The gilded cage

Livia’s POV

I wake up on a strange bed in a strange room and I have one short moment of blissful ignorance before everything from last night comes crashing back. 

Sitting up abruptly, I look around the strange room that looks like effortlessly luxury and I realize it wasn’t a dream.

The bed is large and the room is larger, light streams in from the windows which tells me I was out for hours and… my jaw drops when I spot the red blinking light from the security camera mounted on the wall. What the hell? Half-panicked, I look down at myself and realize I’m no longer in the white gown from the auction but a sheer blue nightwear and I squeak with outrage as I glare at the camera, wondering whether “he” was behind this. Nikolai Volkov, the underworld god. What have I gotten myself into?

As if on cue, the door opens and a smiling older woman bustles in.

“You’re awake!” She says cheerfully as if anything about this is normal. “I was told you went through alot last night so I tried not to disturb your sleep.”

“Who switched my clothes?!” I ask urgently.

“I did.” She says, pausing. “And I hope you weren’t attached to that gaudy gown. It was burned as ordered.”

No, I’m far from attached to it but I hate that decisions were made about my body and clothes while I was passed out.

“Who ordered it?” I grit out.

“Why, the master of course. Speaking of which, come, we must make you presentable. Lunch is in a few minutes.” She says with a prim clap. “i’m Rose by the way.”

“Did you see my phone, Rose?” I ask. “While you were changing my clothes.”

I wonder what’s going on at home, if Mum and my sisters are worried. What happened with the goons ransacking out home? The debt?

“No.” She replies. “You didn’t have one on you.”

I try to remember the last time I saw my phone but in the chaos of yesterday, I come up empty.

“Well, can I borrow yours?” I ask urgently and she gives me a sympathetic smile.

“I’m afraid not. We were ordered not to give you one.” She replies and I growl in annoyance.

“And this order is from the ‘master’ too, isn’t it?” I snap. “Well, take me to him.”

I throw the heavy blanket off and turning my back on the camera, grab the robe of the three-piece nightwear.

“But you’re not yet presentable. You can’t-!.” She argues but I don’t hear her as I throw the door open and stomp away.

Rose’s harried arguments follow me as I head for the stairs and make my way down, following the scent of food to where Nikola Volkov waits.

My feet stop at the sight of him. Even at a dining table, the sight of him is utterly terrifying. Perhaps it is that I know that he is a monster made flesh. He looks away from the man speaking to him and his gaze hits me with the force of a sledgehammer. He looks me over slowly, a clinical once-over that reminds me I’m in a nightwear while he is fully clothed in a white corporate shirt and pants. Embarrassment heats my cheeks and Rose stumbles forward, gripping my arm hard.

“My apologies, Master. It is my fault, I’ll get her dressed.”

I wrench my arm from the woman’s and march towards him, angry beyond reason.

“Where did you keep my phone? Why did you order to deny me access to one?” I ask him, my hands balling into fists.

His partner gapes at me with shock while Nikolai puts his glass down.

“Where the fuck am I? Why is there a camera in my room? And where is my family?” The words tumble out one after another, stroking my anger to dangerous heights.

Rose sucks in a sharp breath and the air tastes of danger but I can’t stop. My heart pounds rapidly and fear of the unknown makes me daring. What exactly does it mean that he bought me? Am I a slave now? Worse than an animal? Do I even have any rights left?

“Miss Harlow.” His voice cuts through my frantic thoughts and I flinch even though that dangerous glare is not trained on me.

“Yes.” Rose’s voice quivers with fear as she steps forward.

“Take Miss Cross back to her room.” He orders as smoothly as if he ordered sugar in his tea.

“Right away.” Rose says and grips my arm again. I can feel my panic settling in again because this is worse than I thought.

“Wait!” I say, wrenching my arm from her grip again. I swallow hard, pushing down the panic and lowering my voice. “I must speak to my mother… my sisters. They must be so worried, I have to let them know I’m alive.”

Tears blur my vision and I blink them away, feeling desperate.

He suddenly stands, his chair scraping back noisily and I stumble back. Without warning, he grabs my arm in a punishing grip and crosses the room in long strides. I break into a little jog to keep pace with him, twisting to watch Rose staring at me with horrified eyes.

“Where are you taking me?” I ask but he is a wall of silence.

A few moments later, we are back in the room I left and he shuts the door behind him. He turns around slowly and walks forward and I hurriedly retreat to keep some space between us, realizing with horror that I can’t get to that door and open it before he is on me and I’m now trapped in this room alone with him and at his mercy.

“Stay back.” I warn, my hands curling on the bedside lamp. He eyes the movement and pauses. “Don’t come a step closer.”

He ignores me completely and closes the distance between us, no doubt calling my bluff but I am at the end of my patience and need him to take me serious. I heft the heavy lamp and launch it at him but he swats it out of the air and I squeak as it crashes into the far wall.

“Do you have a death sentence?” It’s the first thing he has said to me at all. I shiver at the unspoken threat in his voice and curl in on myself as he towers over me. “Let me lay down the rules for you. You don’t attack me, ever. You don’t speak unless you’re spoken to. You don’t go anywhere without my permission. You don’t leave this wing at all, under any circumstances. You remain invisible, unless if I explicitly wish to see you. Do you understand?”

I have my answer afterall. Paying that exorbitant amount to own me basically means I live and breathe under his command.

“And you answer when spoken to. Do I make my make myself clear?” He growls.

“Yes.” I whisper, recognizing defeat when I see it.

“Wash up. You will remain in your room for the rest of the day.” He commands and marches away.

“Why did you even buy me?” I ask when he is at the door, then I wince when I realize that violates his rule of “speak only when spoken to”.

He opens the door and disappears behind it without another word and slowly, I lower myself to the floor, allowing the tears that have built up at the back of my throat out. A while later, the door opens and Rose comes in but I only curl in tighter and cry harder. This once, I’ll allow myself to cry for everything I’ve been through in the last twenty four hours, this once.

“You’re a lucky one.” Rose says once I’ve finally quieted down. “Many have lost their lives for less.”

I don’t feel lucky. In fact, I feel like the unluckiest person alive.

“Go on in, have your bath before you sit for lunch. I’ll clean up here.” She says and that’s when I remember the mess.

“I’m sorry…” I begin and trail off. How do I begin explaining that I’m usually better than this and this place brings out the worst side of me?

“It’s fine.” She says with a smile and helps me up.

The bathroom is as opulent as every other room here and it’s the only place without a security camera it seems. I find the tub filled and sink gratefully into it, closing my eyes while my mind whirs.

I can’t stay here. The walk out of the room is imprinted in my memory and I’m already thinking of a way out of here. I must get back to Mum, Sofia and Noni. I may have a plan.