Caged

MADONNA

  

   

  

  Marriage. My pulse hammered so loud I was sure Ethan could hear it, but I forced myself to nod slowly.

  

  "Yes," I said. "I'll marry you."

  

  Ethan's smile widened and he reached over to pat my hand. I stiffened under his touch, wondering what the hell I've just gotten myself into. "Good girl. You made the right choice."

  

  The SUV stopped in front of the massive stone house and a man in a black suit opened my door. Ethan took my hands and we walked into the open oaken doors of the house. I wondered how he could trust me so easily. But then I remembered what Sergei said.

  

  Its not about trust, it's about control. You have to spend  three months on the streets before you make contact so that you'd look broken, like someone they can crush easily.

  

  Inside the house was massive. Everything from the crystal chandeliers, to the marble floors, to the intricate interior intimidated me. It was the first time of me stepping into a building that screamed bloody wealth. A woman in a maid's uniform appeared immediately, her eyes downcast.

  

  "Take her upstairs," Ethan ordered. "Third floor, east wing. Make sure she has everything she needs."

  

   

  

  The maid nodded without looking at either of us. The room she led me to was bigger than any place I'd ever stayed. A massive bed sat against one wall. There was a closet, a private bathroom with a tub big enough for three people, and windows that overlooked the estate grounds. It was just, suddenly, suffocating.

  

  "I'll bring you dinner shortly," the maid said quietly before leaving me alone.

  

  I stood in the center of the room trying to process everything. This was supposed to be my way in, but marriage to Ethan wasn't part of Sergei's plan. My target was Adrian but maybe this could work.

  

  I started moving around the room, checking everything carefully. The windows had locks but it was something I could easily pick. The door had a keyhole on both sides which meant someone could lock me in from outside. I noted the camera in the corner by the ceiling, its presence even made me more uncomfortable.

  

  The closet was full of expensive dresses and for the first time, I felt really glad about this. I picked one and wore it, and was shocked as it fit me accurately. I tried the best three on the rack and they fit me accurately too. I paused. I knew it...this was too good to be true. Maybe he has been tracking me since and have been tracking me before the incident in that alley,  and it had all not been a convenient coincidence. The thought made my skin crawl. If he knew of my coming, did he also know about my real plans. Did both brothers know?

  

   

  

  The maid returned with a tray of food that smelled so good. As I ate, I ate in apprehension. Maybe this was a lure. Maybe it was poison.

  

  An hour later, Ethan came to get me.

  

  "My father wants to meet you," he said, coldly. My skin crawled.

  

  I followed him back downstairs and through a labyrinth of hallways before he knocked on a floor to ceiling door. He pushed the doors open and I stepped into the biggest room I've ever been.

  

  Beside a huge desk, was an older man watching us with dead eyes. Enzo Volkov.

  

  "Father, this is Madonna," Ethan said, his hand on my lower back pushing me forward slightly.

  

  Enzo's eyes traveled over me slowly, taking in every detail.

  

  "Where did you find this stray?" Enzo asked. I flinched.

  

  "In the city," Ethan replied confidently, matching his father's condescending stare. "She needed help and I provided it."

  

  "And now you want to marry her." He sounded disgusted.

  

  "Yes. In three days." Ethan smacked his lips confidently, "Father you have to understand. She's not like the other female nobility who just want me for my power or money."

  

  Enzo swiped his face like he was exhausted. "Have you done your proper background check?"

  

  Ethan looked at me and his lips curled into a threatening smile. "Yes."

  

  I swallowed. What?

  

  "The rule is clear," Ethan said, turning back to his father, and I heard steel in his voice. "The first son to marry becomes the next head of the family. I intend to claim what's mine."

  

  So that was it. Ethan didn't want me, he wanted power. I was just a convenient tool to get the throne faster than his brother.

  

  Enzo leaned back in his chair, fingers drumming on the armrest. "You're using a loophole to steal the position from your brother."

  

  "I'm using the rules you made," Ethan shot back.

  

  For a long moment neither of them spoke. The tension in the room was thick enough to choke on. Finally Enzo nodded slowly.

  

  "Fine. You can have your wedding," he said, but his tone made it clear he wasn't happy. "Make it fast though, before your brother returns from his mission."

  

  Adrian. He wasn't here right now and that's why Ethan was rushing everything.

  

  "Of course, Father. Three days is more than enough time." Ethan scoffed, pulling me away.

  

  "You better hope so," Enzo replied, darkly. "You know how Adrian feels about being undermined."

  

  Before anyone could say more, the office door opened behind us. I turned to see a woman walking in like she owned the place. When she looked at me, her eyes were literal coals of fire. If looks could kill, I'd be dead right now.

  

  "You can't be serious," she spat, staring at Ethan with pure disbelief.

  

  "Klara," Enzo sighed, and I heard irritation in his voice. "This is a private conversation."

  

   

  

  "Private?" Klara laughed but there was no humor in it. "You're letting him marry off some random girl off the street. The entire clan will be furious."

  

  She turned those cutting eyes on me and I felt the hatred radiating off her. This woman wanted me dead already.

  

  "Who are you supposed to be?" she asked me directly.

  

  "Madonna," I said quietly, playing the scared homeless girl perfectly.

  

  She walked closer until she was right in front of me. "If I were you, I'd run very far away from this. Marrying him is equivalent to marrying a monster."

  

  "That's enough," Enzo barked from his desk. "Klara, leave."

  

  She ignored him completely, still staring at me with those killer eyes. "Girls like you don't last long here. Remember that."

  

  Then she turned and walked out, slamming the door behind her so hard the books on the shelves rattled.

  

  "Don't mind her," Ethan said casually. "She's just upset because she thought she had a chance with me."

  

  Enzo dismissed us and he took me back to my room.

  

  "Get some rest," he said at my door. "Tomorrow we'll start planning the wedding."

  

  I nodded and slipped inside, locking the door behind me. I couldn't sleep, I heard an abrupt noise outside my window. Someone was throwing rocks.

  

  My hand reached instinctively for the small knife I kept hidden in my clothes. I crept to the window only to see Klara standing in the garden below.

  

  Even from this distance I could see the hatred burning in her eyes. How did she know exactly which room was mine?

  

  Her lips curled up in a threatening smile and she drew one finger across her throat in a killing motion, her head tilting to the side.

  

  Despite myself, I shuddered. Message received.