VELVET CHAINS

Episode3: Breaking free from chain

Leah's Pov

He gestured to the seat across from him. ‘’Sit.’’

I did—only because my legs were beginning to shake, my head was spinning, and my vision was blurry.

For a long moment, there was only silence. I just stared at him, wondering about the reason he was doing all this.

‘’You work in shadows,’’ Powell said breaking the silence. ‘’But you don’t belong in them.’’

I didn’t look at him.

‘’You think you’re the first man to throw such poetic nonsense at me?’’

‘’No. But I might be the first one who sees past it.’’

He slid a slim, matte check across the table. A million dollars. Already signed.

‘’This is yours, either way.’’

‘’So what am I supposed to do for it?’’ My voice trembled. Not from fear—from anger.

‘’Nothing,’’ he said. ‘’Not tonight.’’

I narrowed my eyes.

‘’Then why am I here?’’

Powell leaned forward, elbows on the table, and looked at me intently.

‘’Because I saw the way you danced. You don’t like dancing this way, do you? he asked. And I want to know who you’re trying to save.’’ My throat tightened. No one had ever asked that before. No one had dared.

‘’You don’t get to dig through my life like it’s a mystery you’re entitled to solve.’’

‘’You’re right.

He didn’t stop me.

‘’But if you ever want to stop surviving and start choosing—come back.’’

The elevator opened behind me.

He didn’t chase me. And that unsettled her more than anything.

Months later, I lay on the worn leather couch of my tiny Brooklyn apartment, the scent of burnt toast and teenage frustration already filling the space.

‘’Coral, I said I’d make breakfast,’’ I scolded her, sitting up.

My younger sister, fifteen, sharp-tongued and far too clever, poked her head out from the kitchen, waving a burnt piece of bread like a lottery ticket.

‘’You said that yesterday too,’’ she pouted. ‘’But I figured I’d make it myself.’’

I let out a hearty laugh as I stood up, wrapping an oversized robe around my body. I wanted to hide the bruises the world didn’t see—the emotional ones, not the ones my performance hid so well. Coral dropped her voice.

‘’You were crying in your sleep again,’’ she said with an obvious worry on her face.

‘’Was it Mom this time, or the past?’’

‘’Both,’’ I murmured, tears filling my already tired eyes.

I remembered the first time I ignored my instincts. Back when I believed a man who said he’d ‘’help’’ me. A man who promised to keep Coral safe if only I ‘’played along.’’ I gave him one night.

He took everything and left me in ruin.

The scars weren’t visible, but they ruled my decision now. Especially about rich men with secret agendas. I stood in my room, staring at one of my blue dresses. My phone buzzed. It was a text from Coral:

Missed the bus again. Sorry. Mr. Crane gave me extra detention. I’ll walk,’’

I bit my lips. I haven’t stopped thinking about Mr. Powell and his offer. I was rude the last time we spoke, and true to his words, he didn’t message or call me again.

‘’Rox?’’

‘’Yo.’’

‘’Can you watch Coral for the night?’’

I heard a shriek of excitement on the other end before she said yes.

‘’You are finally going on a real date?’’

I didn’t answer as I ended the call.

I went back to the penthouse because I didn’t know where his office was. At first, I was scared that I would be chased out, but the opposite happened. The gate man opened the gate for me as though they had been expecting me. As I entered the penthouse, I was greeted with so much warmth, I didn’t feel like a stranger.

One of the maids told me to get comfortable, she also said I would have to wait for Mr. Powell because he had travelled for a business meeting.’’ Oh great’’ I cursed under my breath. Soon enough, they left, and I was alone with my thoughts. What are you going to do? I thought you didn’t like him, so why are we here? My conscience was judging me, but my mind was already made up.

Powell came much later, when the stars were glittering in the sky. He didn’t waste time, he asked me to follow him…

The private lounge was soaked in shadows and gold. Soft music purred from hidden speakers, mingling with the scent of aged brandy and something more elusive—perfume, maybe, or desire.

Powell’s POV

The first time I met Leah, she was on stage under neon lights, turning slowly yet so gracefully. That night, I didn’t speak. I just watched—and she knew. Since then, their encounters had been few but charged. Too dangerous. Too unforgettable.

Now she was back on my lap, but the game had changed.

‘’You waited,’’ she said softly, her fingertips teasing the knot of my tie. Her lips hovered just above his. ‘’Most men don’t.’’

‘’Well, I am not most men,’’ I said, our lips almost touching. I was getting turned on just by her voice. She smiled, she could feel me bulging against her thigh.

‘’No. You’re way worse.’’ She said giggling

‘’Why’s that?’’

‘’Because you don’t ask for anything,’’ she whispered. ‘’You make me want to give it anyway.’’

I exhaled slowly, using one hand to cradle the back of her neck, my thumb slightly brushing the edge of her jaw. ‘’You make me forget I already have everything.’’

Her breath was now in slow, calculated breaths. I could perceive her scent. She wanted me as much as I do. She leaned in, our mouths almost touching—not quite a kiss, but close enough to taste the heat and desire.

‘’You shouldn’t be here,’’ she whispered against my lips.

‘’I own this building,’’ I murmured, ‘’and It feels so good when I touch you.’’

That broke something in her. She dragged me closer until our mouths met—slow, deep, desperate. The kiss wasn’t polite. It was six months of being apart, the s****l tension was thick in the air, and my mind was woozy.

‘’You’re not like them,’’ she said. ‘’You don’t want to watch. You want to unravel.’’

I ran my thumb over her bottom lip, studying it like a map. ‘’Then let me,’’ I said in a whisper.

A beat passed. Then she took my hand and placed it on her breasts, right over her racing heart.

‘’Start here.’’