"You don't have to do it, Oli." Willow assures me. "You don't."
"I know," I lie, but I do have to, there is no get out clause, no loophole.
It takes an hour at most for the movers to get everything I own out of the apartment. There’s no point taking furniture or anything like that, so it’s being left and sold with the penthouse. Everything of value is in my boxes, clothes neatly packed in suitcases and bags. I stand at the side of the road as the vans pull away, watching as they disappear around the corner.
I don’t know what to expect. I haven’t yet been to Malakai’s house, have no idea where it even is, which is a daunting thought on its own.
In the weeks after the agreement, after he let my sister and her boyfriend go, he was silent, letting me fall into a false sense of security, but then I received a message from him a few days ago. I was expected tomove back and be ready to relocate by the end of the week. I’d procrastinated for a few days at the start of the week, but when Wednesday rolled around, I knew I couldn’t put it off any longer.
Willow stands at my side protectively as a car pulls up, and a stoic looking man climbs out. Dressed in a dark suit with sunglasses covering his eyes, he steps onto the sidewalk, ahead of the two of us. I can't see his eyes, but I know they're assessing me, judging me.
"Miss Lauder?" He asks, voice deep and no nonsense. My internal alarm bells start to ring, heart thumping chaotically inside my chest.
"That's me," I hate the shake in my voice but there’s no hiding it.
"I'll be your driver today," he opens the back door to the Mercedes idling at the side of the road, "Mr. Farrow has requested I take you straight to Silver Lake."
"Speak now and I'll get us out of here." Willow hisses in my ear, her tone giving away her own fear for me.
"I'll text you," I tell her, giving her one last hug.
She pleads with her bright blue eyes, but I take that step away from her, scanning her features like this will be the last time I see her. I memorize the exact shade of her red hair, and the smattering of freckles she's always hated, remembering the blue of her eyes and the pink gloss she loves so much, she wears it every day.
"See you soon." I tell her before I turn my back and get into the car, the heat chasing away the January chill that had settled on my body.
My driver says nothing as he climbs into the frontseat, pulling into traffic. In the silence I watch the city roll by, people going about their lives, laughing, and drinking coffee, wrapped up tight in their thick coats and bundled under layers of hats and scarves and gloves. The sky tumbles with grey clouds, an ominous feeling sinking into my gut as the car weaves through the city.
It's when we start hitting the outer limits, the buildings becoming less and less that the fear and anxiety truly settle in. They roll like a swarm of angry wasps in the pit of my stomach, making my palms clammy and my legs ache with the urge to run.
It's another hour before the car begins to slow, and the only thing that surrounds us is open space on one side, and a sprawling forest on the other, the road quiet and seemingly abandoned.
We stop at a set of large black gates, a wall over ten feet tall bracketing either side, and the driver punches in a code before the gates start to slide open.
I have no words as the tires roll through, bringing us into a place that can only be calledparadise.
I've grown up with money, I’m used to wealth and privilege, used to the glam and the prestige, but this is a whole other league. The road we currently idle down is bordered by pristine, well-tended lawn; trees bare as they make a line around the perimeter to hide the imposing wall that surrounds the whole area. A large marble fountain sits in the center of the lawn, the water off since the harsh winter will only freeze it, but I can imagine how beautiful it would be in the warmer months. I see stables in the distance, horses out to graze in the meadows that are just beyond aline of wooden fences, separating that part of the estate.
But up ahead, right in the center, with a backdrop of what appears to be a never-ending forest, is probably the largest house I have ever seen.
It's in a U shape, made up of red brick and black beams with a Tudor style feel to it. A deep-set porch draws my eye, leading to a huge oak wood door. Chimneys let out smoke that slithers into the sky like snakes and warm light spills from the large windows, cutting through the gloom.
It’s not what I had been expecting at all.
There's a circular drive at the front of the house with several expensive vehicles parked around it, but I can also see a seven-vehicle garage to the side, which no doubt houses more luxury cars.
But despite the size of the property, despite the cars and the light, there is not a single soul to be seen.
My breath is caught somewhere in my throat, both awe and fear wrapping around me as the car comes to a gentle stop and the driver gets out.
My door is opened, but my body is frozen to the leather seats.
"Welcome to Silver Lake Estate, Miss Lauder, Mr. Farrow is expecting you inside." My driver says, those dark glasses still covering his eyes, even with the lack of sun.
I still don't move, swallowing the nausea that churns in my stomach.
I can’t do this.
This can’t be my life.
