Billionaires revenge; Claiming his queen

Episode 4

SARAH'S POV

Lights!

White, bright, and blinding.

I groaned as my eyes fluttered open, my hands hurriedly shielding them from the rays of the light. My head ached, pounding heavily against the walls of my skull as I sat up.

“Where am I?” I muttered, eyes darting around the room.

Not long after, the door swung open, and a man dressed in full black walked in. He stood by the side of the door, then a lady walked in, carrying a pile of well arranged clothes in her hand. She hung them on the hanger close to the wardrobe and left without saying a word.

“Who are you?” I asked the man.

“Dress up and come down for dinner,” that was all he said before he walked out. I tried to slip out and go after him, but I stood up fast and my head spun a little, sending me back to the bed.

I waited my time out on the bed before moving to the window to see if I would recognize where I was.

Strange environment, dim lightning with several cars parked around. My heart raced in my chest, sending a strange feeling settling in my systemI started banging the door, calling for attention.

“Get me out of here!” I yelled, punching and kicking.

The door flung open a few minutes later, sending me several feet away from it. “If you want to live, then do as I instructed. Our boss hates being delayed,” the man said and walked out again, locking the door.

Boss?

Could Ferd have put some people up to this?

I swallowed as curiosity to see who it was crawled into my skin. There were a few options of clothes hanging there. All were gowns, and all were red. None looked decent, so it was a hard pick. At the end of my endless scrolling, I took something out and got dressed.

The next time I stared into the mirror, I could not tell the difference between me and a half naked lady. The sleeves exposed my hands, there was a long slit that traveled all the way to my left thigh, and my burst popped up from the top of the gown.

The door unlocked, and my heart sank again. There was a hair pin in the jewelry box, sharp edged. I picked it and slipped it into my hair—just for defense.

“Come on,” the guard said.

“How did you know I was dressed?” I asked, turning to him with defiance. His eyes trailed to the left. Mine followed and I spotted the security camera. “You were watching the whole time? That’s…”

“I won’t have to take you out by force, ma’am,” he cut me. A sharp breath left my mouth, my trembling hands clinging onto the sides of my gown as I walked out.

I was led down a beautifully decorated hallway, and for the first few minutes, I got lost in the art. The aroma of freshly prepared food drifted through the air. My stomach twisted, a stark reminder of how long it had been since I’d eaten, but I shoved the thought aside. I had bigger concerns—like figuring out where I was and who had taken me.

The guard stopped in front of a set of large double doors, intricately carved with swirling patterns of black and gold. He pushed them open without a word, stepping aside to let me pass.

I hesitated.

Something about this place felt… too controlled. Too elegant for a simple k********g.

But I had no choice. I stepped inside.

The dining hall was vast, illuminated by a grand chandelier that cast golden light across the room. A long, dark-wood table stretched before me, set with silverware and an array of dishes that would put the finest restaurants to shame. But my eyes didn’t linger on the food.

They locked onto the man sitting at the head of the table.

Jules Gulious.

My breath caught in my throat.

I’d seen pictures of him before, in the news, in the whispered conversations of my father’s business partners. But none of them had done him justice. His presence was suffocating. My parents hated him. Hell there was a rumor that he killed them. My legs froze at that spot, and all I could think about was a weapon aside my hair pin for defense.

Sharp blue eyes fixed on me, cold and unreadable, while his fingers idly tapped against the crystal glass in front of him. He was dressed in a black suit, perfectly tailored, the top buttons of his shirt undone as if he couldn’t be bothered with formalities.

“Sarah Ford. Who would’ve thought,” his mixed American and Italian accent rang through the walls of the hall. “Have a seat,”

“Let me go,” I gruffed.

“To where?” He asked with a smirk and a shrug. “The news has rendered you homeless. You should be grateful I took you in,” he says before sending a piece of meat in his mouth.

“Where am I?”

“Ironvale,” he answered.

“What? How did I…”

“Sit,” Jules cut me, his eyes darker than earlier. Every trace of defiance in my body left, and I moved to the chair at the end. “Not there,” he said. He wiped his mouth, stood and noisily dragged the chair beside him out of the table.

“I can’t sit that…”

“I hate complaints,” he interrupted again.

Dealing with Jules requires a lot of smartness and patience—my father would always say to his business associates.

With a heavy sigh, I went to the chair and sat.

“Without wasting much time…” he said as he returned to his chair and pulled out a file. “Here,”

“What’s in there?” I asked.

“Open it,” he ordered.

I hesitated, but the moment his cold blue eyes returned to mine, my fingers found the seal of the file and ripped it open. I pulled out the paper and the first lines sent a thrilling sense of mockery through me.

I scoffed. “What’s this Jules? Are you joking or something?”

“I’m sure your father taught you how all this works,” he responded, eyes fixed on his meal.

“I’m not letting myself become a baton used by you and your cousin,”

“My cousin was weak, stupid,” he said, chewing on the food in his mouth before he turned to me. “I am the opposite,”

“You’re joking. I’m leaving,” I pushed the chair out.

“Ferd has men stationed around the borders of Steelhaven. The Danes are ready to kill you on sight the moment you walk out of here. I am the only protection you have,” he made me halt. “It’s simple. Sign the papers as a stand-in wife until I get all I want in exchange for a life-time freedom even after we go our separate ways,”

“A second divorce,” I scoffed. “How pathetic,”

“Would that stop you from protecting yourself and the child growing inside you,” Jules blurted, and my heart sank. I turned to him sharply, watching as he drank his wine with so much ease.

“What…what did you say?”

“I know you’re pregnant. I’ve been watching you since the scandal and suits began,” he dabbed his mouth with a napkin, grabbed the papers and walked to me. “So you either sign the papers…or risk being caught and killed by the same man whom you’re supposed to teach a lesson if you’re with me.”

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