“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."
My mind fills with thoughts as my hair and makeup get done.My body is here, but my mind isn’t, it’s trapped back in that suffocating room where I signed away my freedom and my future, just to protect Andrew.Now i will never be able to escape, because if I try, Andrew’s life will be taken.Kill my dad for all I care, but not Andrew, he’s the one I will do anything to protect.Mr. Zephyr has won.When they finish with my hair, makeup and get me dressed. I stare at my reflection in the mirror, not even recognizing myself. I have never seen myself this beautiful.My tousled light brown hair is styled in elegant French curls, and my makeup is light, enhancing my features. My lashes are darker, longer and thicker, framing my light brown eyes perfectly, nails are perfectly polished. All these are things I never had the luxury to care about.My entire life, I’ve never had enough time or money to care about myself.I was always doing chores in my house, studying, crocheting, or searching fo
The wedding reception officially started at one p.m and the after-party drags on till some minutes to past five.I stay by Mr. Zephyr’s side the entire time, plastering on a forced smile as he drinks and laughs with his friends.My mind keeps drifting to Ryan, my eyes searching for him. Right after we took some family portraits he disappeared from my sight.In a mansion full of nothing but monsters, it feels like he’s the only one who isn’t entirely a monster. It feels like he’s the only one that will listen to me.I need to talk to him.Looking at the round table I sit at in the midst of Mr. Zephyr and his friends. I kno
“No! Mom! Dad! Please,” I cry, staring at my parents, as I struggle with two huge men aggressively dragging me out of my house. “You can’t do this to me! You can’t just sell me off like this!”Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine my life would turn out this way.I have dreams and goals I look forward to, and I’m happy with whatever life has in store for me. But that doesn’t include being hauled away by several men, and forced into marriage with a mafia boss. The day starts like any other—actually, better than most.I’ve just wrapped up my third year in college, now in a taxi heading home for summer break. Today is better than most days not because I’m going home but because I get to see my younger brother, Andrew again. He’s the one I care for the most.Better than most days ‘cause I don't have to stuff my face in textbooks. My college life is stressful and hectic– normally it shouldn't be, but because I have to work twice as hard as top students to maintain my full-time schola
“Wife?”I must not be hearing correctly, because did I just hear this creepy man, who looks more than twice my age, call me his wife?This isn’t real; this must be some kind of joke. Yes, a prank! Because I will never believe this; I will not accept it.My head instantly snaps in my parents’ direction, searching their faces for any sign of protest, some kind of denial, but all I see is guilt and resignation etched deep in their expressions. My mother avoids eye contact, her hands clutched tightly in her lap, while my father stares blankly ahead.“Mom, Dad, this must be a joke, right?” I ask, hoping they tell me, yes, and this is just some extreme welcome-back party.“It is not, Hazel,” my dad answers curtly, making my eyes widen more than they already are.“Wha… what do you mean?” I ask, my lips trembling, my voice breaking. “What do you mean it’s not, Dad? Who is this man, and why is he calling me his virgin—” I yell.“He is Lennox Zephyr, and you will be getting married to him, Haze
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