The front gate slammed open with a loud bang.
The tires screeched as the car jerked to a stop.
Theodore climbed out, tall and imposing. His shirt was crisp, but the tie hung crooked, obviously yanked loose in haste.
Wind tousled his messy black hair as his jaw clenched tight. He looked absolutely furious, eyes locked onto me like lasers.
I instinctively stepped back, only to hear him roar, "Natalie, take one more step and I swear-"
I froze on the spot.
He stormed over in a blink, slamming his arms against the wall behind me, trapping me in place.
"You think you're bold now, huh?" he barked.
"I-" I barely got the word out when his head suddenly dipped, and he kissed me hard.
My eyes flew wide in shock. His hand slid down and landed square on my stomach. I flinched, trying to twist away. His dark eyes flared, and then-bam!-he pinched my thigh, hard.
A sharp yelp escaped me. "Theodore, have you lost your mind?!"
My struggling only made him rougher, fueled his anger. He didn't care if it hurt.
Around us, people stood still like statues, pretending not to see. No one dared step in.
Clenching my jaw, I bit him without warning. He grunted in pain and finally backed off.
His face twisted in rage, his eyes burning. In one motion, he grabbed my shirt collar and yanked-fabric tore with a loud rip.
Then he leaned down and bit my collarbone.
The flashbacks hit like a truck-every time he'd overpowered me before. I bit my lips till I tasted blood, heart sinking.
Why, in my whole life, couldn't I even have a moment of peace or warmth?
Vivian, Hubert, even him-they all did their best to break me.
"What did I ever do to deserve this?"
"If you dare lay a hand on me again," I warned, voice trembling, "I'll kill myself. Right here."
His whole body stiffened. Shock widened his eyes as he saw how pale and drained I looked.
No one said a word while tension thickened the air.
Finally, some trace of hesitation flickered in his eyes. He slowly let go, fists clenching by his sides.
"Don't let her leave. Or die," he ordered coldly, then stormed off, shoulders tense with frustration.
I slid down against the wall, trembling, breath ragged.
He never came back that night. But he didn't let me go either. I was locked in, under 24/7 watch. The message was clear: try anything, and I'd get what was coming to me.
Waiting for the housekeeper to head into the kitchen, I quietly tiptoed to the front door. Just barely cracked it open and-
Out lunged a huge German shepherd, jaws snapping, growling right in my face.
I shrieked and stumbled back. Thank God for the heavy-duty leash, or I might've ended up in the ER.
The housekeeper came out just then. "Miss Reynolds, Mr. Sterling told me to look after you. Why don't you rest in your room? I'll bring dinner when it's ready."
Her words were gentle, but the meaning was loud and clear: don't waste your energy. You're not getting out of here.
I glanced over at the housekeeper, then at that big wolfdog out front. My face darkened for a second, but in the end, I followed her up into the room they had prepped for me. Right now, I really needed to cool down and clear my head.
I shut all the curtains, laid flat on the bed, eyes wide open, just staring at the ceiling.
The light overhead was dim and yellow. After everything that went down with him today, I let out a long yawn-my eyes tearing up from the exhaustion. I tried closing them, focusing on how to escape this place. But despite myself, Theodore's face kept flashing through my mind.
That mocking smile of his again-like he was silently laughing at how useless I was, how scared I got over a damn dog, legs practically giving out from fear. I roughly shook my head, trying to physically throw the image of him out of my brain.
"Bastard," I muttered. The word worked like a slap-I instantly snapped out of it, thinking a bit clearer.
With someone like Theodore, there was no way he had that housekeeper here just to take care of me. Let's be real-that woman was here to keep an eye on me. Honestly, I'd bet good money she wasn't the only one spying either.
That thought made my heart clench, and I immediately got up and searched every inch of the bedroom. Even checked the ceiling real close. No hidden cameras, no bugs-nothing. That gave me a tiny bit of relief.
But the more I thought about it, the tighter my chest felt. Theodore was clearly obsessed with getting back at me, probably lost his damn mind in the process. If I stayed locked up in here much longer, forget how worried Lucille and Grandpa would be-I wasn't even sure I could survive it.
How the hell was I supposed to get out of here?
A few minutes later, an idea started forming.
I stood in front of the mirror, smoothed out my hair, dabbed at my face a little. I forced a small, natural-looking smile at my reflection. When I felt ready, I walked lightly down the stairs, acting totally chill, like nothing was wrong, then casually sat myself down on the leather couch in the living room.
The housekeeper noticed me, still smiling politely. She bent down and asked if I wanted anything to eat or drink. I nodded, flashed her the same kind of soothing, fake smile a flight attendant might give.
She froze for a second, clearly caught off guard and a little suspicious.
I looked up at her with a bitter curve of my lips. "Theodore's not gonna let me go that easy, right? So... might as well just play it safe, stay on his good side for now. Maybe once he cools off, we can talk things out. He might even let me go after that."
She bobbed her head right away, clearly pleased. "Glad to see you've figured that out," she said, turning to prepare some tea and snacks.
Seeing her head to the kitchen, I decided to really sell the act. I followed her in with my best obedient tone and said, "Do you need a hand with anything?"
The housekeeper gave a small laugh and waved her hands. "Miss Reynolds, please, just rest. If anything happens to you, I won't be able to answer for it."
"It's just a couple small chores. I won't hurt myself," I replied with a smile, then started scrubbing a few dishes to keep up the act. I could tell she was letting her guard down already. A little trust goes a long way.
But as soon as I sat back down on the couch, Andrew came in again.
I didn't say a word, just watched him out of the corner of my eye. He shot me a quick glance and left just as quickly as he came.
Only an idiot would fail to see what that was all about. Clearly, he was here to give Theodore the latest update... all about me.
And sure enough, by late afternoon, a few more "helpers" moved into the villa-all supposedly to make sure I was well taken care of.
I was fuming inside, cursing Theodore in every way I knew. That bastard actually thought he could just lock me away like this?
