~ Jane’s POV

‘I had to move,’ I convinced myself. Taking a deep breath, I sidelined him and was about to walk away when I felt warmth spreading through my back. I stiffened when I felt his hand at the small of my back, leading me out of the club. As soon as I was out, I stepped away from him, terrified of what would happen next but refusing to go down without a fight.

My hand still on my arm, I finally lifted my eyes to meet his green ones. “I apologize for troubling you, sir. I’ll take my leave now.”

I bowed my head slightly and was about to walk away when, finally, he spoke to me. “Who did this to you?” I froze mid-stance, my hand wrapped around my arm, wincing in pain and staring wide-eyed at the man in front of me. No one had ever asked me this before. Not when my brother broke my wrist, not when my father called me worthless, not when my sisters watched and did nothing.

Standing before me was Blake Knight, the most feared man in the mafia world. I saw his dark green eyes lingering on the bruise forming on my arm that I was desperately trying to hide. “Answer me,” he growled.

“It's none of your business.” For a moment, silence stretched between us, and I contemplated my harsh comment. I was stunned at myself for speaking so rudely to the man who could end me this very moment.

Then, he stepped closer. “It became my business the second you were decided to be my wife.”

Wide-eyed, I stared at him, shocked to the core. But then…I laughed out bitterly. Wife? To the King of the Underworld? The same man whose name made powerful men, including my father, tremble?

“I would rather die!” I spat out, my breath trembling, already shivering from fear of the man glaring daggers at me. I knew I was crossing a line I shouldn’t be, but he was the one making absurd comments. There was no way my father would agree to this.

“Then let’s see which happens first,” With a slightly hoarse voice, he stepped closer and bent down, staring at me with intensity that sent a shiver down my legs, “Marrying me…or dying…?”

“With all due respect, Mr. Blake Knight. I think you’re mistaken.” I stepped away, trying to create as much distance as possible, my mind spiralling with a million questions.

His lips twitched, a hint of a smirk dancing on his lips. I didn’t realize a smirk could be sexy until I laid my eyes on his. “I’d prefer you calling me ‘husband’.”

With that, he straightened and placed his hands back in his pockets. His eyes darkened when they landed on my bruise again. But within seconds, his expression went neutral, and before I could respond to his laughable comment, he walked back into the club.

Shuddering, I quickly took a cab and went back to my apartment, quickly typing an excuse to Amy, not wanting to tell her the entire story of what almost happened.

As soon as I stepped inside my apartment, I dialed Lily’s number. It continued to ring, but she never picked up, and I knew she was busy…probably somewhere she shouldn’t be. Sighing, I changed into my pajamas and applied an ointment on my arm before flopping on the bed. Cursing my fragile body, I closed my eyes, trying to fall into a deep slumber.

“Who did this to you?”

The scene repeated in my mind like a broken record, and I groaned, sitting up. I stood up and went to the spare bedroom I had in the apartment that I turned into my spare room filled with canvases.

I picked up a brush and my paints before emptying my mind on the canvases. This was the only time I truly felt at peace, even with the chaos going around in my world. Before I could delve deep into my zone, my phone rang, and Lily’s name appeared.

“Lily!”

“Jane. I have something to tell you—”

“I think I already know, Lily.” I sighed, placing the brush down and walking out of the room, flopping on my couch.

“What…how!?”

“I stumbled into Blake Knight tonight…” And after that, I told her everything that had happened, only for her to curse after every sentence I spoke.

“Fuck…I’m so sorry, Jane. If he hadn’t seen you tonight, I might’ve been able to do something. But you know the connections he has. I—I have no resources against that man.”

I knew Lily would be powerless against. Who wouldn’t be powerless against a man whose ruthlessness didn’t even end at the murder of his parents? “It’s okay. I just hope he was bluffing.”

There was silence on the other line before I knew that Lily was silent because there was no way she believed he was bluffing. Blake Knight wasn’t the man to interact just for fun; he did everything with a purpose.

“Don’t worry. I’ll be here through everything, I promise.” With a few other exchanges and me asking about my family, we hung up. She told me that they were aware of the decision as well and as against of it they could be, they didn’t have a say against the Knights.

I was about to go to bed when the doorbell rang, and I found Amy standing on the other side. Rubbing the bridge of my nose, I opened the door and welcomed her inside.

“Amy! Is everyt—”

“You tell me that! Why didn’t you tell me a guy harassed you?” She asked, standing in an accusatory pose, her hands on her hips as she glared at me.

“It isn’t something you go around announcing, Ames.” I shrugged, moving to the kitchen to get her a glass of water after seeing her heaving chest. She gladly accepted the glass of water and gulped it down in one go.

“Tell me when something like this happens, alright?” I nodded, but then a question popped into my mind, and I sat down across from her.

“How did you know?”

“Oh, I saw someone beating the other guy…almost to death, I swear, and when I asked around, they said that he harassed someone and was even running after her before the guy caught him.”

My breath hitched in my throat. Blake Knight….He beat him up…? For touching me…? “Did you…see who it was? The person who caught the guy…”

She shook her head. “I wish,” she placed her glass down on the table, turning to me. “He had his back toward me, and as soon as I heard, I knew it was you he harassed.”

Sighing, I shook my head and told her to get comfortable before I made my way to my room, my hands trembling with the certainty that was my future now. If Blake Knight was written in my future, there’s no way I could run from it anymore.

“Gen!!” I heard Amy yelling from the living room. Frowning, I turned and walked out only to freeze mid-stance. No…it can’t be…oh god, no, please, let this be a dream…no…no.

“Hello, Janitor!” Franze waved at me, an evil smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. I shook my head, my vision already getting blurry as I rushed to my room, trying to shut the door. But his hand caught the door between the spaces, and he pushed it open, forcing my fall on the floor.

“Please, Fanz…no…don’t do this…please…”

“Gen! Who are you, people!? Leave her alone!” Amy cried and tried to tug free from Alina’s grip, struggling to reach me.

“Oh, how much we missed you, Janitor. Why did you run away, huh?” Franz spoke, standing over me, his legs caging my body as he crouched down, eyes darkening with each passing second.

“Please…don’t…” I was crying at this point, wishing for something, even an earthquake to stop it all, to stop Amy from getting hurt. She was innocent; she didn’t deserve this.

I closed my eyes when I saw Franz raising his arm to hit me. I had done this before, and I could do it again; I just need to bear through it. I bit my tongue and waited for the impact that was about to come within seconds.

Before the hit could reach me, a voice roared from behind us, sending a cold shiver down my spine.

“What did I say about touching what’s mine!?”

~ Blake’s POV

The sight in front of me made my blood burn. There wasn’t a single person on this earth who’d dare touch what belonged to me. I moved rhythmically, my steps thudding on the wooden floor of the cheap apartment. Franz stood up at the speed of light, standing away from Jane, who was still on the floor, her face tainted with tears. 

My jaw locked when I found her bruised arm turning purple as she struggled to stand up. My steps took me to her without knowingly, and I bent down, balancing my weight on my toes. “Did they touch you?” It was hard to keep my voice neutral when all that went through my head was violence and rage…furiousness.

She stared back at me, her innocent gray eyes widened in both terror and relief. She nodded, and I let out a breath before holding her under her arms and helping her stand back up. My hands were screaming to land at the faces of the jerks standing all around me, but I remained still, my hands still on Jane’s trembling body. From the corner of my eyes, I saw her sisters moving, trying to flee without getting noticed, and my lips twitched. “Take another step, and I’ll personally sew your feet to the fucking floor.” My voice thundered through the room, and one look at them was enough to glue them to the ground.

I moved, making Jane sit on the bed, and turned around, placing my hands back into my pockets before I did something I might regret later.

When I turned around, the siblings were standing together in a straight line and another girl on the floor, her wide, teary eyes staring back at me. From the look of her face, I knew she recognized me. “You can leave now.” My voice was commanding enough to let the girl know that it was safe for her friend now and that she HAD to leave. She shared a glance with the girl sitting silently behind me and left without another word—exactly what I wanted.

“I was very clear about being territorial, wasn’t I, Mr. Miller?” My eyes darted to the oldest trash of a brother Jane had. He stared at his sister behind me, fury filling his eyes as he turned his attention back to me.

“She’s my sister as—”

“Not anymore,” I growled, taking another threatening step in his direction to let him know he didn’t have the power he was imagining right now. All he was right now was a lamb I was very willing to sacrifice to get what I wanted. “She is my fiancé and wife-to-be very soon, Mr. Miller,” I spoke and took another step forward, taking my hand out of my pockets and playing with a metal card that looked like five of hearts from a usual set of cards, which it wasn’t. “Do you know what that means?” My head tilted to the side, eyes glued to the shaking man in front of me.

How dare he touch what’s mine!

“That she’s your who—” Before Luca, Jane’s other brother, could finish the sentence, I flicked my fingers in his direction, sending the card flying towards him and slicing his cheek open in the process. He screamed as the card landed with a thud on the ground and his face started bleeding. The corner of my lips twisted into a smirk as I watched him whimper and land on the floor. I saw his sister reach out to help him when I stopped her.

“Don’t even think about trying…” She stared at me, her eyes widened with terror. All of them looked at me with such terror as if they’d come across a dead relative. A sense of satisfaction rolled through my body when I saw their fear; this is what filled me with pride and satisfaction. The look of helplessness that crossed their faces is what keeps my power burning.

“This is the last time you touched her with evil intentions, Millers,” I spoke, my eyes rolling through the siblings, including the one crying on the floor.  “You’ll see wrath like never before if you ever cross me again…”

I may not be marrying Jane out of sheer will, but there was no way I’d let anyone insult a person tied to my name. I turned around and found her sitting still on the bed, her trembling eyes staring back at me with multiple emotions—shock, fear, relief, and maybe…hope. This was the first time I had seen someone stare at me with hope, the one emotion people seemed to forget whenever they crossed me, and I wondered if she was deserving enough to have it.  

Without another word, I picked her up, and the corner of my lips lifted in a subtle smile when I realized she decided it was better to remain silent. I walked out of the apartment with her in my arms, silent and probably contemplating the entire situation. I picked up my card in between and placed it safely back in my pocket, making my way back to my car.

I carefully seated her in the car’s passenger seat and walked to the driver’s seat, the driver waiting outside. “Behind,” I told him, and with a single nod, the driver nodded and made his way to the car behind us. I took out my phone and texted a message before placing it back in the pocket. I moved inside the car and drove out of the place, one car moving in front of us and another following closely behind, the protocol Nana forced me to keep even though I was perfectly capable of protecting myself.

As I drove through the narrow streets and onto the main road, a silent, scared voice erupted from beside me. “Where are you taking me?” She had her hands tightly clenched in her lap as she stared at me, her eyes turned to my side, hair a bit disheveled but still graceful.

“Home,” I replied. I felt her body squirm a little in its place, and I knew she wasn’t expecting me to take her to my place. But then again, even I was unable to refuse Nana dearest. I let out a sigh, trying to soften my voice as much as I could to keep her from feeling scared even though she had lashed out at me just a few hours ago. “You’ll be safe there…out of their reach,” I explained, and she nodded even though I could see a million questions rummaging through her mind.  I remained silent the entire ride. If Nana wanted her as her granddaughter-in-law, then she should be the one doing these uncomfortably awkward questions. 

When we reached the place, I could see Jane’s wide eyes staring at the place. The last time she was on my property, it was a different ballroom I used to host events. It was her first time here, and pride filled my chest when I realized she was probably gawking at the mansion.

I stopped the car at the entrance and went to open her door. She hesitantly walked out of the car, standing in one place awkwardly, probably trying to find her place in the property. Thankfully, Leah was already at the entrance, waiting for us. I motioned for Jane to follow, and she did, stopping right in front of the old lady.

“Leah, this is Jane,” I told Leah, our head maid, who nodded in response and took Jane’s hand in hers, guiding her inside the mansion. Leah was already aware of the situation through Nana and my strict instructions, so she didn’t need any more information. When I saw them disappearing in the mansion, I motioned for Alex to follow me.

We made our way to the building next to the one where Jane was and went inside the dark building, filled with multiple chambers on multiple floors. “Did you get him?” I asked Alex, who nodded in response, his hands holding onto a phone as he typed away.

“He’s on the second floor, 4th chamber,” Alex said, and I nodded, taking off my coat and handing it to Alex, rolling up my sleeves as I climbed the stairs. I hated the elevators and the laziness they caused, so there weren’t any in our entire mansion, and everyone was supposed to use stairs. “Are you handling this one yourself?” Alex asked, and I turned to face him, my eyes narrowing at him, and he nodded instantly, taking the hint already. “Okay… fine, have fun.” Alex shrugged, placing his phone back in his pocket.

Before I could enter the chamber, I turned to Alex. “Did you get her things?”

“You think I’d forget the one thing you texted TWICE!?” Alex asked, his eyebrows raised in an accusatory manner, and I nodded, not in the mood to play with his hintful questions. I turned the knob on the door and walked inside the chamber, taking the seat in front of the whimpering guy in the chair.

“You’ll ruin the alliance if you do this, Knight.” His voice was trembling when he spoke to me, and finally, my lips lifted into a smile, and I leaned forward, staring at him dead in the eyes.

“Alliance is nothing but protection. I’m done protecting you, Luca Miller.”

~ Jane’s POV

The estate of the Knights stretched farther than my eyes could comfortably follow. When my feet landed on the solid ground, I came face to face with a building towering over every other building on the property.

“Leah, this is Jane,” Blake Knight had told the old lady, who simply twisted her arm across mine and guided me inside the massive building surrounded by several others.

Massive columns covered the entrance, while floor-to-ceiling windows reflected the surrounding gardens like polished mirrors. My breath fastened when my eyes landed on the room located in the east wing of the mansion. Unlike the lavish halls downstairs, the corridor was quieter, its cream-colored walls softened by warm lighting and thick Persian carpets that silenced my very anxious footsteps.

The room inside was larger than the one I had spent my entire life in within the Miller mansion.

The lady walked me into a room that had a king-sized canopy bed standing beneath a crystal chandelier, while the floor-to-ceiling windows gave me a view of perfectly trimmed gardens. A fireplace also occupied one wall beside a comfortable sitting area with velvet sofas and a small library filled with leather-bound books.

“Please get comfortable, miss. I’ll be right outside if you need any help,” The lady murmured, taking her leave and shutting the door on her way out before I could even stop her.

I swallowed, watching my suitcase standing comfortably by the bed, and I realized someone had already brought my things here. My eyes landed on the walk-in wardrobe, larger than the bedroom I was using the past few days, and my feet automatically moved forward. I took out a dress from the walk-in wardrobe, grateful that I didn’t have to unpack, considering how bad my nerves were.

I went to the luxurious bathroom complete with a freestanding bathtub and rainfall shower. I sighed, realizing how perfectly beautiful the room was. But I knew I wasn't staying in a luxury bedroom. I was staying in a gilded cage.

After freshening up, my feet took me back to the bed, and I sat on the edge of it, picking up my phone and typing a quick text to Lily, informing her of the situation. Before I could stand and go out, a knock on the door caught my attention.

I cleared my throat, swallowing my anxious nerves. “Come in,” I said, watching the lady whom Mr. Knight called Leah, and she closed the door behind her.

“I hope you’ve freshened up, child?” She asked, and my eyes instantly darted to hers, wondering how one person can hold so much warmth. 

“Y-yes,” I whispered, unaware how to act, how to behave, what to say, or even what to do. I had been nervous the moment he picked me up and brought me out of the apartment. Though I was relieved that I was safe from my family, that didn’t mean I wasn’t brought to another prison.

“Are you hungry, dear?” She asked, taking a seat beside me, and I shook my head, my appetite lost a long while ago. I had been hungry when I came back from the party, but now, all I wanted was to just close my eyes and sleep until the end of the world.

“Let me see that,” She whispered, taking my arm in hers and lifting up the sleeve of the dress to show her the bruise that was already worse. “Oh, my,” she murmured, gasping as if she’d seen an injury she wasn’t expecting. Without another word, she stood up and walked out of the room, rushing.

My eyebrows furrowed, and before I could go after her, my phone rang, Lily’s phone appearing on the screen. With a deep breath, I picked up the phone, my mind spiralling with a million thoughts. “Jane! Where are you? Are you alright?”

“I don’t know, Lily. I’m currently on the property of Blake Knight. I don’t know what to do, Lily. I’m scared.” I told her, wincing every time I moved my arm, the bruise hurting my arm even more than before.

“I know, Jane, I know. I’m so sorry I can’t come to you instantly, Jane…” She paused as if she was contemplating her next words before she continued, “…he didn’t do anything to you, right?”

A gasp left my mouth at her question, but who wouldn’t ask that given the circumstances. “No, he didn’t. He was rather…protective. He threatened my brothers, too,” I told her and heard her hum in response.

“Don’t worry, Jane. I’ll see if I can visit you, but hang in there, okay? You know I can’t go against him, but I can be here for you every step of the way,” she told me, and I nodded, almost face-palmed myself when I realized she couldn’t see me.

I let out a breath in frustration. “It’s alright. Stay safe, Lily, okay?”

“I will. You stay safe, Jane,” She told me, and we hung up after bidding each other farewell. I sighed, placing the phone on the table beside my bed, wondering if this could ever become my home. I knew it couldn’t, at least not soon.

A knock on the door interrupted my trail of thoughts, and I looked up to find Leah peeking through the corner of the door, asking for my permission, which I gave with a nod of my head. She walked in, followed by another old guy walking inside, a briefcase dangling in his hand. I watched them both with wide eyes and was about to ask who he was when Leah interrupted again.

“He’s the resident doctor here, dear. Could you please show him your arm?” She asked, and my eyes darted between the two of them. I nodded and extended my arm, biting my lip when a burst of pain rushed through the upper side of the elbow. He inspected it before opening the briefcase and taking out a tube.

After taking care of the arm, he left the room after giving me instructions not to move my arm too much or lift heavy objects. 

“Here, have these.” Leah had the tablets placed on her palm and a glass of water in her other hand, offering me the medicine the doctor left for me to take before sleeping. I took it and swallowed it all in one go.

“I want to sleep, please,” I asked her, who nodded at me with a smile and left the room without another word.

I lay back on the bed, my mind drifting through several scenarios of living here. Not one of them had me imagining that maybe I could become what I wanted to be—an artist. Sighing, I closed my eyes and waited patiently for sleep to take me over, my mind drifting to dangerous scenarios.

~ The Next Day

I woke up with the sunlight cascading through the windows, enveloping the room in a warm embrace. I sighed in relief when I felt almost no pain in my arm. I went straight to the bathroom and freshened up, wearing a fresh set of clothes I took out of my suitcase.

When I was finally dressed, I walked out of the bathroom only to be greeted by Leah once again, who was waiting for me with a wide smile plastered on her face. “Hello, dear.”

I smiled back in response, not knowing what else to say to her. 

“Come, let’s get you to meet Madam Knight,” Leah said politely, and my breath hitched when I realized who she was talking about. The lady from the restaurant. The lady who came in with Blake at the restaurant I was a waitress at.

I swallowed, already knowing that there was no other option, so I followed her out of the room and into the corridor. Leah took me through the corridor that had elegant wooden doors standing evenly spaced along the walls of the corridor. I knew, without a doubt, that each of the rooms led to spacious suites prepared with the same understated luxury.

She then took me to the one at the far end of the corridor and knocked on the door before turning the knob and walking inside. For a place like this, I wondered why the doors had a traditional style to it.

When I walked inside, the room was almost identical to mine, minus the canopy bed and the long windows. My eyes landed on the lady sitting by the fireplace, sipping on her cup. When her eyes landed on mine, she immediately gasped and stood up, trudging to me.

I inhaled a deep breath when she stopped in front of me and pulled me into a hug. “Oh, sweetie! How are you? Did you sleep alright?” She asked, and I watched her, shock plastered all over my face. 

“I did, thank you,” I told her, my heart beating so quickly, I was finding it hard to breathe. She grabbed my hand and guided me to the velvet sofa set by the fireplace, seating me beside her.

“Oh, I am so glad you are here. I’ve been looking forward to meeting you.” She said, her eyes wide with joy and glistening with hope.

“You are?” I asked her, my eyes wide with curiosity and anxiety filling my stomach.

Before she could answer, a cold voice interrupted us from behind us. “Having fun?”