“Jonah and I were just talking about work,” The Director said and shook Mr. White’s hand.
I swallowed the food in my mouth, glancing at the burning candle and the two glasses of wine. It did look romantic.
Mr. White took the seat next to me. “Jonah, you look as lovely as ever.”
I forced myself to meet his eyes. Many things scared me, with Mr. White being high on the list. I’d only met him a handful of times, and he invited me to the room with the sky each time. He always made me take the drug that pulled the truth from the depths of my soul, and it always ended the same way—withneedles. He would either use them on me or watch me use them on myself.
“What brings you over?” The Director asked, his posture stiffer than usual.
“I was just in the neighborhood.” He chuckled. “You know how much I enjoy my visits. I own three houses, but it’s here that I feel the most… myself.” He plucked a piece of tofu from my plate and held it in front of my mouth.
I drew a breath and leaned down to grab the tofu with my teeth.
“Any update on our troublemaker?” Mr. White asked, picking up another piece. “Is he still playing hard to get?”
I leaned forward again to eat what he held between his fingers, my face growing warm.
“Nathan isn’t showing progress,” The Director said flatly.
Ever since Nathan had attacked me when I tried to speak with him, I pretended he didn’t exist. Despite my work at the dungeon, I had an unwritten understanding with The Director about being excused from Nathan’s failed shoots.
“It might be time to move him somewhere else,” The Director said. “I’ve done what I could.”
“Oh, I’m sure that’s not true. You know we can’t just ship people away like we used to with this beingour only estate. No, this needs to be handled here, unless we decide that death is the only other option. Am I right, Jonah?”
Death? I didn’t want my opinion to carry any weight in making such a decision.
When the silence grew awkward, I met Mr. White’s gaze. He rarely blinked, making me more aware of my own blinking. Thecandlelight illuminated the left side of his dark face. “I’m sorry, what was the question?”
“The question was whether you think that Nathan should be given more chances to improve, or whether killing him is the logical course of action.”
I crossed my arms, feeling queasy. “I don’t think anyone should be killed.”
“Even after how he treated you? I was told he cracked two of your ribs.”
“Three, and it’s not about me. But I do agree that we should find a different solution. We’ve tried to make him see sense, but he doesn’t listen.”
Mr. White arched an eyebrow. “We?”
I clamped my lips shut and held my arms tighter around me.
“You’ve done well with our Jonah,” Mr. White said. “However, I have been hearing from several of our members that they miss his videos. Some even thought he was no longer with us.”
I nervously glanced at The Director, who said, “I wasn’t aware of such concerns.” He gave a tight smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “I’ll be sure to amend that.”
Mr. White stroked my cheek. “I, too, hate the thought of seeing precious Jonah hurt, but we all have our roles to play, don’t we?”
I nodded numbly. “Yes, sir.”
“Would you mind calling Nathan over?” Mr. White asked The Director. “I’d like to have a word with our stubborn friend.”
The Director cleared his throat, and one of the guards approached. “Please bring Nathan over, Anton.”
“Yes, sir.”
“How is your dear brother?” Mr. White asked, still gently stroking my cheek. I knew his acts weren’t sexual; he had plenty of opportunities to sleep with me. This was about making me uncomfortable so he could feed on my reactions.
“Eliot is busy with his club.”
