4~ Anything to get me

“It’s time to begin the second part of your day.” Adora's voice greets me from behind. Almost immediately after the extremely attractive man walks out of my sight.

I turn on my heel to face her, my brows raised, “Second part?”

She nods “Our tour is over. It’s time to check, then clean you up.”

“Check?… Clean?”

Before I can question further, they whisk me away to another room with a doctor in it. I lie nervously on the hospital bed in a loose-fitting hospital gown. Watching as a woman in a white coat approaches me, her hands encased in gloves.

“To make this experience less hateful," she says in a flat tone, "I plead with you to simply follow my instructions.”

I stare at her, speechless.

Her eyes remain emotionless. “Open your legs wide for me.”

My body freezes, and my heart slams against my ribs. “What? Why? What do you want to do?”

“A hymen examination.”

The words hit me like a punch to the gut. My chest tightens, as my hands grip the sides of the bed. So this is what the check-up is for. 

They want to be sure I’m the virgin my parents claim me to be.

"And if I fail the examination?" I ask my voice low.

“Master Zephyr will simply send you off to where you belong,”  Adora answers in her usual indifferent tone.

Where I belong? Mr. Zephyr's cruel flashes in my mind—  somewhere worse. A sex house.

I want to resist but let the doctor do as she pleases. What the attractive man said to me has left me trembling in fear.

I just let them do whatever they want, just as he warned.

When it’s finally over, the doctor whispers something to Miss Adora, who turns back to me.

“You’ve passed the examination," she says, her face betraying no emotion. "It’s time to clean you up."

This isn’t just any cleaning.  They strip me down, and I’m subjected to a full-body wax, leaving me hairless, exposed, and vulnerable. My skin is exfoliated, scrubbed until it’s raw. Then they massage me with oils and lotions, their hands working over my skin with mechanical precision.

I am moved from one room to the other. When it’s all over, I feel like a newborn—my skin soft, smooth, and shining—- but I feel no relief, it only makes me more scared.

I’m put in a long nightgown, naked underneath, the fabric clinging to my newly bare skin.

My heartbeats escalated, pounding loudly against my chest. 

They didn’t just do all this for nothing. It’s for him. Preparation for Lennox Zephyr. It’s time for what I fear the most.

But instead, Adora leads me to my room and opens the door. 

I blink repeatedly at her and my room in confusion, my breath coming out as shaky. I’m grateful but still suspicious. 

Adora doesn’t even let me fully feel relieved when she parts her lips to speak again.  “Tomorrow is your wedding so make sure to have a good night’s sleep."

“Wedding?” I whisper, the terror creeping back in.

“Yes. After the wedding, you will have your first night with Master Zephyr. Rest well and be prepared,” she says with a vile smirk on her lips.  As she steps out, the heavy door swings shut with a thud. A clicking sound follows—I’m locked in.

Panic surges through me as I pace around my room, tears welling up at the corners of my eyes. I start to scatter around the room, looking for a way to escape. Anywhere! But my room has no balcony, my windows barred. Looking up at the ceiling, I notice the security cameras everywhere, watching my every hopeless move.

Finally giving up,  I collapse onto the enormous bed. The mattress swallows me up, but there’s no comfort in its softness. I pull the heavy duvet over my head and burst into tears. 

I try to reassure myself.

It’s just sex. There’s nothing to be scared of.

But my own words feel empty because it’s not just sex. It’s being forced to have a vile man touching me, claiming me, taking what I don’t want to give—my virginity. I should be grateful it’s not multiple visitors of a sex house. But I want to experience none.

֍ ֍ ֍

I wake up to the next day with Miss Adora leading me down a set of cold stone stairs, deeper and deeper until it feels like we’ve reached the center of the earth. It’s not just a basement; it feels more like an underground cage—hidden from the world above.

She opens a door to an office and pushes me inside.

Four men stand inside, but it’s the man seated at the other end of the desk that draws my attention. He gestures for me to sit in the chair on the other side. As I do, he hands me a document file.

"Sign the marriage contract," he orders, handing me a pen.

My fingers tremble slightly as I take hold of the pen. Opening the file and reading through the papers, The contract is just as I expected—a trap.

This contract will prove I consent to this marriage which means no one will be able to help me in the future if I need it.

I glance up at the men standing around me. Their eyes are fixed on me like predators waiting for their prey to falter, as if the moment I refuse to sign, they will pounce on me.

I wasn’t this scared until I spoke with him yesterday.

"They’ll keep you alive, use you until you’re nothing but an empty shell until your soul is ripped from your body." 

His words have me really terrified. I only expect the worst now, but I just can’t do it.

Turning my head to the man before me, I drop the pen on the table.

“I can’t sign this,” I say in a low but determined tone.

He scoffs, his blue eyes darkening as raises an eyebrow “Do you want to make things harder for yourself?”

“I won’t sign this contract. I don’t want to get married.” I fire.

He smiles. “We expected that.” He says, then extends his hand. One of the men standing by the wall steps forward and hands him a phone.

He unlocks it and shows it to me.

My heart stops beating for a second, and my eyes widen.  On the screen is a photo of Andrew—my younger brother—tied up, his face pale with fear.

"Andrew!" I scream, my voice cracking with panic. "What is this? Why do you have him? It’s me you want!"

The man’s grin widens. "Exactly. You’re a smart girl after all. You know we only want you and we’ll do anything to get you."

He leans in slightly, his tone turning sinister. "Including hurting your family. So, if I were you, I’d make this fast and easy."

My hands shake as I pick up the pen again, tears welling in my eyes. I force myself to sign the contract, the ink dragging painfully across the paper. Tears slip down my cheeks, falling onto the pages. 

I throw the papers at the man’s face. "There. I’ve signed it. Now let him go! Let my brother go!"

The man calmly collects the papers, straightening them on the desk. "Good," he says, then looks up "Let me pass on a message: your husband, Mr. Zephyr, said if you misbehave, bad things will happen to your family. If you fail in your duties, your family members will die one by one—starting with him." He points at his phone.

"So be on your best behavior from now on and don’t throw papers at anyone again. Something as small as that could lead to the loss of your dearest brother."