Chapter 5 - Gemma

My heart was in my throat as I panicked, pacing back and forth in the bedroom.

How could I be so stupid? Why did I ever think going to the Levovs was a good idea?

Those thoughts circled within my mind over and over again, further fuelling my ceaseless steps.

Even if the bedroom was ridiculously nice—far more luxurious than any bedroom I had ever known or had myself—I didn’t have the additional brainpower to focus on anything other than the impossible position I landed myself in.

I was a complete idiot. There was no other way of putting it.

I tried to have faith in the very family that I wrote the piece on, outlining potential crimes they committed. For whatever reason, I thought that offering them the chance to give their side of the story would somehow land me in their good graces, and I wouldn’t have to worry about their retaliation.

However, I only seemed to speed up that process by speaking with Benedikt. It made me wonder if my luck ran out the moment I spoke to him specifically or if they all would’ve handled the situation similarly.

Given how the apple likely didn’t fall far from the tree, I could only assume the latter.

My trust was incorrectly placed, and I put myself in the worst possible situation I could.

As I paced, I couldn’t get my head out of that never-ending loop. I wished I had never even taken on the piece. I should’ve taken one look at the subject matter and turned it away before requesting a new assignment.

Thinking it over, it was a lofty request to make of an intern. To put that kind of weight on my shoulders was egregious.

And yet, I could try and blame my boss all I wanted, but it wouldn’t change the fact that I willingly walked into that club. I gladly took on the project since I was far too ambitious to turn it down, and I had decided to seek out the Levovs for their piece.

Above all else, I wished I had never even heard of that name. I wished I was just as clueless as most of the nation and could continue with my life as if nothing happened. If only I could turn back time and manage to do exactly that.

But it was too late. Benedikt had me in his possession, and, given the ample security cameras I saw the moment he pulled into the driveway, along with his wealth, I couldn’t see a single way out.

I was stuck, and while I normally wasn’t one to just give up, I wasn’t sure what my other options were.

Regardless of how I looked at it, it was a losing battle, and the Levov resources would find me dead and buried before I’d ever make it out of the house. Before I could ever get the word out about their crimes.

When my voice gave out and I couldn’t think of anything else to scream at him, my feet couldn’t keep carrying me around the room, either. I eventually dropped onto the bed, reluctantly accepting how comfortable the mattress was.

Even if my body was exhausted, my mind continued to run, let loose with the damning thoughts of how horribly I screwed up. How I typed out my life sentence the moment I started that article.

As I closed my eyes, I couldn’t help but see Benedikt’s face in my mind from when he was barely an inch away from me in the car. The smug grin on his stupidly handsome face.

If things were different, I would’ve found myself tripping over my own feet just to be near him. I would’ve gladly gone out with him if he had asked me.

But things were far from that simple.

He was beyond attractive, and he had more than enough influence to silence me, but that didn’t mean I could just get married and call it a day.

If I didn’t make it back to work, I’d lose out on my internship, and if Benedikt were to decide one day that he was done with me, I wouldn’t have anything left at all. I would be left high and dry, with nothing to show for my efforts, all because of a stupid mistake.

There was too much at stake for me, yet he was treating it like just another casual Friday night.

Regardless of what I thought or what I wanted, my life was about to change, and there was nothing I could do about it.

***

The moment my eyes peeled open the next day, I was greeted by a lovely headache that made me want to curl up and go back to sleep. But by then, the reality of everything came flooding back, and there was no way I’d be able to close my eyes again.

My stomach ached from the weight of everything, and after spending the last portion of the night shouting at Benedikt, my whole body felt like it needed a full week to recover.

To my dismay, the bed had been more comfortable than I wanted to admit, and if I hadn’t been so distraught about it all, I was sure it would’ve been the best sleep of my life.

However, waking up anywhere other than my crummy apartment made me furious and devastated all at once.

I just wanted things to go back to normal. I wanted to wake up from this horrible nightmare and realize that it was nothing more than that.

Reluctantly sitting up, I dragged a hand down my face and tried my best to keep it together. I had to stay calm, even if it felt like my life was falling apart.

There was a chance Benedikt could change his mind. He could’ve decided overnight to let me go with a warning to not publish the article. He could’ve felt bad for me and instead of ‘making me disappear;’ he could’ve decided to do good in the world for once. Perhaps balance the karmic scales in his favor and spare an innocent life.

It didn’t take long for me to realize that thinking wouldn’t get me anywhere.

However, several black shopping bags next to the bed did catch my attention. I spotted familiar luxury brand logos, and as much as I didn’t want to give in to my curiosity so easily, I was beginning to hate the feeling of having a pencil skirt and blouse on. After sleeping in the same clothes, I was itching to get new ones on.

With a sigh, I reached over and grabbed two of the bags before hoisting them onto the bed with me. My brows immediately went up at the sheer weight of them, and upon inspection, it was easy to see why that was.

The bags were full of clothes. As in, there were at least thousands upon thousands of dollars' worth of designer clothes. Bewildered by the sight, I reached for an item and pulled it out to find the tag still on. My stomach turned at the price alone.

There was a gross amount of money sitting in front of me, but at that moment, my comfort trumped all, even if Benedikt didn’t seem to agree. Letting go of a decided breath, I sifted through the bags until I found something suitable.

Getting up from the bed, I shuffled out of my clothes, hating how they felt like a second skin by then, and reached for a pair of leggings, along with a slouchy knit sweater. While it wasn’t a fix for everything, I felt less grimy.

At the very least, the fabrics were so luxurious that they helped me forget the hellish situation I found myself in.

A knock at the door startled me from my thoughts, making me jump as I looked over in its direction. I held my breath, waiting for it again.

“Are you awake?”

Even the sound of Benedikt's voice was enough to make me furious all over again. As my blood boiled, and I let out a huff of annoyance. “Yes. What do you want?”

He chuckled. “Hurry up and meet me downstairs then. It’s not negotiable.”

I narrowed my eyes despite the door between us, already fuming. Before long, I heard the faint shuffle of him disappearing down the hallway, and it took everything in my power to not lose my mind again.

To spite him, I went into the ensuite and fixed myself up, rinsing with a fresh bottle of mouthwash to feel a little more human. All the while, I imagined every way I could bust out of the house and find my freedom again.

However, as I got lost in thought, every idea seemed to get more absurd before I concluded that none of them would work. As much as I hated the idea of giving in and letting him get away with the cruel position he forced me into, I also didn’t want to face the bleak consequences of disobeying.

While my stubbornness and refusal to cooperate still gleaned through as I began for the door, every step reluctant, I wasn’t prepared to lose my life over it.

I had the feeling Benedikt would spare me just to torture me until my last breath instead of killing me outright. I had the feeling he was petty like that.

Grumbling to myself, I made my way downstairs, physically aching as I followed his orders. I wished there was more I could do to spite him, but everything seemed so useless, and I didn’t have the energy to spend on an attempt.

As I turned the corner, emerging into the kitchen, I stopped in my tracks when I found Benedikt sitting at the long table with several papers in front of him, along with a shiny pen that made my stomach turn.

Unable to say anything, I simply stared as the crushing reality weighed down on my shoulders.

Benedikt wasn’t kidding about us getting married before the weekend was up. He never was in the first place.

He pulled a smug smile as he grabbed the stack of papers in front of him and neatly shuffled them against the table. “There you are. I told you we’d have more than enough time.”

My heart was in my throat, watching as every last vestige of freedom and choice evaporated before my very eyes.

It all had to be some cruel joke, but I wasn’t laughing.