Chapter 5

He was crazy. I had no other word for him. Troy was certifiably insane and I hated that I was caught in the middle of this insane situation between him and Parys. It wasn’t fair and I didn’t know whether to kill him or my sister.

Seriously, how could she run away like this? I was her twin; if she was having problems, or she didn’t want to marry Troy, then she should’ve come to me. She should’ve talked to me about it and I would’ve helped her. If she wanted to run away, then I would’ve made sure she went to a place where Troy would never find her. But she didn’t tell me and now we were both in trouble. If I knew she would pull a stunt like this I would’ve tried to make safety arrangements for myself. I wouldn’t be lying here tied to a fucking bed which was shaped like a sea shell.

“You can’t keep me tied up in here forever,” I said as a cramped arched up the length of my arm, causing me to wince in pain. I tried to relax my muscles but my limbs protested by being in the same position for too long. Troy was evil. And he was insane. I didn’t want to be tied to this place but I didn’t know how to untie myself.

Use your strength to break through the handcuffs.

I doubt that would help. The handcuffs were thick and looked to be made of special material I’d never seen before in my life. And the chain links looked like they had no beginning nor end. So I didn’t know how to get out of them.

“You better untie me,” I said to Troy, who was casually lounging on a chair with the back resembling a seashell like the bed.

“I have no need to untie you. And I won’t,” he said and returned his attention to his phone.

“There is no point keeping me here. I don’t want to marry you and you definitely don’t want to marry me. So why the hell are you even considering me as an option?” I said.

“You forget your parents owe me. And if your sister isn’t willing to pay their debt then you’ll have to do it,” he said and I released an inward growl.

“But you love Parys. How can you even think about marrying somebody you don’t love?” I just couldn’t fathom that thought. It made no sense to me. I couldn’t imagine being with someone I hated for the rest of my life.

“A debt is a debt. She was mine way before we got into a relationship. So my feelings for her don’t matter. It’s my family’s debt and if Parys won’t pay it off, then you will. And we both know that I don’t need to try and convince your parents for this. They will agree to give you to me the moment I say so,” he said and I hated that he was absolutely right. My Father wouldn’t even bat an eye at the request. If he knew I could pay off the debt, then he would hand me over to Troy in a second.

I fell silent because there was nothing I could say to counter his argument. He was right, we both knew it. He owned my family and he would extract his debt one way or the other.

“At least untie me, please. The ropes are too tight and it fucking hurts. I promise I won’t try and run away,” I said, hating myself for begging him for my freedom. But there was no other option for me.

“No,” Troy said and I huffed in defeat.

“Please. I won’t be able to run anyways. You have men everywhere. It’ll be one against a hundred or even a thousand. You have nothing to worry about,” I told him.

He looked at me and I could see the wheels turning in his head. He was actually considering my words.

“Well, I have to admit, you’re right,” he said after a moment. “Running away will only get you killed. And personally, after the stunt your sister pulled, killing you is something I would prefer to do myself, rather than have some stranger do it.”

Great. Now he wanted to kill me.

“Well, you are intending to marry me, so my death is certain,” I said with a saccharine tone. His eyes narrowed to slits but I only smiled wider whilst ignoring the pain in my bound limbs. I couldn’t wait to get out of these restraints and walk freely. I hated Troy for tying me up. If I ever got out of these, I would see to it that I tied him up just like this. I’d also add in a gag for good measure.

“You’ll definitely wish for death, that much is certain,” he said and stood up from the chair and strode over to me. He perched on the bed and begun untying my ankles. I held my breath, wondering if I was dreaming or it was actually happening that Troy was setting me free. Once he unbound my ankles he moved on to my wrists and with deft fingers, popped a key in the handcuffs and unlocked them and the next thing I knew I could actually move my body.

“Thank you,” I said and sat up properly, rubbing my ankles and wrists, wincing at the marks and the pain.

“I hope you understand that your freedom is nothing but a mercy from me. You should be grateful that I untied you. Piss me off again and I won’t hesitate to put these on you all over again,” he warned and I nodded but didn’t bother giving a verbal reply since I was too busy rubbing life back into my limbs.

“I hope you find Parys so neither of us has to deal with the each other for long,” I told him.

“True,” he said and got up. “Someone will bring you food in a while. Eat that and don’t try anything funny.” With those sinister words he left the room and I was left staring after him.

“God, what the hell is happening with my life?” I said as I looked around, taking in the rest of the room which resembled a beach. The lamps and light fixtures had pearls and starfish details on them and the chandelier hanging from the center of the ceiling clad in pearls of every size. I’d never seen a pearl chandelier before and I had to admit it was gorgeous. If Troy hated me as much as I knew he did, then why did he put me in such a beautiful room?

Perhaps he doesn’t have an ugly room in the mansion.

That wasn’t true. I had visited his place a couple of times in the past and I knew he had prisons for all the people he hated and planned to torture and kill.

Maybe because you’re going to be his wife soon, so he’s giving you special treatment.

I didn’t want any special treatment from him. I just wanted him to let me go and forget about me. But with my family’s debt lingering over my head, I doubt he would move on to somebody else any time soon. I just prayed that he found Parys so both of them could resolve this matter between themselves. I was innocent in all of this and I wanted no part of it. My Father agreed to hand Parys to them, not me. Even Troy’s family chose Parys to pay the debt.

“Parys, where are you?” I said out loud, not surprised that I was only met with silence in response.

Once my limbs were back in my control, I got up and tried walking around. My legs sighed in relief due to the movement and I vowed to take revenge for every minute of pain and discomfort Troy caused me.

How will you do that when you’ll be his slave?

I didn’t have an answer for that but I didn’t care. I’d figure something out, but until then I prayed that Troy found my sister so he could marry her instead of me.

True to his words, a maid came knocking with cart filled to the brim with food. She ordered me to eat before leaving and it was only when the door closed behind her did I realize that I just wasted an opportunity to escape. I knew I told Troy that I wouldn’t try to escape but we both knew that was a lie.

However, my stomach growled and I decided to eat and regain my energy. That way when I escaped I would have the energy to fight the hordes of Mafia goons on my way out. The food was delicious and I was grateful for every bite. And once I finished I took a nap and this time I was actually able to sleep peacefully.

The next few days passed in a blink of an eye and I could feel my heart sinking with every rise and setting of the sun, until forty eight hours remained till Troy’s deadline. If he didn’t find Parys in two days he would drag me down the aisle and force me to marry him.

Troy entered my room just as I was thinking of retiring for the night. He had been visiting me every day since he kidnapped me and we spent most of our time arguing and insulting each other. But this time he didn’t come alone. A staff member accompanied him. She was wearing the traditional maid’s uniform and carrying a giant blag bag with her, ones usually used to keep expensive clothes protected.

“What’s going on?” I asked, feeling my heart sink at seeing the woman with no emotion in her eyes.

“As you know my wedding day is almost upon us and I still haven’t found Parys. That means that you’ll be the one to marry me,” he said.

“That’s not true! There is still plenty of time for you to find Parys,” I said.

“Not much time, but yes, my men are still on the hunt for her. However, in the meantime I’ve brought Judy here to take your measurements for the wedding dress,” he told me, ignoring the fact that my jaw just hit the floor.

“Wedding dress?!” I shrieked and took a step back, like that would save me from becoming his bride.

He nodded. “Of course. You’ll need a dress for our wedding. So be a doll and let Judy take your measurements. If you try to fight her or resist in any way, I’ll have no choice but to stay here and oversee the process and I promise you I’ll torture your parents in the worst way possible.”

I gulped and looked at the window, wondering if I’d be able to jump and still be alive. I’d managed to watch the view from the windows quite a few dozen times, and I’d come to the conclusion that I was at least on the third floor and jumping would most likely kill me.

Troy didn’t give me a chance to respond. He took my silence as affirmative and strode out of my room. Judy stepped forward and dropped the bag on the chair before proceeding to take my measurements. It felt like my spirit had fled me and I stood numbly as she took whatever she wanted from me and left the room as well.

I thought Troy would find her. I thought she would come out of hiding and tell us all that she went to a foreign country on a shopping spree and how we were all too stupid to worry. But none of that happened. Two days later a deep, resounding knock cut through the silence of my room before the door opened and Troy stepped inside, looking dashing in a tailored tuxedo.

“I didn’t find her,” he said before a sinister smirk curved his lips. “And that means it’s time for us to get married.”