Back story

"How long are we supposed to stay here?" I asked, pacing the length of the living room.

It was a beautiful house, as grand as everything else Jordan had showed me through the day. But I did not care. I was not concerned with the spectacular architecture of the mansion, the stricking aesthetic, or the grand and exquisite decor of the interior. What concerned me the most was the fact that I was on an island with seemingly just one house! One building in an entire island!

There was no way I was staying here! No way! I wanted to leave immediately.

Jordan was lounging carelessly on one of the mighty sofas in the living room.

"How can I explain this for you to understand me clearly? In what language do I encode it for you to get it?" He drawled, acting exhausted. "Listen love, you are home. This is our home now. Your home!Now, if you would let me get some rest, you know I have had a very stressful day. With our wedding and all the traveling. I need some good rest. You should get some rest too, you know." He advised.

"I do not need any rest! What I need right now is to get away from this jungle! I never asked for a wilderness experience. I am not staying in this place with no humans around." I cried. Jordan sat up.

"What? Wilderness? Jungle you say?" He asked, then he scoffed. "Many people would give up their limbs to be where you are right now! Do you know how many people would give anything just to live on a private island like this one?" He said.

"Well, I am not many people, and I have no appetite to live on a private plantation. So thank you for this big opportunity, but I would choose civilization anytime. Please, take me back to the city." I begged.

Jordan rose to his feet, walked over to where I was standing and stood by me.

"My love, do you not get it yet? This was all part of my grand plan for you. There is no other place for you, it has always been here. This island. No other option. This was the original destination all along, the reason why we got married at all." He said, putting his fingers through my hair, but I turned away sharply.

"What do you mean?" I asked, narrowing my eyes at him.

Jordan sighed and blew air out of his mouth. Then he turned around, flexing his neck muscle.

"We both agreed that we got married to save Daren, didn't we?" He asked.

"Yes." I replied eagerly.

"How do you think we are supposed to do that?" He asked.

I had always wondered about this, but I never asked. And in this moment, I regretted not asking, because the way Jordan asked that question, he sounded so triumphant and I could feel that I had lost. I didn't know what I had lost, but I was sure I had lost something.

"How?" I half whispered.

Jordan walked back to the massive seat and sank in, then he looked up at me.

"You had to go." He said simply.

I was confused. I took a few steps absent mindedly, in his direction. But then I paused abruptly just before I reached him.

"What...what are you talking about?" I stuttered.

"Arrrgh! God, woman!" Jordan groaned, throwing his head back in frustration. "You really won't let me be, will you? You want me to spell it all out to you?" He asked.

"Tell me. What do you mean?" I asked desperately.

Jordan groaned again.

"Fine. Since you want to know so badly, I'll let you know." He said. "You might want to sit down for this." He suggested, but when he saw that I did not move, he shrugged and continued.

"You were stressing Helena out, Helena doesn't like stress." He began.

"Who is Helena?" I asked.

"My sister, Mrs Rockshire." Jordan said.

"Oh!" I said, nodding. Jordan continued.

"Helena came to me, crying. She was worried about you ruining her son's life. Daren had been acting really strange, and Helena was worried that he would do something crazy. She told me she had begged you. She even offered you money, just so you could disappear from Daren's life..." He was saying, but I couldn't help but interrupt him.

"Wait! Wait, she did offer me money. But I had already distanced myself from Daren. I had cut off all contact with him, and I didn't need her money, so I turned her down." I said in my defense.

Jordan nodded as if he was very understanding.

"I see." He said, squeezing his lips from side to side. "Quite rich. A gold digger turns down money. But then again, you have your preferences. It is not quick cash that you seek, it is gold, with plenty of worth. You've got standards, I can see that." He said.

I opened my mouth to argue, but I didn't see the point. There was no winning with Jordan, and I needed information from him. Arguing with him would do no good. So, I remained quiet.

Jordan saw the defeat in my eyes, then he smiled in triumph and continued.

"Daren wasn't doing very well. He is a very sentimental kid, you see. With some chronic attachment issues. And you seemed to have sank your hooks deep into him. He kept going back to you no matter how hard his mother tried to keep him away. You can also attest to this, he was literally stalking you. And he would have continued to, no matter how far you traveled. Your career would make it easy for him to keep stalking you. Even if you travel to the ends of the earth, as long as you keep modeling, Daren would find you. This was why Helena needed you to disappear. All she asked was for you to quit the career that would always put you in line of her son's view, at least long enough for Daren to be freed of your charms and spells. But you refused to understand. So she came to me. She wanted me to kidnap you..."

"She wanted you to what?" I cried in shock. Jordan groaned.

"My love, if you keep interrupting me, we would never get to the end of this. You know right?" He said.

I was shaking allover, I could not believe my ears. My heart was racing and sirens were ringing in my ears, but I willed myself to remain silent as Jordan continued.

"Helena wasn't thinking straight, I could tell she was desperate. And I really wanted to help her, because she seemed miserable. So I came up with a plan that would never implicate her." Jordan shrugged. "No one would question a man for taking his bride to faraway Greece, or think it suspicious that I want to keep my beautiful bride safe and secure on a private island, away from lustful eyes of greedy young men. And I don't think my wife would refuse me if I asked her to put her career aside and concentrate on building our new family. But just in case she decides to be a little stubborn, thank God we have a signed agreement to fix that loose end." Jordan said.

My eyes widened, and my lips went dry.

"Wait! If I get you right, you are telling me now that our marriage, the wedding, all that noise, was all an elaborate kidnap plan?" I asked.

"We needed plenty of witnesses to make it legal enough. Just incase one of us decides to milk the situation and get rich sometime in the future." Jordan replied.

Once again, I was too stunned to react to his gold digger accusation undertone.

"Mrs Rockshire contracted you to kidnap me?" I mouthed.

"Uhm... Correction. This is not a contract! I'm doing it for family. And no, I did not kidnap you. I only happened to be introduced to you through my sister, and these things happen a lot you know. We busy men, we have no time to date, so we need someone to pick out our women for us. My beloved sister did just that for me, and I married you immediately, because from the moment I met you, I knew you were the perfect woman for me. We had our grand wedding, at your parents' place, in your parents' garden. Your parents can bear witness to that, so can your friends, and coworkers. And now, they all know that you are here in Greece, living your best life with your super rich, billionaire husband." Jordan grinned.

"Why are you doing this to me?" I asked, tears in my voice. "What did I ever do wrong?"

"Oh, honestly, I have a lot of things against you, and I cannot begin to put them all into words right now. But I can tell you this. I am not doing this because of you, if it were up to me, you would have never had the privilege to get this close to me. I wouldn't be giving you such princess treatment if this were about me. I am doing this for my nephew, to save him from your gold digging claws." Jordan said with so much hate and bile in his voice.

"How does any of this save Daren? He is still bedridden, fighting for his life! You didn't even let me see him. How does this save him?" I cried in agony.

"Oops! I forgot." Jordan said, touching his finger to his lips and pretending to be bashful. "That bit, about Daren attempting suicide. Well I lied." He said.

"What?" I cried, stunned anew.

"Daren never attempted suicide. He would never attempt suicide right now that he is still very obsessed with you, except if he was sure you will be waiting on the other side. Daren is very healthy and alive. I only told that lie because I knew you would never have followed me if I didn't put a leash on you. My lie was a leash on your conscience. I am impressed you still got some left in you. Shows that you are not gone way beyond redemption." Jordan said, with a cold smile on his face.

I stood still, glued to one spot, not moving, not even breathing.

I had been played! I had been badly played!