"Y-yeah."
Fuck. He caught me red-handed. I took a deep, steadying breath, forcing my racing heart to slow.
He's not some untouchable god just because he had the upper hand in bed last night. That doesn't mean he gets to boss me around forever. I don't have to be afraid of him.
"Just so you wouldn't do anything foolish, like running from here, take a look outside."
His grip on my waist loosened slightly, but only enough to spin me around. My back pressed flush against his solid chest as he manoeuvred me forward. Then I saw it.
Ugh!! Any hope I'd clung to evaporated in an instant.
Who the hell stations this many people outside their house? Does he have an entire army of enemies or something like that?
A perfect line of men in identical black suits and dark sunglasses stretched along the perimeter of the massive grounds.
Each one stood at rigid attention, spaced just a few feet apart from one another, like a silent, living statue forming an unbreakable wall.
I didn't even try to count them; there had to be over a hundred, easily. The estate was so sprawling that they didn't look like a dense crowd, just an endless, disciplined border of black.
This confirmed everything, there was no escaping this place. Not in my entire damn life, no matter how clever I got. The only sliver of freedom I might ever claw back was by playing the part, becoming the 'nice, obedient wife' as Daniel wanted.
It would take time, patience, faking smiles and compliance until he lowered his guard. But right now, staring at that human fortress, it was the only path left.
"Ah, come on," I said, forcing lightness into my voice as I tilted my head back to look up at him. "Why would I even think of running away?"
From this angle, I could only see the sharp line of his jaw and the faint shadow of stubble. Why the hell am I so much shorter than him? It made me feel even smaller.
He looked down at me, black eyes unreadable. Then his right hand lifted, fingers catching my chin in a firm but not painful grip, tilting my face higher so our gazes locked.
"Good."
"Now let's head back inside."
He didn't wait for agreement. His arm slid around my waist again, guiding me back through the grand foyer. The heavy doors swung shut behind us. Outside guards pulled them closed.
In the living room, Daniel sank onto the wide leather sofa without hesitation. Before I could react, he pulled me down with him, settling me firmly across his lap. His right arm wrapped around my middle, locking me against his chest, keeping me close.
I could feel the steady rise and fall of his breathing against my back, the heat of his body seeping through my thin T-shirt. His left hand rested casually on my thigh, heavy enough to remind me exactly who was in control.
"Aren't you going to get back in the evening?"
I asked, voice small. The maid had said six p.m. If I had known he was coming back this early, I wouldn't have even tried to slip out.
"I was," Daniel replied "but I took the day off."
Day off my ass. I knew exactly what he wanted. Horny bastard.
Since I was stuck here, trapped, literally sitting on his lap like some prized possession, I might as well ask for the one thing that actually mattered right now.
"Hey..." I whispered, the words catching in my throat. "Can you take me to Father's grave?"
My heart twisted painfully. I was avoiding the thought ever since I woke up, shoving it down deep, but I couldn't run from it forever. I had to face it.
"No."
"Hah? What do you mean 'No?'"
My crimson eyes flashed with instant frustration. Who the fuck did he think he was to deny me that? My fingers curled into tight fists, nails biting into my palms.
"It's not the right time. I'll take you when it is."
"There's no such thing as the 'right time.' I want to visit now!"
He grabbed my chin firmly, tilting my face up. Before I could jerk away, his index finger pressed against my lips, silencing me like I was a child throwing a tantrum. Fuck that. I wasn't taking his orders anymore.
I bit hard on his finger.
He pulled back just enough, our gazes clashing. His black eyes burned with restrained anger, boring straight into mine.
"First you kidnapped me,"
I snapped.
"And then you trapped me here as your 'wife,' calling it repayment for some debt you claim he owed you. What proof do you even have that you gave my father money? You think you're rich enough to lend him anything? What, cat got your tongue now?"
My chest heaved, breath coming fast and ragged. I finally let it all out. He stayed silent for several long seconds. Of course he did. He was lying. Had to be. How could I have fallen for such obvious bullshit?
"Here. See for yourself."
He pulled his phone from his pocket and handed it to me without hesitation. I stared at it for a second, I was hesitant but curiosity made me take it.
The screen was already open to his bank statement.
My eyes widened. As I saw the huge transfers, millions, moving from his account... straight to Father's personal account number. Not the company's. But his Personal account.
I looked up at Daniel, then back at the screen. The numbers didn't lie. The dates lined up. And those amounts were staggering.
"Why would he take money into his personal account if it was for the company?"
"Don't know," his voice was quiet. "And we can't ask him now."
The words landed like cold water. I froze, staring at the phone as the reality sank in, heavy and suffocating.
I refused to believe it. Couldn't.
Why, Father? Why did you take on debt? What did you need it for so badly? And why from him, of all people in the world?
In that moment, the full weight of my situation crashed down on me. I wasn't just trapped in a mansion with guards and locked doors.
So Daniel wasn't bluffing.
He really was a mafia boss. Powerful enough to move that kind of money without blinking. Connected enough to make everything legal on paper. Ruthless enough to claim me as payment.
And I was his wife, on paper, in his bed, in this house, I didn't say anything else, I don't have a word to speak in the first place.
I just sat there still on his lap, wrapped in his arm, feeling the last fragile thread of denial snap inside me.