Chapter 2
The face on the pillow was a flawless replica of the man sitting in the living room downstairs.
I scrambled backward until my spine slammed hard against the heavy door.
"Let me out!" I screamed.
I pounded both fists against the wood with everything I had.
The man lying in the bed was hooked up to a hissing ventilator.
His face was shockingly pale, but the sharp jawline and deep-set eyes were identical to the cruel billionaire who had just stared at me.
"Open the door!" I rattled the handle. "Why does he look exactly like the man downstairs?!"
Eleanor’s voice slithered through the crack beneath the door.
"Because Arthur and Julian are twins."
I stopped yanking the door handle.
"Arthur was born exactly five minutes earlier," Eleanor stated coldly. "That makes him the primary heir of the Blackwood estate."
I stared at the unmoving chest of the man on the bed.
"He was supposed to inherit everything before the car accident."
"Now the board is threatening to strip him of his title. We need a child to secure his position. You will lay with him tonight."
"I am not doing this!" I shouted.
"If you back out now, I will personally ensure every hospital in this state refuses your brother's treatment."
"Give us an heir by morning, and I will wire two million dollars to your account."
Two million.
They doubled the price just to keep me trapped inside this room.
I stopped hitting the door.
My knuckles were bruised and bleeding, but the mention of my brother paralyzed me.
"Liam!" I pressed my lips near the keyhole. "Liam, please! Help me!"
He was the man who protected me.
He was the only person who cared about my pain.
Footsteps approached the other side of the door.
"Stop acting like a pathetic virgin," Liam snapped.
His voice didn't possess a single ounce of its usual warmth. It was dripping with venom.
"You're getting paid two million dollars to spread your legs for a billionaire."
A bucket of ice water crashed over my head.
"Liam?" I whispered.
"If you ruin this for me, I'll go to the ICU and unplug his machine myself!" Liam shouted. "Do you want to plan a funeral tomorrow?"
My knees failed me.
I collapsed onto the cold hardwood floor.
The man I loved, the man I trusted with my life, wasn't a savior.
"I'll do it," I choked out between sobs. "Just don't hurt him."
Eleanor’s hand shoved a clear glass jar through the narrow gap.
"Medical-grade aphrodisiac," she ordered. "Rub it on him. Force his nervous system to react."
Before the door could close, Liam’s thick hand shoved through the opening.
He tossed a heavy, black toy onto the floor right at my knees.
My stomach violently heaved.
It was the exact same toy Liam used to force on me when he wanted to act out his twisted fantasies in bed.
"Turn it to the highest setting," Liam commanded. "Mix it with the ointment. Ride that vegetable and make sure he produces something tonight."
I stared at the black silicone vibrator on the floor in absolute horror.
"The private doctor arrives at 6 AM to extract the fluid samples," Eleanor warned. "If there is no proof of consummation on those sheets, you get nothing."
The door slammed shut. The lock snapped firmly into place.
The only sound left in the massive bedroom was the steady hiss of the life support machine.
I grabbed the black silicone toy and hurled it into the darkest corner of the room.
I picked up the jar of ointment and slowly walked toward the mattress.
I expected to see a terrifying, decaying monster.
Instead, Arthur looked like a fallen god trapped in a nightmare.
His hair fell across a prominent forehead.
His chest rose and fell in a slow, hypnotic rhythm beneath the unbuttoned silk pajamas.
He looked so incredibly fragile.
My fear slowly morphed into a strange, agonizing sympathy.
We were both just helpless prisoners locked inside this cursed room.
I reached my hand out. My trembling fingertips hovered over the top button of his shirt.
A violent thump rattled the balcony doors.
I flinched and yanked my hand back.
A massive black crow slid down the rain-slicked glass, leaving a thick streak of dark blood.
Another violent thump. Then a third.
Dozens of crows began dive-bombing the balcony windows in a suicidal frenzy.
"Do not let the storm distract you!" a servant's voice yelled from the hallway outside.
"You only have three hours left! Do not miss the medical window!"
I stared at the bleeding birds piled up against the glass.
A cold, terrifying realization washed over my entire body.
If Arthur was completely paralyzed, why did we need to do this at a specific time?
Getting pregnant doesn't require a strict three-hour countdown.
A metallic click echoed from the far side of the room.
It didn't come from the hallway.
The handle of a concealed adjoining door slowly turned.
A tall shadow stepped out of the velvet curtains and into the dim glow of the medical monitors.
He wore the exact same tailored suit from the living room downstairs.
Julian. The healthy twin.
His eyes stared at his comatose brother with pure, unadulterated hatred.
Then, his gaze slowly shifted to me.
He reached into his breast pocket and pulled out a silver medical syringe.
Julian flicked the needle with his thumb. A drop of clear liquid beaded at the deadly tip.
"Since my brother is entirely useless in bed," Julian smiled.
It was a sick, predatory smile.
He took a slow step toward me, blocking my only path of escape.
"Maybe I should help him finish the job. Or better yet... I'll just send you both straight to hell."
