As he said he would be, Byron is waiting on the other side of the door. At first sight, I’d probably fall for a guy like him. On the outside, he’s so put together. On the inside, I’m pretty sure he’s dead.
Byron’s eyes rake over my body a few times before landing on mine. “You look lovely. Would have been nice if you’d run a brush through your hair, but this’ll do.”
Such a fucking asshole. I snarl before turning my frown into a smile. “Didn’t want to keep you waiting.” I turn around, giving him my back. “Would you mind?”
Byron’s cold, calloused fingers scratch against my skin as he zips me up. Once he's finished, he ushers his arm out, and I hook mine around it, hesitantly. “I’m sure you’re starving, though the sleeping medication may have curved your appetite.”
“Sleeping medication?” I ask, playing dumb, though I assumed it was some sort of drug he injected me with.
“It’s very safe. No need to worry. It was the same medicine used to comatose patients when they have an operation. The last thing I want to do is hurt you, Bella.”
I blow out a sarcastic chuckle. “Right? So kidnapping me and bringing me to this island is for what…my protection?”
“If I remember right, Callum did the same thing, and by the time he left you, you were head over heels in love. Who’s to say it can’t happen again?”
We reach the elevator, and the doors open. As soon as we’re inside, I slither out of his hold. “Cal and I have history. He was never a stranger, and he didn’t kidnap or drug me.”
“Oh, but he did lie to you. And if he were alive, he’d still be lying to you. There’s so much you don’t know. Don’t fret, I’ll fill you in eventually.”
The elevator comes to a stop, and Byron offers his arm again, but I snuff my nose at him and walk on my own. I know exactly where the ballroom is and I don’t need his assistance this time.
Last time he ushered me to Cal, I tripped and fell and threw a shoe at him. If I had heels on this time, I might hammer it into his thick skull.
It won’t be necessary, though. Somehow, I’m going to steal Byron’s phone. There might not be any boats for me to escape on, but if I can reach Mark or Dad, they’ll send for help. Until then, I just have to bide my time.
When I enter the ballroom, I’m taken aback by the changes. The piano is now in the far corner, and there’s a large, white screen hanging on the back wall with a projector pointed at it.
“What’s this?” I ask Byron when he enters behind me.
“Tonight's entertainment.” Music begins playing and it’s “Für Elise,” just like my dance with Cal. “But first, we dance.” Byron takes my hand and I follow his lead as we chassé across the dance floor.
Each step pools more nausea in my stomach until acid starts creeping up my throat, readying to spill out all over Byron’s white shirt.
Every now and then I look up and see him peering down at me like I’m some prize he won at a fair, by cheating his way to the win.
He will not win. Not me. Not Cal’s empire. In the end, I’ll make damn sure that Byron has nothing. Even if Cal is never found, I will fight for what belongs to him.
I decide to break the silence with a simple question. “So, how’d you manage to take over if Cal isn’t even presumed dead?”
Byron extends his arm with my hand in his and twirls me around before pulling me snug to his chest. “It’s easy to take over when there is no one to stop you. Ellis Empire might not be legally mine…yet,” he snickers, “but as far as all the staff go, I am in control now. Out with the old and in with the new. It’s only a matter of time before his body is found and the estate is settled.”
Byron missteps, causing me to step on his shoe, and I grumble under my breath. He’s a terrible dancer.
The music comes to a stop and Byron takes a step back, still gripping my left hand in his. “You must be tired after the events of the last twenty-four hours. I have one more surprise before you can settle into your room with dinner. I expect you to get a good night's sleep, because we have a busy day tomorrow.”
“Can’t wait to see what my next surprise is.” My words are laced with sarcasm, and I’m beginning to realize that even pretending with this guy is damn near impossible. “I’m feeling pretty thirsty, though. Would you mind getting us something to drink? Wine, perhaps?”
Byron’s expression shifts unceremoniously to one of anger. His voice rises. “You can’t wait two damn minutes, so I can show you my surprise?”
My eyes shoot wide at his outburst. He’s completely unhinged. “Okay,” I say quietly, “show me your surprise.”
Byron’s scowl turns into a beaming smile. Almost too excitedly, he pulls out his phone and begins tapping into it. A sinister glance at me and he walks over to the projector and grabs the remote.
The white screen fills immediately.
I gasp at the sight in front of me. My knees buckle, and I stumble, trying to catch my fall.
“What the hell is this?” I sputter, now looking at Byron who’s on one knee with an open jewelry box held out. My voice rises to a scream. “What the fuck did you do to my brother?” Air gets lodged in my throat, and I feel like I’m slowly suffocating.
“Save him and marry me. It’s the only way.”
I walk steadfast toward Byron, who’s still crouched in a proposal stance. My arm extends, and I slap the box out of his hand, sending it flying across the floor. “Marry you? Have you lost your damn mind?”
Byron stands up, grabs my shoulders, and grinds his molars. “Marry me or Mark dies.”
I’m speechless. At a loss for words. My head is spinning so fast that I don’t even know what is real anymore. This has to be a nightmare. I convulse in hysterics and my mind escapes me as my hands begin flailing at Byron. I smack him, punch him, knee him, all while screaming profanities and vile words of hate. I could kill him. I am going to kill him.
A swift slap across my face halts my movements. Byron grabs my wrists, restraining me. “Listen here, you fucking cunt. You will marry me or I’ll kill your goddamn brother. In fact, I’ll kill your entire family. Everything you love will be gone.”
Tears fall recklessly down my cheeks while my already broken heart shatters into tiny pieces. “Why are you doing this? Why me?”
I don’t understand any of this. Byron has Cal’s fortune like he always wanted. He has it all. Why me?
“Because I lied to you. Callum did love you. More than anything in this world. His empire included. I vowed to myself long ago that I would take everything he loved and make it mine.” His cold lips press to mine. I’m too stunned to move or care or react. “You included, Bella. Callum is gone and he’s never coming back; I can promise you that. No one else wants you but me. You have nothing to lose.”
My eyes find the screen once more. Mark is bound and gagged. His head hangs unconsciously with his chin pressed to his chest. I see blood. Lots of blood. He’s really hurt and if I don’t do what Byron wants, I don’t doubt for a second that he will kill my brother.
My face falls into my hands, unable to look at Byron or that screen any longer. What is this life anymore? All I want is normalcy, but I don’t even know what that is. I never have. An orphan at the age of four, who never knew what love truly was until I was eleven years old. All my life, I’ve searched for happiness as if I’d find it behind a closed door. Then I did. I found it when I wasn’t even looking and it took me by storm. Then in the blink of an eye, it was gone. Just like everything that made me feel whole, as temporary as it is, it just vanished. He vanished.