Chapter 2-Use Me

I stood frozen outside the villa, fingers curled tight around the hem of my coat.

The place Alexander had brought me to felt nothing like a home. Cold, austere, its sharp modern lines loomed like a fortress—no warmth, no familiarity, nothing but unyielding dominance. My heart hammered against my ribs.

I should run.

But I couldn’t.

Not with Jasper lying unconscious in a hospital bed, machines keeping his failing body alive. Not after my family had already bartered me to the Church to settle their debts.

Not when the King of Hell himself stood behind me, gaze sharp as a hawk’s, making any escape impossible.

A mocking scoff escaped him. “They say Holy Maidens are skilled at pleasing men. Seems the rumors hold truth.”

I flinched, but stayed silent. There was nothing to say.

He stepped closer, his presence pressing into my skin like cold, unforgiving steel. “Cat got your tongue?” he taunted. “When Bill fucks other women in front of you, will you kneel and watch obediently too?”

Shame and humiliation burned my cheeks, thick and suffocating. Before I could form a single word of defense, he jerked his chin at the guard.

“Open it.”

His tone brooked no argument, as if he owned the entire world.

And perhaps he did.

The iron gate creaked open, slow and heavy. Every instinct screamed for me to flee, but I forced one foot forward. Then another.

Until I stood in the doorway—and heard it.

Moans.

Loud, desperate, unrestrained, echoing across marble floors and thick walls.

I didn’t want to look. But my body moved on its own. The bedroom door stood ajar, and through the crack, I saw Julian’s head bobbing between Bill’s legs. His fingers tangled in her hair, eyes half-lidded in bliss.

“I’m sorry,” Julian whimpered, saccharine and false. “I know you’re engaged to Ava… but I love you so much.”

“You think I care?” Bill grunted, groping her roughly. “Ava’s nothing but a breeding tool. If she complains, we’ll do IVF and ship her off.”

My stomach plummeted.

Julian giggled. “What if she refuses to leave?”

Bill laughed cruelly. “Then I’ll dump her in the red-light district and get her hooked on drugs until she forgets her own name.”

Air vanished from my lungs.

The chill that had clung to me earlier wasn’t from the night wind—it was ice spreading from my chest, seeping into my bones. I turned and drifted out of the house like a ghost, climbing back into the car without a sound.

The door slammed shut.

Alexander lit a cigarette, smoke curling upward as he stared ahead, utterly indifferent. Maybe he truly didn’t care.

Then I spoke, my voice raw and fragile.

“Use me.”

He turned slowly, one dark brow arched. “Excuse me?”

I lifted my chin, forcing myself to meet his eyes, even as my hands trembled. “I’m not here to get revenge on Bill. I’m here to survive. To save my brother.”

His gaze sharpened, interest flickering across his face.

“Jasper is my only family,” I said steadily. “He’s dying in the hospital, and I have no money, no power, no one to turn to. Bill will kill me—or worse—if I defy him. My family sold me long ago. The Church sees me as nothing but property.”

I paused, swallowing hard.

“You hate Bill. You want to weaken him, to unbalance his family. I’m his fiancée—a Morgan, a Holy Maiden. I have access to things you don’t. Information. His trust. His weaknesses.”

This was not desire. This was a bargain.

“I’m offering myself to you,” I said quietly, but firmly. “Not my body. My loyalty. My presence. Whatever you need to use against Bill. In return… you protect me. You keep Jasper alive. You give me shelter until he’s out of danger.”

Alexander studied me for a long, heavy moment, his eyes unreadable.

“You think this is a game?” he finally said. “A little contract to save your brother?”

“I think it’s the only choice I have,” I replied. “I don’t want to be his wife. I don’t want to be his breeding tool. I don’t want to end up broken in some alley. You’re the only one who can stand against him.”

He exhaled smoke, the scent sharp in the confined space.

“You understand what this means?” he said, low and dangerous. “If you sign this… temporary pact… you belong to me. Not in body—not yet. But in every other way. You obey my orders. You report to me. You let me use you as a chess piece against Bill and his clan.”

I nodded, my throat tight. “I know.”

“You will not defy me. You will not run. You will not compromise my plans for sentiment,” he continued, each word a blade. “If you do… I leave you to Bill. I let him destroy you. I let your brother die alone.”

A cold shudder ran down my spine, but I didn’t back down.

“I agree.”

He stared at me a moment longer, as if judging whether I was truly desperate enough to keep my word. Then he reached into his coat and pulled out a folded document, tossing it into my lap.

“Read it. Sign it. This is your temporary asylum.”

My hands shook as I unfolded the paper. The terms were harsh: complete obedience, exclusive information sharing, unlimited use of her identity and status to counter Bill. In exchange: medical funding for Jasper, physical protection, and safe shelter until further notice.

No love. No affection. No mercy.

Just survival.

Just a deal with the devil.

I took the pen he offered, my fingers brushing his—cold, rough, unyielding. Without hesitation, I signed my name at the bottom.

Ava Morgan.

His.

For as long as he needed.

Alexander tucked the contract away, his expression still unreadable.

“From this moment on,” he said, voice low and final, “you are mine. Not Bill’s. Not the Church’s. Mine.”

I didn’t respond. I simply stared ahead, the weight of the pact settling over me like chains.

Then my phone erupted with a ringtone.

My blood turned to ice when I saw the caller ID.

Bill.

The call connected before I could react.

“Where the fuck are you?!” his roar exploded through the speaker. “Who the hell are you with?!”

I froze, eyes wide, heart racing.

Had he seen me?

Had he followed?

My chest tightened. I couldn’t breathe.

Across from me, Alexander’s lips curled into a cold, satisfied smirk.

He had his pawn.

And I had my lifeline.