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Olivia Bennet never expected to wake up one day as the wife of Arthur Knight, a ruthless billionaire who sees emotions as a weakness. Forced into marriage to settle her father's debt, Olivia enters Arthur's world as little more than a possession. But as their cold, transactional relationship gives way to stolen moments of vulnerability, Olivia realizes there's more to her captor than his iron control. When Arthur's vengeful ex, Victoria, begins weaving a web of lies and manipulation, Olivia is left questioning everything. Will she fight for the man behind the walls, or will she escape before she loses herself in his dangerous world?
Chapter 1 Sold To The Devil
Chapter One: Sold to the Devil
I was just a debt settlement.
A pawn in a match I was unaware of even happening.
My destiny was sealed the instant my father's shaking hands signed the agreement.
The Contract with Satan
The smell of expensive whiskey and cigar smoke permeated the air in the dimly lit room. The strong mahogany desk between my father and Arthur Knight could as well have been a guillotine.
Clutching the pen, my father's fingers fluttered; his knuckles were taut and bone.
Give us your opinion on this issue." knight," he stuttered, his voice cracked. "She's-she's all I have left."
The man across from him hardly blinked. He was cool. Too calm everywhere. He did not need to hurry, and as if the world bent at his feet.
Arthur Nolan.
The name all by itself was a hushed word of caution in the shadowy corners of London. A fantasy, a fable, a nightmare. The merciless British criminal boss ran the underworld with an iron hand. He was the type of guy you never crossed.
And now the man who possessed me.
With Arthur at last talking, I stood frozen with my breath stalling in my throat.
"Then you ought to have reconsidered before using my money in gambling."
He had a modulated, strong voice. A voice with a power that never had to rise. His tone revealed no understanding, no flicker of sorry.
Hands trembling, my father was on his knees now trying Arthur's perfectly fitted suit.
I swear I will pay you back. Let me have time."
Arthur did not blink.
Hadn't shifted.
Didn't even glaze at my father.
Contradicting eyes of cold and darkness glanced toward me instead. Measuring me straight.
"He murmured as if I were not here. She's weak."
A gut-twisting humiliation knife.
My father said, his voice breaking, "She's all I have"sync.
Arthur sighed and rubbed his temple as if this all made little difference to him. Then he turned to the big, frightening man by his side without another look at me.
Proceed with her.
Not!
It went too quickly. Strong arms seized my arm and drew me forward before I could even think of the words.
Wait! You can not
Just before the cold, identifiable click of a weapon cocked next to my ear, I barely closed my sentence.
Every part of me was frozen.
My chest thumped.
Arthur was motionless.
He had not had to.
His voice threaded with tedium, "Don't complicate this more than necessary."
I went to my father.
Waiting still.
Prayerful.
Praying he would battle on my side.
That he would.
He was not, however, looking at me.
Heads down and shoulders trembling.
He had lost hope already.
A bulge grew in my neck.
"Dad--"
"Olivia, go with them," he murmured, his tone rough.
Tears singed my sights. My heart broke a thousand times.
In actuality, this was going on.
I was for sale to the most influential organized criminal lord in the metropolis.
And nobody was coming for me.
The Journey to Hell.
Racing down the city streets, the black SUV left behind the only house I knew.
I was wrapped in silence.
I sat uncomfortably between two big males dressed sharply, their eyes expressionless. They were not talking. They didn't have to. Just seeing them was enough to help me realize I was confined.
Arthur crossed his legs and lazily tapped his knee in front of mine. He appeared unconcerned like he had only picked up dry cleaning instead of a person.
I balled my fists. "Where are you going me?"
He hardly glanced at me. "House."
I swallowed. "Your residence is what you mean."
He grinned a little. "you piece together fast."
My fingers scratched into my hands. "one cannot simply-"
His piercing glare shut me up right away.
He said gently, "You are in no position to argue." Your father signed you over. You are mine now."
The words ached me terribly.
You are now mine.
Turning toward the window, I blinked away the tears searing behind my eyes. I'll not be weeping. Not in front of him.
As we moved further from all I had ever known, the lights of the city blurred.
Life of mine.
My independence.
Eliminated.
Golden Cage
With the great house, the car stopped, and I held my breath.
This house was more than just a house.
It was a strong castle.
Darkness rose before high walls. The gates were under armed guard patrols. Cameras were stationed looking in every direction like vultures.
Had I considered for only a second that I might slip...
This site just showed me I was mistaken.
The door opened, and first out went Arthur. I hesitated, but the man next to me nudged me forward strongly enough to cause me to fall.
Almost as I stepped onto the frigid marble driveway, I barely saved myself.
Facing me, Arthur turned. His face was almost mocking although he was not grinning.
"Are you not accustomed to this?
I gave a hard look. "Kidnapped? No, can't say that I am."
His lips twitched like I had only said something humorous.
"Olivia, you were not abducted. You ended up traded. One is different."
I gulped down the rancid taste in my mouth.
I asked, "What do you desire from me?"
Arthur's dark eyes met mine, and I caught the First signs of anything hazardous.
"You will see soon enough."
A cool went down my spine.
He spun around and marched inside before I could answer.
Awaiting me to follow, the guards flanked me.
I had no option available to me.
So therefore I got started.
Walking through the grand entrance, the doors thudded closed behind me with great resonance.
The clang of a closed prison door.
And just like that.
There isn't anyone in the lion's den except me.
A convict living in a palace.
A pawn in a game I never agreed to play.
Still, I wasn't going down passively.
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