Chapter 22
ALINA
P ale oranges and pinks danced across the city as I watched the sun set on my sixth day in this prison. The city outside these glass walls looked peaceful, but that was an illusion—it was a gleaming cesspool of greed and malevolence, just like the gilded cage I now occupied.
Anyone looking at me would see some semblance of a Cinderella story.
A poor girl plucked from squalor and dropped into a lavish penthouse with everything she could want.
For the first time in years, I was clean, warm, and fed.
My clothes—what little Pavel allowed me to wear—were soft silk and lace instead of threadbare Goodwill finds.
But decadence meant nothing without freedom.
Every door was locked. I had access only to the bedroom, its en suite, and occasionally the dining and living rooms—if Pavel felt generous and no visitors were expected. The moment his brothers arrived, I was shuffled back to the bedroom with threats of handcuffs and the hood.
I had even tried picking a lock once, only to meet the judgmental scowl of a massive armed guard who growled at me in Russian. His meaning was clear: I was far safer in my tower.
Pavel had transformed me from Cinderella into Rapunzel, locked away and forced to watch the world through glass.
The days blended together in monotonous routine.
I'd wake to Pavel's hands on my body, his mouth between my thighs, or his fingers tangled in my hair, guiding me toward his hard shaft.
He'd leave after breakfast and return at night.
The splatters of blood on his clothes serving as silent reminders of the monster beneath the expensive suits.
I started counting sunsets to stay sane.
More than once, I wondered if I'd stumbled into the fantasy life some girls at the club dreamed about—being a kept woman, free from bills and responsibilities, ravaged by a well-endowed, rich, and powerful man obsessed with pleasure.
If I closed my eyes and forgot about the guards outside, about wearing only sheer Agent Provocateur pieces, maybe I could understand the appeal. In their dreams, those women could leave their towers. They chose their captors. They had friends, social engagements, freedom disguised as luxury.
For a moment, I gave in to the illusion.
Maybe it was self-preservation, Stockholm syndrome taking root, or daytime television finally killing my last brain cell.
I began seeing this situation from the perspective of some kind of twisted version of a 1950s housewife—taking care of my jailer, waiting for him to come home where I'd be useful again.
Was it so different from being a cleaning lady?
Either way, despite the hints of deeper emotions I thought I’d glimpsed in him last week, he basically saw me as an appliance.
At least this way, I was left in a sex-induced haze, endorphins flooding my brain instead of my back aching and my hands raw from bleach.
The illusion shattered each night when Pavel returned, knuckles bloodied, violence clinging to him like expensive cologne.
Tonight was no different.
I said nothing as he entered, shedding his jacket and kicking off his shoes. The metallic scent of blood made my stomach clench.
"Get on your knees," he commanded, pointing to a spot on the carpet.
Heat flooded my cheeks as I obeyed. Pavel didn't look at me, focused instead on his phone as he disappeared into the bathroom. He emerged moments later, shirt unbuttoned, belt undone but still hanging from the loops of his pants. His muscled abs were covered in tattoos I’d long since memorized but had not gotten the courage to ask the meaning behind.
It wasn't fair that someone so evil could be devastatingly beautiful.
He settled into his chair, attention still on his screen, and snapped his fingers, pointing between his legs. The silent command was clear: crawl to him like the pet he'd made me.
I hated him for treating me like a dog. I hated my body more for aching with need every time I saw him.
Swallowing my humiliation, I crawled forward and settled on my heels while he finished whatever held his attention.
"We need to discuss something, my pet," he said, finally setting down his phone. "I'll talk and you'll listen, without interruption. You're going to take my cock in your mouth and suck it like the obedient girl you're learning to be."
He unzipped his fly with deliberate slowness.
"If you can manage that without interrupting, I'll let you ride me until your body gives out. If not..." His eyes glittered dangerously. "You get the belt, then I fuck your ass until I'm satisfied. Understood?"
I nodded, my traitorous body already responding, my mouth watering in anticipation.
"Get to work, sweet thing."
I reached out, stroking his impressive length until he guided my head toward his lap. The moment my lips wrapped around him, he hummed in approval, and I closed my eyes, surrendering to the familiar ritual.
But it wasn't enough for him tonight.
His hands gripped my head as he pulled back and stood, holding me in place while he thrust deep.
"Fuck yes," he growled. "Take it all."
Humiliation flooded through me as I realized he was simply using my face, fucking my mouth like I was nothing more than a toy. Yet something dark inside me purred at being the source of his pleasure, at being chosen for this intimate violation.
He pulled out just enough to come on my face, his seed spilling across my lips. His thumb brushed over my lips before he pushed it inside my mouth. He watched expectantly, not releasing me until I'd sucked his thumb clean as well.
"Such an obedient girl," he murmured. "It makes everything I did for you worthwhile."
My heart stopped. "What you did for me?"
"Your father will never hurt you again. You're no longer responsible for his debt."
I drew my head back, the words hitting me like a physical blow. "I don’t understand." I stared at him, not daring to believe what I'd heard.
"It's been handled." He pulled me onto his lap, one hand splaying possessively across my lower back while the other tilted my chin up to meet his gaze. "You're free of him."
Was it possible? Could I trust what he was telling me? Or was this just another game to keep me compliant?
"You're shaking," he observed, and I realized he was right.
His grip tightened around my waist, supporting me.
His thumb traced along my bottom lip, still swollen from his use. "Your life depends on understanding that you belong to me now. Completely. No debts, no obligations to anyone else."
His voice was quieter now. "He'll never hurt you again. Never demand anything from you. You're mine now, babygirl. Only mine. "
Only his.
I noticed him catch himself, his jaw tightening as he fought against his own softening.
He muttered something in Russian that sounded like a curse at himself.
My mind reeled.
Free of my father's debt. I'd wanted that so desperately, needed it more than air.
But how? Had Pavel paid them off?
Only his.
Was I only his because he’d now bought and paid for me?
Did I now owe him?
Then I looked down at Pavel's bloodied knuckles where his hands now rested on the arms of the chair, a reminder of all the nights he’d returned home with blood splattered on his clothes.
Was one of those nights…? No. Oh god.
A sinking suspicion settled in my stomach.
My voice came out as barely a whisper, thick with dread. "What did you do to him?"