Chapter Sixteen
Livia
I have to escape.
But my body is immediately overcome with exhaustion. Even my brain stops thinking. I’m vaguely aware of being uncuffed from the metal restraint, water brought to my lips, a soft cloth pressed against my throbbing pussy, and a blanket wrapped around my body before I’m carried away. I try to fight them off, but my attempts are feeble, and I’m a delirious mess.
I close my eyes for a second, and when I open them, I’m in a car, being held by strong arms. I close my eyes again and I wake up in a bed in a strange room.
I jump to my feet, then bend over as my body aches. The tenderness in my pussy makes me want to sit down again, but I force myself to remain standing. I’m flooded with images of having my virginity taken, and I relive the moments of being stretched to fit their impossibly large cocks, which explains why I’m so sore there.
I look down to find my breasts have leaked a little, but I also see I’m wearing a men’s white t-shirt. It’s so big, it hangs on me like a dress.
I have vague, drowsy memories of being bathed, fed a sandwich and chocolate, and given more water. I remember curling my legs up as I lay on the ultra-comfortable bed and being tucked in. I don’t think I even dreamed while I was asleep.
But something feels incredibly strange on my finger. I lift my left hand and almost collapse backward. I don’t know much about jewelry, but it feels as if I’m wearing millions of dollars’ worth of diamonds on my ring finger.
Oh god.
I remove the wedding ring immediately and throw it as far away from me as I can. I never would have imagined my fairytale adventure turning into a nightmare, but it just happened.
The bedroom is so big it could be a house on its own. There’s only one word that springs to mind: luxury.
I’m in their house.
But all I want is to go home. I have to call Faith. My father is going to kill me.
I look around the room for my clothes, hoping they’re here somewhere. But the room is pristine; the only thing out of place is me.
I open the closet doors and reel back. The walk-in closet looks like a luxury department store. Rails and rails of clothing blind me. There are over a hundred pairs of shoes, more, I’m sure many, many more.
Handbags, purses, and jewelry are stored in glass cases. I immediately close the doors. This room clearly belongs to some other girl.
Without a change of clothes, I’m forced to leave the room as I am. Barefoot in a men’s t-shirt that’s stained with breast milk.
My hand flies to my mouth as I’m catapulted back to the basement of the cottage, where, at every turn, my life was at risk. Instead, I was made to leak milk from my breasts, and then I humiliated myself when I orgasmed on a chair that vibrated.
That wasn’t all. I then tried to use the evidence of my uncharacteristic arousal to escape a set of handcuffs that kept me bound to the bed.
My nightmare doesn’t stop there, either.
I’m no longer a virgin. Oh god, I’m married to three men. Not ordinary men. They”re the richest men in the world, and I’m married to them. Me.
But I never signed anything, so they don’t own me in any way, and they’re not going to get away with forging my signature. I’ll fight them down to my nails.
The only thing I use is in the bathroom where I find a brand-new toothbrush still in its packaging. I brush my teeth and splash water on my face, but nothing can take away the terrified look entrenched in my features.
Not wasting another moment, I swing open the bedroom door and immediately step back as I’m bombarded by a fresh, bouncy, blond-haired girl with perfectly applied makeup and six-inch shoes. She looks no older than eighteen at that.
“You’re finally awake,” she shrieks, then hugs me. Thank god the blotches on the T-shirt are dry. “I’ve been waiting forever for you. You must be starved.” She snaps her fingers, and a long line of servants push in carts of food covered with cloches.
I have no idea who she is.
She hugs me again. “Celine. I’m Celine Clay. I’m their niece. Deacon’s, Callen’s, and Mason’s niece. I’m so happy you’re here. It’s been very lonely being in the Ursid family recently. But you’re here,” she shrieks again. “And you’re the new Ursid bride and squee.” She bounces from foot to foot, holding her face in pure excitement.
“I’m not married. Not to anyone. Not to your uncles either. I didn’t sign anything. They forged my signature, so it means nothing.”
I can’t believe I’m bypassing all pleasantries and getting right down to the real thing. I don’t belong here. And this poor girl doesn’t deserve me being this way to her when she’s clearly innocent.
“Oh, no. It means everything. You can take them to the highest court in the world, and every single judge or whatever will tell you it’s real, even if they know it’s not. You are so married to them, like, solidly. I don’t know how these things work, but your marriage is like a thing now,” Celine says as she shrugs.
“It’s on record. Filed. That’s the word I’m looking for. It’s been filed and is a public record… is that what they say? Basically, you can’t marry anyone else because you’re already married. They have that much power.”
“No one has—”
“No. You were going to say no one has that much power? You don’t know, do you?” She doesn’t wait for me to answer.
“Oh, but they do have all that power. They may run Ursid Enterprises for the world to see, but they’re also the heads of the Ursid Syndicate, which is basically the biggest organized crime syndicate in the world.”
“What?”
“Truth,” Celine says, nodding enthusiastically.
I want to throw up. How did I become involved with men like that? Crime lords? Oh, my god. I have to get away from them.
“So there’s like, this round table,” Celine continues. “Underground. An underground round table; it’s called the Global Underground Six, and mafia families from the different countries are given a controlling share, and my uncles have like... they have like, a lot. They have the most say. They’re pretty dangerous men. In fact the most dangerous men on the planet if you get on their wrong side.
“So the only way you’re going to get out of this marriage is if they divorce you, or kill you, which they’re not going to do because you’re freaking gorgeous. Oh my gosh. You’re so beautiful.”
The old me would have felt extremely uncomfortable being called beautiful, but I’m someone else now, and I have to be strong.
“Where are your uncles right now?”
“Downstairs. Having breakfast. They said you were really tired and would probably not come down, so I brought everything up for you. But they also told me not to bother you, but you’re awake now, and we can have breakfast together.”
A wave of guilt sails over me that I’m not as affable as Celine is to me. I’m drowning right before her eyes, and I’m scared out of my mind. But it’s not her fault.
“Celine, I’m sorry for being this way. I’m just… I need to see them, please.”
I need to go back to my old life. Whatever happened to me after I stood outside the cottage in my quest to commemorate my mom’s life will be forgotten. Every single thing that happened in the basement of the cottage will be erased from my mind.
“Sure, but maybe with some clothes on?” Celine laughs, going to the closet.
“I don’t have any clothes here.”
“Umm... this whole closet is yours,” she says as she swings open the doors.
“Those aren’t my clothes.”
“Yes, they are. My uncles had the best shoppers in the world work right through the night to bring you everything you might need, and whatever else they didn’t get, you just have to let your PA know. You’ll meet Veronica later.”
I suddenly remember sometime during the night, after I was bathed and dressed in this T-shirt, that I was moved from one bedroom to this one.
Also PA?
“I don’t want anything from them. Can you show me where I can find them, please?” I ask as I search for the wedding ring I tossed away earlier. It’s only then that I notice the cold and thundering weather outside.
In my own house, I would need to wear several layers of clothes to keep warm, thanks to my father cutting off the heat. He doesn’t believe I deserve that luxury since I’m not paying for it and he’s near bankrupt as it is. Also, the rent I do pay doesn’t cover it. Here, I’m in a T-shirt and nothing else and I don’t feel a smidgen of the winter air.
“What are we looking for?”
“The wedding ring,” I say absentmindedly as I move around cushions and check under the furniture. Celine doesn’t waste any time and helps me look.
“Isn’t it beautiful? The jeweler had to work all night to get it just right, I’m sure they’ll just get you a new one if you can’t find this one.”
I ignore Celine and continue looking. I don’t want another ring. I don’t want anything from them.
Thankfully, it doesn’t take me long to find it. It glitters so much in the gloomy weather from outside that I spot it immediately between two sofas in the lounge area of the bedroom.
“Take me to them, please, Celine.”
“Of course I will,” Celine says. She links her arm through mine and chats away even more about all the manicures we’re going to have, the shopping we’re going to do, and the fashion shows in Paris and Milan we’re going to attend. I barely hear anything she’s saying as she leads me into an elevator.
The fact that she’s dressed like a princess and I’m barefoot with a stained T-shirt that doesn’t belong to me doesn’t go unnoticed.
As if I’m wearing blinders, I only look ahead of me. I don’t get sucked into the richness of my surroundings. I just want to go home and fix things with my father.
After what seems like an eternity, we finally reach the dining room, where Deacon Walsh, Callen Andrews, and Mason Blackstone are seated, drinking coffee, and clearly discussing business. I don’t hesitate to let them know my mind.
“I want a divorce.”