The Tyrant's Beautiful Mistake

Chapter 2: The Velvet Cage

The inside of the Maybach was really quiet. Zara could hear herself breathing. Outside the windows, Manhattan was a mess of neon signs and wet roads. Inside the car it was really still.

Adrian Vance was sitting a couple of feet away from Zara. He had not said a word since they left the Obsidian Club. He just stared ahead, his face not showing any feelings. He had one hand on his knee. He seemed powerful and that made the car feel like a prison.

Zara pushed herself closer to the door. She wanted to be as far away from Adrian as possible. She was feeling really scared and guilty. She looked down at her hands. They were still shaking. She was wearing a dress that was not hers. What have I done? She thought. I just signed a contract with my sister's name. I am living a lie.

She looked at Adrian. His jaw was set. He had a little bit of hair on his chin. He was really handsome. He seemed like a man who never got scared or failed. If he found out that the woman next to him was not the girl he thought she was but just Zara, a quiet teacher, he would be really angry.

The silence grew so heavy that the sudden sound of Adrian's deep voice made her jump.

"You are really quiet tonight Vivien " he said. He did not look at her. His voice was smooth. It seemed like he did not believe her. "Usually when you are in trouble you try to talk your way out of it. You throw something at me. You are being really quiet. That is not like you."

Zara's heart was beating fast. She swallowed hard and tried to sit up straight. She had to be like her sister, Vivien. She had to be mean and not care about what people thought.

"Maybe I just realized that fighting with you is a waste of time Mr. Vance " she said. She tried to sound cool and not care. "You have your contract. You have my signature. What more do you want? A show?"

Adrian slowly turned his head. His eyes looked at hers. They seemed heavy and serious. He leaned forward a little which made Zara's breath catch.

"I want you to do what I say, not to be mean, " he said. His eyes looked at her hands, then back at her face. "I want you to remember who you are now. For the next year you are part of my company. When we are in public you will smile and you will hold my hand. You will make people think you love me. When we are alone you will do your job. Stay out of my way."

"If people do not believe it?" Zara asked. Her voice was braver than she felt. "We have been fighting in the news for months. People are not stupid Adrian. They will see that it is not real."

Adrian's eyes got darker. "People believe what they are told, Vivien. A secret love story that we could not hide? That is what the news wants. By tomorrow everyone will think we were meant to be."

Zara felt her face get hot. Adrian was really mean. There was something about him that made her feel strange. The way he looked at her was like nothing she had ever seen before. It was like he wanted her to do what he said. It made her feel scared and excited at the same time.

The car smoothly glided to a halt, saving her from having to find a retort.

Zara looked out the window and realized they had arrived at the Vance Residential Tower, a building with a lot of rich people living there.

The door was opened by Silas, Adrian's security guy. He helped Zara out and his face was blank. His eyes looked at her for a second too long.

"Welcome home Ms. Croft, " Silas said. His voice was low and rough.

Zara got out of the car. The air was cool and wet. She did not feel welcomed; she felt trapped. Adrian got out behind her. His hand was on her back. It was hot and strong. It made her feel like she could not move.

"Keep walking, " Adrian said. His breath was on her ear. "There are cameras. Start acting like you're my girlfriend now."

He took her to an elevator that needed his fingerprint and eye scan to work. The doors slid open silently, swallowing them into a capsule of brushed steel and mirror panels. The elevator went up fast and Zara looked at themselves in the mirror. They looked like a couple but Zara could see the fear in her eyes and the anger in Adrian's.

When the elevator doors opened, Zara was really surprised. The room was huge and really fancy. There were a lot of windows. She could see the whole city. But it was not warm or cozy; it was like a showroom.

"Silas already brought your stuff from your apartment, " Adrian said. He took off his jacket and threw it on the couch. "Your room is down the hall. The last door on the right."

Zara was surprised. "You... You took my stuff without asking me?"

Adrian turned around. He was smiling in a mean way. "You signed a contract, Vivien. Did you think I would leave you in your apartment, where you could run away or hide things? My team is checking all your devices. You will get a phone tomorrow and it will be monitored all the time."

Zara was really angry. "You have no right to do that! My mother…"

She stopped talking because she almost said something that would give her away. Vivien did not care about their mother; Zara did.

Adrian's eyes got narrower. "Your mother? What about her? You did not care about her when you stole from me."

Zara tried to stay calm. She crossed her arms and tried to look mean. "I care about my family's privacy, Adrian. Even a bad person like me deserves some respect. You are not a hero; you are a mean guy."

Adrian stopped in front of her. He was really close. Zara had to look up at him. He was angry. There was something else there, something that made Zara feel strange. It was like they were connected. They did not want to admit it.

"I am not a hero, " Adrian said, his voice going really low. It was a little scary and it made her feel something else too. "I am the man who has control over your future. Do not forget that. If you try to trick me, if you try to get in touch with Marcus Sterling or if you do anything that is not what I want, I will make sure that you lose everything that's important to you."

He leaned down close to her, his eyes looking at her lips for a second. She could see a lot of heat in his eyes like he really wanted her. Then he pulled back.

"Go to your room Vivien " he said coldly turning his back on her. "We have a press conference tomorrow at ten to tell everyone about our love story. You should get some sleep. You need to look nice for the cameras."

Zara did not wait for him to change his mind. She turned around and walked quickly down the dark hallway he showed her. Her heels were making a sound on the floor until she got to the last door on the right.

She opened the door and went inside, shutting it tightly behind her. The room was really nice with a bed and pretty sheets. There was a view of the city from the window. At the foot of the bed there were two suitcases with fancy labels. They belonged to Vivien.

Zara walked over to the window and pressed her forehead against the glass. The city looked far away like it did not care about her. She felt trapped like she was living in a prison with a man who did not like her at all. She was pretending to be someone she did not know well anymore.

Then a soft buzzing sound broke the silence in the room.

Zara stopped moving. The sound was not coming from the suitcases. It was coming from her bag.

She opened the bag with shaking hands and took out a small phone. It was a secret phone that she used to get news about her mother. The screen did not show a hospital or a doctor's name.

It was a number she did not know.

Zara's breath caught in her throat. She touched the screen and put the phone to her ear, her voice barely loud enough to hear. "Hello?"

A low voice laughed at the end of the line. It was a little scary.

"You are playing the part well Zara," the voice said, using her real name. "Adrian Vance thinks he has the girl he wants. He has no idea who he is really with. Keep playing the part of his fiancé. Keep him busy. Because if you tell him the truth I will make sure your sister never breathes another breath of fresh air."

The call ended, leaving Zara standing in the dark. The phone fell from her hand. Someone knew who she really was. They were watching her all the time.