Debt of Desire

Chapter Three

Andrea’s POV

The whole house was like a prison. I was allowed to wander but whenever I got too close to the gate I could feel more eyes on me. No one had to tell me that escape was impossible.

Initially, I thought it would be impossible to feel cramped in such a large place, but it stopped being about the space but the fact that I couldn’t leave.

I hadn’t seen Derek since the day I had arrived. I consciously avoided him, and it was made easy because he hardly moved around. My emotions towards him slowly drifted from hate to pity, when I understood that his father was forcing him into this as well.

I had been plotting ways to escape the house but walking alone, it felt like a fortress. Knowing there was nothing I could achieve alone, I decided to befriend a maid on whom I could get information from.

“How many times do the gates open each day?” I asked her on my fifth day there.

“The gates are hardly let open. They open whenever the boss is going to work, and whenever he’s leaving.”

“And when do they deliver foodstuffs?”

“There’s a private farm here in the mansion that ensures the boss gets the best quality products, so that’s not a reason to have the gates open.”

“Okay, thank you.” And the conversation had ended.

The next day, I asked more questions.

“When do the gates open when it’s not Corvin entering or leaving?”

“That would be when he has guests. But that’s extremely rare.”

“And there are no other chances?”

The maid looked at me for a while and sighed. “I can indulge your fantasies of leaving this place, but I have to let you know that it won’t happen. Even if you do manage to escape, which is impossible, you'll just be brought back. Corvin Smith is not the type of man you want hunting you. And you don’t want to be a thorn in his side too. He will simply find a replacement and make your life hell,” she said, as though speaking from experience.

I had not let her words discourage me. Derek had made no move on me, so there was no pressure. But I knew that wouldn’t last long. If Derek didn’t make a move, Corvin would make sure he did. Otherwise, I would lose value to him, and he would have to get rid of me. I hated the thought.

It had been a week since Corvin had brought me here. I had not been able to speak to or see my father. I was getting frustrated, and I was sure he was too.

One day, as I stared at the mansion’s gate wondering how I would escape, Corvin came in his limousine. I was sitting outside so he could clearly see me when he came down from the car.

“Dreaming of escape, huh?” he said, curtly.

“You can’t keep me here forever.”

“I don’t plan to. Five years, remember?” And he was gone.

I hated him and felt a deep anger at both him and myself for being so helpless. The clock was ticking. It wouldn’t take too long now before I would be required to do what I was brought there for.

Three days after my encounter with Corvin, I was suddenly called from my room one night.

A guard in a suit stood at the door, his face steeled and emotionless.

“You’re needed downstairs,” he said.

“What for?” I asked, wondering if I was going to be forced into having s*x that night.

“The boss wants to see you.”

“Tell the boss he can go f**k himself.”

“You can choose to act tough and refuse. But I’ll just drag you down, stripping you of your dignity. But you can choose to come on your own, and avoid the embarrassment.”

He had to do his job. The person I should have been getting angry with was Corvin. I came down from the bed and slipped into my flip-flops.

I was led to Corvin’s study and then ushered inside. I hesitated shortly, but went in after a while.

The door was closed behind me, and inside sat Corvin with a solemn look on his face.

“Sit down,” he said calmly. There was a gravity to his voice.

“Why?” I asked, wary of his intentions.

“Just take a seat,” he said.

He was deliberately being polite.

I sat down opposite him.

“I have bad news.” He started.

My heart jumped.

There was only one thing that connected the two of us, and that was my father. Unless something had happened to him, I saw no reason why Corvin would decide to share it with me.

“Is it my father?” I asked, my heart racing.

He sat back on his chair. Looking at me and contemplating.

“Something happened last night. At his house,” he said, and then stopped.

It was as though he was finding it difficult to tell me exactly what had happened. I looked at his face one more time and I knew what he meant. My body stiffened, and I found I couldn’t move.

“They say he began drinking after you left, and disconnected from the world. The maid that came to attend to the house occasionally said she found him this morning and forensics say he passed away last night.”

I sat there, unable to do anything. A drop hit my shirt and I realized tears were flowing from my eyes. I made a useless attempt to wipe it off, but it didn’t work as more just flowed out.

“Why am I just hearing about it now?” I asked.

“The news didn’t get to me till noon. And I didn’t feel it was something to discuss over the phone. So I decided I’d break it to you when we met.”

The tears kept flowing, and eventually I stopped wiping them with my hands. They weren’t stopping.

Corvin said nothing and allowed me to weep uncontrollably.

“For what it’s worth…” he began. “I'm sorry for what happened.”