Chapter 15 #2
I looked back over my shoulder. The older woman still stood there patiently waiting while the younger girl reorganized flower samples nearby.
I turned fully toward them again before crossing my arms. “I also want security reduced.”
The older woman froze instantly. “No.”
I lifted an eyebrow. “That wasn’t a request.”
“It’s impossible.”
“Then so is my answer.”
The woman carefully set her notebook down. “Mr. Drax is concerned for your safety.”
I almost laughed.
“Please,” I said dryly. “If he was concerned about my safety, I wouldn’t currently be planning my own hostage wedding.”
The younger girl looked down immediately to hide another smile. Traitor .
The older woman tried again. “Perhaps we should focus on the dresses first.”
“Fine.” I pointed toward the garment bags dramatically. “Bring me better ones.”
“What exactly are you looking for?”
I considered it thoughtfully. “Something less funeral.”
“That’s not very specific.”
“Neither is emotional imprisonment, yet here we are.”
The younger girl physically turned away this time. Definitely laughing. Honestly relatable.
I wandered back toward the bed before sitting against the edge again while exhaustion slowly crept beneath my skin.
The truth was…I didn’t actually care about the dresses.
Or flowers. Or cakes. Or any of this. I cared about time.
Every ridiculous request bought me another conversation.
Another delay. Another reason not to drag me down an aisle immediately.
Maybe that made me pathetic. However, somewhere beneath all the fear sat this horrible fragile hope that refused to die quietly.
Nikolai was still here. I could feel it.
The same instinct that kept making me glance toward doors expecting him to walk through them.
The same instinct that settled when Malrik mentioned he was alive and would use him against me.
Which honestly said terrifying things about my emotional state considering the man literally kidnapped me.
The older woman cleared her throat softly again.
“We’ll return later with more options.”
I nodded immediately like I wasn’t internally clinging to the fact my stubbornest bought me more time.
“Good,” I said casually. “And tell Mr. Drax I’m still undecided.”
The woman hesitated. “Should I mention your conditions as well?”
I looked toward the rain-covered windows again.
“Yes,” I said quietly.
Because if Malrik wanted my answer? Then he was going to wait for it.
The second the wedding planner left my room, I knew she was going straight to Malrik. Probably crying. Possibly traumatized. Honestly? Fair.
I’d spent the last hour demanding imported roses flown in from Italy, refusing every fabric sample she showed me, and insisting the ceremony candles needed to ‘smell less poor.’ Did I actually care about any of it?
No. If I was being forced into this nightmare, I was going to make every single person around me suffer through it too .
The silence in the room stretched for maybe ten whole minutes before the doors opened again. I didn’t bother looking up from the window.
“Unless you’ve returned with better champagne,” I said flatly, “I’m not interested.”
Heavy footsteps crossed the room. Not the soft nervous steps of staff. My stomach recoil at the sound.
Malrik.
“Your wedding planner appears distressed,” he said calmly behind me.
I rolled my eyes before turning around slowly. “Good. Maybe she’ll quit.”
He stood near the center of the room dressed in another perfectly tailored suit, dark gloves covering his hands despite the warmth inside the estate. Two guards lingered near the doorway while servers moved around them carrying trays covered with silver lids.
“What’s all this?”
“Lunch.”
“I’m not hungry.”
“That wasn’t a question.”
The staff immediately began transforming the middle of my room into a private dining area. One unfolded an expensive linen cloth across the table while another placed crystal glasses beside gold silverware like this was some luxury hotel instead of a prison. I watched them in disbelief.
“Do you always force women to do what you want them to do?” I asked.
“When necessary.”
I folded my arms tighter. “I’d rather starve.”
Malrik looked completely unbothered by that. “If that’s the route you’d prefer to take,” he said evenly, “I can have the guards restrain you to the chair while I feed you myself.”
The words landed so casually it took my brain a second to process them. Then cold crept slowly down my spine. He hadn’t raised his voice, but he sounded as if he genuinely didn’t care which option happened.
I stared at him. “You’re insane.”
“Sit down, Emerald.”
“No.”
One of the guards shifted slightly beside the door. A tiny movement, but enough to make panic flicker unpleasantly beneath my skin. Malrik tilted his head.
“I’ve tolerated your behavior because I find it entertaining,” he said softly. “Don’t confuse that with unlimited patience. ”
Something about the way he said it made my mouth go dry.
This wasn’t Nikolai losing control or Roman’s fury.
This felt different. Like violence wrapped in expensive cologne and polite conversation.
I hated it. Hated him. But I also knew when to stop pushing.
With my jaw clenched, I dropped into the chair across from him.
“There,” I spat. “Congratulations. You win.”
His mouth twitched.
The servers immediately started uncovering plates. Steak, fresh bread, roasted vegetables, and some ridiculously expensive bottle of wine I couldn’t even pronounce. I stared at the food like it personally offended me.
Malrik picked up his glass calmly. “You’re being difficult.”
“You kidnapped me.”
“Yes.”
“And you’re forcing me to marry you.”
“Yes.”
“And apparently threatening to tie me to furniture now.”
“Yes.”
The complete lack of shame nearly made me laugh. “What exactly is wrong with you? ”
“A great many things.”
At least he was self-aware.
I shoved a piece of bread onto my plate aggressively. The room fell quiet except for silverware lightly touching porcelain. I hated how he tried to make everything feel so normal. As if this was a lunch date and not me being trapped here.
I reached for my wine mostly because I needed something to do with my hands. That’s when I heard it. A faint sound somewhere down the hall. I frowned.
Great, now hearing things and losing my mind. Add that to the list.
Another sound followed. It was soft and tiny. Almost like a baby crying. The sound disappeared again. My brows pulled together trying to focus and pick the sound up again.
No. I had to be imagining things. There was absolutely no way—the cry came again. Louder this time.
I stood so fast the chair legs scraped harshly against the floor. “What the fuck was that?”
Malrik calmly cut another piece of steak, ignoring my question. I stared at him.
“What was that?!”
He dabbed his mouth with a napkin before finally glancing toward one of the guards .
“Tell the nanny to bring her in.”
My entire body went still. The guard immediately disappeared into the hallway. I looked back at Malrik.
“Nanny?” He took another sip of wine. “What did you do?”
No answer.
A horrible feeling started building inside me. Every instinct in my body screamed wrong.
A minute later footsteps approached the room again. A woman entered carrying a baby girl against her shoulder.
Everything inside me stopped. She couldn’t have been older than maybe six months. Tiny little thing. Soft peach fuzz covered the top of her head while sleepy hazel eyes blinked around the room curiously. She wore a pale pink outfit with little socks that had bows on them.
The baby let out another tiny whimper before immediately burying her face against the nanny’s shoulder.
“Oh my God…” The words left me before I could stop them. I looked at Malrik in horror.
“Whose baby is that?”
“Currently?” he asked calmly. “Mine.”
I stared at him like he’d lost his mind .
“No. Whose child is that?”
“One of my clients requested a child. An infant to be precise.” He gestured lightly toward the baby. “So, I acquired one.”
For a second I genuinely couldn’t breathe. The room suddenly felt freezing.
“What do you mean acquired one?”
“The buyer arrives in two days.” Malrik’s voice remained horrifyingly calm. “Until then the child will remain here with a nanny.”
I looked back at the baby. She’d started chewing on her tiny fist now, completely unaware of the conversation happening around her. Something sick rolled through my stomach.
“Where did you get her from?”
Malrik didn’t answer immediately. Which was answer enough. I took a step backward.
“No.” The word came out quietly. “No, no, no—”
“She was expensive,” Malrik continued conversationally. “Healthy infants usually are.”
I genuinely thought I might throw up. “You stole a baby?!”
“I purchased merchandise. ”
The nanny shifted awkwardly near the doorway like even she hated hearing it spoken aloud. My skin crawled.
“What are they going to do with her?”
Malrik looked bored by the question. “I don’t ask clients what they do with their purchases.”
The silence afterward felt suffocating. I stared at him in complete disbelief. This wasn’t dark business deals anymore. Wasn’t weapons. Wasn’t drugs. This was a child. A real child. Tiny fingers. Tiny little clothes. Soft sleepy eyes. A baby.
“How can you say that like it’s normal?”
He leaned back slightly in his chair. “Because it is normal in my world.”
“You’re disgusting.”
“Perhaps.”
The baby looked toward me and smiled. Tiny, sweet, and completely innocent. Something inside me cracked apart. Before I could even think about it, I crossed the room toward the nanny.
“Can I hold her?”
The woman hesitated before looking at Malrik. He gave a single nod. The nanny carefully transferred the baby into my arms .
Oh. Oh God.