Chapter 2 The Glass Menagerie

The drive to the Vance Estate was a blur of rain-slicked highways and heavy silence. Alexander sat in the back of the armored Maybach, his face illuminated only by the blue glow of his tablet as he scanned stock tickers. He didn't look at Elena once, yet she could feel his awareness of her a physical weight that made it hard to breathe.

When the car finally hissed to a stop, they weren't at a mansion. They were at a fortress.

Built into the side of a jagged cliff overlooking the black Atlantic, the estate was a jagged tooth of steel and obsidian. There were no gardens, only stone. No welcoming lights, only the rhythmic sweep of security beams.

"Out," Alexander said.

He didn't offer a hand. He stepped into the downpour, the rain instantly soaking his dark hair. Elena followed, her heart hammering a frantic rhythm against her ribs. As she crossed the threshold, the massive steel doors groaned shut behind them with a finality that made her stomach drop.

The interior was a cathedral of glass. Every wall was a mirror, every surface polished to a lethal shine.

"Welcome to the Cage, Elena," Alexander said, finally turning to face her. He signaled to a tall, gaunt man in a gray suit who stood waiting in the foyer. "This is Silas. He handles the logistics. He will give you the Rules. Learn them. If you break one, the contract is void, and the $2 million returns to me. Along with your life."

Alexander walked away toward a spiral staircase, leaving her alone with the silent Silas.

"This way, Mrs. Vance," Silas said, his voice as dry as parchment. He led her into a small, clinical-looking library and handed her a single sheet of heavy black paper. The text was embossed in silver.

THE TWELVE COVENANTS OF THE VANCE ESTATE

1. The Mirror Rule: You shall not speak to, touch, or acknowledge the woman in the mirrors. She is not your reflection. She is a legacy.

2. The Blood Toll: Every Tuesday and Friday at 06:00, you will report to the East Wing infirmary. You will provide 450ml of blood. Do not eat for twelve hours prior.

3. The East Wing: The East Wing is off-limits. To enter is to forfeit your life.

4. The Dinner Hour: You will dine with Mr. Vance at 20:00 precisely. You will wear the garments provided. You will not speak unless spoken to.

5. The Communication Ban: You have no phone. You have no internet. Your only connection to the world is through Mr. Vance.

6. The Nocturnal Bound: After midnight, you are to remain in your bedroom. The hallways are monitored by acoustic sensors.

7. The Salt Barrier: Do not sweep away the white powder at the base of your bedroom door. It is for your protection.

8. The Wedding Ring: The ring must never leave your finger. It contains your biometric tracker.

9. The Medical Staff: You will obey the surgeons as you would Mr. Vance.

10. The Portrait: You are never to look at the portrait in the Grand Hall for more than three seconds.

11. The Question: You are never to ask about the woman who lived here before you.

12. The Finality: Once the 100 days are over, you will receive a memory-suppressant treatment. You will remember the money. You will not remember him.

Elena felt the paper trembling in her hand. "The salt? Memory suppressants? This isn't a marriage contract, Silas. This is an asylum."

"It is a sanctuary, Madam," Silas replied without blinking. "Your room is on the third floor. Your dinner attire has been laid out. You have one hour."

As Elena climbed the stairs, her reflection followed her. But something was wrong. In the polished obsidian of the staircase railing, her reflection seemed to lag. When Elena turned her head left, the woman in the glass waited a half-second before doing the same.

Her room was a masterpiece of cold luxury. A massive bed with silk sheets, a fireplace that burned with a strange, blue-tinged flame, and a vanity table that took up an entire wall.

Lying on the bed was a dress. It was the color of a fresh bruise a deep, dark purple silk that felt like liquid skin.

Elena walked to the vanity to wash her face, desperate to scrub the smell of smoke and fear away. She splashed cold water on her skin and looked up into the mirror.

She froze.

Her reflection wasn't washing her face.

The woman in the mirror was standing perfectly still. Her eyes weren't Elena's brown; they were a piercing, electric violet. The woman leaned forward, her face pressing against the inside of the glass. She raised a finger to her lips, signaling for silence, and then traced three words on the surface of the mirror from the other side.

RUN. HE. LIES.

Elena backed away, a scream caught in her throat. She hit the salt line at the door, the white powder crunching under her boot.

Suddenly, the door swung open. Alexander stood there, already dressed in a sharp black tuxedo. He looked at the mirror, then at Elena's pale face.

"You're late for dinner," he said, his voice devoid of emotion.

"The mirror..." Elena gasped, pointing. "She... she wrote something."

Alexander walked over to the vanity. He looked at the glass, which was now perfectly clear, reflecting only his own cold, handsome face. He pulled a silk handkerchief from his pocket and wiped the surface.

"Rule Number One, Elena," he whispered, turning back to her. He stepped into her space, his hand gripping her waist, pulling her flush against him. The heat of his body was a sharp contrast to the ice in his eyes. "The woman in the glass is a liar. She wants you to leave because if you stay, she dies. And if she dies, I finally get what I want."

"And what is that?" Elena whispered, her heart thumping against his chest.

Alexander leaned down, his lips brushing the pulse point on her neck. "I get to keep you forever. Not as a proxy. But as my masterpiece."

He let go of her abruptly. "Put on the dress. I don't like to wait for my blood."

He walked out, leaving the door standing open. Elena looked back at the mirror. The violet-eyed woman was gone, but the words were still etched into Elena's mind.

She looked at the purple dress. She looked at the salt on the floor.

She realized then that the fire at her food hub wasn't the end of her life. It was the beginning of a nightmare she had walked into with her eyes wide open.

Elena grabbed the dress. She had 99 days left. She just had to survive the first night.