Caius Offers Her a Contract to Be His Lover

Selene's POV

The study door creaked open while I was still coming up from the fog that held onto my thoughts. Something harsher, perhaps cigar smoke, blended with the overpowering cedarwood fragrance. I was reminded that this was not my home before the warmth of the room registered. This prison, this mansion. It felt like every square inch of it had been planned to keep me here, no matter how hard I tried to tell myself differently. To maintain my... self-control.

I massaged my temples in an attempt to relieve the throbbing headache. My mental shadows refused to go away.

"Selene."

The rich, dark, authoritative tone of his voice made me freeze. Laurent Caius. I was imprisoned by the same man who had rescued my life. The man whose words and looks caused me to doubt reality itself.

I made myself look at him.

He was a tall man in a fitted suit who stood at the door, projecting strength but concealing something much more sinister. His eyes were too sharp, too focused, yet they never faltered.

With a raspy voice, I managed to say, "Come in."

The air surrounding him was heavy with authority as he took a step closer, making it seem as though the ground itself was bending to his will. For the umpteenth time, I swallowed hard and wished I could recall who I was.

"Selene," he said again in a low, purposeful voice. "You are no longer required to pretend."

I scowled, trying to contain the bewilderment that threatened to explode. Act as though? What are you pretending to do? Act as though I wasn't lost. That the murk of my broken head wasn't drowning me?

"What do you mean?" I inquired. The words spilled out before I could stop them, even though it was a dumb question.

"I understand your confusion." I briefly believed he might be concealing something when his hand moved inside his pocket. However, I have something to offer you. A decision.

I prepared myself. How could someone like him give you a choice? Could I truly trust him in a place like this, where I did not know who I was and no part of my own?

For a brief moment, I believed I caught a glimpse of something fragile flickering in the depths of his softened eyes. "Selene, I can't give you back your past. What has been done cannot be reversed. However, I have something fresh to give you.

My chest skipped a beat. What was it that he wanted from me? What did he have to offer?

A half-smile that was more deadly than it appeared twitched Caius's lips. "I'd like to offer you a contract."

An agreement. I blinked as I tried to take in what he had said.

A contract?

He unfolded a piece of paper and laid it softly on the table between us before I could respond. The thick paper had an unfamiliar symbol stamped on it. A line that chilled me to the core was written beneath it in a crisp, precise style.

Just to be my lover, nothing else.

The words were ingrained in my mind.

With an underlying order in his voice, he said, "Sign it." And everything will be yours. Protection, luxury, and safety. Everything you might require. However, there is a cost. There is always

I was unable to talk. The room whirled around me, and then I found myself back there, standing in the rain, defenseless and alone. I was itching to run. To let out a cry. to vanish.

I hardly managed to hold my breath when I said, "Caius." "I... I'm not familiar with you. How am I able to...?

"You don't have to," he said. "I've already made up my mind for you. This is your route. Additionally, I won't let you go through it alone.

I felt a glimmer of panic, but I forced it to go away. I thought this wasn't about me. It had nothing to do with my desires. It was a matter of survival. Concerning... safety.

With his eyes fixed on mine, he went on, "You'll live in my world now." "There's no turning back."

I kept thinking about what he had said. No turning back. I was confined. Once more.

"What do you mean?" Despite my anxiety that I already knew the answer, I inquired.

"You will sign this contract and you will be mine," Caius stated, his eyes piercing and unblinking. In every manner that counts, not the way you think. I will not allow you to be someone else.

I gazed at the agreement. Like a chilly blanket, its weight enveloped me. There was a part of me that wanted to grab it, to seal this doom he offered. There was a part of me that wanted to think that this was the only way I could escape the darkness and the confusion. that I would, at last, get the steadiness I required if I answered yes.

But I knew in my heart that it wasn't that easy.

I muttered, "What will happen to me if I sign this?

Caius took a step closer, his presence oppressive, even smothering. As he talked, his breath felt warm against my cheek. "You won't ever experience fear again. Not me.

It sounded almost too good to be true, the promise. However, I couldn't get rid of the suspicion that he was keeping something from me. There's something darker lurking beneath the surface.

I murmured, shivering despite myself, "I don't trust you."

He smiled slightly, dangerously. "Selene, trust is a luxury you cannot afford. Not in this place.

I didn't want to admit how much the words hurt. Unquestionably, though, there it was. I was under his control. My mind as well as my body. My spirit.

I uttered the words, "I'll think about it," but I knew they were meaningless. With everything jumbled, how could I think? I didn't even know who I was, so how could I think?

Caius remained silent. He merely nodded, as though he had no other expectations. The weight of his eyes never left me as his fingers stroked the paper's edge.

He said in a quiet, meaningful voice, "You don't have much time." "Make an informed choice."

I was left in the silent aftermath of his remarks as he turned and moved toward the door before I could reply.

I was by myself. Once more.

The door shutting behind him sounded like the last nail in my coffin. And I knew deep down that everything would be defined by this moment. That my future... and the future of the guy who controlled my destiny will be shaped by the decision I made.

But what if... what if he had planned all of this? What if he was just playing a game with this contract? An additional layer of control disguised as a choice?

Gazing at the paper on the table, I swallowed. It weighed so heavily that it was oppressive. What could I do, though? There was no way out. Not right now. Never.

I couldn't help but think as the seconds passed: What would happen if I didn't sign it? Then, would I be doomed in a manner far worse than this?