Chapter 7
RAINEY
"Let me go, Silas," I groaned, struggling against the chains binding me.
Silas grinned as he moved closer, leaning in to trace my chin with the edge of his blade.
"Stop." Blood trickled down my face, thick and red.
"What were you thinking, trying to run away, huh?" He gripped my chin harshly, pressing on the same spot where he had pierced me moments earlier.
"Let me go," I whimpered, shivering. The torture room was cold, too chilling for me to survive another hour here.
"The order was simple: plant the bug in his bedroom and wait for my men," he growled in my ear. "But what did you do, Rainey? You defied my instruction and tried to escape the moment you got an opportunity."
"I can't stay another day. Not with you, Silas," I yelled, spitting in his face.
The wider his smirk grew, the more fear gripped my soul.
"The task I gave you was only a test. I want nothing from Carlos; I just wanted to assess your capability, how smart you are. But you flopped the moment I gave you a chance."
My jaw dropped, surprise washing over me. "Carlos was going to have sex with me? You were willing to give me away just like that?"
"I protect whatever is mine, and being my property, Rainey, gives you certain benefits. But that doesn't mean I won't punish you when you do something wrong."
"What are you saying? I'm no one's slave," I argued, my teeth grinding with anger.
He moved away, reaching for the whip from his torture toolbox.
One lash from the whip made me scream, and as I slumped to the side, he held my side.
"From the moment you stepped into this mansion, you became my business. You are poetry, Rainey—my work of art, and I will paint you in the best way possible, even if it means ruining you to remake you."
He put down the whip and sank into the metal chair nearby, crossing his arms and legs.
"It's been four hours," he muttered, glancing at his watch. "Are you sorry for what you've done?" His brow narrowed, waiting for me to acknowledge my 'sins.'
I clenched my jaw, not ready to admit defeat—not just yet.
"This is all your fault, not mine," I argued. "I won't apologize here, Valetti. It's you who should be saying sorry and letting me down from this pillar."
He tilted his head, a cruel smile playing on his lips.
"You know, I predicted this."
"Let me down, now!"
His shadow loomed closer, and I choked out a cry when he cut my skin with his knife again.
"I like it when you prove stubborn. It only makes me want to punish you more."
I inhaled sharply, panic rising in my chest.
"You're hurting me, Silas."
He shrugged. "I know." Then he cut me again, this time deeper. "Apologize."
I sucked blood from my lip, staring into his eyes, which were filled with cold menace.
"You killed my father with this same blade two decades ago, and now you torture me with it again. Doesn't this act feel petty? You're so shameless." I spat in his face. "If no one has ever told you how disgusting you are, I'm saying it to your face now: you are nothing but a scumbag, Silas Valetti."
He stepped back, muttering words I couldn't hear.
My body quivered with fear. He really looked like a monster when he was angry.
I had pushed him to the edge, and even though I knew I was in deep trouble, I wasn't ready to bow down to him.
"Rainey…" he mumbled my name, stepping forward as he choked my throat.
"I'm giving you one last chance to take back your words and bow to me. If you don't do it now..." His eyes sparkled with mischief as he flashed that irritating crooked smile. "I will take your life right now."
He kept his eyes glued to mine, drowning me in their dark depths.
I snarled, cold amusement flickering in my eyes. "You know you can't kill me. Not when you've already found out that I am the hidden child."
"How dare you?" His voice dripped with menace.
My lips curled into a sneer. "Can you?"
"What do you even know?"
"I dare you to pull the trigger. Kill me now if you're so sure I'm not worth anything to you."
He stared down at the gun in his palm, gritting his teeth with intensity. "You bastard." A slap to my face followed after he released my throat.
"I know just how to break you even more."
Then he undid my wrists from the pillar and picked me up in his arms.
"What? Wh…where are you taking me?"
The look in his eyes was haunting. What plan did he have? What was he going to do to me?
A smug smile spread across his face, cold and calculating.
"You'll just have to wait and see."
He stepped out of the basement and walked down the hallway.
My frown deepened as we walked past different doors. He wasn't taking me to my room, was he?
"Your bedroom?"
I furrowed my brows in confusion as I looked around. The decor explained everything about this place.
The walls were painted black, and the dim light from the lamp was the only source of illumination in the room.
It felt creepy, and even though I had only been here for two minutes, I already hated it.
"What do you think?" He placed my feet on the floor and sat at the edge of his bed, his arms folded.
I wrapped my arms around myself, trying to hide my exposed skin from him. Why was he looking at me like that? The way his eyes roamed over my body was both thrilling and frightening, and despite my fear, I felt a bit exhilarated.
"What are you doing?"
"Strip for me, Rainey." His words dripped with seduction and seriousness.
I gasped, my eyes wide as his words registered in my mind.
"What the hell are you saying?"
A wry smile tugged at the corners of his mouth, inviting trouble. "I'll only say this one more time, Tequila. Take off your clothes, for me."