GILDED CAGE
924 Words
Her heart thundered as she turned. The hallway behind the study was empty. Shadows whispered across the marble floors, flickering with the dim security lights. No one was there.
At least no one she could see.
She backed out of the office slowly, palms sweating, every step measured, almost robotic.
The photo of her father with a red X burned into her mind. Who marked it? Why? And what did it mean?
She didn’t sleep that night. The silence of the penthouse was suffocating, every tick of the clock a reminder she was living in a stranger’s house, wearing his last name, but knowing nothing about the storm she had married into.
The next morning, Cassian was already dressed and standing by the floor-to-ceiling window, phone in hand.
His dark suit clung to him like a second skin. He didn’t glance her way.
You’ll be starting at Ward Corp today, he said, tone clipped. I’ve arranged a private driver.
She blinked. You want me to work?
He turned to face her, eyes cold. You’re my wife. Not my guest.
He continued, and there are rules you must follow
You’re not to enter my study.
You’re not to speak to the press.
You’re not to contact Elias unless I say so.
And you’re not to sleep in the master bedroom.
She froze. Why?
Cassian didn’t even look at her. This is not a real marriage. Don’t confuse it with one.
But these rules were not stated in the contract, so why bring them now? Selene asked?
You signed the contract, Selene. You didn’t read the fine print.
Her jaw clenched.
There was no fine print.
He took a step toward her, eyes gleaming.
No, but there was I. And I'm the part you should have feared most.
And with that, he walked out, leaving her with questions she wasn’t brave enough to ask.
Selene closed the door behind her and leaned against it. Her chest rose and fell with silent fury.
She wasn’t a prisoner. Not really. But the rules told a different story.
Later, the driver dropped her off in front of Ward Corp’s towering glass headquarters.
At Ward Corp, she was an afterthought. No welcome. No tour. No desk flowers or smiles. Just wary stares and silence.
Cassian had placed her in the finance division. She was assigned no team, no assistant, and no real tasks. Just a corner desk with a view of a world she didn’t belong to.
Cassian didn’t even acknowledge her when she passed him in the executive wing. In meetings, he barely looked at her. In public, he was cold and civil.
But when she wasn’t looking or pretended not to, she’d catch him staring. Studying. As if searching for a fault line under her skin.
It was worse than hatred. It was an interest buried under restraint.
That afternoon, she stayed late. She wanted to feel useful, needed, anything other than a pawn in a game she didn’t understand.
She was reviewing acquisition files at her new desk when the air shifted behind her.
She turned.
Vivienne Grant stood there, poised in heels, silk blouse immaculate, lips curved in a smile that didn’t touch her eyes. She was beautiful
I see he’s letting you play secretary, no. Her voice was silk coated in venom. You look… misplaced.
Selene straightened. I work here.
Vivienne gave a short, quiet laugh. Oh, sweet girl. You exist here. That’s not the same thing.
Selene clenched her jaw. Can I help you?
Vivienne leaned closer, voice low. You think you’re winning, don’t you? That marrying him gave you leverage. But Cassian Ward doesn’t love. He calculates. You're just a pawn.
I never said anything about love, and I don’t care what you think
No, Vivienne said, lips curling. But you’re the type who hopes. Oh,h and you should care. Vivienne smiled sweetly
She tapped the papers on Selene’s desk and whispered, He’s using you. And I just hope for your sake, you don’t fall for him.
That would be… tragic.
Selene’s throat tightened.
Vivienne tilted her head. Tell me, did you enjoy sneaking into his office last night?
Selene’s blood ran cold. Her spine stiffened. What? How were you even in the house?
Vivienne smiled wider, satisfaction glinting in her eyes. Next time, be quieter. The floorboards always betray the curious.
Later that night, Selene stared at her ceiling, heart pounding. Vivienne had been there. She’d watched. She knew.
But that wasn’t what terrified her the most.
It was what Vivienne said next, words whispered too low for anyone else to hear, and yet still sharp enough to pierce through Selene’s composure.
Your father betrayed his. But your signature signed the deal. Ask yourself, Selene, how much blood is on your hands?
And then she walked away.
Selene sat upright in bed, her breath shallow
What signature? What betrayal? What blood?
Her hands trembled as she reached for her phone. She had to call Elias. Had to….
But her phone screen blinked once, then shut off completely. A message flickered briefly before it died.
Access restricted
She was trapped
In a penthouse.
In a marriage.
In the past, she hadn’t even begun to understand.
Then, just as she stood, her room phone rang once.
Only once.
She picked it up.
No voice on the other end.
Only breathing.
Then a whisper
You were never meant to survive this, Selene
The line went dead
And since the first time, since the wedding, she wasn’t so sure Cassian was the one pulling the strings.
- Writer
