PRETTY LITTLE SECRET

Chapter Two

Vanessa’s Pov

The heavy oak door of the bedroom slammed shut, and the loud click of the electronic lock turning from the outside made my stomach drop right to the floor. I was trapped. I spun around, glaring at the giant, fancy bedroom that looked more like a five-star hotel than a prison cell. Huge windows looked out over the dark, windy forest outside, and a giant king-sized bed sat in the middle of the room with silk sheets that felt like ice.

I didn't care about the fancy bed or the soft carpets. I hated every single piece of it.

The next morning, a maid knocked softly on the door and left a giant rack of expensive clothes—dresses made of soft silk, shiny gold jewelry, and shoes that probably cost more than my apartment’s rent. A note on top written in sharp handwriting said: Wear these. Breakfast is downstairs in ten minutes.

I picked up the most expensive-looking red dress, stared at it for a second, and threw it straight into the garbage can. If Ryan Blackwood thought he could buy me, dress me up like a doll, and make me play his little game, he had another thing coming.

Instead, I pulled on the old, faded jeans and the plain black t-shirt I had worn the night the guards dragged me away. My hair was tied up in a messy ponytail, and I refused to put on a single drop of makeup. I was going to show him that I wasn't his property.

When I marched down the grand staircase and into the bright dining room, Ryan was already sitting at the long glass table. He was drinking black coffee and reading a digital tablet. When he looked up, his dark eyes stopped dead on my faded clothes. A small, tight frown appeared on his handsome face, but he didn't say a word at first.

I pulled out a chair right across from him, scraping it loudly against the marble floor on purpose, and sat down hard.

"Where is the dress I sent you?" Ryan asked, his deep voice smooth and completely calm.

"I threw it in the trash where it belongs," I snapped back, crossing my arms over my chest and staring right into his cold eyes. "I am not your doll, Mr. Blackwood. You bought my mother’s debt, fine. You locked me in this cage, fine. But you are never going to make me play dress-up for you."

Ryan took a slow, quiet sip of his coffee. He didn't yell. He didn't slam his cup down. He just looked at me like I was a stubborn child throwing a silly tantrum. It drove me completely crazy. I wanted him to scream at me, to get angry, to prove that he really was the monster I thought he was.

"You look ridiculous," Ryan said coldly, though a tiny twitch at the corner of his mouth showed he was paying way too much attention. "And for the record, nobody outside these walls knows you are here. To the rest of the world, I live alone. You are just a ghost hiding in my house. You will stay hidden, and you will stay quiet."

A cold flash of humiliation hit my chest. A ghost? So I wasn't even his public mistress or his date. I was a dirty little secret he wanted to hide away in the dark.

"Good!" I lied, forcing my voice to sound brave even though my heart stung. "I don't want the world to know I'm trapped with a monster like you anyway. The less anyone knows about me, the better."

"Eat your breakfast, Vanessa," Ryan said, dismissing me like I didn't matter at all. "You have a long stay ahead of you."

Later that afternoon, when the house was quiet, I found the landline phone in the hallway. My hands were shaking as I dialed the number for the city hospital where Toby was staying. I needed to know if my little brother was okay, if my mother had left him all alone after trading me away.

A tired nurse answered the phone. "Children’s ward, how can I help you?"

"Hi," I whispered, pressing the phone hard against my ear. "I’m calling about Toby Hayes. Can you tell me how he’s doing?"

There was a short pause on the other end of the line, and then the nurse's voice turned surprisingly bright. "Oh, are you family? You must be so relieved! All of his medical bills and his upcoming surgery were completely paid in full yesterday morning by a private donor. He’s resting comfortably right now, and the doctors say he’s going to make a full recovery!"

My breath caught in my throat. Paid in full? But how? My mother didn't have any more money, and the bank had taken everything.

There was only one person who could have done it.

I dropped the phone back onto its cradle, my blood boiling. I marched straight toward his private study on the second floor, not even bothering to knock. I pushed the heavy wooden door wide open.

Ryan was standing by the window, talking on his phone, but when he saw the look on my face, he quickly ended the call and tossed the device onto his desk.

"Why did you do it?" I demanded, marching right up to him until I was just inches away. Tears of pure confusion and anger welled up in my eyes. "Why did you pay for Toby’s surgery? You already bought me! Why spend even more money on my family after everything they did?"

Ryan looked down at me, his face completely blank and emotionless. "I bought a debt, Vanessa. I clean up what belongs to me. Your brother is part of the package that keeps you here without causing me unnecessary trouble."

"You're lying!" I shouted, my voice cracking. "You didn't have to pay his hospital bills! You could have just kept me here for your stupid debt and let the hospital deal with him! Why do you have to pretend you're so cold when you actually did something good?"

"I am not a good person, Vanessa," Ryan whispered, and for a split second, a dark, heavy shadow passed over his eyes. It was a look of deep, bitter pain that he tried to hide away instantly. "Go back to your room."

"No!" I cried. "I want you to tell me the truth—"

Suddenly, the heavy double doors of the study burst open, and one of Ryan’s top guards rushed inside, looking pale and scared. "Sir, we have a major problem. The board of directors just leaked the shipping documents to our biggest rival. Our stock is dropping fast."

I watched as Ryan’s entire demeanor changed in a flash. The calm, cool billionaire vanished. In his place stood a terrifying, ruthless predator. His eyes turned sharp as glass, and his jaw clenched so hard I thought it might break. He didn't yell at the guard; he just spoke in a low, dangerous voice that made the air in the room feel heavy.

"Find out who leaked it," Ryan told the guard, his voice dropping to an icy whisper. "And make sure they never work in this city again."