Chapter 8 The Price of Me

Welcome, Miss Ellory."

The driver's voice was calm as he opened the car door, the soft click of the handle nearly drowned out by the quiet rustle of morning wind brushing across the estate's massive courtyard.

I stepped out slowly, heels clicking against the pale stone as my eyes lifted-wide and unblinking-at the sight in front of me.

It wasn't a house.

It was a goddamn kingdom.

The kind of place that didn't just scream money-it whispered power. Cold, quiet, and certain.

Marble columns stretched toward a sky so blue it looked fake. Two symmetrical water fountains danced near the arched entryway, and thick, spiraling hedges shaped into rose bushes flanked the pristine driveway. Everything smelled faintly of lavender and a scent I couldn't place-clean and rich and intimidating.

I clutched the small designer handbag they'd given me that morning. My palms were clammy despite the cool air.

"Miss?"

A tall, sharply dressed woman in black stood in the massive doorway, hands clasped. Her bun was too perfect, and her expression was calm but unreadable.

"I'm Helena," she said as I approached. "The household manager. We've been expecting you."

Expecting me.

I almost wanted to laugh. I felt like a stray dog someone had cleaned up and brought into a palace, and now the furniture was wondering why I was here.

She stepped aside, and I entered.

I expected luxury. I didn't expect silence.

The house didn't shout its wealth-it exhaled it. Soft rugs. White and gold accents. Vaulted ceilings painted with light. Not a speck of dust in sight. It was beautiful and terrifying all at once. I felt small. Like I didn't belong.

"Mr. Asher had your suite prepared this morning. May I?"

I nodded wordlessly and followed her up a staircase that seemed carved from moonlight and money. Every step echoed louder than the last. I wasn't sure if I was shaking from nerves or awe.

She led me down a corridor and stopped in front of tall double doors. "Everything you need has been arranged. Should you require anything else, simply dial '1' from the room's private phone. The chef has already been informed of your dietary restrictions."

"My... what?"

She smiled politely, but it didn't reach her eyes. "There's a wardrobe, toiletries, cosmetics, a separate closet for shoes, and-of course-access to the private terrace and hot tub."

Hot. Tub?

Before I could ask anything else, she stepped aside and pushed open the doors.

The room inside looked like a five-star honeymoon suite. Everything was cream and gold, with hints of soft blush. A chandelier hung above a bed large enough to drown in. The closet doors were already ajar, revealing rows of clothing I'd never be able to afford in ten lifetimes.

And all of it...

For me?

I moved toward the vanity, half-expecting someone to stop me, yell that it was all a mistake. But no one did. There were three drawers labeled in cursive: "Face," "Body," and "Fragrance."

I opened the one marked Face and nearly passed out.

Charlotte Tilbury. Pat McGrath. Armani. Every luxury makeup brand I'd ever drooled over, untouched, perfectly arranged in velvet-lined trays.

A knock on the open door made me flinch.

A younger woman in a pressed uniform stepped in carrying a glass of fresh mango juice and a light breakfast tray-soft croissants, sliced fruit, and what looked like scrambled eggs shaped like roses.

She smiled. "You're to eat and rest, Miss Ellory. The gentlemen will arrive later."

The gentlemen.

Asher. Kai. Levi.

Last night's whirlwind came flooding back.

Their mouths. Their hands. The things they made me feel.

I shivered.

Then I noticed something beside the tray. A small, soft pink notebook with a gold pen clipped to the front.

A note was tucked inside.

"Write down your pains. Write down your dreams.

- A"

I stared at it for a full minute before picking it up. The cover was buttery leather, the pages crisp and empty.

Blank. Just like the version of me they seemed to want.

I sat on the bed, placed the tray beside me, and opened the notebook.

I started with the first list.

PAINS:

– - Nana's medical bills.

- Ella's school fees.

- Feeding.

- My broken relationship.

- My job (or lack of one).

- My parents' debts.

- Credit card debt.

- College.

I stopped, hand frozen. Each word felt like a scar. A wound I had to reopen to get them down.

I flipped the page.

Dreams.

- Travel out of the country.

- See the Eiffel Tower.

- Fly private.

- Go to an underwater hotel.

- Take Ella to Disneyland.

- Get my own boutique someday.

- Wear a wedding dress that fits me like a second skin.

- Be happy without guilt.

My fingers trembled by the time I was done. I closed the notebook slowly.

Another knock. This time firmer.

I looked up as Levi and Kai stepped inside without waiting for an invitation.

They didn't come empty-handed.

Levi carried a box of cupcakes in one arm and a bouquet of gold-dipped roses in the other. Kai dragged in the biggest teddy bear I'd ever seen-at least six feet tall-and plopped it on the lounge seat like it belonged there.

I blinked. "What... is all this?"

"You cried," Levi said.

Kai nodded. "Asher told us."

"He what-?"

"You're ours now, Ivy." Kai's voice was gentle but firm. "We don't let our girl go to bed with sadness. That's a rule."

Levi handed me the roses. "And if anyone makes you cry again, it better be because we're making you feel too good, not too bad."

My face flushed. "I didn't ask for-"

"You don't have to ask," Kai said simply.

I felt a tightness in my chest I didn't know how to release.

They stayed for only a few minutes. Just long enough for Levi to press a kiss to my cheek and whisper, "You're still beautiful, even when you're lost," and for Kai to tuck a strand of hair behind my ear before brushing his thumb over my lips.

Then they left. Like a storm that didn't damage, just stirred.

The house was quiet again.

I placed the teddy bear beside the bed and stared at the notebook.

This wasn't real. This couldn't be real.

But it was.

And I wasn't ready.

I wasn't sure I'd ever be ready.

So I did the only thing I could do.

I wrote one last line.

I don't want to be bought. I just want to be chosen.

And I hoped-somewhere in the mansion's endless silence-someone would see it.

I stared at the last line I'd scribbled in the notebook.

I don't want to be bought. I just want to be chosen.

God. That was too much. Too honest.

Still, I closed the cover, held it to my chest for a second, then stood.

The house was quiet-unnervingly quiet. I moved through the halls like I didn't belong in them, wrapped in silk and silence, toward the east wing where Asher's office was.

The door wasn't locked.

Dark walls. Sleek furniture. A whiskey bottle half-full. It was every bit as masculine and intimidating as the man himself.

I walked to the desk, placed the notebook down, right in the center.

A piece of me.

A piece I shouldn't have given.

I turned around before I could change my mind and made my way back, my bare feet silent on the marble floors.

By the time I returned to my room, the exhaustion hit me all at once. I collapsed on the bed, the teddy bear still sitting in the corner like it was watching me.

This wasn't just comfort.

This was a cage made of diamonds.

I pulled the covers up and closed my eyes.

Well... if I was going to sell my body, I guess this much money made it hurt a little less.

Sleep took me before I could decide whether that made me smart or just broken.