POV: Blake
He tilts his head and watches her walk away with a satisfied look on his face, " stubborn love. She didn't took the key as expected." He pick the keycard from the table and toy around with it , his smirk never fading, he slowly pick his phone and dialed his assistant number.
" listen. I want you to get me something."
"Mr. Blake. Is it the usual?" Graves' voice was neutral, accustomed to the most bizarre requests. As always.
"No...this time it if far more amusing than the usual I have a new acquisition for the house. She's currently operating under the delusional belief that she is a sensible and professional woman." He says while settling deeper on his chair.
There was a pause , graves likely scribbling furiously at what he say " can you be specific. Sir?"
" she is the new occupant of the guest suite..."he twists the keycard so hard it almost cracks.
" sir you mean that one who's next your room?"
" yes the sealed room , soundproof and completely free from external interference, I didn't call you for you to question me, our dear guest have a profound lack of appropriate attire. I require a new wardrobe that is specially calculated to violate her self image,nothing with sleeves. Nothing below knees. And certainly nothing that suggests an ounce of safety or professionalism" he run the cold plastic against his lips . " and most importantly a red shape dress that implies regret and heel that are physically difficult to stand with ." He smirk standing up .
" understood," graves answered was simply but formal " I'll commission a designer for immediate delivery ... sir? , should I arrange for suitable undergarments too?"
He chuckled, a low private sound , it was a terrifying sound.
" no...leave her with a bit of respect and pride down there!" He smirk and lick lips.
" understood" the line clicked dead.
He walk out of the dining room and walked up the stairs, he walk in the suit room right next his own , with a satisfied grin .
He look the screen of his phone and made an other phone call.
***
Meanwhile Aurora suffers in the car .
The car drive back, four car following behind the one I was in, the trip back to my apartment was a torture and humiliating. The four car tailing us were less of an escort and more of a visible, suffocating cage...one hour , I had one hour to pack the necessities.
When The car stops, the driver come out of the car he follows me into the apartment. while I was unlocking my apartment door I meet iris eye for a flicker of second, I shake my head softly at her and walk in my apartment, the driver point at his his watch. Sixty minutes left.
I nod a single simple nod and shut my door.
" god...is this my punishment?" I rub my hand together , my hand shaking I couldn't focus on anything else , I walk towards my wardrobe, once I open it my cloth were gone , truly gone , nothing left behind. " is this some kind of game!?" I slam my wardrobe door shut , stronger than supposed to .
Walking towards my bedside I notice that that the delicate silver necklace from my grandmother had disappeared from the small jewelry tray. My blood ran cold. I dropped everything and started looking around frantically. I threw open drawers, ripped the blankets off the bed, making the room a frenzy of desperate defiance. No, no, no. The necklace was my only piece of real sentiment. It was irreplaceable. . This wasn't packing; this was a desperate search for something he had stolen.
I finally stumbled, standing in the center of the wreckage I'd made, my hands shaking. It wasn't misplaced. It wasn't a coincidence. I closed my eyes and saw Blake's cold smile. He had commanded someone to take it.
A sharp knock echoed from the door—the driver, signaling the time was almost up.
I stared at the mess, realizing I had lost. I grabbed the small suitcase, tossing in a few necessary undergarments and a toothbrush. Nothing else mattered now. He had already taken the most important thing. I left the ruined room behind.
" I can't believe it!" I burst the door open and decided to confront the guard . My hands close in a tight fist
" was it you?!" My voice a calm serene hadn't got Raised at all. I was talking to the courier—the man who was now my warden—who stood beside the door, holding his professional silence. He didn't even flinch. And He didn't even meet my eyes. He simply lifted his left wrist and glanced at his watch. "Nine minutes remaining, Ms. Smith."
He offered no denial, no explanation, only the relentless passage of time. He was like a programmed machine, incapable of feeling guilt or revealing the source of his orders. He wasn't the enemy; he was merely the extension of Alexander Blake's will. I took one step back, my furious energy collapsing into cold resignation. Fighting him was like punching reinforced concrete. I grabbed the small suitcase, the one symbol of compliance I could manage, and slammed the door shut behind me, my breathing harsh and shallow.
The guard moved, finally. He took the suitcase without a word, his touch impersonal, and ushered me toward the elevator. The humiliation was complete. I had one hour to pack my life, and I left with only a toothbrush and the clothes on my back.
***
After a while I was back at the mansion. In front of the house door stood the butlers and some maid .They simply nodded at me . Once inside. the butlers guide me towards my suit and I felt as if everything had slow down. It was just right mix with Alexander's suit . The butlers open the room door. I hesitate before going in. And then I walk into the room . I saw the big wardrobe.
The nightstand table and some makeup materials.
The two maid approached me.
" ms . Smith if you'll let us changed your clothes?" the first maid asked politely.
" no! I don't want you to help me!" I refused clutching my arms across my chest.
They both look me .
" ms . Smith it an order from sir Blake" the second maid insisted, her voice flat.
" I don't want too! I don't care about his order . I'll change on my own!"
Just Then we heard Alexander voice cut through the air, deep and resonant from the doorway of my new suite. He simply waved his hand, dismissing the staff with an effortless gesture. The butler and maids melted away immediately.
" so you want to become disobedient now?" He said with a low purr .
He pulled something silver from his pocket, and my heart seized. He held the chain dangling. "Looking for this, Swan? It carries too many old memories for you to keep, don't you think so?" He walked to the sleek, modern dresser and looped the necklace over the stem of a single, red rose in a glass vase, forcing me to move toward his territory to retrieve it.
My rage flared, fueled by the theft. "Sir Blake, I am your secretary! I am not your concubine! I don't understand how I find myself in a situation like this one!"
Blake took a slow step toward me, and I instinctively retreated. "Oh, little mouse. You want to grow fangs? Unfortunately, a mouse can't grow claws or fangs, dear."
He cornered me against the wall. Before I could move, he grabbed the shoulder seam of my gown. His movement was slow, deliberate, and terrifyingly calm. The sound of the sapphire silk ripping was a deafening, final sound in the silent room. My elegant dress fell away, leaving me exposed in my black lace bra. I tried desperately to hide my body from his gaze .
"DON'T TOUCH ME!" I screamed, the sound cracking. Fear surged through me, making my legs weak.
"I order them to change you up, and what did you do about it! You refused the maids? Foolish girl. I told you, your role is to obey the terms. If you want to argue, let's start with the one you owed me from the last life. And you wanted to show defiance! Let me show you who is in control!"
He suddenly threw me up onto his shoulder—the casualness of the physical dominance was horrifying—and laid me on the bed. I felt cold, scared, and utterly panicked. "Blake! What are you doing! Please don't!"
He didn't stop. He leaned over, pulling away the remaining pieces of my ripped clothing with an impatient jerk. Tears welled in my eyes. Then, he moved to my neck.
He didn't tear; he claimed. His mouth clamped down, his teeth sinking in just enough to cause a sharp, stinging pain. I tasted blood in my mouth. He kept his face pressed there for a long moment, a low hum rumbling in his chest.
"A mark of ownership, Aurore," he whispered against the wound. "A reminder of the price of your survival."
My legs were shaking, threatening to give way. "DON'T TOUCH ME!" I screamed again, tears finally escaping down my face.
He lifted his head, his eyes burning with an intense, dark light. He looked down at my exposed body and, instead of rushing, he paused.
"Don't cry," he commanded, his voice unnervingly steady. "You think I would take you like some common whore? I have waited for you for too many lives, Aurore. I know what you haven't given away. This is not about simple lust. This is about reunion."
He reached down and gripped my chin, forcing me to meet his gaze. "You agreed to my terms. Now you will learn what it means to belong to me." He then placed his hands on my hips, spreading my legs with calm, devastating intent. A shocking sob escaped my lips.
I squeezed my eyes shut, bracing for the painful penetration I knew was coming. But it didn't come.i felt my body being sat down and. Instead, I felt a cool, damp cloth pressed against the throbbing bite mark on my neck.
"Open your eyes, Aurore," his voice was back to that chilling formality. "I won't take you now. At least, not today. I have waited for centuries; I can wait one more night. I'll just ensure you are properly dressed for my home."
Even as he spoke, he rubbed his hardness against my core, a cruel, immediate promise of what awaited me. I whimpered softly, the physical dominance crushing my will.
I weakly twisted my head, my eyes burning with raw, absolute hatred, staring straight into his. "I hate you," I choked out, the words raw and absolute. "I hate you, Alexander Blake."
He paused in the act of pulling a piece of soft silk over my waist. His eyes locked on mine. He didn't look angry; he looked mournfully satisfied. "Good," he murmured, his thumb brushing a tear from my cheek. "Hate is simply the other side of eternity, Aurore. You will love me again. You always do."