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“Mason hired me to be the new butler at his house. I’ll get to be there for Daisy. I’ll get to see her free.”
“I wouldn’t call this free, Bradley,” I replied softly.
“Trust me, Demi. If you’re in those cages… well, this is paradise compared to what that is like.” Bradley closed his eyes for a moment before standing.
“I don’t want you to leave. I won’t be able to do this alone.” My tone was unsteady as panic laced my words.
“I don’t want to leave you, either. But after what I did to Conrad, well… let’s just say I’d probably be dead if I hadn’t signed a contract with the Davenports.”
Bradley glanced back through the glass wall. “Come on, they are going to start the reception soon. We’ll be able to sneak away for a minute if we pretend we’re going to get something from the kitchen. I have something for you. I’m leaving in the morning with Daisy… so this might be our last night, Demi.”
I followed his line of vision, where we watched Mason and Daisy rest on their knees while Ian Ivory blessed them, sprinkling water on them as Mrs. Ivory and Conrad looked on proudly.
“I’m going to kill him,” I muttered to Bradley as I stared at Conrad, who had a smug look on his face.
“Demi…” Bradley said with concern.
“I can’t live like this forever. I can’t be the next Mrs. Ivory.” We began to walk through the dark room as the rest of the guests were bustling around and chatting over glasses of champagne. The caged girls were interacting with the men, but they weren’t speaking; they were simply standing and having to allow these old, wealthy perverts admire them and caress their bodies.
They’re choosing their brides.
“You are going to be the next Mrs. Ivory, and you’re going to stay married to him forever. Because that’s the safest thing for you to do.” Bradley lifted his brow and paused in the middle of an empty hallway. “Promise me, Demi,” he whispered, growing closer to me.
I knew he was right. I didn’t want him to worry about me, so I nodded and crossed my fingers behind my back. “I pinky promise.” I held my pinky up between us, and for the first time in a long time, Bradley’s face broke into a small smile.
“Seriously?” he groaned but lifted his and intertwined it with mine. Letting go, we quickly walked down the hall and cut through the kitchen.
“Where are we going?” I picked up my pace to keep up with him.
“My room.”
It never occurred to me that I had never been in Bradley’s room. He’d always dropped me off at my room.
We walked to a completely different hallway, and Bradley scanned his card. Walking inside, I gasped. “Bradley, this is stunning. It’s like an apartment. Wow.” I spun around. It wasn’t all-white; it was decorated in gray, blue, and black.
“Why did they give you such a gorgeous space? I mean, I live in an all-white shoebox compared to this.”
“I’ve proven my loyalty to the family, Demi. They take care of their own.” Bradley went to a closet and dug inside as a chill shot up my spine.
Bradley had to do anything and everything they asked of him in order to survive. Not only for himself, but they probably used Daisy as bait whenever he resisted their demands.
“I know you won’t get to wear them until after the wedding, and the only time they’ll let you is when you go out?—”
“Wait… I’ll get to leave the house?”
“Demi, Conrad already has a honeymoon planned for you in St. Lucia. They’ll let you wear color and bring anything you’d like. It’s an Ivory family tradition. A honeymoon in St. Lucia, because they are convinced it…”
“It, what?”
“For generations, the Ivory newlyweds always go there and each time, the new wife comes back pregnant.” Bradley averted his eyes from mine.
Taking a few steps back, I wrapped my arms around my abdomen. “No, Bradley…”
“They’re going to remove your IUD this week. By the end of the month, you’ll be married and the next day, he’s going to take you to St. Lucia in hopes you’ll conceive.” Bradley stood in front of me. “So here are two gifts for you.”
Handing over a beautifully wrapped blush box with an ivory-colored bow, I tried to process the absurdity of this entire situation. I set the gift on Bradley’s table and began to open it. Layla had wrapped small hand-crafted items for me when we were children, but I’d never received an actual gift from anyone in my life.
As soon as I peeled the wrapping paper away, I broke into tears.
