First Impressions

My frantic breaths were drowned out as the sleek black automobile rushed forward, its engine roaring to life. I was now flanked by the men who had pulled me from the house, their features blank and austere. My heart hammered so fiercely I thought it may bruise my ribs, and my wrists hurt where their clutches had been too tight.

My father’s house, my prison, disappeared in the rearview mirror. I didn’t look back. What was there to see? The only home I’d ever known had betrayed me, just as its walls always had. But this wasn’t freedom. This was something worse.

The man sitting to my left adjusted his cufflinks, his silence unnerving. “Where are you taking me?” I demanded, my voice sharper than I expected given the panic roaring through me.

Neither of them answered.

“Hey!” I forcefully pressed my hand against the partition that separated us from the driver. "Where are we heading?"

The driver didn’t so much as flinch. My pulse thundered. I looked between the two men and swallowed hard. These weren’t the kind of people who responded to demands. They were like him—like Alexander. Cold. Unyielding.

I slumped back into the seat, my breathing shallow.

The car arrived at a gate made of wrought iron, which was incredibly tall and twisted with elaborate motifs. A long, winding driveway lined with lanterns cast a golden glow over the vast estate that loomed beyond it. The Levi mansion.

It was a place I’d only heard about in whispers, spoken with both awe and dread. And now it would swallow me whole.

The gates groaned open, and the car eased forward. I gripped the seat beneath me, my palms damp. The home, a massive glass and stone building that appeared both old and new, came into full view. It was more than a house. It was a fortress.

The car stopped, and the men stepped out without a word. One of them opened my door, and when I didn’t move, he leaned in, his shadow blotting out the light. “It would be unwise to keep him waiting, Miss.”

His delivery of it sent a shiver down my spine for some reason. As I stepped outside, my legs shook, the cool night air snapping at my flesh. making my legs tremble.

The man didn’t touch me this time but gestured toward the massive double doors at the top of a wide stone staircase. My throat tightened.

With every stride becoming more difficult, I pushed myself to ascend. Before I could knock, the door opened when I got to the top.

Backlit by the warm light of the foyer, Alexander stood. His frame filled the doorway like he belonged there, as if this was his domain and I was an intruder. He was taller than I remembered. His voice was as cool and collected as ever when he said,

"Come in." As a gentle reminder that I had no other choice, the man behind me cleared his throat as I hesitated. I swallowed my trepidation and entered. The bang reverberated throughout the empty room as the door behind me slammed shut. The scent of polished wood and a hint of sweetness permeated the air, like burning cedar.

Alexander moved with the precision of a predator, his gaze sharp as he gestured for me to follow him through a grand hallway lined with towering windows. His presence was overwhelming, a gravity I couldn’t escape.

“I don’t want to be here,” I blurted, my voice shaky but firm. “You can’t just take people like this.”

He stopped abruptly, and I nearly collided with him. When he turned to face me, his expression was unreadable, but his eyes held something dangerous.

“I didn’t *take* you,” he said, his tone clipped. “Your father gave you away.”

The remarks were like a kick to the gut. I started to argue, but I was at a loss for words. He was correct. Instead, my voice cracked as I responded.

"I'm not staying." He looked from my face to my quivering hands and back again. "You didn't make that choice." His comments were so definitive that they temporarily overcame my apprehension and drove a flood of rage through me.

"I am not your property." His eyes flashed, perhaps with enjoyment. It was gone too quickly to be sure. “No,” he said quietly. “But I own your father’s life. And by extension, yours.”

His calm delivery made it worse, as if my resistance was nothing more than an inconvenience.

“Why?” I asked, my voice rising. “Why go through all this trouble? What do you want from me?”

For the first time, his composure faltered, his jaw tightening. “You’ll find out soon enough.”

Before I could press him, he turned and resumed walking. He led me to two big double doors, which he threw wide to show an opulent sitting room. The chill that had seized me was not much lessened by the fire raging in the hearth. "This is where you'll stay," he added, pointing to the room; I glared. "Stay? You think I'll just settle in like it's a vacation?" "You can oppose this all you want," he added, his voice low but stern, "but it will not improve your predicament. The sooner you embrace it, the easier things will be." I looked at him, my chest heaving with fury and terror. He glanced back, unfazed. Without saying anything else, he turned and left, closing the doors behind him.

There was a deafening silence. My thoughts was racing as I stood there with my hands clenched. How had my life spiraled into this nightmare so quickly?

I scanned the room, my gaze landing on the windows. They were large, but not large enough to climb through. Even if they were, the drop to the ground would be deadly.

My eyes shifted to the door. It wasn’t locked. Maybe I could run—

The doors opened again before I could finish thinking. My heart pounded in my chest as I leaped.

It wasn’t Alexander. It was a young woman, her short black hair slicked back, her dark eyes assessing me with a sharpness that matched her tailored suit.

“I’m Vee,” she said, her voice clipped. “You’ll answer to me from now on.”

“Answer to you?” I echoed, my voice rising.

Her lips twitched in what might’ve been a smirk. “Think of me as your shadow. You must get my permission before you leave this room. The weight of my captivity made my stomach turn. My voice cracked as I said, "I don't belong here." "Neither do I," she remarked, her face somewhat softening. "But here we are." She stopped in the doorway as she turned to go. Additionally, avoid attempting to run. The previous girl who did not make it very far. I stood there with my knees weak and my head spinning as the door closed behind her. Who was the final girl? Furthermore, what had become of her? Fear twisted in my gut as I slipped onto the bed's edge. Not only was I confined, but I was also playing a game that I didn't comprehend and had no idea who I could trust.