Chapter 2 A Fiery First Impression - Maya's POV

I barely make it to my bedroom when I hear people down the hallway saying they heard sounds of tires crunching against the gravel driveway outside. My heart leaps into my throat as I rush toward the bedroom window to peer outside.

A sleek black car has pulled up into the driveway, its polished surface gleaming in the fading sunlight. Outside of the car stands a man in a suit, his expression cold and a little bit terrifying.

Someone opens my bedroom door, but I don't dare look behind me just yet.

"Miss Maya, they're here for you," Tammy says, catching my attention fully.

Father comes in right behind her, pushing her aside with a sour expression on his face. I guess he's furious that she beat him to it.

"I haven't had time to pack," I say as I look around my room. "Do I have to go without my things?"

Father looks around the room, but then nods. "They are already here, though they are a little early. I can send your things to you earlier, if you want to grab a few things to do until then."

My gaze falls to the floor as I refuse to look at him any longer. I square my shoulders and take a deep breath, steeling myself for what was to come. If this Damian Blackwood thinks he can buy me, he is in for a rude awakening. I may have not had a choice in being sent to him, but I still have my will left.

And no one will ever break me.

I step away from the window, my eyes narrowing as I catch sight of the man still standing outside by the car. He seems unmoved by the chill in the evening air and doesn't even pay attention to the light breeze blowing his hair. I also notice that he keeps looking up, surveying the house as if he is trying to figure something out.

Before I can get away fast enough, his gaze finds mine through the window. I can feel the weight of his stare from here and I hate how it makes me feel instantly exposed.

I turn back around and get away from the window as Tammy gives my father a nervous glance. He seems oddly calm as well, his face not showing any emotions at all. Though he has never been one to show me much affection and often gives it to my younger brother, I expected to see something.

But I guess I don't mean as much as my younger brother, who is twenty-five and the family heir.

This lack of concern for my well being is different. It is almost like it is all some part of a game he has long since accepted, while I am left trying to understand the rules.

"I'll be down in a minute," I say as I walk toward the bed. "Please tell the man downstairs that I didn't have adequate notice, so I am behind in packing. After I grab my bag and a few pieces of clothing, I'll be down there and ready to leave."

Father doesn't respond to me at all. Instead, he turns around and walks out of the room, leaving Tammy with me. I glance to the side, noticing how her gaze darts between me and the door, then to him down the hallway.

It's like she's trying to figure out what is going on. Either that, or she is waiting for permission to leave.

"You don't have to stay and help me, Tammy. I'm only grabbing what I need, then father will pack and send the rest," I say in a whisper. "I can handle this, regardless if anyone else thinks so."

She hesitates for a moment longer, her warm brown eyes finding mine when I look up. "I wish there was something more I could do for you, but sadly, there isn't.

I give her a pained smile. "Just keep your distance from my father. Otherwise, I think it's going to be fine and I'll manage whatever this is."

Though I don't explain what I mean, she knows the meaning behind my words. Keep your distance or else be silently stowed away or be used by him.

With a final glance, Tammy nods before leaving the room, the door clicking behind her.

The room feels unbearably still after she leaves and the silence seems to drag me further down. I move to my dresser, my fingers pressing into the edge of the old wood and feeling the smooth surface. It is one of the few familiar things in this house of cold, rigid walls.

But one thing is for certain. I'm not ready for this or him.

I take a deep breath before moving away from the bed to the closet. There isn't much time to prepare and the idea of leaving without a single item feels like a betrayal to who I am. I quickly find a bag near the back shelf and begin tossing in a few pieces of clothing.

Then I grab my favorite book from the shelf in my room, a journal I keep near the bed, and a small plush bear my mother gave me when I was five.

A loud thump below told me they had let him in the front door and he was now shut in the house with us. Now, he's waiting, and it makes me even more nervous.

I pause as I shove the last of the items into the bag and have my hand on the zipper. This is real. One of Damian Blackwood's men, or it may be him, is waiting for me downstairs.

And if I don't get down there soon, they may just walk up here to retrieve me.

I honestly don't know what to expect. From what I've heard about him, he is cold, calculating, and ruthless.

I glance at the door, feeling a tremor of fear slip up my spine. Whatever happens, I can't show any fear.

I exhale a long breath as I straighten my back and head for my door with the bag slung over my shoulder. Once I am in the hallway, I notice how badly I've begun shaking. Once again, I pause, but this time in the doorway with my hand gripping the frame for support. My pulse is hammering in my ears as my thoughts go wild. I shouldn't show fear, but here I am, about to show it.

How could I not? This is the man who is rumored to not even be human and now he controls my entire future. I am being sold off to him like some hot commodity on a supermarket shelf.

The reality sinks in deep and the weight becomes too heavy to ignore.

I take another steadying breath and let go of the door frame. My movements are measured and my posture is rigid, though regal. I am not going to let him see me as weak or trembling with fear before him.

Once I arrive downstairs in the dimly lit living room a few minutes later, shadows creep across the wall in front of the wide-open door.

My head tilts to the side as I think about the loud slam earlier. I thought they had shut it.

The man from outside stands just inside the doorway, leaving casually against it as he speaks on the phone to someone. His suit is perfect and in a dark gray charcoal. It almost looks like he stepped out of a billionaire magazine.

There is something in the air that screams that he's too perfect, but the dangerous aura clinging to him is undeniable.

He turns to hang up the phone and speak with my father once more, who is standing there not too far from him, patiently waiting. The man nods once and they speak quiet enough that I can't hear.

I step fully into the room, making sure I'm seen, and his gaze shifts to me.

I feel my breath catch in my throat as his eyes meet mine. They are so dark, but then they look amber with specks of something in them. What catches me by surprise most is the way he seems to be evaluating me or maybe he's just looking right through me and dissecting every part of who I am.

This thought makes my blood run cold.

"Miss Maya," he says smoothly. "I trust you are ready to fulfill this arrangement."

I don't flinch. Instead, I lift my chin as I hold on to the strap of the bag over my shoulder. "Ready is not quite the right word, but I suppose I don't have much of a choice, do I?"

Father shoots me a warning glance, mostly out of surprise, but the man before me only smiles with his lips curled up into a devious smirk. It isn't exactly kind, but a knowing grin, as if he is amused by my attempt at resisting everything.

"No, you don't."