I sat in the backseat of Kieran's sleek black car, gripping my suitcase so tightly that my knuckles turned white. The leather seats were cool beneath my fingertips, but I felt suffocated, as if the air inside the car was pressing down on me. Every passing streetlight illuminated Kieran's face for a fleeting second, sharp and unreadable, before the darkness swallowed him again.
The city blurred past, a world I had known for so long slipping further from my grasp. My stomach twisted in knots, the weight of my decision pressing heavily on my chest. I had agreed to this—signed my name on the contract with full knowledge that I was stepping into the unknown. But knowing something and feeling it were two very different things.
Beside me, Kieran drove with an unnerving calmness. One hand rested on the wheel, the other draped lazily over the gear shift. His posture was relaxed, but there was a controlled energy about him, like a predator who knew he had already caught his prey.
"You're quiet," he remarked, his voice cutting through the silence like a blade.
I swallowed hard. "What am I supposed to say?"
Kieran's lips twitched, almost as if he were amused. "Most women would be asking a hundred questions by now. Where are we going? What's expected of them? Who they just married?"
I turned my head to look at him. "And what if I already know the answers to those questions?"
His grip on the wheel tightened, but he didn't look at me. "Then you're smarter than you look."
I clenched my fists in my lap, refusing to let his words get to me. He wanted a reaction—I could feel it in the way his voice dipped slightly, teasing, testing. But I wouldn't give him the satisfaction.
Minutes passed in silence before the car slowed down, approaching a set of massive iron gates. The sleek security system scanned the vehicle before the gates groaned open, revealing a long, winding driveway lined with perfectly trimmed trees. The headlights cast eerie shadows as we drove up toward the looming mansion ahead.
I sucked in a sharp breath.
Kieran's home was breathtakingly massive, a perfect blend of modern design and ruthless luxury. Its towering glass windows reflected the dim glow of the driveway lights, making it look almost otherworldly. But despite its beauty, there was something cold about it. Something that made my skin prickle with unease.
The car rolled to a stop in front of the grand entrance, and Kieran stepped out without a word. I hesitated before opening my own door, my legs slightly shaky as I stepped onto the cool pavement.
Before I could gather my thoughts, the mansion doors swung open, and a tall, older man in a sharply pressed black suit appeared. His silver hair was neatly combed back, and his piercing blue eyes studied me with quiet curiosity.
"This is William, my assistant," Kieran said, walking past me as if I wasn't worth introducing properly.
The man gave me a small, polite nod. "Welcome, Mrs. Weston."
The title made my stomach twist.
I managed a weak smile. "Thank you."
"Mrs. Weston?" A feminine voice called from the entrance.
A beautiful woman, probably in her late forties, emerged from the house, her sharp eyes scanning me from head to toe. She was dressed impeccably in an expensive black dress, her high cheekbones and poised stance radiating authority.
Kieran let out a low sigh, as if this was an inconvenience. "Mother."
I stiffened. This was his mother?
Her lips curved slightly, but there was nothing warm about the gesture. "So, this is the girl you chose?"
I swallowed hard. The way she said "girl" made it sound as though I was some stray cat Kieran had picked up off the street.
Kieran's jaw tensed. "It's done."
His mother's gaze lingered on me before she stepped closer. The scent of expensive perfume wafted around her, suffocating in its intensity.
"You look…ordinary," she mused, tapping a manicured finger against her chin. "But I suppose that was the point."
I flinched inwardly but forced my face to remain neutral. I had met people like her before—people who believed money and power placed them above everyone else. I wasn't about to let her see how much her words affected me.
"I suppose we'll see if you last," she murmured before turning to walk back inside.
Kieran didn't even spare her another glance. Instead, he turned to me. "Let's go."
I hesitated but followed him through the grand entrance. The inside of the mansion was just as breathtaking as the outside—tall ceilings, crystal chandeliers, and pristine marble floors that shone under the warm lights. It was the kind of place I had only ever seen in magazines.
But as I stepped further in, the eerie silence settled into my bones.
There was no warmth here. No signs of life beyond the expensive furniture and perfectly placed artwork. It was a house, not a home.
We reached a grand staircase, and Kieran stopped abruptly, turning toward me.
"Your room is on the left," he said, nodding toward one of the long hallways. "Mine is on the right. Don't mix them up."
I blinked. "We're not…sharing a room?"
The corner of his lips lifted in a half-smirk. "Disappointed?"
I clenched my jaw. "Just surprised."
Kieran leaned in slightly, his voice dropping into something even more unsettling. "Make no mistake, Lauren. You belong to me now. But that doesn't mean I want you in my bed." His dark eyes studied me, unreadable. "Not yet, at least."
I felt my pulse quicken.
Something about the way he said it sent a warning through my veins.
Then, without another word, he turned and disappeared into his room, leaving me standing alone in the dimly lit hallway.
I exhaled shakily and walked toward my room. When I opened the door, I was greeted with an overwhelmingly luxurious space—plush carpets, silk bedding, and a massive floor-to-ceiling window overlooking the city. It was everything I had never had.
And yet, it felt like a prison.
I let my suitcase drop to the floor and sat on the edge of the bed, my head in my hands.
Everything had changed in a matter of hours. I had gone from struggling to survive to being the wife of a man who was as terrifying as he was powerful.
I didn't know what tomorrow would bring.
But something told me that my life was no longer my own.
And I wasn't sure if I would ever get it back.