Strings He Pulled
875 Words
Maya told herself she wouldn’t think about him again. That night, after leaving the orphanage, she stood under the shower until the water turned cold, trying to wash away the way Adrian Blackwood’s smile had unsettled her, the way children’s laughter had clung to his suit like an impossible contradiction.
But his image refused to dissolve. The man she’d seen was nothing like the ruthless billionaire the media painted. Nothing like the predator who claimed her as his own. And yet, that was who he was too. Both faces. Both masks.
By morning, she hadn’t slept a wink.
The office buzzed louder than usual when she arrived. Lila cornered her at her desk, eyes sparkling with mischief and warning all at once.
“You’re in trouble,” she whispered, dropping a glossy magazine onto Maya’s keyboard.
Maya froze. Across the cover was a blurred photograph taken at the gala the moment Adrian’s hand had curved around her waist, his gaze locked on hers as if the world had fallen away.
The headline screamed: The Billionaire and His Mystery Woman.
Her chest squeezed painfully.
“Lila, this isn’t”
“Don’t bother denying it,” her friend cut in, her voice low. “Everyone saw it. And now the whole city knows. Blackwood doesn’t just dance with anyone. If he’s looking at you like this” she tapped the picture“you’re already his.”
Maya shoved the magazine into her drawer, her pulse racing. No. I’m not. I can’t be.
But when she opened her laptop, her heart nearly stopped.
An email sat at the top of her inbox. Not to her work account this time her personal one.
Wear the dress. Tonight. I’ll send a car. – A.
She didn’t remember giving him her email. She didn’t remember telling him where she lived, what her size was, or anything else. But when she got home that evening, a box was waiting by her door, wrapped in black paper with a silver ribbon.
Inside was a gown. Midnight silk, cut to perfection, with heels that gleamed like glass.
Maya’s breath caught. She touched the fabric, trembling. It wasn’t just a dress. It was a command.
Her phone buzzed.
8 PM. Don’t make me come in after you. – A.
Her stomach twisted. Half of her screamed to ignore it, to lock her door and hide under her blankets. But another part the reckless, curious part ached to see him again.
By 7:55, she found herself slipping into the dress.
When the black car pulled up outside, she didn’t resist. The driver opened the door, and the city lights blurred as they sped through streets she barely recognized.
Her nerves tangled tighter with every passing second until the car finally stopped in front of a towering building. Not his penthouse. Somewhere new.
The driver led her inside.
The air pulsed with low music, the scent of expensive liquor, the murmur of laughter and conversation. They entered a private lounge, where crystal chandeliers glowed dimly over velvet seating and sharp eyed men in suits. It was a world of wealth and power, hidden behind closed doors.
And at the center, Adrian Blackwood sat like a king.
He rose when she entered, his presence commanding the entire room without a word. His gaze swept over her slowly, deliberately, from the gown that clung to her curves to the way her hands trembled at her sides.
“Perfect,” he murmured.
Maya’s cheeks flushed with heat. “This is insane. You can’t keep”
“I can,” he said softly, but there was steel beneath the velvet. He closed the distance between them, his hand brushing her arm in a touch that sent shivers racing across her skin. “And I will.”
Her breath caught. She hated the way her body betrayed her, leaning ever so slightly toward him.
“Why me?” she whispered, the same question that haunted her nights.
Adrian’s gaze burned into hers, unflinching. “Because you don’t see it yet. You think you’re ordinary. But I saw you long before that night. I saw the fire you try to hide. And once I’ve set my eyes on something, Maya…” His fingers lifted her chin, forcing her to meet his stare. “…I never let go.”
The music around them seemed to fade, the world shrinking until it was just him and her, predator and prey, though she could no longer tell which she was.
Her heart hammered. “You’re suffocating me.”
“Or setting you free,” he countered.
Before she could answer, the doors swung open, and the atmosphere shifted. A tall man strode in, his sharp suit gleaming, his smile carrying the same kind of power Adrian wore.
“Blackwood,” the man drawled. “I didn’t realize you were bringing company tonight.”
Adrian’s arm slid around Maya’s waist, anchoring her to his side. His voice dropped to a dangerous calm. “She isn’t company. She’s mine.”
Maya’s blood turned cold, her breath catching in her throat.
And as the stranger’s eyes lingered on her with too much interest, she realized that Adrian’s claim wasn’t just words. It was protection. A warning.
And a prison.
- Writer
