Something unexpected coiled through me as I watched her endure. Her stubbornness was steel wrapped in softness, a fire I hadn’t seen in girls her age in a really long while.
For the first time in ages, I felt something twist beneath my discipline. I wasn’t sure what it was, but somehow, I knew it wasn’t good for me. Her defiance was welcome in my house because it meant this was just another challenge, another conquest.
I didn’t care how stubborn and unyielding she was; I wasn’t going to stop until she broke. And she would break. It was only a matter of time.
Chapter 9 – Scarlett
They told me he was dangerous.
They were wrong. He was the devil himself—an evil entity who preyed on the innocent. The monster had a bone to pick with my father, but in that wicked mind of his, he thought it was best to involve me. I had nothing to do with whatever he and my father had going on.
I wasn’t there when they had their falling out; I had no idea what exactly caused his hatred of Mercer. Yet somehow, here I was, stuck in the middle of their madness. Why should I have to pay for Mercer’s crimes?
My father was sick and bedridden, but even in that state, he still managed to add to my sorrow. I regretted being his daughter because nothing good had ever come out of it. Being a Carter had only caused me pain and heartbreak, and now it had landed me in trouble.
How the hell did Mercer even get mixed up with this monster? What business did they have with each other? What did he do to make this man hate him so much that he thought hurting me was the best way to get to him?
This man had never been a part of my life; he’d never brought me joy or any sort of happiness. Not once. Not ever. But his enemy believed I was the center of his world.
What a joke!
How was I the center of his world when he never gave a shit about me?
My hatred for him had doubled by now because I blamed him for my predicament. And why the hell would my captor even think Mercer cared so much for me? What the actual fuck was going on here?
I hadn’t seen the man in years, and the first time he called for me, I was kidnapped only a few days later. Right now, Icouldn’t help thinking that my father was the weapon fashioned against me. Every pain and heartbreak I’d ever felt was caused by him. And it pissed me off that he was the reason I was in this situation today.
Hadn’t he done enough already?
My captor thought my father cared for me; he was wrong. Mercer only cared about himself. I still didn’t understand why he asked to see me the other day, but I was certain it wasn’t because he cared.
If he did, he would’ve at least attempted to answer my questions, but he never did. I believed in my heart that his reason for reaching out was selfish. I couldn’t prove it yet, but I knew it was true.
The fact that I still had a million and one unanswered questions only fanned the flames of my fury.
I paced back and forth in the room that held me prisoner—a space more sophisticated than my apartment. The hanging chandelier alone looked expensive enough to cover my rent for two years in a row.
This room reeked of wealth and luxury—the kind that made one feel like royalty. The furniture was state-of-the-art, designed for comfort and convenience. The bed was twice the size of mine back at my place. The pillows were fluffy, and so was the mattress.
A massive flat-screen TV was mounted on the wall across the bed. The air smelled of lavender and peppermint tea, and the polished marble floor was spotless. Even the food was great, although I hated myself for admitting it.
I’d been here for two days now and was only allowed to roam the mansion. I often spent my afternoons wandering the halls, drinking in the majesty of the building and the artworks that adorned its walls.
The place was gorgeous, every detail oozing grandeur and sophistication. Yet, despite all the luxury the space exuded, it still felt like a prison.
I didn’t know what my captor wanted from me or what he meant when he said I would pay for my father’s crimes. He didn’t strike me as a man who spoke empty words. If he said I was going to suffer, he must already have planned how to carry it out.
My jailer clearly had no heart, no conscience at all, and I wasn’t going to stick around to find out what he had in store for me. I had to get out of here before it was too late.
Even though I’d been here for only two days, I’d already begun memorizing the guards’ rotations and the layout of the entire building. The security here was airtight, and the mean-faced men guarding this fortress were all twice my size.
I noticed a loophole in their patrol pattern between 12:00 a.m. and 12:20 a.m. It was a small window, but if I moved fast enough to grab that chance, it might just be my way out of here.
There was a hidden gate near the manicured gardens at the back. Although I wasn’t sure where it led, I was certain it would take me beyond the fence of this cursed compound.
I didn’t need a key to unlock it. From a distance, I’d noticed that the gap between the base and the ground was wide enough for my petite frame to slip through. I could easily crawl to the other side.
This was an opportunity that I couldn’t miss out on.
