Chapter 237: So soon?

Detaching myself from the freezing glass, I dragged my feet behind him. Taking in the surroundings, I wandered through nearly the entirety of the apartment, which turned out to be colossal in scale. Judging by the look of it, the renovations had only recently finished, though for some reason, the cleaning crew had left several rooms untouched.

A thick layer of construction dust and settled plaster coated the expensive hardwood parquet. Parts of the new furniture were still wrapped in protective plastic, looming heavily in the corners of these sterile, impersonal rooms. Navigating a labyrinth of hallways, we finally stepped into an extraordinarily spacious kitchen. Damian immediately claimed a chair with all the casual authority of an owner, nodding toward the seat opposite him.

Giving this terrifying predator as wide a berth as the spacious room allowed, I perched on the very edge of the hard chair. Resting my trembling palms on my knees and interlocking my fingers tightly, I lifted a wary, guarded gaze to his face.

"Your direct duties will now include cleaning, laundry, cooking, grocery shopping, and purchasing household necessities, as well as accompanying me to select events whenever required". His tone shifted to one of cold, corporate business, as though we were negotiating a standard employment contract rather than my outright enslavement.

"I will issue you a separate card for expenses. Everything you do has value, and if you don’t shirk your duties, you will pay off your debt by the end of this year".

"Is there anything else I could do to pay off this debt faster?" I asked, a fragile, desperate flicker of hope lacing my voice.

Deep down, however, I knew all too well that there simply weren’t enough hours in the day for extra work. I had my university classes to attend, and the long commute consumed a massive chunk of time. What was I even doing here? I should have been sleeping soundly in my warm bed at home right now, not bargaining for my own life with this... pack heir. Probably because I had no other choice. I had never had one, and I didn’t have one now.

"Everything you do, I am already valuing far above market rate, Hart. But if you agree to come to my bedroom every night, your debt will be cleared in a couple of months". Damian delivered his dark proposition, his abyss-like, all-consuming gaze boring into me.

His words hit me like a splash of boiling water from within. A thick, suffocating heat rushed through my body with terrifying speed, setting my skin ablaze with a torrent of raw emotion. My face flushed hot with a burning mix of shame and overwhelming fury—a sensation far sharper than physical pain.

"No! That will never happen!" I snarled, leaping up so violently that the chair legs screeched harshly against the tile floor.

"Why not? You could simply be a compliant, good little girl and enjoy the pleasure without lifting a finger". A smirk cut across his features like a double-edged blade, slicing deep into my spirit and leaving bleeding wounds in its wake. "You wouldn’t have to do any housework at all; I’d wipe your debt clean entirely for your services in my bed".

"I would rather wash your clothes by hand in freezing water and slave away from dawn to dusk without a single day off than agree to such a thing! You will never have me!" Spitting the words in his face with venom, I exhaled heavily, consumed by overflowing rage.

"Is that so..." Tilting his head to the side and propping it against his large fist, he suddenly cast a gaze upon me so heavy and crushing that the space around us felt as though it were shrinking.

It felt as if the air had been sucked straight out of the room, everything darkening around us under the weight of his murderous Alpha aura.

"Come, I’ll show you your room." He rose fluidly to his feet, and only then did horror strike me as I realized I hadn’t asked the most crucial question.

"W-wait! Can you let my parents go now?" My voice hitched into a rasp as Damian turned back at my words.

Yet, absolute emptiness reigned in his eyes once more, void of the slightest sign of life. Zero sympathy.

"No," he answered flatly, severing all hope.

"At least in a month! They are getting old, they cannot handle this kind of stress!" Overcoming the paralyzing fear gripping me, I stepped closer to him.

Gazing up from below at this mountain of muscle, I terrified myself over his unpredictable reactions, yet I still had no choice. I had to try to get them out.

"Work off a month, and then we’ll see how you behave and how well you handle your duties. Now let’s go. We leave early tomorrow; I have morning pack training," he tossed out, turning away from me with evident irritation as he headed toward the kitchen exit.

The room where I was now destined to live proved to be quite spacious. It featured a huge window, a wide bed, and a massive writing desk. Furthermore... it sat right on the other side of the wall from his personal bedroom. In a giant, empty apartment, that bastard had deliberately placed me right against his side, unwilling to let me distance myself by even a meter.

I had a strong, unsettling sense that he was attempting to claim total control over my very existence, refusing to let me stray further than his predatory gaze allowed. Locking me in a gilded cage to break my will.

***

Changing into a clean t-shirt, I lay down on the bed. I tossed and turned for a long time, eaten alive by a toxic shame that right now I was lying on a soft, warm mattress while my beloved parents were locked away god-knows-where. Perhaps they were starving, trapped in some dark basement, and losing their minds with worry over my fate.

The pain of that thought tore through me with every second, shattering my soul into jagged pieces.

An hour later, failing to calm my inflamed mind, I got up. Wincing at the biting chill of the floor tiles beneath my bare feet, I walked straight toward Damian’s bedroom. I had to try. If he would only let me speak with my mom and dad on the phone for a single minute—just to hear their voices. Surely he wasn’t a completely heartless monster devoid of all empathy? There had to be something human left inside him.

Approaching the tall, dark door, I knocked a few times timidly with my knuckles. Hearing no response, I wiped my damp, trembling palms against my t-shirt and gently pushed the door forward. The very next second, I let out a frightened gasp as a massive, powerful hand clamped around my wrist.

With a violent jerk, Damian dragged me inside, instantly crushing my chest against his scorching-hot, bare torso. Trapping my waist with one hand and gripping the back of my neck with the other, he completely immobilized me. His touch sent a blinding flash of electric current racing across my skin, paralyzing every instinct of self-preservation.

"Coming to my bedroom so soon? Does it mean you’re already in love with me?" His raspy, guttural voice scorched the sensitive skin of my neck.

Jerking my head up, my heart skipped a beat as I saw his predatory, devilish smirk clearly etch across his wicked lips even in the thick gloom of the room. Thrashing in his arms like a trapped bird caught in a snare, I stammered desperate excuses, struck with the terrifying realization that the only thing clothing his massive, post-shower body was a single terry towel riding dangerously low on his narrow hips.