What if…what if I let Belladonna go?
I freeze at the impossibility of the idea. The thought is like a huge chasm yawning before me. But a few ideas immediately take form. Even without Belladonna, I can still pursue research. I’d be leaving Rachel, but we could still be friends. We could hang out—gasp—outside of work! And I could get more friends. For the first time in my life, I could have a life.
No more board trying to dictate my actions.
No more of Logan’s second-guessing my motives. It hasn’t been about the patents for a long time for me but finally, he wouldn’t have to doubt that. It might remove the last barrier to him trusting me.
I could do what I love, which is being down in the lab doing research, not the grind and glad-handing of being CEO, all of which I hate.
If tonight’s proven anything, it’s that I’m a new Daphne. The old one doesn’t fit the mold anymore. That’s what I’ve been learning in my time with Logan—that there’s more to life, more to me, than just the quiet, obedient daughter who does what she’s supposed to.
It’s all on the tip of my tongue. I’m a new Daphne, I want to say. But I feel myself shrinking under Adam and Rachel’s stares.
Not to mention that the room is strangely blurry. I put a hand to my head. I haven’t taken out my contacts yet, but the shadows on the wall seem to stretch, swallowing everything up.
What was I just thinking about? Right, Belladonna. “I don’t know if I want that anymore.”
“Really? What would your father say?” Adam asks, brow still furrowed in concern. “Battleman’s was his life’s fight. For the sake of the gods’, Daphne, what would your mother say?”
His words hit me with the weight of a freight train and I stumble back a step.
“Adam, that’s not fair,” Rachel starts but he holds up a hand to quiet her.
“I’m serious. Daphne, you’ve fought your whole life to save others like her. Are you going to give up on everyone else who’s sick just because, what?” he scoffs. “You don’t feel like it anymore?”
I shake my head, but everything that was so clear only moment ago has started to become fuzzy. “No, I- That’s, I- I would never give up on Battleman’s—” I put a hand on my hand and blink hard.
And then, as I’m looking at him, suddenly the world swoops sideways as a wave of dizziness hits me out of nowhere.
I grab for the wall, only barely catching myself as Rachel rushes to my side. “Daphne, are you okay?” she cries.
I blink hard but when I look up, there are two of her, then three, all dancing around. The dizziness only gets worse the more I blink and try to get my bearings. “I don’t feel so good,” I mutter as she helps me to the couch.
“How much did she drink at the ball?” Adam asks, sounding appalled.
I open my mouth to say I barely drank two sips of champagne at the ball but no sound comes out. Everything’s gone so blurry and liquid around me.
“Here, help me get her to the guest bedroom,” Adam says. “She can sleep it off there.”
The world goes even crazier, dipping and swooping, as Adam lifts me up in his arms and Rachel hurries near, her voice murmuring low words I can’t quite make out.
Everything’s moving so slow but when I blink and look around, I think it’s a long while later, maybe even an hour or two.
Loud voices make me blink to alertness. I don’t think I was asleep exactly, more like just really, really out of it. Something’s wrong. Really wrong. When I try to sit up or move my arms, they don’t respond right.
It’s like I’ve…like I’ve been drugged.
Holy shit. Holy shit…
The thought should be scary. It means I could be in danger. But it feels really detached. Far away.
Rachel’s here. She won’t let anything bad happen to me.
The door of the bedroom bursts open and a giggling Rachel comes in, her arms wrapped around Adam’s neck. What?
I blink puffy eyes, sure what I’m seeing can’t be right. The only light is from the window and the hallway, casting long shadows.
“Come on,” Rachel says. “It’s enough that she’s spending the night. We don’t have to do anything more.”
“Don’t be a bitch. Help me get her clothes off.”
That voice doesn’t sound anything like the Adam I know. It was mean. All his careful gentility is gone.
“Fine,” Rachel sighs, “but just her top. That’s all you’ll need for the pictures.”
“Whatever,” Adam says as they both move closer to me.
Run. Run. Escape.
But my arms and legs barely respond and the only thing that comes out of my mouth is a low groan.
“You hear that?” Adam laughs nastily. “She wants it. She’s practically begging for it.”
“Don’t be an ass.” Rachel comes over and shoves Adam out of the way, sitting on the bed beside me. I try desperately to make eye-contact with her but she studiously avoids looking at my face as she lifts me up enough to pull my t-shirt off over my head.
I’m left in the red lingerie I was wearing under my ballgown as she settles me back onto the pillows.
“Fuck, her nipples are pierced,” Adam mutters. “I knew she was hot, didn’t know she had a wild side.”
I can’t move my hands to cover my breasts but my shoulders hunch.
“Let’s just snap some pics and then leave her alone.”
“Don’t be such a buzzkill.”
The bed dips again and thick, cloying cologne wafts over me. Shivers crawl down my spine. It’s him. Adam. The man I completely misjudged. The monster behind the handsome prince’s mask. Gods, how could I have been so stupid as to come here tonight.
And Rachel… I search her out with my heavy eyes. She’s got her back turned as Adam climbs into bed with me.
When she finally turns around, she’s holding her phone.
“Okay, let’s do this.”
My confused brain takes a second to make sense out of the obvious, and it’s not until Adam pulls me against his bare chest, settling my hand against his too-pale skin and a camera flash goes off that it finally clicks.
They’re taking pictures of me. Naked pictures.
I want to scratch Adam’s eyes out and kick him in the balls. And then tear Rachel’s hair out by her pretty blonde roots.
Instead, all I can do is give confused, disagreeing moans as Adam moves me this way and that, moving my hair to get the best shot of my face, sometimes cupping my face, all the time making me want to barf on his overly waxed chest.
“Okay, that’s enough,” Rachel announces. “Let’s go back to your bedroom.”
“I don’t know,” Adam murmurs, running his hand down my chest and squeezing me. “I think we could have a lot of fun right here. You know how much I like them quiet and willing like this.”
“She’s not willing, she’s out of it.” Rachel’s voice is sharp, but then it softens. “But baby, I’ll do anything you want.” She moves behind Adam and starts to massage his shoulders. “I’ll suck you off. And I know you’ve been wanting to stick it up my ass. I’ll let you tonight. Just leave her alone.”