Serena's POV
That evening I tried the doorknob, it gave way, no guards, no locked door, so I explored.
The estate was vast, endless corridors, shuttered rooms, locked doors. I made my way to the ground floor and worked my way up from there. I found the library on the ground floor, rows and rows of bookshelves filled to the brim with books. I walked up to the second floor, the floor my room was in, there were two other doors on this floor but they were locked. No one else lived on this floor as far as I knew. I walked up to the third floor, the hallway was eerily silent and cold. I remembered Olivia telling me this was Damian's floor, his room, his study was on this floor. He lived on this floor.
I listened intently, it was quiet no sign of life, either Damian was somewhere else in the estate, out of the estate or asleep in his room. I should have probably turned around but a burning curiosity inside propelled me forward as I took my first steps forward on the hallway, listening for any sounds but heard nothing. There was three doors on this floor, I assumed the last one at the end of the hallway was his bedroom. I tried the first door, it was locked. I moved forward and tried the second one and surprisingly, it gave way. I hesitated but a quick look around the hallway confirmed I was alone so I pushed the door open and walked in, closing the door softly behind me.
A quick scan told me this was Damian's study. It was dark and strangely felt empty. The interior gave off a vintage feel, from the bookshelf in the corner to the mahogany desk in the center. I stalked over to the table, my finger running over the edges as I walked. Staring at the large office chair in front of the desk, I thought to myself so this was where Damian sat and made decisions, it had an imposing aura. I suddenly had the urge to sit on it and I acted on it. I settled into the chair nicely wondering how Damian felt when he sat here when I saw it. Tucked beneath a stack of papers, barely visible beneath a leather bound ledger:
A file.
Not just any file, my name was on it.
SERENA ROSSI
Confidential.
I stared at it, my heart thudding.
Why did Damian have a file on me?
Seconds ticked by like eternity as I stared at the file, an internal war. Should I open it?, I mentally slapped myself. Of course I should, it had my name on it. I carefully took out the file and flipped it open.
Tucked inside, like something hidden in shame was a cheque. My name printed in black ink. The amount? Ten million dollars.
Ten. Million. Dollars.
My breath caught.
I flipped it over and there it was, a contract. Signed. Sealed. Legal.
Bride Exchange Treaty
Subject: Serena Rossi
Amount: $10,000,000 USD
Terms: Non-negotiable. No withdrawal.
I didn't even realize I was shaking until the papers slipped from my hands. They bought me. My father. My family. Damian. This wasn't a peace treaty or any of that nonsense, I was a transaction. A business deal.
The tears came hot and fast, but I didn't wipe them away. I let them fall, let them burn tracks down my face as I clutched the edge of the desk to stay upright. Then I picked up the papers and marched down the hall. Full of rage I marched to the last door on the third floor and opened it. It gave way but when I looked inside, it was empty, Damian wasn't in his room. I slammed the door shut and headed down the stairs.
Damian was in the parlor, as if he'd been waiting for me. The fire behind him cast shadows across his face, making him look like a statue carved in marble, cold and unmoving. He wasn't here earlier which confirmed my guess that he was outside and only just came in.
I threw the cheque at his feet.
He didn't even blink.
"You bought me", I hissed.
"Ten million dollars. That's what I'm worth to you?"
His flicked down to the paper, then back to mine.
"No", he said flatly. "That's what your father charged"
"Don't you dare blame this on him alone. You signed it. You took the deal"
He stood slowly, that towering calm of his only fueling my rage.
"You want the truth?", he asked.
"Fine. I didn't want a wife-", he stopped.
"We..." he continued.
"...wanted leverage. And you... were available. For whatever reason your family wanted money so it turned out to be a good deal"
"A good deal", I repeated, my voice cracking.
"Did Lorenzo know?"
His jaw hardened.
"No", he gritted out.
Of course not. Lorenzo didn't seem like he would go ahead with something like this not like him.
"You don't care about me at all"
His gaze didn't soften, not even a flicker.
"I never said I did"
I stared at him stunned. The gall, the cruelty.
"You're a monster", I spat.
"Stop playing the victim", he snapped. "You're not some helpless girl locked in a tower. You're a Rossi. And I'm sure some part of you had an idea walked into this, knowing exactly what you were walking into"
"No", I said, voice low. "I walked into this thinking I'd marry a man who might respect me or at least see me as human"
His jaw clenched.
"And yet", he said quietly, "you're here. Aren't you?"
I didn't know what to say to that. Because I was still here and I hated myself for it.
That night, I couldn't sleep. The walls of the estate seemed to lean in, too heavy with silence. I curled beneath the sheets but the cold of what I had discovered wouldn't leave me.
Around 3 am, I heard it again. The creak, then another. What sounded like footsteps outside my door. I got up from the bed, pressed my ear to the door and listened, heart hammering in my chest but heard nothing else. The conversation I overheard yesterday echoed in my head.
I couldn't live like this, there were more secrets buried in this house and I was done being kept in the dark.