It wasn’t just the threat that made my pulse quicken; it was the way he said it and the cold look in his eyes. He meant every word.
I glanced around, imagining what a whole month down here would feel like. Only one word popped into my head: hell. A few empty cells sat toward the left side of the basement, with no visible windows.
The only source of light down here was this fluorescent bulb. Once it was turned off, the whole space would be plunged into absolute darkness.
The more I thought about the experience, the more humbled I became. Living like an animal in a cage and not seeing the sun for thirty days wasn’t something I wanted to try.
“Upstairs,” he growled. “Now.”
He didn’t have to yell to inflict fear; his words carried the kind of authority that would make you obey without question.
I hesitated for only a fraction of a second before ascending the stairs. I’d been busted. My plan was ruined, and I was back to square one.
My legs trembled beneath me as I made my way back to my room. By now, the guards had returned to their stations, patrolling the halls with watchful eyes. None of them stopped me or bothered to ask what I was doing out here at this time of night.
That was when I realized they all knew about my attempted escape. They’d just let me make a fool of myself. A wave of anger and embarrassment washed over me, with the latter especially strong.
How the hell did they even find out about my plans? Did Agata snitch on me? But she didn’t know because I didn’t tell her anything.
It didn’t matter how they found out. I’d been caught. And I’d been warned.
I walked into my room, slammed the door behind me, and collapsed onto the bed. Better a comfortable bed than a cold concrete floor. Better a gilded cage than a real one.
I threw my hands under my head as I stared blankly into space.
Gilded cage or not, the fact remained that there was no hope of leaving this place anytime soon.
How long was I going to be trapped here? What exactly was Karik’s plan for me?
Chapter 10 – Karik
I didn’t expect she’d pull a stunt like that, at least not so soon. Her strange behavior over the past couple of days had caught my attention. I noticed she was unusually cooperative and spent most of her time wandering the mansion.
On several occasions, I caught her taking mental notes of the building’s exit locations. Not just that, but every day she would explore the compound, and to the average eye, that walk was harmless.
But I knew better. She wasn’t strolling out of boredom. No. She was meticulously studying her environment, looking for loopholes in the guards’ rotation. That’s how I knew she was planning her escape.
For days, I watched her through the secret cameras she had no idea existed. She was careful not to draw unnecessary attention to herself, but it was too late. She already had my full attention.
Sergei thought it was wise to shut down whatever she was planning before she could carry it out. However, I refused to intercept the operation. I wanted to know how far she was willing to go.
A part of me was intrigued by her bravery and determination. Agata was a loyal staff member, but she was tricked into spilling more than she was supposed to. That’s how Ellie learned about the passage in the basement.
I thought she wasn’t going to make it down there because the door was locked. But she proved me wrong. She picked the lock with just a hair clip. Neat trick for a law-abiding citizen.
It was fortunate that I was already in the basement that night. She would’ve made it through the passage, but her chances of survival would’ve dropped by twenty percent.
Not because the Sokolov Syndicate would’ve found her in a few days. But because the woods beyond this secret passage were home to venomous snakes and spiders.
Even with a flashlight, she still wouldn’t have been safe from those creeping creatures. Ellie didn’t know this, but I’d saved her life by stopping her from escaping.
She would’ve either been bitten by a venomous snake or the Sokolov Syndicate would’ve gotten to her. Either way, she would’ve been in bigger trouble.
At this point, the only safe place for her on earth was here. The more I thought about it, the more the crazy idea in my head began to take shape.
The Sokolov Syndicate already believed she was my fiancée. The Bratva, on the other hand, was still on my neck to find a wife. If I played this right, I could kill two birds with one stone.
My Uncle Pavel had made it clear that if I didn’t find myself a wife soon, the Bratva would do it for me. Taking Ellie as my bride would keep the Bratva off my back for good.
