In a place far colder than the rest of the estate. Stone walls. Iron doors. Dim, red-tinted lights. Her breath grew shallow. She was about to turn back… when she heard it. A voice. Guttural. Pleading. Followed by the sound of metal scraping. Then… a scream. She froze. More voices. Low murmurs. Then laughter. Male laughter. And one voice deep, smooth, commanding. Gun. She tiptoed closer, heart hammering like a war drum. She reached a thick wooden doorway slightly cracked open. She dared a look through the slit. And instantly regretted it. A man naked, bloodied, trembling was chained upright to a metal cross in the center of a dimly lit underground room. Blood streamed down his chest. His face was swollen. He was barely conscious. Around him stood five men. One held a glowing rod.
The drive back was quiet. Not the peaceful kind. The charged kind thick with unspoken things, with pain stitched beneath skin, with anger and confusion that no seatbelt could hold in place. Mia sat by the window, her bruised body pressed against the cool glass, as if it could somehow soothe the fire under her skin. Her hands trembled slightly, the wine from earlier still bitter in her mouth. Gun didn’t say a word. He didn’t ask if she was okay. Didn’t glance her way. Didn’t acknowledge the fact that her knuckles were white from gripping the seat. Mia didn’t expect him to. But somehow… she still hated him more for it. When they arrived back at the estate, she got out of the car slowly, legs shaking in those unbearable heels. The long slit of her dress fluttered around her thigh as the night wind kissed her aching skin. He didn’t wait for her. He walked ahead, like she was nothing more than a shadow trailing behind him. The guards at the door opened it without a word. Insid
The silence of her room was suffocating. Mia sat motionless on the edge of the bed, her skin raw, her body aching from the brutal punishment she’d endured hours ago. Her palms still throbbed from the whip, red lines laced across them like reminders she couldn’t shake off. Every time she moved, pain radiated down her spine, across her ribs, down her legs. The maid, her maid kneeled beside her, trembling hands dabbing a warm cloth across her bruised back. She sniffled quietly, eyes glistening. “I told you not to push him,” she whispered, her voice cracking. “I warned you, Miss Mia.” Mia didn’t respond. She stared blankly at the wall. “Why did you do it?” Ava asked, her voice breaking. “Why did you try to push him? He’s not someone who bends. Not for anyone.” “Because I hate him,” Mia whispered. “I hate this place. I hate the rules. I hate how he acts like I’m nothing but a toy for Titan and a burden to him.” The maid flinched as she gently wiped down another bruise on Mia’s ribs
Mia never thought it would come to this. The hallway was darker than the others she’d explored in the mansion colder, quieter. Her bare feet padded against the marble tiles as two men led her forward, her hands bound behind her with soft leather straps. Not tight enough to bruise, but firm enough to make her feel powerless. They didn’t speak. Just opened the tall iron door. The scent hit her first leather, cedarwood, something colder beneath it, like silence. The room was large. Too large. A single chair sat in the center, velvet black and polished chrome. Behind it, shadows danced across the walls, shadows of things she couldn’t quite make out. Chains. Hooks. Ropes. A cabinet lined with tools that made her stomach turn and pulse race. Gun sat in that chair like a king on a throne, legs crossed, suit crisp, gaze brutal. He didn’t say anything at first. He let her look. Let her feel the room crawl over her skin like ice. Let her guess. Then finally: “You want to be sent away?
The sun hadn’t even risen when Ava knocked on her door. “Miss Linth?” The girl’s voice was gentle. “It’s time for Baby T.” Mia lay still under the thick sheets, her eyes wide open, staring at the ceiling like it had answers. Her arms were folded across her chest, and her jaw was tight. Another knock. “Miss Linth?” “I heard you,” Mia snapped. Silence followed, but Ava didn’t leave. “I’ll come back in ten minutes,” she whispered. The door clicked softly as it shut, and the moment it did, Mia exhaled—long and shaky. She didn’t sleep at all last night. Not after the so-called “meeting.” Not after Gun’s voice replayed over and over in her head like a poison chant. “You’ll break yourself.” She clenched the sheets in her fists, the tension coiling inside her like a storm that refused to pass. She should get up. Baby T was probably already awake, sitting on the carpeted floor of his room waiting for her, clutching that tiny stuffed fox she’d given him. He’d ask why she was late.
The room was silent, too silent. Mia sat at the edge of the king-sized bed, unmoving. Her fists were clenched tightly in her lap as if releasing them would let the rage spill over. She’d woken up in a cage made of gold. And gold, she realized, still choked just the same. The door opened without a knock. A girl stepped in, barely older than her. Slender frame, neat black uniform, hair pinned back in a perfect bun. Eyes brown and watchful, like someone used to silence. The girl curtsied quickly. “Good morning, Miss Linth. I’m Ava. I’ve been assigned to serve you.” Mia arched a brow. “Assigned to serve me?” Ava nodded. “Personal maid. I’m here to make your stay... easier.” “Is that what this is?” Mia murmured. “A stay?” Ava’s lips parted, but she didn’t answer. She turned instead to tidy the room, moving like a shadow. Controlled. Careful. Used to fear. Mia watched her. “You scared of him?” Ava froze only for a second barely noticeable. But it was there. “I follow orders,” sh