Chapter Five: Perfect Wife

I couldn’t move. I couldn’t breathe. Elias’s words kept replaying in my head like a siren.

“This is the girl everyone’s suddenly willing to kill for.”

I was stuck in deep thought, trying to unearth the terrifying meaning behind that single sentence.

Beside me, Silas’s expression remained dangerously unreadable, his entire posture locking down into something cold.

"Watch your mouth, Elias," Silas said, his voice dropping to an absolute, dangerous ice.

The blond man didn't flinch. Elias lifted both hands slightly in mock surrender, though a loose, amused smile still lingered in his gray eyes.

“Relax, cousin. I’m simply stating facts."

So that explained the resemblance. The same sharp eyes. The same dangerous calmness.

Then Silas turned toward me, his expression instantly hardening back into that polished corporate mask. "Get in the car, Vienne.

I hesitated. Not because I planned to refuse, but because I was beginning to realize something truly terrifying: every time Silas gave an order, a part of me obeyed automatically. I hated that. But trapped by the gravity of the situation, I stepped into the car.

Silas entered beside me moments later, his massive frame instantly crowding the seat, while Elias slid into the front passenger side.

From my observation, I could already tell that Elias was the one who talked more. More like a talkative, because only a few minutes inside the car, he started up.

“I'm Elias, by the way stretching forth his hands around the seat towards me. Silas's cousin, legal advisor, and apparently the only person in this car with a sense of humor”. He let out a charming wink at the last second.

What a flirt he is. I smiled lightly, keeping it hidden from view.

“Enough," Silas snapped.

The sharp authority in his voice instantly cut through the space. The sudden sharpness in Silas’s voice almost sounded possessive.

Elias sighed dramatically before finally turning back around his seat.

“You’re becoming possessive already, Silas. That was fast." “Or you jealous?” Huh? He said with a faint smile.

Something dark and primal flickered across Silas’s face. "I don’t repeat myself."

The drive through the city was suffocatingly quiet. Unfortunately I’m not used to staying quiet for so long.

I looked toward the front seat. Clearing up my throat softly, i said “Elias. What did you mean earlier? About people willing to kill for me."

Elias didn’t even hesitate to give me a reply unlike Silas.

“It means your marriage changed certain balances within elite society," Elias replied calmly, his eyes meeting mine through the rearview mirror.

“And”? I asked.

“That’s all you should know for now Mrs. Vane”.

“That explains absolutely nothing," I whispered.

“I’m aware Queen”. He replied with a a clear sign of mockery in his tone.

A violent chill crawled down my spine. Before I could press him further, Silas spoke beside me, clearly trying to change the topic.

“You’re attending tonight because people need to see you. As my wife. This marriage only survives if people believe it."

“And if I refuse to play along?" I challenged.

Silas finally looked at me fully. "You won’t. You don’t need to be ready, Little Bird. You only need compliance."

“Hmmm little bird” Cute name, Elias brushed in.

“Shut up” Silas responded.

I did nothing but stare at them in a mix of disgust and amusement.

Fifteen minutes later, the car slowed beneath the glowing canopy of an enormous glass building. Luxury cars lined the entrance, and flashing camera lights exploded rapidly against the dark rain.

Silas exited first, holding out his hand. Strong fingers. Calm posture. Absolute expectation.

At first I felt like declining the offer but seeing the cameras facing us… My pulse hammering violently against my ribs as I reached out and placed my hand in his.

The second our skin touched, Silas’s fingers closed firmly around mine; not affectionate, but fiercely protective. He pulled me out smoothly, his arm immediately sliding around my waist to press my hips flush against his side.

The cameras practically exploded. Blinding white light washed over us as Silas guided me smoothly through the storm of reporters.

“What a lovely couple!” “She is so pretty!” “Was it love at first sight?”

“Love?” If only they knew.

Inside, the grand ballroom was breathtaking.

Crystal chandeliers reflected across polished marble floors, while wealthy elites moved through the room like predators disguised as royalty. And the moment we walked in, every single person turned to stare.

I felt like the ground could swallow me up because I was uncomfortable seeing people watching me. Well.. this is my was life now.

“Silas! My boy!"

An older man with a silver mane of hair and a calculated, predatory smile stepped away from a group of executives, walking toward us with open arms. Beside him stood a familiar, rigid figure in a tailored dark dress.

Aunt Marissa.

My heart stopped. She looked at me, her gray eyes cold, evaluating the fit of my black satin dress, checking to see if her asset was performing correctly.

"Victor," Silas greeted the older man, his voice smooth, completely wiping away the tension from earlier. "Good to see you."

Victor Laurent. One of the men powerful enough to make entire companies disappear overnight.

His eyes slid down from Silas and landed directly on me, a chilling, slow assessment.

“And this must be the lovely new Mrs. Vane," Victor murmured, reaching out to press a cold kiss to the back of my knuckles. "A stunning addition to the Vane empire. But I suppose Silas is quite adept at collecting... beautiful remnants of the past."

I felt Silas’s grip on my waist tighten so hard it bordered on painful. "Vienne is not a collection, Victor," Silas said smoothly, though the undercurrent of his voice was pure steel. "She is my wife."

“Of course, of course," Victor chuckled, drifting back into the crowd and taking Aunt Marissa with him.

“Enjoy my boy” he said lastly.

Aunt Marissa didn’t even say a single word to me before leaving. I felt a deep, heavy sadness sink into my chest at the rejection.

Well… Before I could even process the unsettling interaction, a tall woman in a stunning silver gown approached us. She was beautiful, elegant, and looking at me like she already wished I didn't exist.

“Silas," she greeted smoothly. Then, her gaze slid toward me. Slowly. “So, this is the mysterious wife."

The temperature around Silas seemed to drop several degrees instantly.

“Cassandra."

Ah. This had to be Cassandra Vale. And judging by the subtle, rigid tension in her smile, she absolutely hated my guts.

Cassandra extended her hand gracefully.

"It’s lovely to finally meet you, Mrs. Vane. You’re younger than I expected."

Translation: You don’t belong here, little girl.

I smiled back, making sure my expression was just as sweet, just as lethal. “Same here”.

“And you’re exactly what I expected."

Beside me, Elias suddenly choked on his champagne, letting out a muffled cough. Funny how he didn’t say a word since.

Silas’s grip at my waist tightened briefly, a sudden spike of amusement and tension flaring through him.

Cassandra’s eyes flashed with pure, unadulterated fury. Like I had just snatched her man.

I felt a sudden rush of victory, but the suffocating atmosphere of the room was finally catching up to me. Between Elias's warnings, Victor's creepy comments, and Cassandra's glaring eyes, my stomach was turning.

“I need to use the restroom," I whispered to Silas, desperately needing a moment to breathe.

Silas looked down at me, his eyes scanning my slightly pale face. "Five minutes, Vienne. If you aren't back, I will come looking for you."

Excuse me,” I said to Cassandra, who was standing right in my way. She stepped aside, and I could feel her eyes piercing into my back as I passed.

I turned and practically ran through the crowd.

Navigating the corridors, I saw someone familiar seems like “Lena” but because I was so press; I didn’t bother stopping until I found the secluded, marble-tiled ladies' lounge. Thankfully, it was completely empty.

I rushed to the sink, gripping the edge of the cold marble vanity as I stared at my reflection. My chest heaved, my breath coming in short, ragged gasps. I looked like a perfect elite wife on the outside, but inside, I was breaking apart.

“Think, Vienne. Think.” They all know what happened to my parents. The answers are in this room, or they are locked behind the iron doors of the West Wing.

Just twenty-four hours in and I’m already passing through a lot of mess. I haven’t even laid my head down to take a nap.

Suddenly, a loud “Snap” echoed through the walls.

Without warning, every single light inside the restroom went out.

I gasped, plunging into absolute, pitch-black darkness. My heart spiked instantly, hammering against my ribs. From out in the main hall, the muffled music cut out, replaced by a strange, heavy quiet.

“BANG.”

A single, deafening gunshot exploded from somewhere in the building, followed by the terrifying sound of shattering glass and people screaming in panic.

Terror clutched my throat. The urge to use the restroom vanished instantly, replaced by a desperate, agonizing wave of regret.

“Why did I leave him?” I wished with every fiber of my being that I was back out there, shielded by Silas’s massive frame, locked in his protective grip.

Frozen in the dark, I tried to figure out how to escape. I needed to move, needed to find the door, but the room was so dark. I took a trembling step forward, my heel clicking against the cold marble.

Suddenly, the hair on the back of my neck stood up.

I wasn't alone.

Before I could even open my mouth to scream for Silas, a heavy, calloused hand lunged out of the darkness, slamming tightly over my mouth.

I fought wildly, throwing my weight backward, my heels scraping violently against the floor. I tried to scratch, tried to bite, my mind screaming in pure, desperate panic.

But a thick, chemical-soaked cloth was clamped firmly over my nose and mouth, and the sweet, heavy scent of chloroform instantly flooded my lungs.

My vision blurred instantly. Darkness bled into the edges of the room. My strength dissolved, my legs turning to lead as the stranger caught my limp body, dragging me toward the wide, open service window at the back of the lounge that led out into the dark, rainy alleyway.

"Got her," a man's voice hissed into a small earpiece against his collar, cold and transactional in the dark. "The cage is empty. Moving the target now."

My eyes flickered one last time as darkness completely swallowed me, the distant sounds of chaos fading into absolute nothingness.