09. Contract

Mia Miller

I observe everything around me as I stand alone in that room. Some of the photos intrigue me; there were only a few, Ethan and an older woman, very beautiful, who looked a lot like him.

I look closer and am shocked by the resemblance between him and Lorenzo, when suddenly I'm startled by a voice calling my name.

"Miss Miller," the woman in a black-and-white uniform calmly calls out my name.

"Hello," I say timidly.

"My name is Mariah, I work in Mr. Greenwood's household. He asked me to take you to your room."

"My room?" I raise an eyebrow. "I'm not staying here. I was just waiting for him to come back so I could..."

"His orders," she cuts me off.

He wasn’t kidding. When I agreed to that madman's rules, I thought I could at least go back home. I didn’t want to stay here. Not at all.

I looked towards the exit of the mansion and noticed the two guards who looked like brutes. There was no way I could get out of here, and even if I could, it would be foolish to risk everything and lose my son.

He was the only one who could help me. He had everyone in his hand, even the Colorado police. Who this man could be, I didn’t know, but I did know that he scared me.

The serious woman led me to the room, and I remained silent. The hallway was enormous and filled with chandeliers. I wondered how he could have so much money; I never imagined that the man from the bar was a billionaire.

And even less that he was dangerous.

She stopped in front of a dark wooden door and said, "This is your room, Miss Mia."

"Thank you," I forced a smile. "Just Mia is fine."

"My Lord prefers that we treat guests with respect. Good night."

I widened my eyes in fear; she and everyone here spoke of him as if he were an authority.

The contrast between the welcoming environment and the coldness of the mansion made me uneasy. Everything seemed designed to remind me of the control Ethan had over every detail.

I left my bag on the bed and walked over to the window. The snow was gently falling outside, covering the landscape with a white blanket, almost as if it was trying to mask the harshness of the reality I was facing. Memories of my father flooded my mind. The void his absence left seemed to expand with every passing second. Lorenzo... Was he okay? Was he scared? The thought of my son trapped somewhere unknown tightened my chest.

Tears began to fall uncontrollably.

My body trembled with sadness and despair, and I felt more alone than ever. Everything seemed so out of reach, so impossible to fix. The grief of losing my father and the fear for Lorenzo’s fate tore me apart inside, leaving me breathless.

Suddenly, a sound interrupted my thoughts. A soft noise at the door made me quickly wipe away my tears. I turned and found Ethan standing there, his presence dominating the space.

His eyes scanned every detail of my face, as if trying to decipher my deepest thoughts.

He entered the room without asking for permission, of course, and then closed the door behind him. My heart raced as I realized how close he was to me.

Ethan took two steps forward, getting so close that I could feel his warm breath. My heart felt like it was going to jump out of my chest.

"Which part didn’t you understand?" he asked coldly, his eyes piercing mine. "I make the rules here."

Without breaking eye contact, he pulled an envelope from the inside pocket of his coat and handed it to me. I took the envelope, confused, feeling a chill down my spine. I opened it and found a contract inside. As I read it, my world crumbled.

The contract clearly stated that once he found Lorenzo, I would never be able to leave. The boy would be raised by Ethan, and if I wanted to leave, I would have to do so alone, without my son. It was a cruel sentence, a trap from which I couldn’t see any escape.

I felt shattered inside as I read those words. I looked up at Ethan, unable to believe the cruelty he was imposing on me. "Why are you doing this?" My voice came out shaky, almost a whisper.

He moved even closer, his mouth now just inches from mine. "This is the price you pay for lying to me, human," he said in a cold tone that sent shivers down my spine. "You think you can hide my own son from me and get away with it?"

His proximity, the warmth of his body, the intensity of his gaze... It all confused me. I wanted to hate him, wanted to push him away, but there was something visceral, something primitive, that made me hesitate. How could I feel any desire for a man so cruel, so ruthless?

He tilted his head slightly, as if he knew exactly what I was feeling, as if he had been waiting for that moment. His lips were dangerously close to mine, and I felt trapped between fear and an inexplicable attraction.

But deep down, I knew that giving in to any feelings for him would be a complete surrender to his control, and that I couldn’t allow. I needed to be strong, for myself and for Lorenzo. Even though, inside, I was falling apart.

I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t want to be at the mercy of a man I didn’t even know, and for my son to be raised by him... What kind of man would Lorenzo become?

There was something more. More than just someone dangerous, I felt a dark aura, something different in this house, in these people, in him.

And I was going to find out, no matter the cost.

His eyes glowed slightly yellow, but I thought it was just the contrast of the light.

"I accept this contract," I sighed. "Unlike you, I love my son, this isn’t a game. I’ll accept whatever you want."

"The first thing you need to do is watch how you speak to me," he observed.

I swallowed hard to control myself. I wanted to lash out at him, which would have been a stupid attempt, considering Ethan was almost 6'3".

I knew that from now on, I had nothing left to lose.