Total pages in book: 76
Estimated words: 68858 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 344(@200wpm)___ 275(@250wpm)___ 230(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 68858 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 344(@200wpm)___ 275(@250wpm)___ 230(@300wpm)
I knew this had something to do with Mateo—there was no other explanation for why I’d woken up alone or why I was being allowed to leave his suite so freely. My mind buzzed with a thousand thoughts as the elevator doors slid open, revealing a lavish lobby bathed in warm light.
Before I could fully step out, I was snagged by Melody and Peyton, their grips tight and their expressions strained. “What’s going on?” I asked, trying to ignore the curious stares we were attracting from the hotel staff and guests.
“That’s a loaded question,” Melody replied, her voice low but firm, as she kept a hold on my hand.
Without any more explanation, they hurried me through the lobby and out of the hotel, emerging to the backside of the hill where both buildings sat. The parking lot was full, the luxury cars gleaming under the morning sun.
“We’re in spot 8,” Peyton announced, pulling out a key fob.
“Spot 8?” I echoed, confusion settling in as we approached the parking spot.
A sleek white luxury car sat waiting for us. It was pristine, the kind of car that screamed money and power.
“Whose car is this?” I asked, the unease in my voice growing.
“Your fiancé’s,” Peyton enunciated the word with a pointed look. “Hop in.”
At Melody’s urging, I slid into the front passenger seat, the cool leather beneath me doing little to calm my nerves. “Okay, now can someone please tell me what’s going on?”
Melody exchanged a glance with Peyton before asking, “Did something happen last night between you two?”
“Besides the obvious,” Peyton added, his tone dry but concerned.
I took a shaky breath, trying to find the right words. “He...was upset about me wanting birth control,” I confessed, my voice barely above a whisper. As I said it aloud, the realization hit me like a freight train. I still hadn’t gotten any kind of morning-after contraception, and he had come inside me again, repeatedly, the night before.
“What the actual fuck?” Melody’s voice cut through my thoughts, sharp and filled with outrage. “That isn’t his decision.”
“It’s screwed up, but for men like Mateo, yes it is,” Peyton interjected, running a hand through his hair, his frustration evident.
I noticed then that both of them were dressed in new clothes as well, but instead of the full glam I had seen them in last night, they were in refined, comfortable outfits—casual, but still expensive-looking.
“We were woken up by someone pounding on our room door,” Peyton continued, his voice strained. “They handed me this fob and instructed me to have you at Mr. Escuro's by eleven. I was told if I didn’t, he would have you brought to him by his own methods.”
He paused, then reached across the console and grabbed a manila folder off the dash. “Look at this.” He handed it to me.
With trembling hands, I flipped it open. My brow furrowed and my neck stiffened as I registered what I was looking at. It was a deed to my parents’ estate—with Mateo’s name on it.
Before I could even process that, another document joined it—a promissory note with a sum that made my head spin. My uncle's name was scrawled beneath it, clear as day.
“I don’t...what the fuck is going on?” My voice cracked as I flipped the folder shut, feeling the world tilting off its axis.
“This isn’t just about you,” Peyton said quietly. “It’s about everything—your family, your past, and whatever else Mateo’s planning. We’re in way deeper than we thought.”
I knew he would have an ulterior motive. There was no way Mateo would help me out of kindness, and there was even less reason for him to make me his wife. I voiced as much to Peyton and Melody as Peyton pulled out of the parking spot, the luxury car gliding effortlessly onto the road.
“But why didn’t he just take me with him on his own? Why involve you two?” I asked, my frustration bubbling to the surface. The more I thought about it, the less sense it made—unless there was something even more twisted going on.
Peyton glanced at me in the rearview mirror, his expression somber. “We’re already involved because we’re close to you. Yeah, he could’ve taken you with him whenever he left, but that isn’t how the Escuros work.”
Melody nodded, her gaze fixed out the window as if trying to process everything herself. “They don’t just control the person they’re targeting—they control everyone around them. It’s a power play, showing you that no matter what, he’s in charge. By involving us, he’s making sure you know how deep his influence goes.”
I slumped back in my seat, my mind racing. Peyton was right; Mateo could’ve just taken me, but he didn’t. He wanted to show me that I wasn’t just dealing with him—I was dealing with a family, a network, a world of power that extended far beyond anything I’d ever known.