Click… The handcuffs unlocked, the sound cutting through the silence.
I flexed my bruised wrists. The skin was swollen, and numbness was creeping up my arms, leaving them nearly devoid of sensation.
"Get up and bathe," Ren ordered flatly without looking back.
He fastened his cufflinks before the mirror, composed. As if he hadn't brutally violated me the night before and chained me up like a feral beast.
I dragged my battered, naked body off the mattress. My legs trembled so violently that they could barely support my weight. The thin silver chain tethered to my left ankle cuff dragged across the plush wool rug, emitting a grating scrape.
The chain was precisely measured, just enough to reach the bathroom, ending exactly at the sofa at the foot of the bed. Anything beyond that was a world I had no right to reach.
I limped into the opulent black marble bathroom. I managed my routine with agonizing difficulty. My shaking hands splashed freezing water on my face. I looked up at my reflection.
An emaciated young man with protruding collarbones stared back. Once vibrant eyes were now barren, emptied of light. The red bruises and sharp bite marks littering my neck and chest were darkening into a sickening, livid purple.
After slipping into the oversized satin pajamas Ren provided, I walked back and sat with my head bowed at the edge of the bed. Knowing my place. Waiting for my medication and for him to shackle my wrists once again.
But today, the atmosphere felt inexplicably different...
Creak... Ren didn't enter alone. A plump, kind-looking middle-aged woman followed closely behind him.
She wore a meticulously tailored grey head maid's uniform. Her hair was pulled into a low bun. Her face was as expressionless as a machine. But her eyes were sharp.
"Yurin," Ren called out, gesturing toward the newcomer.
"This is Aunt Lin."
"The new head maid I just hired from a VVIP staffing agency."
"She will handle your meals and maintain the entire penthouse zone."
I glanced at Aunt Lin with utter apathy.
Just another warden. She would likely be fired soon like the rest. Or she would inevitably view me with the same disgust as everyone else—just the boss's filthy toy.
"Greetings, sir." Aunt Lin bowed her head with impeccable politeness.
But her eyes remained vacant. No pity. No revulsion. It was the gaze of a sheer professional, here solely to collect a paycheck.
"Aunt Lin." Ren turned to her, his voice hardening. His eyes radiated suffocating pressure.
"Your duty is to care for him. But never forget the ironclad rules."
"You provide food, clean, and keep watch."
"Do not let him out of your sight for a single second. Do not let him touch any communication devices. Do not let him near the exit."
Ren stepped closer to Aunt Lin. He glared at her with feral intensity. "And most importantly..."
"Do not speak to him beyond what is necessary. If I find out you helped him, or smuggled information to the outside world..."
Your spotless record will disappear. You understand?
"Understood, Mr. President." Aunt Lin answered with unwavering composure.
"I operate with absolute professionalism. Your secrets are safe."
"Good. A spotless record and a sharp work ethic. You might actually be worth your salary."
Ren smiled, satisfied. He walked back to me. He pinched my chin, tilting my head up to receive a bruising kiss pressed firmly against my temple.
"I have an executive board meeting today. I have to clean up the scandal you caused. I might return late. Stay with Aunt Lin... and be a good boy."
He whispered mockingly in my ear.
"Oh, and don't bother trying to brainwash the old woman into helping you escape. This agency vets their people rigorously. They work for money. They aren't hired to be good Samaritans. And no one wants to risk prison to help an embezzler like you."
With that, he grabbed his suit jacket and strode confidently out of the room.
Bang! The heavy door slammed shut. The automatic locks engaged, sealing the tomb. Silence reclaimed the grand suite. Leaving only me and Aunt Lin.
I released an exhausted sigh. I collapsed onto my side, turning my back to her. I pulled the duvet over my entire body to block out reality. I didn't want to speak. I didn't want to see anyone's face. Just let me rot here.
"Mr. Yurin..." Aunt Lin's voice broke the silence. Soft, but distinctly clear.
"Would you care for some hot porridge? I prepared it specially for you."
"No," I mumbled under the covers. "Get out. I want to sleep."
"Please eat a little. Your body requires energy to recover." Her footsteps approached the bed silently.
"I made it with my utmost effort."
"I said no! Do you not understand human speech?!" I snapped furiously, throwing the duvet off and glaring at her.
"Go away! Just let me die in peace!"
Aunt Lin didn't flinch. She wasn't angry. She wasn't shocked. She stood perfectly still, holding my gaze.
Suddenly, the vacant, emotionless facade vanished. Her eyes sharpened, conveying a profound, hidden intent. She darted a glance at the security camera in the corner. Then, she smoothly shifted her stance, using her broad back to completely obscure the camera's line of sight.
She reached into her uniform pocket. She retrieved a small object and set it silently on the nightstand. It was a tiny glass vial. Filled with a clear essential oil. A faint, crisp scent drifted into my senses the moment she uncapped it.
The exact signature scent that Zen always wore.
Attached to the vial was a minuscule sticky note. Scrawled in a sharp, hurried handwriting I instantly recognized. 'Wait for me.
I froze, I stared at Aunt Lin, then at the essential oil vial. My mouth hung open. The words stuck in my throat
Aunt Lin pressed an index finger to her lips. A silent command.
'Shh...'
She whispered, her voice barely a breath. The rigid line of her mouth curled into a knowing smile.
"Now, will you eat the porridge from my 'true master'?"
The silence in the penthouse magnified a hundredfold. My heart hammered painfully against my ribs. I shot up. I scanned the room in paranoia, terrified Ren might return or hidden ears were listening.
"Who... who are you?" I whispered. My voice trembled, choked with a volatile mix of hope and blinding fear.
Aunt Lin stepped flush against the mattress. She leaned down, whispering directly into my ear to evade any hidden microphones.
"My name is Lin. I have worked for Mr. Zen's syndicate for years. It took us a week to get inside. We forged a background that Ren could never trace."
Tears of hope flooded my barren eyes. I gripped the tiny glass vial.
"Mr. Zen... he didn't abandon me?" I choked out.
"Even after I ruined the plan? After I was caught?"
"Oh, Mr. Yurin." Aunt Lin's voice softened entirely. She looked at me with profound empathy.
"Mr. Zen was never angry with you. He blames himself. He believes he miscalculated the situation."
"He hasn't stopped looking for you. He embedded me here. To be his eyes and ears. To protect you."
"And to deliver a message." Aunt Lin held my gaze. Her eyes hardened with absolute resolve. "Do not surrender. The war is not over. He is constructing a new plan."
"A plan to get you out and make sure he never finds you again."
"A new plan?" I breathed the words, nursing a fragile ember of hope.
"Yes. But it requires time to execute flawlessly. We cannot afford a single mistake."
"Until then, your sole duty is to survive. Keep your mind and body strong."
She retrieved a small, ordinary-looking pillbox from her apron.
"Take these instead of what he gives you."
"I will swap the pills in his bottle. You will no longer be sedated. You will not fall into a dead sleep. You will remain entirely lucid."
"And this."
She reached deep inside her uniform. She withdrew a tiny object. A cell phone the size of a car fob. Encrypted. Untraceable. Designed strictly for texts.
"Use it only if necessary. But do not hide it under your pillow. Mr. Ren tears this bed apart."
She approached the nightstand. She reached behind the heavy table lamp and twisted the base, revealing a hollowed-out cavity.
"Hide it here. It is safe. Use it only in absolute emergencies. Or if I am removed from the premises."
"I will act as the primary courier to minimize your risk."
I absorbed her words. My chest swelled. The suffocating numbness evaporated. The dying ember in my chest flared back to life.
"Thank you. Thank you so much." I bowed my head, my hands trembling.
"It is my duty. Mr. Zen gave me a direct order. I am to protect you with my life."
"Now, eat. Before the porridge goes cold. Eat well, Yurin. You need strength to fight the devil."
I ate the porridge through my tears. It tasted of something profound and incredibly warm. Not because of the culinary skill. But because the taste of 'hope' saturated every bite....
Creak... The heavy security door unlatched.
Ren had returned. He looked wrecked—bloodshot, reeking of liquor. The pungent stench of expensive liquor clung to his clothes. He staggered toward the bed.
"How was your day?" he slurred, his voice raspy. He collapsed onto the mattress beside me, drained of his usual terrifying energy.
"Fine," I answered flatly. I locked my vocal cords to prevent any trembling.
Ren arched an eyebrow. Genuinely surprised. No hysterical tears. No venomous curses.
He grabbed my chin, pulling my face close to inspect me.
"You look brighter. You actually finished your food?"
"Aunt Lin took good care of you?"
"Yes. She cooks well. She doesn't talk much. She doesn't overstep like the others."
"Good," Ren smirked, thoroughly satisfied.
"I told you I vetted her perfectly. That agency delivers."
He leaned in and captured my lips. A heavy kiss saturated with liquor and raw lust. I surrendered. I parted my lips, accepting his invasive tongue with absolute obedience. I didn't fight. I didn't push him away.
Deep within my core, the paralyzing terror was gone.
Kiss me, Ren. Claim this hollow vessel. Because my soul is no longer yours to break. And you're raising your own enemy right here.
I closed my eyes. I feigned intoxication under his touch. I wrapped my arms around his neck. I threaded my fingers through his hair as an obedient, perfect pet.
While my mind vividly painted the day this cage would shatter. On that day, I will walk out. I will trample over the ruins of this toxic, counterfeit love. With my own two feet.