Chapter 3
Olivia
My heart nearly stopped beating.
That silhouette... impossible... absolutely impossible...
The window rolled down slowly, rain sliding down the glass like tears on my face.
Then I saw him.
Mike.
That damn face, those deep eyes, and that familiar cologne scent that I could smell even through the rainy night.
"Need some help, Olivia?" His voice was still magnetic, but it sent chills down my spine.
I stood there frozen, rain pelting my face, but I couldn't feel the cold. All I felt was rage—white-hot, burning rage.
"Mike?" My voice was shaking badly. "What are you doing here? How do you know my name?"
He smiled slightly, that damn charming smile. "Get in the car, Olivia. We need to talk."
"Talk about what?" I took a step back. "You disappeared for two months! Two months! Not a trace!"
"My real name is Dominic Russo." He said it calmly, like he was discussing the weather. "Mike is just an alias I like to use."
"I knew it!" I screamed, not caring about the stares from passersby. "You lying bastard!"
Dominic pulled out a business card from his pocket and held it toward me. Even under the dim streetlight, I could see the gold embossed lettering.
"CEO of Russo Real Estate Group. Net worth: ten billion dollars." His tone was completely flat. "Now, get in the car."
Ten billion...
I stared at the card, my fingers trembling so badly I could barely hold it. This wasn't real. This absolutely wasn't real.
"You're lying." I shook my head. "You're lying!"
The car door opened.
"Olivia, you've been standing in the rain for an hour. Get in, or you'll catch pneumonia."
His concern made me even angrier.
"Fuck your concern!" I threw the card back at him. "Do you know what these past two months have been like for me? Do you know I just lost my job today? Do you know I'm homeless? Do you know I'm..."
I stopped. I almost said I was pregnant.
"I know you're pregnant."
Lightning exploded in my brain. "What?"
Dominic stepped out of the car, and a black umbrella appeared over my head. The rain stopped hitting me, but I felt even colder.
"I've known since your first bout of morning sickness. My people have been watching over you."
"Your people?" I felt something choking me. "What do you mean?"
"Get in the car, Olivia. This isn't the place for this conversation."
I wanted to refuse, wanted to turn and run, but my legs felt like lead.
Because I realized a terrifying truth—I had nowhere to go.
The interior of the Rolls-Royce was suffocatingly luxurious.
Leather seats, crystal decanters, and a mini bar. This car probably cost more than I made in a year.
"Why did you lie to me?" I huddled in the corner of my seat, as far from him as possible.
Dominic sat across from me, elegantly pouring two drinks. "I needed to make sure you weren't after my money. Now I know you weren't."
"What do you mean?"
"You worked at that coffee shop for two months and never once Googled my name." He offered me a glass. "Either you're an Oscar-worthy actress, or you genuinely had no idea who I was."
I pushed the glass away. "I don't drink."
"Because of the pregnancy." He nodded. "Good."
Outside the window, New York's nightscape flowed past. Where were we going?
"You said 'your people have been watching over me.'" I stared into his eyes. "Explain that."
Dominic took a sip of his drink, then set it down.
"Your landlord works for me. Your boss took my money too. I've been observing you."
My blood turned to ice.
"You've been stalking me for two months?" My voice was barely a whisper. "You sick freak!"
"I've been protecting you for two months." He corrected. "Those customers who tried to harass you were 'discouraged' by my people. That manager who kept giving you trouble got transferred to another location."
I thought about all those problems that had suddenly disappeared, all those things that should have been difficult but somehow worked out...
"So today..."
"Today your landlord and boss received new instructions." Dominic showed no remorse. "It was time to move to the next phase."
I felt like I was going to be sick, not from morning sickness, but from fear.
"What am I to you? Some kind of lab rat?"
"You're the mother of my child. My child."
The car stopped.
I looked out the window and saw the most expensive residential area on the Upper West Side. A skyscraper towered before us, its penthouse lights twinkling like stars.
"Welcome to your new home," Dominic said.
The elevator ride made me dizzy.
50th floor... 51st floor... 52nd floor...
When the elevator doors opened, I saw the most luxurious apartment I'd ever laid eyes on.
Twenty thousand square feet of space, floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking all of Manhattan, Italian marble floors, handwoven Persian rugs, and priceless artwork.
"The monthly rent here is $250,000." Dominic removed his coat and hung it on a rack by the door. "It's yours now."
I stood in the doorway, afraid to step inside.
"I can't afford a place like this."
"You don't need to pay rent." He walked to a massive walnut desk and picked up a document. "You just need to sign this."
I slowly walked over and took the contract.
The title made my heart stop: [Exclusive Companionship Service Agreement]
"Five million dollars, one-year term." Dominic said behind me. "You live here and comply with all my requests."
I turned to face him, fury blazing in my eyes.
"What am I to you? A high-class hooker?"
"You're the mother of my child. My child." He repeated, his voice devoid of emotion.
"What if I refuse?" I slammed the contract on the desk.
Dominic walked to the floor-to-ceiling windows, his back to me. Manhattan's lights twinkled behind him, making him look like a fallen angel from hell.
"Then you'll find that no hospital will admit you, no lawyer will help you, and no shelter will take you in." His voice was cold as ice. "You'll be living on the streets until the baby is born. And then..."
He turned around, and I saw a darkness in his eyes I'd never seen before.
"Then I'll use legal means to take back my child."
My legs gave out, and I nearly collapsed.
"You... you can't do that..."
"I can. I'm Dominic Russo. In this city, I can do whatever I want."
I looked at the contract, then at this suffocatingly luxurious apartment, then at this man I'd once thought was gentle.
I thought about the child in my womb.
I thought about the desperation in the rain.
I thought about how I had nothing left.
Trembling, I picked up the pen.
"I hate you..." I said as I signed, tears dripping onto the paper. "I hate you..."
Dominic walked over and gently caressed my cheek, just like he had two months ago.
"You'll get used to it," he said softly. "Soon, you'll understand I'm protecting you."
I signed my name.
Olivia Smith.
In that moment, I felt like I'd signed away my soul.
"Good." Dominic collected the contract. "Tomorrow we'll meet my family. I think they'll really 'love' you."
His smile as he left sent chills through my entire body.
I stood alone in this glittering prison, realizing I'd just walked into a hell deeper than I could have ever imagined.
And this was only the beginning.