The Set-up

CHAPTER 1

ADRIANNA’S POV

The night was long. I had slept like never before. I turned to the other side of my bed, groaning a little as my heavy eyelids fluttered open only to see the face of a man I had never seen before directly facing me, our warm breaths clashing and noses almost touching.

My breath caught as I instantly became wide awake and jumped out of bed. Realizing I was naked, I quickly grabbed the duvet to cover myself. The man was also naked. I gasped intensely, more shocked than ever. Who the hell was this man? And how did he get into my bed?

Realizing what was happening, he woke up, yawning in satisfaction as he did. The moment his eyes met mine, they shimmered with affection that irked me to the bones.

“You’re up early, sunshine,” he said, smiling sweetly at me like I was his newlywed bride.

I scowled at him as if to kill him with my eyes, rage filling me. This man was out of his senses! Why was he calling me his sunshine?

“Who are you and how did you get into my bed?!” I ripped the words angrily from my throat.

I couldn’t remember a thing from last night. I felt like I had woken up from a terrible coma. Every memory I had of yesterday was vague. But whoever this man was, I needed him out of my bed, my room and the castle immediately. If Hermes finds out about this then I’m done for. He’ll punish me beyond anything I can imagine.

He had threatened to castrate any male who dared look at me with desire not to talk of one that… I squeezed my eyes close and shuddered with disgust at the thought of what this stranger could have done to me over the night.

Today, my tenure as Hermes’s sex slave was coming to an end. I’ll finally be free of him and his manipulations and abuse. Today, I’ll finally get the life I never had back. On an important day like this, the last thing I wanted was to do anything that could put my freedom in jeopardy.

“You’re quick to act, sunshine,” the strange man said casually, sitting up to recline against the pillow, not even minding he was naked or the weight of the situation. “You wanted this. You asked for it so don’t play dumb. We both enjoyed ourselves last night and I bet you still want more. Now get back in bed, let's go another round.” He motioned to me to get back in bed, a mischievous smile curving his lips.

Clutching hard onto the duvet wrapped around my body, I stared at him with eyes about to fall out from shock. I can’t believe this. Just how did this happen? Hermes is going to kill me. At this point, I was convinced this stranger was high on something.

Panic like never before welled up in my chest as I thought of what to do to get this man out of my room and castle before Hermes suspected anything. It was obvious he wasn’t willing to leave anytime soon.

Unable to come up with an idea, I grabbed the pillow and started hitting him with it, tears of fear, shame, guilt and panic prickling the corners of my eyes. “You shameless bastard! How dare come into my room and take advantage of me….why did you do this? Get out of my room right this instant. You’re going to put me in trouble…”

Just then the door of my room flew open and I froze in fear on seeing Hermes march in with his sister, Hera and two guards. At that moment I knew I was done for.

“There!” His sister pointed at me accusingly, her tone filled with so much contempt and bitterness. “I knew I was hearing disturbing moans from last night.”

Hermes snarled, his face a glowering mask of anger as his eyes drilled into me.

Sheer fright crept into me. The only thing I could do now was plead for mercy and beg him to hear me out.

I rushed to kneel before him. “My Lord, please…It’s not what you think…I don’t know this man…I don’t even know how he got into my room…please you have to believe me on this…” I pleaded like my life depended on it, tears streaming down my cheeks.

“You shameless slut!” he spat at me with a furiously disgusting expression on his face. “The evidence is clear,” he cast the strange man on the bed a devilish glare before returning his gaze to me. “After all I have done for you. After picking you from the dumpster you’ve lived all your life, this is how you repay me…”

“No…” I cried out, shaking my head in agony.

He should know better than to call me a slut. He took my virginity. He was the only man I had ever been with. And he knew it too well. Being locked up in this castle for what seemed like ages, the last thing I’d do is to sleep with another man knowing the kind of devil Hermes was. Besides his guards, who he warned never to find desire in my body, he was the only man I had seen in the past six months.

“You were nothing but a lowlife thief with a father who couldn’t even wait a second to get rid of you,” he continued sternly. “I did you a huge favour by giving you something called a life. A lot of girls will give anything to be in your position yet you betray me like this?!” He flared like a blazing fire, causing me to flinch in fright.

My heart clenched painfully in my chest as he recalled my ugly past. A past I never wanted to remember for as long as I lived. He gave me a life. A life of being nothing but his sex slave. Is that a life? Even though he was an Alpha king, no girl would ever want a life such as the one I’m living now. I couldn’t wait for my tenure to end so I could be free of it all.

My knees hurt as moved closer to him, hoping to beg some more for something I was innocent of. I have been punished enough by him. I couldn’t afford to be punished again. My already battered body can't withstand any more of it.

“Hermes please I know nothing about this….”

Before I could finish, he pushed me aside and made his way towards the bed as I crashed on the floor with a loud thud, sobs racking my throat.

“You!” He directed at the stranger on the bed with a menacing voice that seemed to stab the air. “You’re done for! Guards! Take him to the torture room. Show him what we do to guys who can’t keep their dicks in check,” he smirked evilly.

“No…wait…what’s happening…” the stranger muttered, clueless and confused as the heavily built guards effortlessly jacked him from the bed, gagged and tied him up.

Before he was dragged out of the room, I noticed his gaze kept flicking to Hera’s as if expecting her to say something on his behalf. But she didn’t spare him a glance.

At that moment I knew something was up. Anger surged through me as I managed to gather myself up. “You!” I threw at her as I approached her. “You did this…how could you do this kind of thing to me?... What have I done to deserve this much hatred from you…?”

Her lips twitched with a wicked smile – an indication she knew what I was talking about as she sneered at me.

I didn’t know how she managed this pull this off, but I knew she did it. No other person could have set me up like this.

I raised my hand to strike her in the face, but Hermes held my wrist from behind to stop me. He flung me back so violently I crashed into the bedpost with a bang, the duvet I used in covering myself falling off as pain seared through my bare body from the collision impact.

“How dare you try to strike my sister?” He shouted. “Have you no fear, no shame, even after what you just did?”

“Can’t you see Hermes?” I supported my right elbow to ease the stinging pain, an ocean of tears accumulating in my eyes and flooding down my face. “She did this…she set me up…I don’t know that man…I don’t know how I ended up in bed with him.”

“I know you have a history of theft but never knew you also had an excellent one in telling lies too. You’re delusional blaming other people for your mess,” he replied coldly, with no atom of empathy. “Just know you have cost yourself your freedom...”

“No…” my ears slammed in shock on hearing that. That can’t be true. I have waited an eternity to finally leave this shit hole of a castle. He can’t deprive me of my freedom after all these torturous months I have served him. “You said you’ll let me go after six months… that six months ended today. You promised…I can’t stay here anymore…I’m done keeping up with you two’s bullshit!”

He whiffed out a scornful laugh and squatted in front of me. He observed me for a while before sighing and shaking his head in pity. “Oh little flower, how naïve and stupid of you to think I’ll set you free after paying such a huge amount to acquire you. I don’t work that way. You’re mine until I decide otherwise. And with what you just did, I’ll just have to punish you severely for it.”

He tried to caress my cheek but I quickly whipped my head to the side to prevent him.

“You lying bastard!” I muttered spitefully under my breath. “I hate you more than anything…”

The next thing I knew, he violently grabbed me by the cheeks, his fingers digging into my skin as he brought my face so close to his I could feel his breath. “You have no right to talk back at me and you don’t get to hate me. Ever! You understand!!”

I squeezed my eyes close and nodded desperately, anything to be free of this pain. To free of him.

“Good, Little flower,” he whispered in my ear and kissed my forehead before throwing my face away.

I was yet to recover from the pain in my cheeks when suddenly, he yanked me by the hair and started pulling me towards the door.

“No…You’re hurting me…” I cried out as painful tears burned my eyes and corroded my cheeks, trying to beat off his grip. But it was of no use. He won’t budge. His grip was so tight I feared my hair might rip out from its scalp if he continued resisting. “Let me go…please you’re hurting me… Where are you taking me?”

“You wanted to get out of this castle,” he smiled darkly. “Well, I have just the perfect place for you.”