Chapter 5

Marcus kept me locked up for a whole month.

If it were the old me, I would have lost my mind.

But now, my days were entirely consumed by studying. I studied day and night, barely sleeping four hours a day.

When Marcus finally came to see me,

the first thing he saw was my deathly pale face.

He frowned, his eyes filled with disgust.

"Where is Chloe? Why do you look like a ghost?"

I rolled my eyes.

"Whose fault do you think that is?"

Marcus seemed to be in a great mood. He just laughed at my snark.

"My bad. I'll take Chloe out for a walk tonight."

He kept his word. That evening, he took me to a high-society gala.

The moment we walked in, whispers broke out around us.

"Mr. Carter and Samantha just got married. They spent a whole month on their honeymoon. Their relationship seemed so perfect; I thought he'd finally discarded this girl."

Someone sneered in response:

"Well, you know men. They get bored of the same face eventually."

Only then did I realize that the month Marcus had vanished was spent traveling with Samantha.

Lowering my eyes, I quietly took a sip of my champagne.

Marcus looked down at me, amusement dancing in his eyes.

"Jealous?"

"I'll take you on a trip next time, okay?"

Hearing this, I snapped my head up, hope flaring in my chest.

"Can you take me to Massachusetts?"

Marcus frowned.

"Are you still dreaming about Harvard?"

I shook my head quickly.

"No. I just want to see it with you."

Marcus's expression softened, and he agreed.

"Alright. I promise."

My heart leaped. Mentally, I checked off another step on my plan.

Halfway through the gala, Marcus left to mingle.

I slipped away to the back garden to get some fresh air.

I had barely stood there for a minute when a woman suddenly grabbed me from behind, her voice trembling with rage:

"You little bitch! I finally found you!"

I turned around in utter disbelief.

It was my mother, the one who was supposed to be behind bars.

"When did you get out?!"

Years ago, to pay off her debts, she had conspired with some underground thugs to sell me off.

I had found out just in time and called the cops. She and the entire scam ring were arrested.

I never expected her to be free already.

"You heartless brat, you didn't even come look for me when I got out."

"Hurry, mom is broke. Give me some cash."

I stared at her warily, my voice icy.

"I don't have any money."

"You're sleeping with a billionaire, and you're telling me you don't have money?"

Her voice was shrill, piercing my ears.

Disgust washed over me.

"I don't. You need to leave right now, or he will destroy you."

Her face contorted into something vicious, and she let out a low cackle.

"I gave you a chance, but you blew it. Don't blame me for what happens next."

Before I could react, she shoved a chemical-soaked cloth over my nose and mouth.

In an instant, my knees buckled, and my entire body went limp.

Not far away, a greasy, heavy-set man was rubbing his hands together, staring at me like a piece of meat.

"I heard plenty of rich guys in this circle want to sleep with you. I'll sell you to them one by one. We'll be swimming in cash."

My mother's voice was filled with manic excitement. Horror and despair choked me as they dragged me closer to the man.

As we drew closer to him,

I caught a glimpse of a figure out of the corner of my eye.

It was Marcus.

He stood there, hands in his pockets, calmly watching the entire scene with a dark, amused smile.

It was a silent, sadistic invitation.

I gathered every ounce of strength left in my lungs and screamed:

"Marcus, save me!"

A look of pure satisfaction crossed his face as he strode toward us.

Seeing him approach, my mother panicked, dropped me, and fled into the darkness.

Before I hit the cold ground, Marcus caught me in his arms.

Shivering violently in his embrace, I grit my teeth and asked:

"If I hadn't begged you, would you have just stood there and watched?"

He smirked, his voice dripping with innocence. "You're my kept woman. How could I ever let someone else have you?"

Then, he leaned in closer, whispering in my ear: "I just wanted you to realize that in this world, you have no one but me. Your only family is trash, and you? You are utterly helpless on your own."

I stared at him, my eyes wide with shock.

Instantly, I understood. He was the one who had tipped off my mother.

From the very beginning, he wanted me to realize that he, Marcus Carter, was my only lifeline.

But what he didn't realize was that every living creature will fight to the death to escape its cage.

And I had my own fight to win.

I reached up, wrapped my arms around his neck, and softened my voice. "You're right... I guess I really have no one but you."

My submission worked wonders. Marcus finally stopped restricting my freedom.

Two months later, I sat for the SATs.

When the scores came out, I had achieved a near-perfect score.

My tutor was in utter disbelief. "You're a genius! How do you only have a high school diploma?"

I looked down and smiled. "Even geniuses have bills to pay, Mr. Davis."

With the scores in hand, I finally wore down Marcus until he agreed to take me to Massachusetts.

The night before the trip, he held me close and asked casually, "So, how did your little test go?"

My fingers trembled slightly, but I kept my voice steady. "Just average. I just wanted to feel what it's like to study again."

He leaned back, his eyes narrowing with a dark threat. "Enjoying it is fine. But if you actually got admitted, I would just drag you right back. Besides, a broke girl like you would get kicked out of a school like that in a heartbeat anyway."

I leaned into his chest, playing the obedient pet. "I know. I'm staying right by your side."

Marcus smiled in satisfaction.

Three days later, we boarded a first-class flight from Las Vegas to Massachusetts.

I was restless the entire way, constantly looking out the window.

Marcus noticed my anxiety. "What are you so nervous about?"

I grabbed his hand, my voice shaking. "It's my first time flying. I'm just a little scare."

"Pathetic," he sneered softly.

He called the flight attendant over, ordered two glasses of wine, and handed one to me. "Drink up. You'll be there when you wake up."

I took the glass and leaned my head on his shoulder, my eyes darkening. "Okay."

An hour later, the cabin lights dimmed, and we both drifted into sleep.

...

The plane landed in Chicago for a layover.

Marcus was woken up by a flight attendant.

He instinctively turned his head, but when he saw the empty seat beside him, his chest tightened. "Where is the woman who was sitting next to me?"

Startled by his hostile tone, the flight attendant forced a polite smile. "Sir, the lady got off the plane first. Before she left, she told me to let you sleep. Weren't you two parting ways here?"