CHAPTER 3

Mila

Mila, meet your soon to be husband," Elisa said with barely suppressed glee.

The man couldn't be a day younger than seventy. He was short, bald, and fat, with dropping jowls and belly. He was in a suit that rid up his large body. He had expensive looking rings adorning his fingers and licked his lips lasciviously as he saw me kneeling there.

"I see that she's already in the position of submission." The fat man smirked.

"Meet Victor Verde," Cassie said. "Mr. Verde, meet my lovely step sister Mila."

The name rang a bell in my head immediately, and as soon as it did, I felt sick. Victor Verde was a millionaire who married and buried wives faster than people changed underwear. His last wife had died just three months after the wedding in a mysterious accident.

My stomach roiled, and I jumped to my feet. "I won't marry this old geezer. You can do your worst."

"Who are you calling an old geezer?" He growled, advancing. He grabbed me by my waist pulling me into his slimy body, then to my shock and horror, his hand reached out and squeezed a handful of my breasts.

My hand immediately flew out and smacked across his face in a deafening slap.

"What? You dare to slap a man like Victor Verde?" Cassie roared. "You should be honored that he even considered you."

"If he's so amazing, then you can have him," I retorted.

The words had barely left my mouth when the back of Victor's hand connected with my face, therings on his fingers tore into my cheek, slicing it open. I fell to the floor with a pained scream.

"You bitch. You dare speak to me like that?" Mr Verde's face was the picture of fury.

Elisa rushed forward and grabbed me by the neck of my dress, dragging me across the room amidst my screams. "you stupid girl!" She bit out. "You think you're too good for him hunh. Your stubbornness has cost you now. You're going to marry Mr. Verde come rain or high water and then I'm going to pull the plug on your useless sister's life machine."

" No, no, please don't do this." I wailed, but all my pleading fell on deaf ears. She cruelly dragged me through the house and down to the dark, damp cellar.

Elisa tossed me inside like I was nothing but a sack of potatoes then shut the steel cage. "You're going to stay in here till the day of the wedding. Since you've chosen to be picky. You think a nobody like you gets to have a choice? Haha."

I rushed forward, banging on the gate even as the overhead lights went off in the cellar. I had a chilling fear of the dark, and Elisa knew it.

"Please please. Help help me!"

What felt like hours later, the lights finally came back on. By then my throat felt raw and my hands were split from banging on the gate.

"I'm here baby," Ryan said, opening the gate and slipping into the cellar.

"Ryan?" I asked in confusion, "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to save you. What does it look like?" He said immediately. "I couldn't just sit back and watch them treat you like this. It's not fair. You deserve better."

My heart raced as I heard the words I had always wanted to hear from him.

"I love you, Mila." His eyes softened. "And I'm going to take you away from here and give you a good life. I won't let that old geezer put his filthy paws on you."

" What about Cassie?"

He paused, looking annoyed. "What about her?"

"You're going to break the engagement, right?" I asked happily. I didn't care about what had happened in the past. I could overlook the past two years. What mattered was that Ryan loved me and he was going to make everything right again.

"What are you talking about?" He snapped. "Why would I break the engagement?"

My smile died a quick death. "But you said_"

Suddenly he threw his head back and let out a loud bark of laughter. "Oh my God. Did you really think I'd leave Cassandra Stone for you? I'll marry her of course, but you'll do really well as my mistress. Cassie will just be arm candy for me, but you'll be the one I will come to with my deepest desires and problems."

"W-what?" I rasped out, not believing my ears.

"Come on now, Mila. Stop being such a goody two shoes." Ryan rolled his eyes. "You refused to let me touch you when you were dating, but now you're no longer a kid. You have to realize that this is no longer a game. This is survival. I can help you." He inched closer and closer to me while I stood there frozen.

"I can help you, and all you have to do is spread your legs for me" he continued. "I can give you money, jewelries, cars. I'm now an athlete with a massive salary, and I'm also heir to a million dollar company. You'll never have to clean floors again. What do you say Mila?"

He reached for me and I immediately knocked his hand away. "Go to hell, Ryan."

His face twisted into a mask of anger. "so you'd rather die in that old bastard's hands than be my mistress?"

"I'd rather you all burn in hell and leave me alone!" I snarled.

Ryan suddenly leaped forward, hands trying to rip at my clothes. "You denied me this body for years. I deserve to have a taste before your beloved betrothed."

I screamed, but he only laughed. "Scream as loud as you can. Nobody can hear you."

My blood boiled and bubbled. With fierce rage, I attacked him, clawing at his face and kicking wildly at him like a depraved animal.

"Argh!" He screamed as blood poured down his face. "This isn't over! I'll deal with you. Or better yet, you'll end up as a corpse in Mr. Verde's hands."

With that promise lingering in the air, he turned and stalked off, the heavy cellar gate clanging shut behind him.