

The ladies dragged Melanie into the private dressing room, and Melanie screamed her lungs out.

“Let me go this instant!! Leave me alone!!. Get your f*****g hands off me!! Back off, bitches!!” Melanie screamed her lungs out.

Maxwell bowed to her as she was dragged in.

“I am just following orders, Miss. I’m sorry.”

1 hour later…

The ladies brought a long-standing mirror and told Malenie to look at it.

“You look so beautiful, Miss,” the first lady said.

“Are you a goddess of beauty?” the second lady said.

“No, she is a black swan. Her concept is about a black swan requested by Master.” The makeup girl said.

“She also knows Master,” Melanie thought. The two ladies left to get her shoes. Only Lily, the makeup girl, was there.

“Have you met Master? Melanie asked Lily curiously. Lily was shocked by her question.

“Are you not Master’s girlfriend? You mean you haven't, Master?” Lily asked with wide eyes in shock.

“Just tell me what he looks like, Melanie asked innocently.

“He is handsome and tall,” she said briefly.

“Just like that? Is he kind and approachable?” Melanie asked

Lily ignored her and picked up her bags to arrange the makeup kits.

“Why can't you answer?” Melanie asked.

“Because we can't talk about anything we see, that is our contract clause.”. Lily said.

“So, everyone here is bound by a contract. That's crazy,” Malenie said in her mind.

Melanie walked out. She was putting on a black gown with diamonds in every corner of her flowing dress. It was a bit heavy, and it was long, flowing down the stairs like a wedding gown.

A black swan-shaped mask was given to her to garnish her look.

“You look wonderful!! Master knew you would dazzle as the black swan,” Maxwell said.

“What is this black swan charade?" Melanie said it in a low tone. Maxwell interlocked his hands with hers as they walked majestically to the ballroom.

Melanie walked into the ballroom, and the light went off, which triggered her. She raised her head to see a tall, heavily built guy standing with her. She was standing with Master Lucien. He was putting on a black tuxedo with a dark green tie, which corresponded with the heel shoes Lily gave Melanie. He had a different aura from the last time they met; he had no emotions on his face. He had sky-blue eyes, and his stare was cold. She could only see his eye colors and lips since he was also putting on a mask. The hall was dark, but a light flashed on them, and he wrapped his hand around her waist. They started swaying gently, but after two minutes of dancing and making incredible body contact, which felt like an hour of torture for Melanie, he never said a word to her, which got her tense.

She suddenly stepped on him, and he winced silently as he swallowed the pain.

“That is for dragging me here without notice,” she said as she smirked.

“Tell your people that I will go crazy if they ever drag me like they did today,” she warned as she pulled away from him but he pulled her in with a little force.

Melanie stared at him with a surprised look.

“I'm sorry,” he said softly in his sweet yet deep voice.

“I am sorry about today; brace yourself and remember our contract clause that our relationship is a secret. They can’t know your face. Look up and don't let them look down on you,” he said as the light went on and he stopped abruptly. He walked away with loud claps, which echoed in the hall. Melanie was shocked by the number of people in the hall who were staring at her and clapping.

She was tensed again, but she quickly walked to a corner and stared at Master Licien as he disappeared into the crowd, where other men were also in black suits. She couldn't see him again.

“Why can't he stay by my side after bridging me to a strange place and leaving me alone to fend for myself? What does he mean by those words? I thought he said our relationship was a secret. Why did people now know of my existence?” Melanie thought to herself.

****************

“Boss, are you sure she will be okay alone? Maxwell asked Lucien as they were looking down on Melanie from the second floor of the hall.

“It's all your fault. I told you my meeting with her at the Rising Sun Hotel should be kept a secret, but instead, now everyone knows I have a woman,” Lucien said sadly.

“I'm sorry, boss,” he said as he bowed his head in shame.

“Have you caught who leaked my information?” Lucien asked.

“Not yet, but the clues show it's from our end because nobody entered the hotel or saw you when you entered,” Maxwell answered.

“So you mean one of our guards has been bribed with little change?” he said angrily.

"Yes, boss,” he nodded.

“Wow!! Hasn’t he heard about me? When you get him, break his legs and send him to jail. Cook up a crime or two so he can stay longer,” Lucien said coldly.

“Two men at the other end are staring at Melanie,” Maxwell said.

“She has to endure; they need to believe she isn’t important to me before they will use her to get me. But I will make sure she doesn’t die today. Just make sure they won’t see her face. delete any picture of her taken.” Lucien said it coldly.

“Call her Madam; don’t call her by name and treat her with respect; I don’t like her complaining,” Lucien warned Maxwell.

“You are the one who said we should bring her before 1 hour; if we don't drag her, we won't be here on time,” Maxwell murmured.

“What did you say?” Lucien asked.

"Nothing, sir, just that Melanie is the most beautiful here,” Maxwell said, just to divert his attention to her.

“You can say that again because it's Lucien’s woman; she has to be the most beautiful always,” Lucien said proudly.

Melanie is leaving, and two ladies are going after her. And Maxwell wanted to go after her.

“Just let her be. If she wants to be my woman, she has to endure a lot of things and be strong enough to protect herself without my presence,” Lucien said softly.

“Your woman? Someone you force a relationship on by setting a sweet trap,” Maxwell said in his mind while shaking his head because of his master’s words.

“Young Master, you have to tell her in detail about the problems she will face while with you so she won’t back out,” Maxwell said.

“She can't leave me! That's why I added the contract termination fee; she is my woman,” he said, smiling because he knew Melanie couldn’t afford it. Maxwell just nodded his head without a smile. He thought about how Melanie would feel when she found out he had set a dead-end trap for her.

********

“If I ever see Maxwell and their master, I will set them ablaze for leaving me alone with awkward stares and no one talking to me,” Melanie said to herself as she stared at her reflection in the restroom mirror.

A lady came out of one of the toilets, handed a note to Melanie, and walked away.

Melanie was surprised by this change of events. She opened the piece of paper and read it.

.

“Don't ever trust Lucien with your life,” the note says.

“Who is Lucien?” she thought.

Melanie reapplied her lipstick, and she walked to the door to leave. She couldn't open the door.

“What is this? What is f*****g wrong with this door?” she said as she kept struggling to open the door.

Melanie knocked aggressively but to no avail. No response was heard.

.

“Please help me!” Melanie screamed.

Suddenly, cold air was oozing out of the roof of the restroom, and the restroom became too cold for her to bear. She was so cold for about 20 minutes, and the cold increased. And Melanie's trauma kept ringing in her head as she held her aching head in fear.

Melanie recalled being locked up by her stepmother for 3 days in their storage room.

She bit her hand deeply; she could forget about the cold; she continued biting till she bled.

Melanie tried reaching for her purse to look for her phone but remembered it was taken away by Maxwell.

She was still banging on the door as she slowly loses consciousness.