Chapter 4 4

Christal shoved two cheap, faded t-shirts into a worn canvas duffel bag. The sound of the zipper closing echoed loudly in the massive, empty bedroom.

She stood up and looked around.

Draped over the velvet armchair were three designer gowns. Sitting on the vanity was a velvet box containing a diamond necklace. She didn't touch any of it. It all belonged to the Finley family.

The bedroom door swung open.

Kellie strolled in, holding a steaming cup of coffee. Her designer heels clicked arrogantly against the hardwood floor.

Kellie looked at the pathetic canvas bag and let out a sharp, breathy laugh.

"Finally," Kellie sneered. "You're packing up your trash and going back to whatever filthy orphanage Mom bought you from."

Christal ignored her. She grabbed the handles of her bag and walked toward the door.

Kellie stepped sideways, blocking the exit.

She leaned in close, bringing the smell of expensive perfume and bitter coffee right into Christal's face.

"You know," Kellie whispered, her eyes shining with pure malice. "There was no audition last night. Kurtis Kramer didn't have a role for you. I paid him fifty thousand dollars to wait in that room and ruin you."

Christal's pupils dilated.

She had guessed it, but hearing the pure evil spoken out loud made her skin crawl. Her stomach turned over.

Kellie took a sip of her coffee, looking incredibly pleased with herself. "You should have seen Ethan's face when I showed him the photos. He was so disgusted by you. He belongs to me now."

A volcano erupted inside Christal's chest. Ten years of playing the grateful, obedient orphan burned away in a split second.

She dropped the canvas bag.

She swung her arm back and slapped Kellie across the face with every ounce of strength she had.

The crack of skin against skin sounded like a gunshot. Kellie's head snapped to the side. The coffee cup flew out of her hand, splashing hot brown liquid all over her white designer dress.

Kellie clutched her bright red cheek. She let out a piercing, hysterical scream.

Footsteps pounded on the stairs. Esther charged into the room. When she saw Kellie crying and covered in coffee, Esther turned into a rabid animal.

"You little bitch!" Esther screamed. She raised her hand, aiming a vicious strike at Christal's head.

Christal didn't flinch. She shot her hand out and caught Esther's wrist mid-air.

Esther gasped, shocked by the iron grip. Christal's eyes were dead. There was no fear left in them.

"I owed you for taking me out of that orphanage," Christal said, her voice dropping to a terrifyingly calm whisper. "Last night paid that debt in full. If you ever touch me again, I will break your arm."

She threw Esther's hand away.

She picked up her canvas bag and walked out of the room. Esther and Kellie screamed curses at her back, calling her a whore and a parasite. Christal didn't even blink.

She walked down the grand staircase. She passed the massive oil painting of the Finley family in the living room. She smirked at the hypocrisy of it all, turned, and walked out the front door.

The weather outside matched her reality. The sky was a bruised, dark gray. Freezing rain was falling in sheets.

She didn't have an umbrella. She pulled her thin trench coat over her head and stepped off the porch. Her cheap flats instantly soaked through as she stepped into a freezing puddle.

She walked toward the estate gates, heading for the subway station.

A sleek, black Maybach silently glided around the corner. It swerved aggressively, cutting off her path and forcing her to stop.

The tinted back window rolled down smoothly.

Ethan sat in the backseat. The shadows of the car hid half his face. He looked at her wet, shivering body with the eyes of a predator watching a wounded rabbit.

Christal's chest tightened. She took a step back, trying to walk around the rear of the car.

"Stop right there," Ethan barked.

The driver's door opened. A massive bodyguard stepped out, popped open a large black umbrella, and stood directly in Christal's path. There was no way around him.

Ethan stepped out of the car. The bodyguard held the umbrella over him, keeping his expensive suit perfectly dry while Christal stood in the freezing rain.

Ethan looked down at her. A cruel, twisted smile played on his lips.

He reached out and grabbed her chin, his fingers digging painfully into her jaw. He forced her to look up at him.

"Look at you," Ethan mocked softly. "You look like a stray dog. You really think you can survive out here without my money?"

Christal raised her hand and violently slapped his grip away.

"I would rather starve to death in an alley than take another dime from you," she spat, her teeth chattering from the cold.

Ethan's eyes darkened. The handsome lawyer vanished, replaced by something deeply sick and obsessive. He stepped into her personal space.

"You think you can just walk away?" he whispered, his voice vibrating with rage.

He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a folded legal document. He threw it hard against her wet chest. It fell into the mud at her feet.

"I am not canceling the engagement," Ethan stated coldly. "The banquet next month is happening."

Christal stared at the wet paper on the ground. Her brain couldn't process it. "You think I cheated on you. Why would you still marry me?"

Ethan leaned down until his lips brushed her wet ear.

"Because I am going to tie you to me," he hissed like a snake. "You are going to spend the rest of your life paying for what you did. I am going to make every single day a living hell."

He pulled back, his eyes dead and cold. He turned around and got back into the Maybach.

The window rolled up. The heavy car accelerated, its tires splashing a wave of dirty, freezing mud all over Christal's legs.

Christal stood frozen in the rain. The cold seeped past her skin and directly into her bones. She had just escaped a den of wolves, only to realize she was locked in a cage with a psychopath.