Chapter 5

Emily's POV:

Did I completely lose my mind this morning? 

Victoria Langford had literally offered me twenty-two and a half million dollars to pay off David’s ruinous debt, plus an extra five million just to disappear. And what did I do? I threw it right back in her face.

Now, with the quiet house trapping me in my own thoughts, the reality of what I’d rejected sank in. But honestly, what was the alternative? Going through the agonizing pain of labor? Risking the permanent physical toll, the postpartum depression, the absolute chaos that happens to a woman’s body, just to leave my child with a man who was clearly unhinged?

When I had demanded to know why Victoria wanted me to do this, she had just leveled me with a freezing glare. “The reason is none of your business. Just do your job and I will clear your debt.”

It didn't make any sense. If she just wanted a grandchild, why couldn't her son marry any of the high-society women in New York? Why did the matriarch need her son's dead fiancee's doppelganger to carry his baby?

The whole thing was overwhelming. My stomach let out a loud, angry growl, reminding me that I had stupidly skipped both lunch and dinner. I was starving, I was exhausted, and I was trapped in a massive mansion that amplified how completely cut off I was from the rest of the world. 

No background noise from the New York streets reached this far inside, leaving me alone with the frantic rhythm of my own heartbeat while the architect of my misery stayed out past midnight. 

Suddenly, the heavy click of the front door lock echoed through the house and my head snapped up as I hurried toward the entryway, the questions already burning at the back of my throat. But before I could even open my mouth, a team of maids materialized from the shadows of the hallway. 

As Ethan strode inside with his jacket already half-unbuttoned, two maids smoothly intercepted him, kneeling instantly to pull off his expensive leather shoes. Another took his briefcase, while a fourth reached for his tie. 

They moved like a well-oiled machine, stripping away his armor while I just stood there, paralyzed, staring at him. As he stepped out of his shoes, the sharp, bitter scent of alcohol cut through his expensive cologne which told me that he had drunk heavily.

Still, I swallowed the lump in my throat and stepped forward, blocking his path to the stairs. "Ethan. We need to talk. I want to ask you something."

Ethan didn't even look at me. His eyes were bloodshot, his jaw tight. "Not now, Emily. Let me be."

“No, now.” I insisted, chasing after him as he pushed past me and headed for the grand staircase.

"I said, I don't want to speak to you!" Ethan roared, suddenly turning around on the third step. Before I could react, his hand shot out, wrapping tightly around my wrist. 

“You know what? Since you refuse to leave me the hell alone, then you can come with me." He snarled then with a tug, he began dragging me up the staircase.

I instantly hated the way he was acting, wondering what the hell had happened tonight to turn him into this monster. "Let go of me! Ethan, stop it!" I yelled, using my free hand to try and pry his iron fingers off my wrist. 

He didn't budge. He felt like solid stone, pulling me effortlessly up the stairs while the maids watched in silence below.

He continued hauling me down the upper hallway until he reached my bedroom door. He threw it open and violently tossed me inside.

I stumbled over my own feet, catching myself against the edge of the mattress. Rubbing my throbbing wrist, I spun around to face him, my chest heaving. "What the hell has gotten into you?!" I demanded as Ethan stepped into the room, his presence completely suffocating. 

“As long as you live under my roof, you will do exactly as I say.” He warned, his voice a low, dangerous rumble. "If I tell you to leave me alone, you listen. Do you understand me?"

I snapped, my anger completely blinding me to the danger. "You don't own me, Ethan!"

He let out a dark, breathless chuckle that sent a chill straight down my spine then he stepped closer, his gaze locking onto mine with. "You seem to have forgotten, Emily... I actually do."

His words stung, a reminder of how a single signature had left me trapped in a multi-million-dollar psychological game with a billionaire who didn't even see me when he looked at my face. 

Fear and humiliation battled for dominance in my chest, threatening to choke me, but I forced my chin up, refusing to give him the satisfaction of seeing me cry. Turning on my heel, I marched toward the door, desperate to get away from his suffocating presence.

But before I could take two steps, his hand gripped my shoulder, spinning me back around. "Where do you think you're going?"

"To my room.” I snapped, trying to wrench my wrist free and he let go of my arm slowly, leaning back against the headboard, a mocking smirk playing on his lips. "Take a good look around, Emily. This is your room."

I paused, looking at the high ceilings and the dark velvet curtains. I bit my lip, realizing he was right so I cleared my throat, smoothing down my wrinkled blouse, trying to salvage whatever dignity I had left. "Fine. Then you get out. Go to your own room.”

"No." Ethan said flatly, closing his eyes as he rested his head back, loosening his collar as. "I'm not going anywhere. I'm staying here tonight."

My jaw dropped. "What? What do you mean you're staying here? You specifically told me on day one that this room belonged to me!"

Ethan opened his eyes again, the drunken gaze locking onto me. "I have changed my mind." He murmured, his voice sending a chill straight down my spine. "From now on, we will sleep in the same room.”