The CEO's Redemption

Tiana stood in front of the man, terrified. All she remembered was that she and her sister, who was now at her side, had been taken away and thrown into the back of a van. He had been watching them since their arrival without saying a word, and none of them dared speak to him.

Tiana glanced at him out of the corner of her eye for the umpteenth time. He gave off a dark aura, imbued with fear, but it only enhanced his devilish beauty. He looked like he'd stepped straight out of a painting. From her father's descriptions of him, Tiana hadn't expected him to be so young.

- Your father is dead...

His voice abruptly pulled her from her thoughts. Her gaze flickered and she swallowed, watching his hand tap slowly on the table, as if he were counting each stroke of his fingers.

- Do you know what he did?

He straightened slightly, propping his head on his hand as he stared at them intensely.

Her father had worked for this man before he died. She wasn't sure exactly what had happened, but he owed her money, which he had squandered gambling. And now he was dead, leaving his two daughters to bear the burden of his debts.

Tiana bit her lower lip.

- We're trying to pay back... please give us a little more time...

It was the first time she had spoken since they entered the room.

- I never said I was patient...

His voice was malevolent, his gaze cruel. Tiana inhaled sharply.

This man owned a company worth billions; surely his father's debt was nothing to him?

"We... we don't have the money right now," she said with pain in her eyes. "How could he expect them to find such a sum when he knew perfectly well they didn't have it? Was he that cruel?"

Nicklaus stared at them, and the only thing he felt was rage. He gritted his teeth, trying to remain impassive. He could have forgiven many things, but not this.

No... this man had betrayed him to his enemies. He would never forgive that. They would pay.

-Then you'll have to pay...some other way.

Tiana felt Gwen's gaze turn to her, filled with fear. What other way?

Gwen's hands trembled at her sides as she stared at the man. He watched them silently, letting them drown in fear of what was about to happen to them, and then, after what seemed like hours, he finally spoke.

-One of you will have to stay here with me... as my mistress.

Tiana's mouth fell open in shock, she couldn't believe her ears.

Why was he so cruel? He wanted them to prostitute themselves for a mere sum of money when he clearly could have done without it? How could someone be so inhumane?

- We will pay you back, I beg you... We just need a little time... I promise you...

-If you can pay me now, fine. If you can't, then one of you will have to be my mistress... for five months.

He answered in a detached tone, oblivious to the pain that was evident on their faces.

Gwen turned to her sister, scared. She didn't want to stay with him, no. A man capable of doing that is a monster in the flesh. She pursed her lips, imagining the hell she would live through if he chose her.

Tiana bowed her head as tears welled up in her eyes. He seemed to have already made up his mind. She didn't know what her father had done to deserve such cruelty... or perhaps the man was just a black heart? Perhaps he was simply devoid of humanity?

She looked up at him, her throat tight.

- Who do you choose?

Those were the only words she could manage. They didn't have ten thousand dollars, and no one to turn to. They were orphans. Their mother had died when she was five and Gwen was four. Since then, they'd only had their father, who'd worked a series of odd jobs to put them through school. It was only a few years earlier that he'd started working for this man. He'd died suddenly, devastated after yet another gambling loss. And now they were left with this debt... and so many others.

A pained smile tugged at Tiana's lips as she blinked, trying to compose herself. The last thing she wanted was to cry. She wouldn't give her that pleasure.

Nicklaus watched the two young women; they seemed to be the same age, but one looked stronger. A small smirk played on his lips as he slowly turned his head toward the frailer one.

- I want her...

Tiana's eyes widened as she followed his gaze. He was talking about Gwen. At that precise moment, Gwen collapsed to her knees, gasping for air.

It was over. His dreams, his life, everything was falling apart.

She was going to have to spend five months with a man she didn't know would let her live? Five months with a complete stranger, five months trying to survive hell? No. No, she couldn't...

Why hadn't he chosen Tiana? She was there! She was the strongest! Why?

Gwen turned to her sister with a tearful look.

- Tiana, please... I don't want to stay with him... please... help me...

She begged, tears streaming down her cheeks. Tiana was the stronger of the two. If anyone had to go, it was her.

Tiana closed her eyes as she heard her sister's sobs. She couldn't let her do this. She was the oldest, it was up to her to protect her.

- Take me in his place, I beg you.

Her head bowed, the tears she'd been holding back for too long forcing their way out.

Nicklaus sneered.

- I don't think I stuttered when I made my choice.

- I beg you... Take me in her place... I'll do whatever you want... but let my sister go... I beg you...

Pain filled her heart as she begged him. As long as she could protect her sister, she would agree to anything.

Nicklaus watched them for a moment, then finally spoke:

- You can save your sister... but on one condition.

Tiana looked up, pain and hope mixed in her eyes.

-No matter what happens, you won't die during these five months. If you give up, if you die, or if you break our agreement in any way... I'll have no choice but to take your sister too.

Tiana blinked with difficulty, staring at the man who was smiling with satisfaction. How could another's pain bring her so much joy?

Those were her conditions. And even though she knew she was entering hell, she could only nod.

- Okay. I accept your terms.

- Tiana!!!...

Gwen screamed as two massive men dragged her sister away. Tiana turned around, her eyes full of sadness, looking at her tearful sister. Gwen made to follow, but a terrifying-looking man held her back and pushed her out of the room.

Tiana froze, staring at the door her sister had just been expelled through. The dull thud of the door slamming made her shiver. She swallowed, fighting back tears in the face of the inevitable. Slowly sliding her feet onto the marble, she moved forward.

The two men guided her through the hallway to a door on the right. One of them stepped forward with a set of keys. He looked at the number, fumbled with it, then unlocked the lock. Before she could even say a word, she was pushed inside.

She fell flat on her stomach, and the clinking of keys echoed behind her.

She knew she had just been locked up.

Tiana opened her eyes and realized the room was pitch black-pitch black. She couldn't even see her hands, even though they were so pale. Keeping her eyes open in such darkness hurt, so she closed them again and felt around. Crawling slowly to the wall behind her, she curled into a ball, her eyelids closed.

Her life had been a series of miseries. She was only twenty-two years old, and yet everything-her dreams, her ambitions, her joy, her hopes-had been snatched away in the blink of an eye. If one had the right to choose one's destiny, she would have preferred never to have been born.

The tears she'd been trying to hold back were flowing again. She sniffed and wiped her nose with the back of her hand. The air was stifling, she was sweating all over, but none of that mattered to her. She wished it would all end. But sadly, her ordeal was only just beginning.

She didn't know how long she lay there, her eyes closed, her mind drifting. In the pitch-black silence, every sound became an assault. She could hear footsteps echoing upstairs, the scraping of crawling insects in the corners, and even the painful beating of her broken heart. Finally, she fell asleep.

*

The sound of keys jangling woke her. Her body immediately sat up as she waited for the door to open. The light from the hallway briefly illuminated a section of the room, but she didn't have time to see who was there. A plate was pushed into the room, and then the door slammed.

Tiana stood still for a moment, listening to the footsteps fade away.

She didn't move. She hadn't eaten since morning, but food was the last thing on her mind. She wasn't even hungry, much less wanted to eat anything from this house.

And so it went for two days. Crying. Sleeping. Thinking. Every day, the door opened three times, a plate was placed there, but she didn't touch it.

*

By the third day, she was already too weak. Her fingers barely moved, and her eyes remained closed most of the day. New tears replaced the old ones, dried on her cheeks. She heard the birds singing-it was morning. Then suddenly, the lights came on.

The brightness almost blinded her. It had been three days since she had seen anything so bright. She slowly raised her hands to shield her eyes. The door opened and footsteps sounded.

Forcing herself to sit up, she saw three women enter. An elderly woman, about fifty, was watching Tiana closely. Then she nodded to the other two women, who stepped forward and roughly lifted her up. Tiana didn't resist-she couldn't.

His feet scraped the ground as his limp body was dragged.

A door opened, and she was dragged inside. A sweet smell of strawberries filled the air, and she looked up to see where she was.

A bath awaited him, steam rising from the hot water. A maid was stationed right next to it, as if she had been waiting for him forever.

- Take off your clothes!

The old woman ordered. Tiana turned her head towards her and noticed her cold gaze, without the slightest hint of compassion. She knew that if she didn't obey, she would be forced.

She had never been naked in front of so many people, and the way they were looking at her made her nervous. Before she could even move her hands toward her clothes, the old woman signaled again. Immediately, the two women tore off her clothes, piece by piece, until only her bare skin remained.

Tiana looked down at her body. Three days without washing, locked in the dark, she stank of filth and neglect.

As if everything had been planned, a maid brought a stool and made her sit down. Another arrived with a toothbrush and toothpaste.

- Open your mouth.

The old woman, still motionless, shouted her orders in a sharp voice. Tiana looked up at her, saw an implacable hardness. She opened her mouth without arguing.

The maid brushed so vigorously that she could feel the metallic taste of blood filling her mouth. She hadn't yet finished rinsing when another maid placed two small stools in front of her. She frowned, intrigued.

- Put your legs on it.

The old woman's voice cracked like a whip. She obeyed. Suddenly, the woman pushed the stools aside and forced her legs apart.

Instinctively, she wanted to hide her private parts. The slap came like a flash.

-You do as you're told, young lady.

Tiana saw stars. Her right ear was still ringing from the shock, and she blinked back tears.

She didn't need to be told again. They shaved her carefully, between her legs, under her arms-she was as smooth as a baby's.

Then, at a sign, she was helped up and into the bath. The warm water caressed her soiled skin. The scent of strawberry and lemon was soothing. She stayed there for a good twenty minutes before being led into the shower.

A woman washed her from head to toe. Then she was coated with a perfumed lotion that made her skin shine. She was made to wear a light cotton dress, and her hair was dried before being styled beautifully.

Then she sat at a dressing table while various creams were applied to her face. When she saw her reflection in the mirror, her heart sank.

She was beautiful. She always had been, attracting attention since childhood. But what was the point now? If she could choose her fate, she would rather be a beggar on a street corner... than this man's mistress.

A tear slipped, falling into the maid's palm. She hesitated, but continued her work without saying a word.

*

Then she was led into a dining room. A table filled with appetizing food awaited her. A chair was pulled out for her, and she sat down.

The old woman took a seat opposite her, staring at her intensely.

The servants prepared a plate full of vegetables for her and placed them in front of her.

- Eat. You must be hungry.

It's true. She was starving. And if she wanted to last the next five months and save her sister, she had no choice. She wordlessly grabbed the fork and began to eat.

The women watched her until she was satisfied. Then she was led upstairs to a room, alone at last.

*

Tiana breathed a deep sigh of relief as the door closed behind her. She looked around. The room was sumptuous: a large curtain covered a floor-to-ceiling window, a mirror lined the wall near the sofa, and the bed was fit for a queen. The vanity was stocked with creams and makeup-the same ones they'd used earlier.

She fell onto the bed and fell asleep almost immediately.

She didn't know how much time had passed when she was woken up with a light tap.

Her eyelids fluttered, and she saw the old lady accompanied by a man in a white coat.

-How are you, Tiana? I'm here to draw some blood. Can you sit down, please?

He gave her a small smile. Tiana sat down. He opened his kit, took out a syringe and a tourniquet, disinfected the most visible spot on her vein, then pricked it and drew blood in a few seconds.

They left immediately.

*

Tiana remained calm, but her heart was pounding.

They had taken her out of the cell, washed her, perfumed her, dressed her like a doll. And now they were taking her blood.

This could only mean one thing: soon, she would have to sleep with the monster.

And just thinking about it made her feel a cold shiver run through her. When she'd agreed to be his mistress instead of her sister, she hadn't considered this.

A deathly silence reigned in the meeting room, as if no one were there, but in reality, eleven people were seated around the long table: five on each side and one at the far end. There was about two feet of distance between the man sitting at the head of the table and the other council members, as if he were suffering from a contagious disease.

He was engrossed in his phone, leaving them waiting;

He was twirling a pen in his right hand, and although he exuded an intimidating aura, the female council members couldn't help but admire this godlike apparition. He wore a quiff, but his hair hadn't been styled in a while; a few strands fell in front of his forehead, just above his eyebrows, giving him an unkempt but fresh look. His eyebrows were perfectly shaped, and although he was looking down, his long eyelashes were visible. He wore a tight-fitting sky-blue shirt, rolled up at the sleeves, revealing his athletic abs and muscular torso. The top two buttons were undone, revealing a tattoo on his chest that extended lower. Although he was only twenty-five years old, he exuded an unmistakable aura.

Suddenly, he put down his phone and looked up at the people in the meeting room.

- Begin, he said, leaning back in his seat.

A young woman in her thirties, who had been staring at him, stood up, staggering. She blinked several times as she rearranged the files in front of her.

- Hilton Skies' share price has increased by 10%; we recorded a profit of about 25% last month.

She said this as she handed him a file.

- Following.

- The cargo ship arrived by sea yesterday, and the factories have started production.

Said another man, standing up.

- Following.

Nicklaus snapped, still twirling his pen. A silence fell; he looked up at the council members and saw that they were panicking.

-Next! he repeated, this time looking at them with a piercing eye.

A woman in her forties stood up; her hands were shaking; the other members bowed their heads, aware of what was to follow her announcement.

- The Warren Corporation acquired an additional 5% of the Howells' stock, making them among the twenty largest shareholders.

The pen immediately stopped in his hand, and his eyes fell on the woman who had just spoken.

Her head was down, and she was clutching the backrest for support. Her face was pale with fear, beads of sweat forming on her forehead.

- What did you just say?

Nicklaus sat up straight in his seat, frowning.

An icy silence reigned in the room, everyone holding their breath.

"Who sold these shares?!" he asked, his voice echoing around the room. No one answered.

- Don't make me repeat myself, or it will be the last time you set foot in this company.

His chest heaved violently, his eyes were black with rage.

Knowing he wasn't joking, they stood up immediately.

-They... they bought out the shares of the smaller shareholders, offering them at almost double the price, which was almost irresistible.

Said the accounting director, his head still bowed. Nicklaus's rage was almost making his veins burst; he grabbed a pencil holder next to him and threw it across the table.

- Get out! Everyone! Get out!

He shouted furiously, getting up from his chair; they immediately fled the room, leaving him red with anger.

His assistant was pressed against the wall behind him; he wished he could escape too, but that was impossible: he needed his permission to leave.

Nicklaus was breathing heavily, his head bowed, his fists on the table.

He was so furious, he needed an outlet. Turning around, he saw his assistant practically shaking as he clutched the wall.

- Come here! Come here!

Frederick leaped over to where Nicklaus was standing.

- Did you know?!

He glared at him, throwing a file at his face; Frederick narrowly avoided the cut as the file flew inches from his head. He turned, picked up the file, but didn't respond.

-I don't want to know how you're going to do it, I don't care how you do it, buy back those shares! And don't show yourself in front of me again until it's done, do you understand me correctly?

Frederick nodded and walked out of the room; once outside, he let out a deep sigh of relief.

Nicklaus fell back into his chair, his hands gripping the armrests; his blue veins stood out beneath his skin. Flashes of what had happened seventeen years earlier came back to him.

It was a sunny afternoon; he was playing hide-and-seek with his sister. It was his turn to hide, and he knew that the place she would never think to look for him was their parents' bedroom. He slipped there discreetly; his parents were napping, his father had his arm around his mother. He still remembered the flower petals on his mother's dress, the red roses on the comforter. No memory of that day had been altered; everything was etched in his mind. On tiptoe, he slipped into the wardrobe and hid there, a childlike smile on his face as he imagined the places his little sister would look for him in their huge mansion.

He could still hear her count in the distance; it was approaching ten, and he was excited at the thought of winning this time. But suddenly, it stopped at eight.

Thinking she'd interrupted the countdown to surprise him before he'd found a hiding place, he smiled to himself. She'd never think of their parents' closet. He was still smiling when suddenly, the bedroom doors burst open and he heard footsteps enter. Four armed men, dressed in black and with masked faces, entered the room, followed by the click of stilettos. His brow furrowed, wondering what they were doing there, then he saw her.

Catherine Wills. He never forgot the smirk on her lips when she entered the room. She approached the bed where her parents were sleeping and woke them. Her father stirred, then opened his eyes and saw her.

He sat up in shock, his mother did the same.

- Surprise! she said, arms in the air, a cruel smile on her lips.

- What are you doing here?! Who are these people? Who let them in?

His father asked, visibly confused.

"Aren't you happy to see me?" she retorted, her smile leaving her lips, but remaining anchored in her eyes filled with hatred and disgust.

- What do you want?

He had barely asked the question when a resounding slap fell on his left cheek, making his mother scream and tears flow from her eyes.

"I've always dreamed of doing this," Catherine said, waving her gloved arm in the air.

"What do you want?" her mother cried, stroking her husband's face where he had been struck.

- Can't you see? Are you blind? I've come to kill you both!

She walked over to the couch opposite the bed and sat down.

-But first, I have to tell you something I want you to take to your grave.

"Catherine, don't be stupid, you're making a big mistake," her father said, this time in a calmer tone.

Catherine burst into a devilish laugh.

-That's not your problem; you're already a dead man.

"I always wanted to be that woman," she said, pointing at her mother. "I always wanted to be your wife, Jeffrey. I loved you with every inch of my being. I got pregnant with you, thinking you'd change your mind and marry me. But no! What did you do?"

You kicked my son and me out, and married that whore! She's prettier than me, huh? What does she have that I don't, huh? Why did you choose her?!

She grabbed a porcelain vase from a table next to her and threw it violently to the floor. It shattered into a thousand pieces.

-Catherine, you know that's not true. I gave you Warren Corporation as compensation, and I never intended to have a child with you. You drugged me.

"Shut up!" she yelled, getting up from the couch. She staggered a few steps into the room, trying to steady herself.

"Well, I don't need you anymore. I have your baby; and that means everything you own is mine!" she giggled hysterically, a small tear rolling down her cheek.

-And you know how I'm going to do it? I'm going to kill you both now. You're probably thinking, oh! I have two kids, they'll take over my businesses, haha! Sorry, I've already killed them both! See, I'm only a hair's breadth away from my goal!

She burst out laughing again, looking at her mother:

- You always wanted to be with her, no problem, I'll let you have her, but it will be in your grave!