“Not particularly. But you’ll drive my staff insane if you don’t stop talking to the paintings.”
Her laugh turned into a grin. “Fine. But I’m not wearing anything you pick.”
I smirked. “That depends on what you choose instead.”
“Can I ask you something before we leave, Avgust?”
She had never taken my name before. It felt strange, but I sat down on the chair opposite her anyway.
“Yes.”
“What are you planning to do with me?”
The question hit home.
“What do you mean?” I kept my expression neutral.
“You bought me from an auction and married me to keep me safe. You have been keeping me inside this house for a week now, and you haven’t tried to touch me. You are clearly not like any of the other men that were present in that ballroom on the night of the auction, but you haven’t tried to return me to my family either. You haven’t introduced me to your family either. So what is this supposed to be? A secret for a lifetime? I will be your prisoner forever?”
“How do you know I have family?”
“The staff talks,” she replied simply.
I will have to make sure they stop.
“Do you want to contact your family, Ilana?” I asked her, and she nodded.
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because they must be worried sick for me.”
“I made it a point to check every police precinct in Miami, and nothing has been filed as a missing report for Ilana Walters. Or any Ilana, for that matter. Why do you want to return to a family that isn’t looking for you?”
I watched her expression grow confused, then fill with something akin to disbelief.
“Are you certain?”
“Positive.”
She remained silent.
“I don’t know what I am planning to do with you, Ilana, but I know that you are my wife now, and I intend to keep you safe. And right now, letting you go out there will be anything but safe. The men who kidnapped you might come for you again, or anyone from the auction who remembers your face. I have already forced you into my world, but I need time to introduce you to it.”
“So this is it? I will be your prisoner forever.” It was more of a statement than a question this time.
“No, Ilana. You will be my wife.”
I stood up and left the room, not knowing what else to say to her. I could let her hate me as much as she wanted to, but I could not let her go. Not right now. Not like this. She was mine to protect, even if she didn’t understand that she needed my protection.
***
An hour later, I was in my office finalizing a call when something in the air shifted.
Everything felt silent.
The house was never truly silent. There was always some movement, of footsteps, murmured voices, and the faint hum of security. But now, there was nothing.
