Chapter 7:- Cold Words

Kate's POV

I sat there frozen, unsure if I’d just walked into a bad dream or something worse. My mind was racing, trying to make sense of what I’d just heard.

They died, all of them.

I looked around the table. No one looked shocked. No one looked sad. It was like talking about the weather.

I didn’t even realize my breathing had quickened until Lydia turned to me, smiling like she was watching a slow-motion car crash.

“Don’t worry,” she said, her tone soft like a lullaby. “We’ll make sure you get a proper burial.”

My heart dropped.

For a second, I actually couldn’t move. That maid’s words flashed in my head, "We call it the lion’s den."

Back then, I thought she was being dramatic. Now, I wasn’t so sure.

I picked up my fork, pretending I hadn’t heard anything. If I showed fear, they’d feed off it.

But the food in my mouth suddenly tasted like ash. I chewed slowly, forcing it down, even though I was one second away from gagging.

Vanessa chuckled. “At least the others had class. Kate’s, well, she’s the poorest bride so far. I mean, ” she gestured to me with her fork, “no offense, but it shows.”

I bit my lip so hard I tasted blood.

“Enough already,” Calvin’s voice cut through the air. Sharp and cold.

It was the first time he spoke since this horror show started.

But I couldn’t take it anymore. If I stayed a second longer, I was going to cry in front of them. And I’d rather die than let them see that.

I dropped my fork quietly, placed the napkin on my plate, and stood.

“Excuse me,” I said, my voice flat.

Then I walked out.

I didn’t care if they whispered behind me. I didn’t care if they laughed. My hands were trembling as I made my way back to the hallway.

And by the time I reached my room, I didn’t even know if I was angry, scared, or already mourning myself.

I shut the door behind me and collapsed on the edge of the bed. And that’s when the tears came.

I had tried to hold them back at the table, swallowing hard, keeping my head high, pretending I was fine. But here, alone, I couldn’t fake it anymore.

I thought what Alex did broke me.

But this?

This was something else entirely.

One day. Just one day in this cursed house, and I already felt like the world had turned its back on me.

I wiped my face with the back of my hand, sniffing hard. My chest felt tight. I didn’t even know if I was crying from fear, regret, or anger.

Probably all three.

Then came a soft knock.

I panicked, wiping my eyes quickly and turning toward the door.

It opened slowly, and Calvin rolled inside.

Behind him was my personal maid, carrying a silver tray with steam rising off the food.

“I figured eating in your room would be more convenient tonight,” Calvin said.

I didn’t reply. I just stared at them, my heart still thudding from everything that had happened.

The maid placed the tray on a small table beside my bed, gave me a look I couldn’t read, then stepped aside silently.

Calvin glanced at me again. “I’m sorry,” he said. “My family can be dramatic sometimes."

I let out a short, bitter laugh. “You call that drama?”

He tilted his head, waiting.

“They just basically threatened to kill me,” I snapped. “How is that dramatic? That’s not drama. That’s madness.”

He didn’t flinch.

Instead, he said calmly, “Does death threat bother you? Because it doesn’t bother me. I get them all the time.”

I blinked. Speechless.

What kind of person says that so casually?

He shrugged, as if he were commenting on the weather. “None of them said they would kill you. You shouldn’t take their words seriously.”

My mouth fell open. “Seriously?”

“Lydia and Vanessa are annoying, yes. But they’re not the real problem.” He looked straight at me. “It’s my stepbrothers you should be worried about.”

The way he said that made my stomach twist.

“They’ll be back soon,” he added. “And when they come, that’s when things usually get interesting.”

I stared at him, still stunned by everything he just said.

“So maybe I should pull out of this marriage,” I said, barely recognizing my own voice. “If I’m going to face anything worse than what happened tonight... or end up like one of your dead wives, then maybe I should just walk away.”

He didn’t even blink. “Too bad.”

I narrowed my eyes.

“You already signed the contract, Kate,” he said. His voice was calm. “And until I accomplish what I need to as heir to my father’s empire, you can’t back out.”

My heart sank.

He leaned slightly forward in the chair, his eyes dark and unreadable. “There are only two ways out now, either I die, or you do.”

I swallowed hard.

The room suddenly felt smaller. Hotter. Like the air itself didn’t want to stay around me.

He looked away briefly, then back at me. “Just like they said, I really do hope you last long enough to help me get what I need. Because I’m tired, Kate.”

His voice dropped lower. “I don’t have any more tears to shed for anyone. And I’m done burying people.”

I didn’t say anything. I couldn’t.

I just stood there, frozen, like someone had knocked the breath out of me.

He turned his chair toward the door.

“Get ready by seven tomorrow,” he added. “You’ll be coming with me to a business meeting.”

I still didn’t respond. What was I even supposed to say?

He paused at the doorway and looked back once more.

“Goodnight,” he said simply, then rolled out and shut the door behind him.

I sat in the middle of the room, numb.

Tears threatened again, but this time I couldn’t even cry.

I had just jumped from smoke straight into fire.

And this fire? It had no exit.