MAYA
I squeezed the blazer against my chest, my heart hammering.
I couldn’t unsee it.
The image was branded into my mind.
Isabella on her knees, her hand inside Silas’s briefs, and the smug look of victory on her face when she saw me.
The humiliation stung.
I hadn’t even processed the shock of touching Silas while I was half-asleep, dreaming of Liam.
To walk in on that immediately after was too much.
I felt like I had betrayed Liam by touching Silas, and seeing Isabella there only made the mistake feel so much worse.
I just wanted to disappear.
I shoved my bedroom door open, desperate for my own space.
But I halted at the doorway.
Julian was on my bed, shirtless and grinning with his hands behind his head.
He looked perfectly at home.
It was an annoying sight.
How did he get here so fast?
He must have been lurking in the hallway, waiting for me to come back.
They were really out to get me.
Every single one of them.
I rolled my eyes at him as I threw the blazer onto a chair.
I didn’t have time for this.
I needed to wash the scent of Silas’s sheets off my skin.
I kept my eyes forward and headed for the wardrobe to see if there was anything I could change into.
“Good morning, sweetheart.
Sleep well?”
I didn’t say a word.
“Did Isabella interrupt something?” he asked.
“Is that why you’re so cranky this morning?”
I bit my tongue, dying to snap back at him.
“You don’t have to look so miserable,” he continued, sitting up slightly.
“If Silas is too busy with Isabella to give you what you need, I’m right here.
You know where my room is.”
That was it.
I’d had enough.
“Get out,” I snapped, pulling the wardrobe doors open.
Inside, rows of expensive clothes met my eyes.
All high-end brands.
I pulled a dress from the rack and checked the tag.
My size.
I checked another, then another.
Every single one was a perfect fit.
A cold shiver went down my spine.
The precision of it was terrifying.
To have my exact measurements meant they had been studying me long before I ever stepped foot in this house.
This wasn’t a gift; it was a message.
They already knew everything about me.
I picked up a red thong, staring at the small scrap of fabric in disbelief.
“I picked that one myself,” Julian said from the bed.
“I thought red would suit your temper.”
I turned to face him, the fabric still in my hand.
He was really leaning into this act, and it was starting to get to me.
“Do you like it?” he smirked.
He didn’t even try to look away; his eyes traveled shamelessly over my body.
I threw the red thong at his face with all my strength.
“Fuck you!”
He caught it easily with one hand, a short laugh escaping him.
“Careful.
Keep asking like that and I might say yes,” he said, dangling the silk from his fingers.
He tilted his head, his eyes locking onto mine.
“Tell me, Maya.
Does Liam like red too?
Or is he more of a black lace guy?”
The asshole.
He knew about the contract, and now Liam.
How dare he even speak his name.
“Leave!” I screamed.
I didn’t wait for him to move.
I grabbed a set of clothes and a towel, bolting into the bathroom and slamming the door.
I turned the lock and leaned my back against it, my chest heaving as I tried to process how I’d survive in this mansion.
I leaned my forehead against the cold shower tile, my breath hitching.
Finally alone, I let my mind race.
Five hundred million dollars.
How could my father have possibly spent that much?
I had been at the company every day.
I was the reason we hadn’t gone bankrupt, yet he had kept me in the dark while he signed me over as collateral.
Even Marcus had stayed silent.
The betrayal still felt unreal.
Then there was the job.
Working as an assistant for Silas at Blackwood Holdings was just a cover-up for a forced marriage.
A pretty lie for an ugly truth.
My legs felt weak, and I slid down the wall until my knees hit the floor.
I was just so done.
I realized then that I had no one.
No real friends to call, no family to turn to.
I was completely alone in this mansion.
Then I thought about Liam, and the ache of missing him was more than I could handle.
I turned the water on, shivering as the spray hit my skin, letting it wash away the tears as I finally broke down.
I didn’t even wait for it to get warm.
I finally forced myself to stand and turned off the water.
Stepping out, I looked around the massive bathroom.
Every expensive gold fixture and marble surface felt like a reminder that I was just another item they owned.
I looked in the mirror.
My eyes were puffy and red.
I wrapped a thick towel around myself and clutched my clothes to my chest.
I headed back into the bedroom, certain Julian would have grown bored and left by now.
But he was still there.
I groaned.
He hadn’t moved an inch.
I glared at him as his eyes moved over me, taking in how little the towel actually covered.
“Get out!” I screamed.
I marched toward the door to shove him out, but the handle turned before I could reach it.
The door swung inward.
Silas walked in, wearing a black suit.
Even though I hated him, his presence felt safer than Julian’s.
Silas took one look at my puffy eyes before his gaze shifted to Julian.
He didn’t look surprised.
He looked like he’d expected to find his brother here.
Julian stood up slowly, dangling the red thong from his fingers with a wide smile.
“You’re late, brother,” Julian laughed, his eyes darting between Silas and my towel.
“She gave me a souvenir.
I guess she prefers a man who actually knows what to do with her, rather than someone who just watches her sleep.”
The lie hung in the air.
Silas didn’t say a word.
He moved with terrifying speed, landing a heavy blow to Julian’s jaw.
The sound of the hit echoed in the room.
Julian staggered back, hitting the floor.
I bit my lip to keep from screaming.
Julian stayed on the floor, propping himself up on one elbow.
He spat out a bit of blood, but that bloody grin was already returning to his face.
“Take it easy,” Julian chuckled, rubbing his jaw.
“If you wanted a threesome, you should’ve just asked.
I’m sure she would’ve played along.”
I felt a wave of disgust, but Silas ignored him as if he were nothing more than an annoying fly.
He didn’t even look down.
Instead, he turned his gaze to me.
I searched his face for any sign that he knew Julian was lying, but I found nothing.
I wanted to scream that it was a lie, but the way he was looking at me stopped me.
It made me feel sick.
He actually thought it was true.
He believed him.
I could see it in his eyes.
He’d already judged me.
“Get dressed,” Silas said, already turning toward the door.
“We’re leaving.”