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"It's all about how you look, your health, and money, right?" I retort. Tears are now falling down my cheeks, and I lean over the desk, placing my hands on the edge, hoping I smear it with my sweaty hands. "How much am I worth, Father? I know what my mother was worth. How. Much. Am. I. Worth?" I seethe.
His eyes harden. "Six hundred and sixty-six million. And for the record, it’s health and money for the men and health and looks for the women. Be grateful you have both."
I push off the desk, and a sick chill runs up my spine when I hear those three numbers followed by zeros. Evil.
My father's face twists in anger, and he continues to lay down the details of the arrangement I have no choice but to accept. "It was his number. It’s what he wanted to pay me to settle my debts as long as I gave him… you. He requested I provide him with your last medical records to ensure you can provide him with an heir. One heir. That’s all he wants from you."
I blink, trying to clear my eyes from the tears that don't want to stop falling and sniff. "Why me?"
He shakes his head in disbelief. "Lillith, do you know how many men ask me if I can convince you to go out with them? Colleagues, business associates, and sons of my closest friends all want a chance. But I've had to turn them all down and tell them I can't convince my only daughter to go out with her own social class."
He means the super-rich. If he only knew their cocks are the contaminated ones.
"Who did you sell me to?"
He dodges the question, trying to convince me he did it because he cares. "You just have to give him what you would've eventually given any other man on this island. I made a choice for you, and given the type of life I have provided for you, based on your lineage and birth, it was in your best interest."
"No, you mean in the best interest of you and that bitch Gretel," I shot back.
The little muscle in his jaw clenches because I hit the truth square on the head. "Look here, you ungrateful little bitch! I did what was necessary!" I rear back at his loud tone. My father has never called me a little bitch before, but he does prefer Gretel over me. That much is clear, and it has always been that way since I was old enough to understand how important her role with my father was. "Go pack your personal shit and leave your clothes. He said those won't be necessary. Everything else will be provided for you." I turn to leave. "Oh"––I pause with bated breath––"and for the record, his name is Killian Cross." My stomach drops, forming a knot, and I suck in a breath when I hear that name.I've heard about the masked man who lives near the coast. It is hard not to when he's the richest man on the island. The recluse. Some say he was involved in a bad accident and lives like a moth in a dark mansion. He doesn't venture out, and no one has seen him in years. There are no photos of him anywhere.They said his parents died in a horrific accident, and he was the only survivor. The few who have seen him said his face is badly scarred, and that’s why he wears a mask.
I walk out of my father's office, hating him more than anyone right now. I now have two choices—run away without a dime until they find and kill me, making it look like an accident, or marry the man my father sold me to."It's the way things are, Lillith. What did you think would happen?"
Closing my eyes, I hear his words playing in my head. I knew I had to marry someone eventually, but I hoped my father had an ounce of respect for his only daughter to at least let me choose when I was ready. When I open my eyes, I wipe my tears, knowing this is the last time I will be in this house and probably one of the last times I'll talk to my father privately.
"I hope you and Gretel are happy now. You have me out of the way. My mother would be proud of you," I say, looking at the ceiling when I plop down on my bed. I hope the next chapter of mine isn't worse, but I know deep down it will be. How could it not? I was bought like a piece of furniture because of how I look. There is no other reason.
"What do you mean you have to leave and get married? To whom, Lillith?"
I zip up my carry-on. The only thing I'm taking with me along with my favorite books.
I glance at Ethan, hating myself for lying to him, but I have no choice. If I don't evade his questions, he’ll track me down, and I can't let anything happen to him. What if he gets hurt?
"The son of one of my father's business associates," I reply, watching his face fall. "I'm sorry, Ethan, but I don't have a choice. You know that is the way things are, and I don't have a say."
He looks up with a frown. "But… I love you."
My stomach drops because as much as I like Ethan, I don't love him. I loved our time together when my father was too busy to pay attention to me. I loved his company and the fact that I could explore my sexuality and experience the touch of a man without any obligation or commitment. But I knew it would all end one day.
There is no love story. I was raised in a world where none of that exists. Carnal desires exist. Greed exists. But love? The love of money is what matters most. My father is proof of that.
"The car is waiting, Miss Sinclair."
I turn to look at Mrs. Whitt, the housekeeper my father hired three years ago. The one before Mrs. Whitt smiled and spent time with me, but then she was fired because that wasn't allowed.
"I'll be right there."
I wait until she walks away to approach Ethan. He’s looking at me solemnly while I hold his face in my hands. The look of anguish that crosses his features makes my insides cave.
"I have to go, Ethan. I’ve loved the time we spent together. The nights and the days. I'll never forget them, but you know this had to end."
"It doesn't have to, Lillith. You can talk to your father. Reason with him."
I shake my head. "You don't understand, Ethan. It was never a forever between us." My hands slide down his face, feeling the loss but knowing I don't have a choice.
I turn, hearing his last words as I exit my bedroom. "It was forever for me, Lillith."
I'm sorry. He doesn't understand. If I don't, I'm as good as dead.
