I was still reeling from the image I just saw, but I can't focus on it longer, question after question kept popping up in my head , the name aurore had hit me like a blow to the chest , wiping the rage right off my face . It was a whisper from the dreams, the archaic sound that lived in the dark corners of my mind. I couldn't breathe . My gaze lift . Not to the gold antique furnishings, but to his eyes , which were no longer just intense , they were knowing . He didn't just saved Me.
He knew me.
Blake waited,his smirk having faded into something colder and predatory . He was enjoying the disintegration of my control.
I slammed my palm down on the table , the small sharp sound echoing in the massive room. I had to fight while I still can remember how. " the key " I shocked out , forcing my voice past the lump in my throat. I gestured toward the keycard that had been resting on the table, waiting to be delivered as a trap.
"And, why the rush? You said tomorrow. Why change the appointment to today? I have a life , Mr. Blake and I need time to settle my affairs" my voice raise .
Blake didn't react to my raised voice. He simply lifted the keycard, his finger brushing the plastic, but his gaze never left my face.
" you still don't understand , aurore," he said using the dream name again , twisting the the knife further. " when something is mine, i require immediate access, your life, your affairs , your little blue dress... they are all minor distractions , I decide that I want you here by tonight. You will not be sleeping alone in that apartment again."
He pause, the silence stretching until my ears felt full of the mansion's quiet pressure.
" and for your information, the appointment hadn't changed, the terms simply got updated. Your role is not to question the term , but to fulfill them, do you understand?"
Blake's calm intensity was a hammers against my panic. My finger were trembling, but I force my hand to stay flat on the table, let calm down, let not argue about this. " I...I understand that I have a life debt," I say, my voice dangerously even . " But if it's not money, then what is the cost of my repayment? Be specific, Mr. Blake..." I don't want it to be my body.
Blake let out a sound that wasn't quite a laugh , it was too satisfied, too low. He sat down and lean in his chair , taking his time , enjoying the fact that he held all the card.
" the cost is simple, aurore," he said using again that name like a secret searing brand. " the debt is paid with your time , your presence , and your absolute focus on me!, I require that you are here, under my roof , where I can ensure you remain a 'fixed asset', shall we say."
He picked up a solid silver utensils and tapped it lightly against the edge of his glass . " no more careless walking into traffic. No more distractions like your friends , iris, and certainly no more nightmares about a man you can't quite remember, I won't have you wandering around like pigeons who just misplace her one good seed . It's a miracle you've made it this far without getting run over by a more competent predator " He says with a smile .
I push myself back from the table , my gorge rising. " I'm your secretary now , Mr. Blake , not your personal property! Why do you want me to live with you? , what does that arrangement entail!?, do you expect me to be a servant , a security guard?..." I couldn't bring myself to say the word mistress . That word gross me out and give me goosebumps.
Blake's gaze darkened , becoming fathomless he push his chair back with a smooth , decisive motion, standing up towards over me.
" I want you to live with me," he stated, his voice now low and utterly devoid of warmth, " because your memory is broken, and mine is whole , you were careless with our debt in the past and I will not allow history to repeat itself."
He walk around the table toward me , his height making the room shrink .
" and as for what expect?, I expect you to remember me. You belong here. You belong to me, this is not a suggestion, and it certainly not a negotiation , it is a correction."
Blake's gaze remain intense, commanding total submission. I could feel the cold plastic of the keycard pressing into my hand. Blake passed me the keycard. Our hand barely touches.
I took a shallow breath, refusing to break eye contact. " I understand the terms," I retorted, the lie tasting like dust. " but what if I don't do what you want? What if I choose to ignore this debt, Mr. Blake? And simply walk out that door?" That it .
A profound silence descended on the vast room, broken only by the distant, rhythmic drip of water, Blake didn't raise his voice . He even moved. The terror was in his absolute stillness.
"You won't," he finally stated, his voice a flat , dead certainty that was somehow scarier than any shout . " because if you walk out ,aurore, I will bankrupt your father's company. I will dismantle the foundation he built over thirty years, piece by piece , until he is left with nothing but debt and a disgrace name . And then I'll ensure he knows exactly which choice of yours sealed his fated"
The threat hit me like a physical blow . Not against my job , but against my family, against the one thing I held truly sacred.
My professional composure disintegrated.
Blake watched my face , the raw devastation in my eye feeding his quiet satisfaction. " now that we've cleared up the consequences of disobedience, let's address the terms of your stay,"
He lean forward slightly. " and...are you afraid swan?, afraid of being a mistress!"
The word. Mistress, was a splash of ice water . I flinched violently, stepping back so quickly my heel caught on the carpet, I fought to harden my gaze , he is toying with me from threats to another, I force my eye to bore into his , willing him to see my hatred.
He didn't blink . A small , knowing smile played on his lips . " don't bother with the warriors pose, I know your secrets, Aurora, I know everything about you, I know the full history of our lives. And I know even your fears, and by that I mean that I know you haven't dated a single Man . Haven't taken a lover , never been kissed , your first time is still entirely intact."
The information was a brutal violation , how could he possibly know that? The private truth made my skin crawl, stealing my last ounce of breath and balance . He didn't just know my past , he knew my lack of present . I flet exposed and terrified.
The humiliation was total . My head dropped , my defiance broken, and the words lodged in my throat , I couldn't risk my father being ruin , I couldn't risk the future.
I push my humiliation aside my father name is at risk . " I...I will come," I whisper, the word barely audible. " I agree to your terms , but leave my father and his company out of this!"
Blake nods once, a gesture of absolute finality, the predator had claimed his prize . "Good girl. My driver will take you back . You have exactly one hours to pack the necessities and any documents required for our contract work, nothing else, don't waste time selecting a wardrobe; half of it will be unsuitable anyway, it's truly a testament to your naïveté that you think your fashion sense is the biggest problem in this room."
There was no need to apply more salt in the wound..., He clapped his hands once , the sound sharp and echoing, instantly, the silent butler , materialized at the door . " ensure Ms. smith is escorted back to her apartment, four cars will follow her , she is not to be left alone or interfere with. Tell the driver to return her here promptly." He say lowly.
I clenched my purse again, looking at the butler, he extended his hands towards the door. I was led out of the dining room, debt had been called, the rules were set , and my cage was waiting.
I just meet this person and he is already making my life hard.