KARMA SERVED HOT

Chapter 11 - The gilded cage

Lianne (Elara Vale) POV

“You're definitely not fine, Elara” Ethan said, his voice dropping to a whisper.

I looked at him for a brief moment, then I replied him firmly, “What do you think you are doing Mr Vance?” then continued,

“Whether I am fine or not has absolutely nothing to do with you, I am just your contract wife. And I would really appreciate it if you maintain that boundary”

He opened his mouth to speak but I raised up my hand, interrupting him before he could,

“I believe I made myself clear enough in the contract that there would be no closeness or intimacy between us. And if anything at all, the only thing I need from you is your connection and resources”

" Do not interfere with my plans Mr Vance.” I warned him again, "you were never supposed to be here, waiting for me in this parking lot"

I side stepped him, intending to slip away towards the car when his hand caught my right arm.

“Whether you are just a contract wife or not isn't for you to decide, Elara” Ethan countered, an easy smile spread upon his face. “And I will interfere your plan whenever I feel is necessary”

“From the moment you signed that contract, Elara" he continued repeating my name again as if it were a chant “you have become mine, mine to protect and mine to own.”

“Now, get in the car and let's go home, wife. We have a lot to discuss.” he said with a tone of finality, leaving no room for arguments.

The ride to the mansion was quiet. Tension filled the air inside the car. I sat beside the car door, looking at the flashing cars, streetlight poles, and people as we moved on. This contract marriage, this revenge plan has finally come to live. I must accomplish it, no matter the challenges I face, I thought inwardly while I clenched my hands which rested on my laps.

The car moved quickly and came to a halt in front of the mansion. I didn't even realize when we got here, I was so consumed in my thoughts, I opened the car door and walked into the big mansion, leaving Ethan behind me.

I stepped into the elevator which arrived at the second floor with a ding and opened into the hallway that led to my room, our room. I walked briskly down the hallway, wondering what type of discussion he wanted to have with me.

Footsteps approached. I turned towards the source of the sound and I saw one of Ethan's men approaching.

“Mrs Vance” he acknowledged.

“Mr Vance requested me to deliver this to you” he said, extending a small black box to me.

I took a slow step towards him, accepting the box "What's inside this?"

"A phone that connects you to Mr Vance’s intelligence unit”.

I lifted the lid covering the box, inside it was a seamless glass phone which pulsed faintly with a soft blue light.

"Once you dial the number three, you'll be automatically connected to them at the intelligence unit no matter your location.”

I stared at the small device in my palm. It's like a blank mirror staring back at me with a faint blue pulsation. I felt my stomach twist slightly, this is not just a device; he was showing me the depth of his connections.

"You will return this back to Ethan, tell him that I do not need his private intelligence “ I said quietly, closing the box.

"Mr. Vance had anticipated this and he told me to inform you that he does not leave your safety to chance"

“He also requested you to come to dinner in ten minutes" he said and disappeared back into the hallway where he had probably emerged from.

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The dining room was big enough to host a banquet, but this evening the table was set for only two.

I met Ethan already sitting at the head of the table, his face illuminated by the bright crystal chandeliers, he had discarded his suit jacket and was wearing a black dress shirt with the top button undone and the sleeves rolled up to his forearms.

His dressing looked casual, but there was nothing casual or relaxed about the way his eyes tracked my movement as I walked into the dinning room.

I pulled out my chair before the waiting maid could get close to it, intentionally taking a seat that is three seats far from him. I needed distance away from him, after what he had told me today.

"You're sitting remarkably far away, Elara," Ethan said, his voice a deep baritone that seemed to vibrate thriugh the table and gestured to the empty chair directly to his right.

"I love the view from here," I simply replied, sitting upright with my hands folded on the white linen napkin in my lap. "It gives me a better view on the man spending millions to keep me cooped under his canopy".

A faint smirk touched the corner of his lips. He poured two glasses of deep crimson wine, pushing one toward the edge of my seat at the dinning table.

“Everything I do Elara, is for your safety, and besides you are very free to do whatever you want in this house” he responded.

"Don't try to manoeuvre this discussion, Ethan. What I signed is a contract, not an ownership agreement. "

He leaned forward, resting his elbows on the dining table, narrowing the distance between us instantly without moving an inch.

"I invest in potential assets, Elara. And right now, keeping you alive is my highest priority, whether you allow me to do it or not."

"An asset implies ownership," I said, holding his gaze despite the tension in my chest. "And I don't belong to you, well maybe I do but only on paper."

"Come on Elara" he snapped softly with an edge to his voice “the walls of this mansion are specifically designed to keep out any external threats. I have explained this to you from the moment you stepped into this house but you keep on acting as if the threat is not outside but sitting right across from you”.

"That maybe because the man sitting across me holds all the keys to the threats” I threw back, my chest rising and falling fast.

The air in the room turned cold and oppressive, stretched thin with tension. My heart drummed in my chest, driven by a mixture of self-preservation, and a strange feeling that flashed through me whenever he looked at me this way, like he could read every single thought running through my mind.

I reached for my wine glass, my movement a fraction too fast and gulped down the entire content in a bid to calm myself.

Ethan relaxed back on his chair, all the while looking at me and said in a strangely calm voice “I didn't call you down to this dinner just for us to argue like this” he continued,

“I called to inform you that I would be making a public announcement with you about our relationship tomorrow” he then paused to allow the weight of his words to sink in.

I looked at him sharply, took a deep breath and stood up pushing the chair back as I did so.

“Alright, Mr Vance. I'll be prepared” I replied and excused myself, needing space. I walked fast, my mind spinning out of control.

Here it comes, the formal introduction to Ethan Vance’s world. I thought as I walked out of the dinning room.