MAYA
I swallowed the lump in my throat and forced my sarcasm to the surface.
It was the only weapon I had left.
“Wow, Silas.
Look at her paw.
I didn’t realize I’d have to deal with a wild animal on my first night.
Are those claws real, or did you buy them for her?”
Isabella was ready to explode.
“Silas, get this—”
”Enough,” Silas interrupted.
He turned to me.
“You.
I’m taking you upstairs to your room.”
”A maid can do that!” Isabella snapped.
“Don’t bother with this—”
”I’ll do it,” Silas cut her off again.
He turned to me with a glare, his eyes clearly saying: I told you to shut that mouth of yours.
“I still have things to say about the rules of this house.
Things she needs to hear from me.
In private.”
Isabella stomped her foot, her eyes welling up with tears.
She didn’t say another word as she turned and stormed out, slamming the study door behind her.
The silence in the room thickened.
Silas just stood there, staring at me with those unreadable blue eyes.
I took a step back, my heart thumping against my chest.
Why was he looking at me like that?
He took a step forward, and I kept moving until my back hit the wall.
He didn’t stop until he was right in my space.
He looked down at my chest, watching it heave as I struggled to breathe.
I knew my cheeks were red.
I hated it.
I didn’t want to admit that having him this close was doing anything to me, but my body was acting like it wanted him this close, even if my mind didn’t.
Silas reached out.
He grabbed one of my hands first.
Then he grabbed the other.
He joined my wrists together and shoved them over my head, pinning them against the wall.
I was trapped.
I was panting now, my heart racing so fast it hurt.
“What are you doing, Silas?”
His gaze dropped to my lips.
He leaned down, his breath warm against my ear.
“You had a lot to say earlier, Maya.
Something about…
bouncing on it and baby-making practice?”
He pulled back just enough to look me in the eyes.
“Do you want to start that practice now?
Daddy is waiting.”
My face burned.
The proximity, his voice, the way his hands felt on mine.
It was too much.
I almost forgot where I was.
But then, I remembered.
A thought sliced through the fog in my brain.
He had just kissed Isabella.
He had his mouth on her only minutes ago, and now he was pinning me to a wall?
Her lipstick was probably still on him.
Did he think I was that easy?
I thought of Liam, and the heat in my face vanished.
Did he think I’d just forget Liam for a guy who played games?
He wasn’t going to play me like this.
My fear turned into a glare.
I saw a flicker of confusion cross his face.
“Let go,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady.
He didn’t move.
He just stared at me, his brow slightly furrowed.
“I said let go of me,” I repeated firmly.
Finally, he did.
He released my wrists and took a step back, still looking at me like I was a puzzle he couldn’t solve.
I straightened my clothes, trying to find my dignity.
“You said you were taking me to my room.
You said you had more rules to tell me.”
I looked toward the door where Isabella had disappeared.
I might as well know them if I’m going to survive here.
If she’s willing to slap me on day one, I need to be ready for whatever else is coming.
Silas nodded slowly.
The confusion vanished, replaced by his usual cold mask.
“A word of advice, Maya,” he said, turning toward the door.
“Don’t say things you aren’t capable of doing.”
He didn’t wait for an answer.
He walked out of the study, and I followed, staring at the broad span of his back.
As we reached the hallway, my breath hitched.
I thought the entrance was grand, but the staircase was on another level seeing it up close.
It looked like it belonged in a palace.
It was all marble and gold, with a chandelier that probably cost more than my father’s entire company.
On our way up, two maids stopped immediately.
They didn’t just step aside; they bowed low and stayed perfectly still.
They were like statues until we were several steps past them.
I looked back and watched them finally breathe again.
It hit me then that they didn’t just work for him.
They treated him like a king.
A scary, powerful king who owned everything they had.