The Gilded Cage

ELENA'S POV

He doesn’t bother coming after me to the balcony. Now I understand why. The mansion is built on a cliff surrounded by the sea. The only way out of the mansion is the way we came in from.

Motherfucker.

I’m not jumping from here, I have revenge to take… from everyone who bid for me at the auction, the fat guy whose hand he chopped.

Markel.

Lorenzo.

And Adrian...

I come back to the room, meeting his knowing eyes as I pick the coat off the floor, cover myself again, and sit down at the desk.

Big blue eyes glare at me. “That was your attempt one. Next attempt, I’ll throw you into Ghost’s dungeon where he will rip the flesh off your body.”

“You cannot keep me here forever.”

“Let’s make one thing clear,” he grabs my ankle and lifts it. “You belong to me now. That means you follow my rules.”

“And if I don’t?”

I bite my lips as he presses around the deep cut on my sole.

“Then you’ll learn why no one defies me.” The servant knocks on the door and comes in with a bowl of warm water and towels. “How did this happen?”

I tuck the coat tighter, trying to stop the shivering. “I tried to run last night. Markel punished me by making me walk on broken glass shards.”

“Light punishment for his standards. And it’s only because you were of some value to him, and no one buys damaged goods in auction.” He says, picking up the bottle of antiseptic. “Rule one: You don’t try to run. Rule two: You don’t interfere in my business. And rule three…” The sting burns my skin as he pours the antiseptic. Cruel. “You don’t give me a reason to regret buying you.”

“I-I’m not a thing you can own.” I answer while fighting through the burn.

Adrian’s expression hardens further as he reaches out, tilting my chin up so our eyes meet. “Five million says otherwise.”

The weight of his words presses against my chest, but I refuse to let him see the fear creeping in. I can pay him five million instantly, but that will raise questions and expose my identity.

I have done underhanded work for him and against him as CIPHER. He cannot find out it was me who caused him millions of losses in the past.

Truth be told, no one’s a friend of mine in this Mafia world. I’ve worked enough underhanded jobs that I’m a living threat for everyone. I have to hold my silence and look for an opportunity to leave.

Once he’s done wrapping my feet in bandages, he lifts me again and takes me to another room on the same floor and gently puts me on the bed—a stark contrast to the side I saw at auction.

“This is where you’ll stay,” Adrian says, his tone flat. “You will have everything you need here. There are a few clothes in the closet that will do you good for a few days until I get you some new ones. Food will be brought to you. I’ll send the doctor to give you a TT shot and some painkillers.”

I look around. It’s a lavish bedroom on the same floor as his. It’s enormous, decorated with rich, dark tones, and furnished with the kind of luxury I’d only ever seen in magazines. The beauty of the room is almost unbearable, a stark contrast to the chains I now feel around me.

“So I’m a caged animal now.”

His gaze flicks to mine, unflinching. “Until I know I can trust you, yes.”

I want to scream at him, to fight, but the exhaustion from the day is catching up with me. As he turns to leave, the question escapes before I can stop it. “Why me?”

He pauses at the door, his back to me. “Because I love playing games, and you are the latest toy that just caught my eye.”

Before I can respond, he’s gone, the door clicking shut behind him. The sound of the lock turning sends a chill through me, colder than anything I’ve felt all day. I stay still, fully expecting him to return and throw some more threats and rules my way.

Ten minutes pass. He doesn’t.

And then I jump off the bed. To search. Something. Anything. That can help me escape this hell.

I wish for a computer with a good Wi-Fi connection, but that’s wishful thinking.

N.O.T.H.I.N.G

Other than a few clothes and toiletries in the bathroom, there’s nothing helpful. He gave me a room with no window, and the only balcony opens to the vast sea. If I do anything from here, I’ll have permanent freedom from this world instead.

So that brings me down to my only option… stay low and plan.

A little clink in the doorknob makes me jump back onto the bed, pulling the covers.

“Hello,” a man with shoulder-length hair with streaks of white in it comes holding a box. He looks to be in his thirties, just like Adrian, but unlike him, this one looks less scary.

I watch him as he comes near me, opens the box, and takes out a vial and needle.

“I don’t want that?” I’m no fool to believe Adrian would send a real doctor. This must be—

He gives me the vial to read.

Tdap vaccine. So he really wants to get me vaccinated.

I return the vial.

“No na nope nein.”

“You are feverish, shivering, and Ady told me there were signs of infection on the cut. If you don’t want to lose your foot, you’ll let me give you this. Your choice.”

Ady? Is that how they all call him? I expected something like chief, boss, or master.

“Are you a doctor?”

“Last I checked, I was. But sometimes I do plumbing jobs as well.”

My lips twitch.

Adrian is watching us from the door, arms crossed. “No need to ask her. I can hold her down.”

“The fuck you will!”

I have no other option but to comply.

But after getting the injection and medicine, I feel something’s off. Alex and Adrian don’t leave the room and are watching me as if—

Fuck.

I feel my eyes dropping, and sleep pulls me in against my will.

“You cheat.”

“Shhh... sleep, Elena.” His voice is soft, like lulling me to sleep.

I don’t know when Adrian crosses the room and is now next to me, his hand on my chest, pressing me into the bed. I struggle but—