Chapter 4

A flicker of defiance sparked within Chloe. The pain, the humiliation, the sheer audacity of their demands-it all coalesced into a single, hard point of resistance in her chest.

"No."

The word was quiet, but it hung in the air with surprising weight.

"I'm not giving you another dollar," Chloe said, pushing herself to her feet. She stood tall, meeting Olivia's gaze directly. "And I'm not staying here. I'm packing my things, and I'm going to the housing office. I'm moving out."

She took a step toward her closet, her heart hammering but her resolve firm. This had to end.

She didn't get far. Brenda moved with surprising speed, planting her solid frame directly in front of the door. She crossed her arms. Going nowhere.

"I don't think so," Olivia said, her voice dangerously calm. "You're not going anywhere."

"You can't keep me here," Chloe said, her voice rising with a mix of fear and anger.

"Oh, we absolutely can," Olivia replied, a chilling smile on her face. "You think we're going to let you walk out that door and straight to the dean? To the police? You'd ruin us. And more importantly, our little arrangement would be over. You're our personal ATM, Chloe. And we're not done making withdrawals."

Chloe's newfound courage began to waver. They were serious. This wasn't just bullying anymore. This was imprisonment.

"What do you want from me?" she asked, her voice trembling. "Just tell me what it will take to make you let me go."

Olivia pretended to consider it. "Hmm. A buyout fee. Yes, I like the sound of that." She looked at Brenda, then at Sarah, who nodded eagerly. "Give us fifty thousand dollars. Right now. Wire transfer. And you can walk out that door and never see us again."

The number was absurd, impossible. It was a figure designed to mock her.

"I don't have that kind of money," Chloe said, her voice cracking. "You saw my bank account. My father would never give me that much."

The trio huddled together, whispering furiously. Chloe could catch snippets of their conversation.

"She's lying," Brenda hissed.

"What if she tells her dad anyway?" Sarah fretted, wringing her hands.

"She won't," Olivia said with confidence. "She told me once they barely speak. He's some big-shot trustee, but he doesn't care about her. He just pays the bills to shut her up. He won't get involved."

Olivia turned back to Chloe, her mind made up. "We don't believe you."

Chloe's desperation was escalating into panic. "I swear, I can't get it."

That was the wrong thing to say. Brenda lunged forward and hit her, a hard, open-palmed strike to the side of her head. The force sent Chloe stumbling sideways, her ears ringing. She fell hard against her desk, pain exploding in her hip.

"I'm tired of her whining," Brenda growled.

Olivia looked down at the dazed Chloe on the floor with cold, calculating eyes. A new, more sinister idea was forming.

"You're right, Brenda. She's too much trouble," Olivia said. "And she's too loud. Someone might hear her if she stays in here." Her eyes darted towards a narrow door at the far end of the room. The storage closet.

"Let's give her a new room," Olivia declared. "Somewhere she can't bother us. Somewhere quiet."

A cold dread washed over Chloe as she understood. Before she could scream or fight, Brenda and Olivia grabbed her by the arms. Her feet scraped against the floor as they dragged her, weak and terrified, toward the dark closet.