CHAPTER-5
HIM
I tried to open the windows in the room. No use. They were locked. I even tried to open the door even after knowing that it won't open. It didn't. I also tried to find something sharp or anything that could be used as a weapon. Nothing.
Every move was of no use.
I didn't know what to do. I was stuck here.
And according to my captor, he was never letting me go. I belonged to be with him.
What the hell was even Christian thinking? That he'd capture me and lock me up in his castle and we'd have a happily ever after?
This wasn’t some romance novel. I was not going to fall in love with him. He was not going to Stockholm Syndrome me.
I had to find a way out. I had to go back to Liam.
Oh, my God.
Liam.
He must be thinking right now that I left on my own. That I didn't want to be with him. God, no. No. Just no.
I glanced around in the room but I couldn't do anything. Christian took everything and left me nothing. I was so stupid. I was so damn stupid to accept his offer in the first place. I shouldn't have.
But I couldn't undo it now.
But I could find a way.
There must be a way out of this place.
As on queue, the door beeped again and opened to bring a smiling Christian in. He was showered, obviously, and dressed again in black.
Black sweatpants and a black long sleeve shirt.
He shut the door behind him but made no attempt to come close, instead leaned back against the door with his hands in his pocket.
"I see you were looking around."
My eyes narrowed, "You have cameras in here?"
I thought he'd deny me or say that he knew I would look around but instead he nodded. "I do. And microphones as well. I could hear you screaming when you couldn't find what you were looking for."
"Why would you have cameras in your own room? Don't trust your family to snoop around?"
That was when it occurred to me. Where was his family? Someone could might help me. Did they even know he had kidnapped me and held me captive? Did they even live with him?
He clicked his tongue. "The cameras are for you. So that I can see you even when I'm not with you. And the answer to your other question is, I don't have a family."
I blinked. "What?"
"Only me, Arnold and his wife lives here. And now you." He smiled at the last part.
I snorted. "Obviously, your family wouldn't want to live with a psychopath."
I meant that as an insult but he just jerk out a nod. "You are probably correct."
I arched my brow as he came to me. And then he offered me his hand. "Let's go."
"Where?"
"For a tour."
"Why?"
"Would you rather stay inside?" He looked confused.
Yeah, I had to look around in order to make an escape plan. The sooner I get out of here, the better. "No."
I took his hand as he walked us to the door and entered the code, making sure to hide my view with his body. He pulled the door inward and held the door for me. I let go of his hand and peeked back and forth along the hallway, I stepped out and the door closed behind us.
"This door automatically locks as soon as it shuts. Only Arnold,I and Caroline have the code, and I'll change it regularly."
"Thanks for that." I gritted.
He motioned for me to walk down the hall toward the stairs. I took a few tentative steps, then hurried past him. He followed me.
I stopped at the top of the stairs and looked out the two-story windows that graced the foyer. Through the paned glass, the grounds shone under a warm sun. Despite the cold air, the grass still retained a faint green from the summer months, and the driveway slithered through the lawn like a long black snake.
"This place is huge." I peered down at the foyer below, the walls lined with priceless art. The chandelier dangled from the third floor turret overhead, the crystals casting prisms high above us.
I tilted my head back, "Did having all this money make you this way?" I brought my gaze back to him. "Is that it?"
"Nothing made me this way. I'd spent countless hours in therapy sessions, and each doctor and psychologist had come to the same conclusion. On the spectrum of personality disorders, I was the most psychopathic person they'd ever counseled. It was hard wired into me. Nature, not nurture, had created my monster. What did you say earlier? 'It is what it is'? This is who I am, who I've always been. It can't be fixed."
I blinked, a little scared. "You're not even gonna hide from me that you're...like this?"
He shrugged. "What's the point? I'm no liar. I would never hide myself from you or what I am."
Christian confused me. Where people would even kill to hide their weaknesses, he told them so easily that he didn't even think that people could take it for granted.
Once we hit the landing, the marble floor felt cool beneath our feet, he led me around the flared staircase toward the back of the house.
"Sitting room, dining room, and an office." He pointed to each doorway we passed.
I followed, only pausing for a moment to peer into the office.
He turned into the last door on the right. "The kitchen. It's always fully stocked, and if there's anything in particular you want, I'll be happy to get it for you."
A woman bustled out of the pantry, her dark hair in a neat bun and her nurse shoes squicking along the tile floor. "Mr. Pierce." She looked up and stopped. "Good morning. Was there a problem with breakfast?"
"It was fine. I wanted you to meet Stella. She's the one you discussed with Arnold."
I stared around at the large kitchen, double ovens and stoves, granite counters, and the built-in fridge and freezer.
"Pleasure to meet you. I'm Caroline." Her voice was welcoming, but her smile faltered somewhat.
"He's keeping me a prisoner here." I said.
She hesitated but didn't say anything.
"Help me, Caroline. Get me out of here."
"She won't help you. I take good care of my employees enough to keep their mouth close."
Of course. She already knew I was here, right? She cooked breakfast for us.
"Fine." I ran my hand through my locks. "Caroline, be a dear and please show me where the knives are."
"She has already locked them away in a safe in the pantry."
Ugh. This man. He had figured everything out.
"If you want anything specific for lunch, please let me know." That was all she said before she was gone.
He motioned back toward the door on the hall. I scowled as I walked past.
"This way." He continued along the back of the house.
The wall gave way to wide windows looking out onto the pool. "It's heated and covered during the winter, so you can swim anytime you like." The light blue water rippled, and the waterfall splashed quietly at the far end.
"This place is even bigger than I thought." I trailed my fingers along the wainscoting. But then I remembered I wasn't supposed to be fascinated by it and my voice descended into bitterness. "But I suppose the size of the prison doesn't matter. Just the bars."
"I'm glad we're on the same page." He goaded me as we turned a corner. "This is the last room you'll see on the tour today." He pushed through a heavy black door and flipped the switch. Lights began to glow far overhead, and an iron chandelier flickered to life in the center of the room.
A library. A huge library.
Several tiers of books, bright windows, comfortable chairs, and a warm fire—the house's library.
"This is for you. I'm not much of a reader. I usually use my kindle. But I know you're a fan of literature so I have constructed a library for you. You'll find any genre you like in here."
"This is..." I walked around to his side again and stared at the wide bookcase.
Tell me he did not do all this for me. Who did that? He built a library the size of my whole gallery in his house? Just because I liked reading books?
I didn't even ask him how he knew that. I didn't want to know. He must have tricked someone into telling him that. Maybe the room service again considering I had a small stack of books back at Liam's apartment.
As much as I hate to say this, I was fascinated. There were so many books and I caught the glimpse of some of the original copies as well.
Oh, God.
I didn't know I was smiling like an idiot until I caught Christian smiling back at me.
"What do you think?" He asked, looking a little...nervous, I guess.
What was I doing? This man was keeping me a prisoner here and I was smiling because he built me a library?
No, no, no.
What the hell?
"I guess you actually being a killer would have been million times better."
I wanted to push his buttons, to make him realize he didn’t want me around anymore. But the way he deflated when I insulted his amazing bookcase cut me. It shouldn't have. After all, I was his prisoner. Even so, the disappointment in him ate at me.
"I,uh..." He looked...sad? I didn't know. He had a weird expression that I couldn't gauge. "I'd hoped you would like it. I don't want you a captive here. I want you to enjoy your time." He looked around in the library and then came back to me. "I don't know how to make someone happy. I have never done that before. I tried to calculate what would make you happy. Library made sense since you like books after photography. But I guess not. So..." He shrugged. "I'd just ask Arnold to clean up here."
He turned to walk away but I stopped him. "Wait!"
I didn't want him to get rid of the books. Until I didn't find a way out of here, I'd have something to do other than spending time with him. Which was a big no.
"Don't get rid of them." I blurted.
He frowned. "But you just said you don't like them."
"Yes, but...but I like them now. I want to keep them."
His frown deepened. "I can't understand how you change your mind so quick. I can't keep up with you." He shook his head in frustration. "I don't like that I can't keep up with you."
"Then maybe you should just let me go."
"Not happening." He said immediately.
Ugh.
"Let's go back to our room. You can stay there until I come to get you."
I had to find a way out of here. But I couldn't do it if he'd keep me locked up in his room all day. He said I'd get freedom once I accepted that I was his. So in order to get a little freedom to roam around in the house, I had to make sure Christian trusted me enough to let out of his room without him lingering behind me.
Good thing I didn't need to work on it much. He was already obsessed with me and I was about to take it for advantage for my escape.
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