Claimed by the Don.

LAYLA

I leisurely sat in bed, waiting for the door to be flung wide open, showing a fire-breathing dragon who would no doubt rave about my heinous actions.

The double doors to my room were thrust open as expected, and there stood a dark-haired, slim middle-aged woman staring at me with venom.

"God damnit Layla! This is the third bodyguard you've fired in the last month as a result of your careless behavior!" My stepmother yelled angrily at me as I turned the pages of Vogue magazine, rolling my eyes at her overacting.

I chose to ignore her and instead think about the two-piece suit I saw in a magazine and was about to purchase.

"Hand me that you spoilt brat!" My stepmother spat, seizing the magazine and ripping it apart before throwing it to the ground.

"I was making use of that." I sat up and pretended to be in anguish.

"Listen to me, you wretched girl; I have no desire to clean up after your messes! You'll do exactly what I say, be precisely what I say, and be who I say you are until I'm dead and no longer queen. If I ever catch you sneaking out another night and manage to get your new bodyguard fired, I'll have you shipped to the farthest bottomless pit I can discover." She seethed taking slow steps towards me.

"After all, I wield all power, and your father pays attention to everything I say. You're just a spoiled brat he's never wanted. Now since I'm expecting a girl baby, I'll be able to conveniently rid of your unwanted body and have my daughter become the princess." She made sure to speak in my ear so no one else could hear.

"My father may be dissatisfied with my actions thus far, but at least he's not a dark and dreadful soul such as you Violet. My father adores and cherishes my beyond anything. He'd never want me to leave his side, Never!" I spit at her.

The entire room echoed as Violet hand harshly met with my face. My hand on instinct leaped out to hold it in utter shock.

This was the first time she had gone beyond her boundaries with me and laid her hand on me. Her smirk evident on her face and I glared at her trying my best not to cry and let her have the satisfaction of seeing me down.

"My father will hear of this Violet."

"Go ahead and tell him. Let's see what he has to say; for all Liam cares I'm just teaching his disgusting daughter a lesson and proper manners. You most surely require it." She smirked as if taunting me.

"Don't you see, dear child? Your father is uninterested in you. I'm sure if he did, he'd come to see you at least once a month; yeah, he did come to see you early last month, but it was to criticize your horrible behavior. I'm curious why he hasn't visited you or allowed you to visit him despite the fact that he's only five doors down the hall." She made fun of me.

I tried to dismiss what Violet was saying, but I knew deep down that it was true: my father never cared enough about me to pay attention to me.

Violet has been nothing but a witch since my mother died and she assumed the position of stepmother and queen.

Violet's behaviors and poisonous methods were overlooked by my father despite my repeated warnings. My father always preferred her words over mine.

My father, who had always loved me, now didn't care about me or my existence. The sensation itself is a dagger to my heart.

I had never been this rebellious before, but after years of being told what to do, what to dress, what to say, and when to go out, I was almost at my breaking point, and no one cared.

That's when I had enough; I wanted to feel what others felt; I wanted to be a regular human for a change; and that's when I began my rebellion.

"You will never get away with this and I will ensure of it mark my words violet."

"Oh, and what are you going to do, Layla? Throw a temper tantrum? That's precisely what I want you to do; go ahead and brighten my day. It would be so simple to get rid of you after this." She openly spoke.

"You know, your father and I have recently discussed your heinous conduct, and I suggested to him that you be sent away to a school for appropriate grooming in Livingston, Germany, so you'll be far away from us and nowhere near the media to shame us again. He agreed wholeheartedly with my proposal. Following that, you will be transferred to the Fremen Kingdom to marry its prince, Prince William." She suddenly admitted.

"You're lying; my father would never do something like this to me." I tried to defend myself, but I knew I might anticipate anything from now on.

"If you don't believe me, go ahead and question him; let's hear what he says." She prompted me.

Before tears threatened to escape, I dashed out of the room and into my father's office, knowing he'd be working.

Looking up my father grimmest before looking back down at this files, "Not now Layla, I have worked to do," my father said before rubbing his palm against his head as if having a headache just by seeing my presence.

"Is it true father?" I enquired.

Violet strolled into his office, taking a seat next to him with a sneaky smirk on her face.

"I said is this true?" Tears pricked my eyes.

Without even bothering to look up my father spoke, "Yes Layla, I have arranged for you to leave in a week or two." My father expressed coldly, as if not caring.

"How could you possibly do this to me, papa?" I entreated him.

"Not now Layla." He harshly dismissed shocking me while Violet sat at his side smiling.

"I despise you." I raged at him, waiting for his reaction, but there was none, therefore I walked out of the room and went back to my room.

I crawled into my bed, closing the door behind me and sobbed my woes away. I couldn't believe it when my own father told me that.

I cried and cried until I couldn't anymore. I was about to fall asleep when something clicked in my thoughts, and I hurriedly grabbed a duffle bag from the closet and packed all of my belongings before saying a prayer.

I quickly took my bracelet, which contained all of the proof I required, and placed my phone on the bed, knowing it was bugged.

Hopefully, I won't get in trouble for this. So, being the naughty princess that I am, I crept outside, not letting any of the security personnel see me.

They were constantly perplexed as to how I was able to avoid them. My grandfather, King Richard, had surreptitiously given me access to my room before he died.

I stealthily set off the alarm at the west end of the palace before sprinting to the northern entrance.

Thankfully, no guard had seen me or any cameras had picked up on the fact that I was trying to flee.

I was used to getting around, so it was simple for me to sneak out without anyone noticing. Once outside the palace gate, I ran for what seemed like hours before finally coming to a halt.

I was exhausted and my feet hurt. However, after arriving in the dark streets with not a single soul on the road.

So I questioned if I'd made the proper decision, and the prospect of turning back baffled me.

But then I heard a roaring vehicle behind me. Fearful, I hurried into a nearby alley, only to realize it was the worst thing I could have done.

To my absolute disbelief, there were a few people beating up a man who was on the verge of dying, and I fell to the ground horrified while trying to flee.

I had managed to draw their attention to myself, and before I could run, I backed up into a firm chest from behind me. The sudden aroma of masculinity engulfing my nose.

I heaved after recognizing the harm caused by my own idiotic deeds.

"Hello little one." As I turned around to look at him, a sensuous yet frightening voice spoke to me from behind me.

His hand quickly covered my nose and mouth with what appeared to be a cloth and chloroform. As my body was ready to fall to the ground, I felt his hand hold me tightly.

Soon after, I awoke inside a room that was very unfamiliar to me. I tried moving my hand but realized that it was tied to a bed. My eyes cascaded around the room, looking at the small yet beautifully decorated room around me.

With heightened terror, I tried to wiggle my hand and foot free from the clothing that were tied to my hands and feet, and then to the bedpost.

"I see you've finally woken up." A charming voice said to me.

Looking up at my capturer, he was unlike anything I had ever seen before; not that I was used to seeing many people, but his face was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen.

Looking at the attractive man with ocean green eyes, chiseled jawline, thick long black hair, tan muscular rippled muscles, and standing over six feet tall, I felt anxiety and sudden timidity.

Holy fuck.