Chapter 5 5. Don't be a Fool

MAYA

I kept my eyes on the window, refusing to look at the man sitting inches away from me. My hand was cramping from how hard I was clutching my phone. I was still waiting for it to buzz. Waiting for a text from Liam saying he'd called the police, a lawyer, or anyone.

"Give it to me."

Silas spoke, his words cutting through the quiet of the car. I didn't have to ask what he meant. I gripped the phone tighter in my lap.

"No. It's mine."

"In this car, and in my house, you don't have property," Silas said. He didn't raise his voice, which somehow made it scarier. "You were just caught attempting to enter a legal union to break a debt contract. You've proven you can't be trusted several times. Hand over the phone, Maya."

"I was going to marry the man I love!" I snapped, finally looking at him. "Something you wouldn't understand."

A small, dangerous smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth. "Exactly, I collect my debts" he murmured. "And I always collect in full. Now, the phone. Before I have my security team take it from you by force."

I looked at his large, steady hand held out in the dim light of the car. I looked at the glass partition separating us from the driver. I was trapped. With a frustrated growl, I slapped the phone into his palm.

"I didn't realize looking through a stranger's phone was part of the Blackwood business model," I hissed.

"Silas didn't look at it. He just slid the phone into his pocket."

"Rule number one of the next six months," he said, leaning back as the SUV pulled into a massive, circular driveway. "You don't speak to anyone from your old life. Not your father, and especially not your pussy of a boyfriend."

Pussy? I clenched my teeth, wanting to defend Liam, but the words died in my throat. Silas was an arrogant prick, but he wasn't entirely wrong. Liam hadn't even looked me in the eye when Silas took me away.

"You can't do that," I whispered, my heart sinking. "Liam is the only person who-"

"Liam is the person who let you walk into this car without throwing a single punch," Silas interrupted. "He's a coward, Maya. And the sooner you realize that the world you lived in an hour ago is dead, the easier these six months will be for both of us."

"What's happening in six months?"

The door was opened from the outside by a man in a black suit. Silas stepped out, ignoring my question, then reached back, offering me his hand.

I rolled my eyes, slapping his hand away as I climbed out. I looked around in awe, despite myself. Everything was screaming luxury. I was too angry to truly enjoy the view, or to fully process that I was standing in front of the Blackwood Mansion.

A line of butlers and maids stood like soldiers in the driveway. I froze. I didn't want to walk forward, but Silas placed his hand at the small of my back, his palm resting heavy and possessive on my waist and then guided me toward them.

An elderly man stepped forward with a slight bow. "Good evening, Mr. Blackwood."

Silas gave a curt nod.

"And good evening, Mrs. Blackwood. I'm the head butler, Lawrence."

Mrs. Blackwood? Hell no.

I opened my mouth to set the record straight, but Silas squeezed my waist just enough to warn me.

"She's very tired right now and needs to rest," Silas said, his voice leaving no room for argument.

He didn't lead me to the grand staircase. Instead, he steered me into a side study. The room looked simple and expensive. Just a desk cluttered with papers, a wall of leather-bound books. He shut the door, finally letting go of me.

"Sit," he commanded, gesturing to a black chair across from his desk.

"I'm not sitting until you tell me what's happening in six months," I demanded, crossing my arms.

Silas walked over to a sideboard and poured himself a drink. "Our engagement."

He stepped closer. "That means no running and no secret calls. If I catch you trying to reach him again, I'll make sure he has nothing left to pick up the phone with. Do you understand?"

I looked up at him, the luxury of the house suddenly feeling suffocating. "You're a monster."

"I'm a Blackwood," he corrected, taking a slow sip of his drink. "There's a difference." He didn't raise his voice, but the look in his eyes pinned me to the floor. "Sit."

"It's not far off." I shrugged and sat down immediately, mostly because my legs felt tired. "Sounds the same to me." I looked around the room. "What about your parents? When do I get to meet them?"

I thought, maybe there would be a reasonable adult to talk some sense into him.

"You mean my father, Viktor. You really won't be thrilled to meet him." He paused for a few seconds, his gaze drifting to the fireplace. "My mother is dead."

Oh. I looked down at my hands, my fingers starting to fiddle with the hem of my shirt.

"Was that the reason?" I whispered. "The apartment. Did you let me go because you understood?"

"Don't look for sentiment where there is none," he replied, his eyes returning to me. "I let you go because I wanted to meet your pussy of a boyfriend to scare him off."

"Don't call-"

"Enough of the dramatics. Let's discuss your new life." He cut me off, sounding bored.

"And if I'd rather have my old one back?"

"That ship has sailed, Maya." He slammed his glass down, the sound echoing in the quiet study. "I need a hell of a distraction, and you're going to provide it. You'll be by my side for the public, and your day job will be as my assistant at the company."

"An assistant?" I blinked. "Does this kidnapping and nightmare come with a salary?"

Silas paused, the corner of his mouth twitching in what might have been amusement, or perhaps disbelief.

"Most people in your position would be asking about their freedom," he said, his voice dropping an octave. "But you're asking for a paycheck? You're living in a fifty-million-dollar estate, Maya. I think your expenses are covered."

"Expenses don't pay off my own debts," I countered. "If I'm working, I want a salary."

He nodded. "You're taking it better than I expected."

Like I had a fucking choice?

"That ship has sailed, Maya," I mocked, pitching my voice deep and arrogant just to see if I could get on his nerves.

If he wanted a puppet, he picked the one with tangled strings and a mind of its own. I'd make him wish he'd left me in that apartment with my pussy of a boyfriend.

He sighed, looking more tired than annoyed. "Yes, Maya, you'll get a salary. From there we fall in love. Public dates, expensive vacations, a proposal in six months. We'll marry in a year because the world needs to believe I'm madly in love with you."

"You mean madly insane," I mumbled. "But sure, let's go with love.'"

"You've had a long day. I'm letting the attitude slide for tonight, but don't make running your mouth a habit in this house. Don't speak to me like that, not here or anywhere else."

He leaned in, his gaze pinning me to the chair. "Don't be a fool. This house doesn't have room for reckless voices, It's not safe here."