Chapter 2

The next day, Liam, Alexander's quiet and efficient assistant, picked me up. He handed me a dossier. Inside was my new life. I was now 'Sarah Jenkins,' a freelance art curator with a modest inheritance, looking for a quiet place to work. My clothes were replaced with a wardrobe of conservative, elegant pieces-nothing like the designer dresses Alexander used to buy me. My vibrant red hair was dyed a mousy brown. Looking in the mirror, I barely recognized myself. I was a ghost, a blank slate ready for a new role.

Liam drove me to the Hayes family mansion, a sprawling estate that looked more like a fortress than a home. He led me through the grand entrance hall, our footsteps echoing on the marble floors.

"Alexander is waiting in the sunroom with Daniel and Miss Miller," Liam said, his voice flat.

We entered a large, bright room filled with plants. Alexander stood by the fireplace, looking every bit the lord of the manor. Sitting in a state-of-the-art wheelchair was a man with the same dark hair as Alexander, but his face was thinner, his eyes holding a quiet, watchful intelligence. This was Daniel.

And next to him, her hand resting possessively on his shoulder, was a woman with blonde hair and a face that looked like it was made of porcelain. Chloe Miller. The "white moonlight," as Alexander had once called her in a moment of unguarded conversation.

"Scarlett, you're here," Alexander said, his voice a little too loud, a little too cheerful. "Daniel, Chloe, this is Sarah Jenkins. She's going to be staying with us for a while. She's a friend."

Chloe' s blue eyes swept over me, a flicker of dismissive dislike in her gaze. It was instant and sharp.

"A friend?" she asked, her voice sweet but laced with venom. "I didn't know you had friends like... this, Alexander." She looked at my simple dress with disdain.

"Chloe, be nice," Daniel said softly, his voice calm but firm. He looked at me, his expression unreadable. "Welcome to our home, Miss Jenkins."

"Thank you, Mr. Hayes," I replied, keeping my voice neutral.

"Alexander, darling, can I speak with you for a moment?" Chloe said, completely ignoring Daniel and me. She tugged on Alexander's arm, pulling him toward the corner of the room. Her voice dropped to a harsh whisper, but I could still hear her. "What is she doing here? You know how fragile Daniel's state is. We can't have strangers upsetting the routine."

"She's not a stranger, she's a guest," Alexander placated her, his hand on her arm. "It's for the best, Chloe. Trust me."

He was protecting her, soothing her. The sight of it made my stomach churn. This was the woman he was destroying his brother' s life for.

Alexander walked back over, his smile firmly back in place. "Daniel will show you to your room. It's right next to his, for convenience. The staff will bring your things up."

I understood the unspoken message. I was being placed right next to my target.

Later that evening, Alexander found me in the library.

"You see now?" he said, closing the door behind him. "Chloe is... delicate. The engagement is a family arrangement, a necessity to maintain the company's image after Daniel's... accident. But it's killing her. She loves me. She's always loved me. I'm doing this for her, to free her."

His self-serving justification made me sick. He wasn't freeing Chloe, he was trying to possess her. He was using his brother's tragedy and my desperation to get what he wanted, all while painting himself as a hero. It was disgusting.

"What do you need me to do?" I asked, my voice flat.

"Just be near him. Talk to him. He's lonely. It won't be hard," Alexander said with a dismissive wave of his hand. "Chloe is hosting a small get-together with some friends tomorrow night at her family's country house. I want you to go."

"Why?"

"She wants to show you off, I think. Put you in your place," he said with a shrug. "Just go along with it. It's a good chance for you to see the dynamic."

The next night, a driver took me to the Miller's country estate. It was even more remote and imposing than the Hayes mansion. The "get-together" was a group of Chloe's snobbish friends, who looked me up and down like I was something they'd found on the bottom of their shoe. Chloe was in her element, the queen bee surrounded by her court.

After an hour of polite conversation and veiled insults, Chloe smiled sweetly at me. "Sarah, you like animals, don't you? My brother has the most fascinating collection. Come, I'll show you."

She led me away from the party, down a long, dark path toward a series of large, ominous-looking outbuildings. A strange, musky smell hung in the air. My instincts screamed at me to turn back, but I had to see this through.

She opened a heavy metal door. "He keeps his new python in here. It's perfectly safe."

She gestured for me to go inside. The room was dark and damp. As soon as I stepped over the threshold, the heavy door slammed shut behind me. I heard the sound of a bolt sliding into place.

I was trapped.

I spun around, pounding on the door. "Chloe! What is this? Let me out!"

I heard her high-pitched laughter from the other side. "Don't worry, Sarah. My brother's friends will be here soon. They just want to play a little game with you. Try not to make too much noise."

Panic, cold and sharp, seized me. I was in a remote location, locked in a dark room, and men were coming to "play a game" with me. Alexander had sent me into the lion's den. No, he had sent me to Chloe, and she had thrown me to the wolves.

I backed away from the door, my heart hammering in my chest. I scanned the dark room, my eyes searching for a weapon, an escape route, anything. The only thing I could see was the faint outline of a large glass tank against the far wall. Something was moving inside.

I was not just a pawn in Alexander's game. I was a sacrifice.