THREE

ALEJANDRO’S POV

I was certain that I had stopped breathing for a moment. My heart raced within the confines of my chest. I could barely comprehend what was going on in front of me. My gaze lingered on the beautiful swell of her breasts and they trailed down her supple, soft, beautiful, pale skin.

“What the hell do you think you're doing?” The words slipped from my lips, harsh and laced with growing frustration, as I tilted my head slightly to the side.

My gaze swept over her, taking in every inch of her still, silent figure. But it was her face that held me captive—her expression, which was devoid of any emotion. No fear. No surprise. Not even a hint of hesitation or regret. It was as though she were completely indifferent to everything around her.

That hollow, unreadable look in her eyes unsettled me more than anything. Something about it gnawed at me, twisting my insides in a way I couldn’t quite place. Why was she so... blank?

I waited, expecting some kind of response, but she remained perfectly still, her gaze unwavering, her lips closed in a faint, emotionless line. She didn’t even flinch.

Her silence was maddening. It felt like a slap in the face, an insult to everything I was trying to get across. The more I stared at her, the more my anger bubbled beneath the surface. How dare she stand there as if my words meant nothing? How dare she treat me with such indifference when I was doing nothing but trying to make sense of what was happening?

I couldn’t stand it. Without thinking, I pushed away from the desk, the chair scraping loudly behind me as I moved toward her, my steps slow and deliberate, each one echoing through the room.

“You better not make me ask you again!” I growled, my voice low, sharp with the weight of my fury. I needed an answer. I needed her to respond, to give me something, anything to understand why she was behaving like this. But even as my words cut through the air, her eyes remained empty. Not a flicker of emotion. Not a hint of fear. Nothing.

The silence between us stretched longer than it should have, and I could feel the tension thickening in the room. It was suffocating.

“You told them to pick me up from the cellar,” she said finally, her voice so flat it felt like it came from a different world, as though she were speaking from far away. The words seemed so out of place, so disconnected from the reality in front of me that for a moment, I was left speechless.

She had the nerve to speak so plainly, so matter-of-factly, as if everything was normal, as if I hadn’t just demanded answers. And yet, there it was. Her explanation. Simple. Cold. No remorse. No hint of anything human.

“You had a maid bathe me and give a fresh set of new clothes. I know what's coming. I thought this is how you wanted it,” she said finally. I was at loss for words for a short moment.

“What the hell are you even talking about?” I growled as I caught her jaw between her fingers and forced her gaze to meet mine not so gently.

Her empty grey eyes fixated on mine and for a moment, I felt a slight tug in my chest as she looked at me. I felt the urge to put some sort of emotion behind those empty eyes.

“Where do you want me? We can do it anywhere you want,” she said again. Her words were as empty as her eyes. For a moment I processed her words and the way she said them and no matter how much I tried, I couldn't exactly ignore the hurt in her voice.

I wondered why the emptiness of her words were beginning to affect me so much. I shifted my face a little bit closer to her and for a moment, my gaze traveled down back to her lips.

They looked supple and pink, aching to be kissed. I discarded the idea immediately. It was ridiculous.

“Who made you do this?” I asked, almost unable to contain the disgust I was feeling.

I watched as she tilted her head and shrugged. “It has always been like this.”

I balled my fist and inhaled deeply. Those fools! What have they done?! She was just a child!

“Put your clothes back on. And mind you, the next time you try something like this again. I am going to kill you myself. I don't have a lot of patience,” I growled at her, holding her jaw a little tighter just to emphasize how serious I was about my words.

When I looked into her eyes. There was no form of emotion at all. No fear. She just stared blankly at me like I hadn't threatened her a few minutes ago.

“Don't you ever think you can do anything without me asking you to,” I snapped. Silence lingered between us for a long moment before I pulled away. From the corner of an eye, I saw her close her eyes for a brief moment. It was the closest thing to an emotion she had shown.

I called for the guards and they immediately rushed in at the first yell.

“Take her away. Increase her drums to three. She's to finish in two hours and if she doesn't.

Then I guess I'll just have to whip her in front of everyone else,” I said. Her eyes remained empty. After a moment, she finally looked away. There was something dismissive about the way she did it. It infuriated me to the core of my bones.

After she finally left, my anger still remained and I was unable to do anything about it. I angrily called the guard that was standing at my door to fetch my assistants.

I returned to the seat behind the desk. The paperwork was abandoned on my desk. I knew I wouldn't be able to get anything done now.

“You requested for us, my lord?” Malakai stood by the door. His shirt was neat and impeccable and his salt and pepper hair was trimmed short. He looked composed as always. He walked in and Elias walked in after him.

“I need you to explain something to me,” I growled. “Why does that tyrant’s daughter think I want to lay with her?”

I noticed that both of them didn't look surprised at the revelation.

“She's only doing what she's supposed to do”. Malakai said curtly.

Somehow, the words didn't exactly sit right with me. Doing what she was supposed to do?

“What the hell are you talking about?”

“It's how she has served the other lords before she was passed down to you. My lord. She's made herself available for well…their entertainment,” Malakai said. My brows furrowed. Meandra was taken into captivity by the first Lord when she was fourteen. The thought of doing that to a child horrified me.

She's been subjected to that since she was fourteen? The Lords have been taking advantage of a child?

“Personally, I think you should indulge my lord. It's part of what comes with her punishment. She's ours to do whatever we want with,” Elias spoke.

I turned to him, my eyes turned dark immediately. I could see his face shift with fear. I leaned forward, my eyes narrow.

“You expect me to fuck a nineteen year old on the table?”