Chapter 6 In The Dungeon

The dungeon under Blackmoor estate was cold, dark, and smelled like damp stone. Julian and Juliet sat on the hard floor, barely speaking. The walls felt like they were closing in, and every little noise ,water dripping, rats scurrying made their nerves jump. Juliet tried to act tough, sitting up straight, but her hands were shaking as she smoothed her dress for the tenth time. "We're gonna be fine," she muttered, but even she didn't believe it. Julian couldn't stop glancing around, his eyes wild.

"Do you hear that? What if someone's coming?" Juliet rolled her eyes, though her voice was softer than usual. "Don't be an idiot. It's just an old dungeon." She glanced around, eyeing the iron chains hanging from the walls. "Nothing special." Then, they heard footsteps. Both of them froze, their hearts pounding. "Do you hear that?" Julian's voice shook, barely above a whisper. Juliet nodded, her hands gripping her dress, her nerves on fire as the footsteps got louder. The door to the dungeon crashed open, and the temperature seemed to drop instantly. Asher walked in like a storm, his eyes burning with fury. When he walked in and saw them, his expression twisted with a fury so fierce, it looked as if he had caught them in bed together. Memories of his parents of how he first met them flooded back in a rush. The anger, the hurt, the lies. It was all too much, and he struggled to control the storm brewing inside him. It was a memory he had tried to bury, but now, it felt as though the pain was clawing its way to the surface, demanding to be acknowledged. He saw it all clearly, as though it was happening all over again. The scorching heat of the sun beating down mercilessly on the dusty ground, the look of shame and fear on his parents' faces as they crawled on their hands and knees, their bodies covered in dirt and sweat. They had been forced to do the unthinkable, the humiliation so raw it felt like it was happening all over again. Juliet, with her cruel, mocking smile, had hung a cardboard sign around his father's neck in bold, taunting letters. His father, a man who had always been proud and strong, had broken in that moment. Asher remembered the way his father's shoulders had trembled, the tears that glistened in his eyes as he crawled in the hot sun, his pride and dignity crushed under the weight of Juliet's cruelty. And then there was his mother. Asher's heart twisted as he recalled the sound of her sobs, the helplessness in her eyes as she watched her husband suffer. She had cried too, both of them reduced to mere shadows of who they once were. The love that had always held their family together seemed to vanish that day, drowned by Juliet's vicious actions. Juliet's breath caught in her throat, but she stayed silent. She could feel the weight of his anger, like a physical force pressing down on her. The room was thick with the tension of something broken, something he could never fix, and for a moment, she feared he might destroy everything in his path just to make it right. His footsteps echoed, filling the cold, dark space. His face was hard, but the rage underneath was clear. Betrayal, disgust, and revenge all wrapped in one look. Julian shrank back, not daring to look at him, while Juliet tried to stay strong. But when Asher stopped right in front of her, his voice was like ice, sending a shiver down her spine. His eyes locked onto Juliet, and the coldness in them sent a chill down her spine. "You'll answer every question I ask," he demanded, his voice tight, dangerously low. "And you better tell the truth. Because if I catch even a hint of a lie... you'll wish you hadn't said a word." Juliet opened her mouth to speak, trying to muster some excuse, but before she could even finish her first sentence, Morgana stepped forward and slapped her so hard her head snapped to the side. The sound echoed through the dungeon like a gunshot. "You lied," Morgana said sharply, not giving Juliet a chance to recover. "Try again." A few minutes after, Juliet's hand flew to her stinging cheek, her eyes wide with disbelief. "I...I didn't-" Smack! The second slap came harder, and Juliet stumbled, her pride crumbling alongside her confidence. "Enough excuses," Asher growled, his voice cutting through her trembling words. "Why did you force my father into the mines?" Tears welled up in Juliet's eyes as she stuttered, trying to explain, but Morgana's hand was faster than her excuses. Smack! The third slap left Juliet shaking. By now, the fight had drained from her. She looked up at Asher, realizing just how powerless she was. Her games, her lies, they were useless here. Asher took a deep breath, his eyes narrowing as he leaned in closer to Juliet. His voice was low and cold, each word dripping with warning. "You've made a huge mistake, Juliet," he said, his words cutting through the tension. "What you've done? It's unforgivable. If you think you can trick me now, think again. Your time is running out." Juliet's face paled, and she swallowed hard, fear creeping into her eyes. She realized, too late, just how deep the hole she'd dug for herself was. But before she could say a word, Julian's frustration boiled over, and before anyone could stop him, he shot to his feet, his voice shaking with a mix of fear and fury. "You don't know who you're messing with!" he yelled, his chest heaving. "I know the left councilor personally! I have powerful people, real influence! If you don't let us go right now, you'll regret this! You think you can just do whatever you want? Think again!" The dungeon fell into silence for a moment, the air thick with tension. Asher's gaze turned to Julian, an unreadable expression was on his face. Julian's words, full of false confidence, only seemed to stoke the fire inside Asher. Asher blinked in surprise, momentarily taken aback by Julian's sudden outburst, his gaze narrowing as if he couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Powerful people?" His voice was low, incredulous, as if he couldn't fathom the audacity "You really think your connections are going to save you now?"