Chapter 5 Velvet Cages

Celene stood at the edge of the sprawling penthouse, stunned by the silence. The kind that whispered money in its stillness.

The view alone was enough to make her knees weaken-glass walls opening to a skyline lit like a constellation of secrets. Beneath her, the city pulsed. Around her, luxury coiled itself around every corner. Marble floors. Sculpted lighting. Velvet drapes. Everything screamed ownership. And now, apparently, she was part of it.

Adrian stepped behind her, his scent brushing her neck-expensive, dark, and masculine.

"You'll find your closet stocked. Everything's tailored. Your favorite perfume's in the bathroom. Toothbrush is pink." He paused. "I figured you'd hate that."

"I do."

"You're welcome."

She turned. "So what now? Do I parade around in lace and heels waiting for commands?"

Adrian chuckled. "No. You live. Shop. Eat. Sleep. Just don't disappear."

"And when you want me?"

"You'll know."

Jesus.

This is it. The trap wrapped in silk.

And you walked right into it.

"Bedroom's down the hall," he added. "The one at the end is mine. Yours is the one before it. Though, I doubt the hallway will matter much soon."

Her heart stuttered. "Are you always this... arrogant?"

He leaned closer, brushing a lock of hair from her cheek. "Only when I've already won."

The night settled in. She unpacked in silence, touching fabrics worth more than a month of her wages. Every label mocked her old life. The hunger. The grime. The endless ache of scraping for just enough.

Now she had too much. And still, something felt stolen. Or worse-traded.

Later, she stood at the balcony in a silk robe that wasn't hers but fit her perfectly. Adrian joined her, a glass of whiskey in his hand.

"Regretting it already?" he asked.

She didn't answer. Just looked out over the world she didn't belong to.

He stepped beside her. "Tell me the truth, Celene. When did it all go wrong for you?"

She didn't flinch. "The moment I started believing love could save me."

He exhaled, slowly. "I'm not here to save you."

"I know."

"I'll destroy you before I ever lie to you."

She turned, heart raw. "Then what are we doing?"

Adrian's gaze pinned her. "We're rewriting the rules."

He kissed her-deep, slow, deliberate. Not a kiss of love. A kiss of possession.