3~ Who is he?

They shove me into one of the luxury vans and My eyes widen, caught off guard by the design I had only seen on TV. Instead of the usual rows of seats all facing forward, two plush seats face each other.

They force me down into one of the chairs, carefully binding my wrists. Across from me, the brute man settles in, his men occupying the other seats.

“Don’t worry, Hazel darling,” he says, His eyes gleaming with a sick satisfaction. “Your life from now on will be filled with so much enjoyment and luxury. You’ll be crowned the queen of an empire. Just make sure to obey me, and everything you desire will be yours.”

"I don't want anything from you but for you to let me go!" I snap.

His smirk deepens. “And if I do, where will you go? Back to that family that sold you? The ones who will hand you over to another organization the moment they’re in debt again? You don’t understand the situation you’re in, Hazel. You have nowhere to go, no one to run to—except me.”

I hiss, biting back the angry retort rising in my throat and turn my gaze sharply away, staring out the window at the blur of the city fading behind us. Every word he says burns because it’s true. I have no one.

“But don‘t be sad. You’ll create a new family with me,” Lennox continues, his tone eerily calm. “A family that will love and cherish you. You’ll be my wife, the mother of my son, and the mother of the children we will have together.”

“Son?! Children?!” I blurt, my eyes snapping back to him, wide with disbelief. 

I still consider myself a kid. I can barely look after myself, let alone someone else’s child. It makes me scared. I know it’s going to be a spoiled brat, who will definitely hate me, and I’d hate to admit it, but so will I.

“I don’t want to,” I mutter under my breath.

Lennox leans forward slightly, his eyes narrowing. “You have no choice.”

Before I can react, a cloth slips over my eyes from behind, plunging me into darkness. My heart races, my breath quickening. Wherever they’re taking me, they don’t want me to know. 

֍ ֍ ֍

They drive for what feels like an eternity, the hum of the engine blending with the suffocating silence inside the vehicle.

Every second spent with the blindfold pressing against my eyes, surrounded by men, heightens the aching discomfort in my chest. All i hear is my own shallow breathing and the occasional shift and short conversation of the men seated nearby.

The car stops for what feels like the hundredth time, and finally, the engine dies.  I hear doors open, footsteps crunching on gravel as the men step out. 

A hand—rough, flat, and far too strong—grips mine, yanking me out of the car. My legs wobble as I’m pulled along, blind and disoriented. 

We climb a few steps, feeling something huge looming ahead. I hear a door creak open. Its size must be massive, the air shifts around me like I've entered another realm.

Before I can brace myself, the blindfold tugs off.

A sharp sting shoots through my eyes as a million bright lights assault my vision. I wince, instinctively turning my face away, but slowly, my sight adjusts, and I blink against the glare.

When my vision finally adjusts, my breath hitches, and my eyes widen as I take in the luxurious, spacious interior. 

This place… it’s unreal. 

The ceilings rise impossibly high, adorned with glittering chandeliers that spill light across the vast space, casting a thousand diamond-like reflections. Every surface is sleek, polished—too perfect. The marble floors glow, the furniture looks as though no one’s ever dared touch it, and the sheer size of it all feels overwhelming.

This isn’t just wealth. It’s power. It’s control.

A shiver snakes down my spine, I’ve stepped into another world, one that only exists in dreams. But no, this isn’t a dream, It’s a nightmare.

"Give her a tour first," Lennox’s voice commands, breaking through the chilling silence. My eyes dart toward him just as they lock onto a woman standing a few feet away. Slim, tall middle-aged, with sharp dark eyes and long black wavy hair cascading down her chest, she stands like a statue, her face devoid of warmth. Two maids hover behind her, heads bowed.

"Yes, sir," the woman answers.

Lennox turns to leave but pauses, his eyes grazing mine. "I’m leaving now, but you’ll see me again—when you’re more beautiful and ready to serve me."

I don’t answer him, I stand there, frozen, but internally, I am more than happy he’s leaving— it means, my plan can work out.

His men follow him out, except for the one who’s been holding me all along. I glance toward the woman, feeling her stare pierce through me.

"And what should I call you, miss?" Her voice is smooth but lacks any hint of kindness. She looks like someone who will give me a hard time.

I swallow hard. "Uh... Hazel."

"Miss Hazel," she corrects herself with a nod. "Call me Adora."

Her eyes flicker over me before she turns sharply on her heel. "Follow me. I’ll show you around."

~

“And this is your room,” the woman says, opening yet another door on the first floor. It opens to a bedroom that could easily fit my old home inside. The bed is enormous, the room painted in pink and white, designed elegantly yet still fitting for a female young adult. Exactly how I would design my room.

But this is nothing to be excited about. I am on a look out for only one thing— An escape route.

“You will sleep and stay here when the master does not seek you,” Adora continues and i nod then glance around the room, searching for unbarred windows, a door to the balcony, anything that might help me later. But I see nothing, it's designed like the perfect prison. Though It’s a bit relieving that I don't have to share a bed with Lennox. 

Mr. Lennox Zephyr might be playing nice for now, but I know my fate.Things will surely get ugly when he asks me to spread my legs.

As soon as we step out, the door to the room next to mine swings open, though it’s still far down the hall, given how huge the house and roms are. A tall figure emerges—a man. He walks in the opposite direction, glancing briefly in our direction before continuing, but then he pauses mid-stride and turns to face me.

"Why..." My words trail off as my gaze locks onto his.

He's wearing a black shirt with the top three buttons undone, revealing a muscular creamy white chest, a simple crystal necklace hanging loosely against his skin. His black pants complete the look, all black, just like the rest of Zephyr's men.  Is he another bodyguard? 

Noticing that I have been staring at him for what feels like hours, as if we're having a staring contest. I quickly tear my gaze away from him, “I heard I had a child, maybe you could...” I say, turning back to Adora, only to see her walking away.

Confused, I swivel back to the young bodyguard, my face twisting with confusion. Did he send them away?

My eyes slightly widen, watching his long, relaxed strides carry him closer than before. I can't help but have my eyes roaming around his body, his muscles are softly and attractively built, his rolled-up sleeves revealing the veins that stretch along his forearms. The scent of his cologne as it fills the air around me making my heart race

He stops right in front of me, standing tall, towering over me by more than a foot. He stares down at me intensely making my body tremble a bit. His eyes they’re hazel, with flecks of brown that flicker in the light. But they seem empty, lacking emotion, as I stare deeply I see something… loneliness, fear, guilt. Why? Well… I get it. It must be hard dedicating your life to protect douchebags like Lennox Zephyr.

As I gaze at him, I almost forget about everything—the whole terrifying situation. But then reality strikes me like lightning. 

Yes whoever this young man is, he is extremely hot, attractive, mysterious but! I’m not here to lust over some damn bodyguard!

I need to focus. I need to escape!

“Whatever you’re thinking, don’t do it,” he warns, his voice breathy and husky, as if still in the process of transitioning into a fully deep male tone.

My thoughts scatter, distracted by him, taking a moment for his words to register in my mind, but once they sink in, I raise my eyebrows. "Wha... what do you mean?" I ask, stuttering.

His gaze hardens. "Every girl he’s brought in thought about one thing: ‘How do I escape? I need to escape.’" His words come out slowly, deliberate. The eerie similarity to Mr. Zephyr's tone sending a chill down my spine.

"I..." My voice falters.

He nods slightly, "Don’t do it. You’ll end up dead."

I finally grasp what he’s saying. It’s as if he read my mind, his warning hitting like a slap. Yet it does not change my mind.

"I’d rather die than be forcibly married to a man twice my age." i mutter.

He scoffs with a bitter smile, disgust and annoyance dancing in his eyes. “That’s what they all said.”

They? Just how many girls has Zephyr married?

"You think death is an easy way out?" He chuckles darkly. What’s meant to be a joyous sound is instead filled with pain. "You won’t just die. You’ll suffer—torture like you’ve never imagined. You’ll beg for death, but it won’t come. They’ll keep you alive, use you until you’re nothing but an empty shell, until your soul is ripped from your body."

Hearing him, it’s as if he’s seen it with his own eyes. Like the scenario has played out countless times.

My racing heart is suddenly filled with fear.

“Do as he says.” he says before walking away, my gaze following his echoing footsteps down the hallway.

My mind swirls as he disappears from my sight. He’s obviously different from the rest of Zephyr’s men in black. The way he speaks, the way he carries himself—  it’s clear he doesn’t have the same cold ruthlessness as the others. 

It’s like he has a soft and kind heart, one that doesn’t belong in a place like this.

I can’t help but think “Who is he?”