Chapter 2 - The Golden CageThe ride in the back of Alessandro’s bulletproof Maybach was dead quiet, save for the hum of the engine and the soft pitter-patter of rain starting to slick the streets of Chicago.
I was sandwiched between the leather seats and the looming presence of the man who held my life in his hands. He hadn't said a word since dragging me out of the diner by my wrist, leaving old man Miller with wide, terrified eyes and a stack of hundred-dollar bills thrown onto the counter to buy his silence.
"Where are you taking me?" I asked, my voice trembling despite my desperate attempts to sound brave. "If you're going to kill me, do it now. Don't play games."
Alessandro didn't turn his head. He was staring out the tinted window at the grey skyline. "Kill you? My dear Elizabeth... why would I kill the woman carrying my heir?"
The sound of my real name falling from his lips felt like a bucket of ice water dumped over my head.
"You know," I breathed, sinking back into the leather.
"I’ve known since the night you walked into the Obsidian Hotel," Alessandro said, his tone terrifyingly casual as he turned to face me. His amber eyes locked onto mine, devoid of warmth, filled only with cold calculation. "You think you’re clever, Elizabeth Vance. You thought you could use a forged driver's license and a fake social security number to creep into my orbit. You thought I didn't recognize Arthur Vance’s daughter?"
My breath hitched. "My father..."
"Your father was a rat who tried to burn my family down," Alessandro spat, his voice laced with venom, though his composure never cracked. "He died for his arrogance. And you... you thought you could finish his work. You took a job at the gala hoping to get close to my inner circle, didn't you? Hoping to find the rest of the ledgers."
"I didn't..." I tried to lie, but the sheer authority radiating from him choked the words in my throat.
"Do not lie to me!" Alessandro snapped, his hand shooting out to grip my chin. His touch was firm, not painful, but unyielding. "You played a dangerous game, Elizabeth. You let me take you to my bed. You let me touch you. You pretended to be a terrified, innocent waitress while calculating how to destroy me."
"I didn't pretend!" I cried out, tears finally spilling over my lashes. "That night... the talking... it wasn't a lie! I didn't plan for any of this! I didn't plan to fall pregnant!"
Alessandro’s thumb moved, brushing away a tear from my cheek with a tenderness that contradicted the fury in his eyes.
"It doesn't matter what you planned," he whispered, leaning closer until I could feel the heat of his breath. "The reality is simple: you are carrying a Vitali. Which means your life as Elizabeth Vance—and as Emma—is over. You belong to me now."
The car pulled into the underground garage of a sprawling estate on the outskirts of Lake Forest. It was a fortress—surrounded by ten-foot stone walls, armed guards patrolling the perimeter with assault rifles, and security cameras covering every inch of the grounds.
Alessandro opened the car door and slid out, holding his hand out to me.
"Welcome home, Elizabeth."
"This isn't a home," I said, refusing to take his hand as I stepped out on my own. "It's a prison."
"Then consider yourself the most protected prisoner in North America," he replied smoothly, signaling to two female guards dressed in sleek black tactical gear standing near the heavy oak doors of the mansion. "Show Miss Vance to the master suite. Ensure she is comfortable. And remove anything sharp, heavy, or glass from the room."
"Alessandro, wait!" I shouted as the guards flanked me. "What about Liam? He doesn't know where I am! He’s going to call the police!"
Alessandro stopped at the foot of the grand marble staircase, turning his head slightly. A dark, terrifying smile touched his lips.
"Liam Carter is currently being handled," Alessandro said coldly. "If you want your sweet little roommate to keep breathing, you will obey every command I give you. Am I understood?"
May you like
Fear, deeper than anything I had ever felt, gripped my heart. "Don't hurt him. Please. He has nothing to do with this."
"Then be a good girl, Elizabeth," Alessandro said, turning back toward his study. "Eat your food, take your vitamins, and remember who owns you now."
