Arranged To Be|18+✔️

'18

I avoided Czar for the rest of the day, after he came and untied me from the bed, of course.

I didn't want to see him, speak to him, or even think about what had just happened. I stayed tucked away in his—now our—bedroom, finishing the last few sketches I had left. The silence helped me focus, but my mind was still clouded with everything I had witnessed downstairs. With every stroke of my pencil, I tried to forget the way his voice had sounded in that basement—cold, merciless.

When I heard footsteps outside the door, I panicked. I jumped up and darted into the closet, closing the door gently behind me.

"That's not necessary," Czar's voice said coolly.

He stepped into the closet and reached for a fresh shirt from one of the racks, barely glancing at me.

"I'm assuming you're done torturing that poor guy," I muttered, arms crossed.

"Don't pity him," he said flatly. "He's one of the many people trying to kill you."

"All because you forced me to marry you," I shot back.

He turned to look at me. "You had two options."

"Well, I couldn't just let my father die."

"Couldn't you?"

I shoved past him, teeth clenched. Just when I thought I was starting to understand him—when he gave me even a hint of softness—he reminded me of exactly who he was.

"We're leaving in five," he said without turning around.

"Oh, so I'm finally allowed to leave the house?" I flopped onto the bed.

"You give me so much attitude when all I'm trying to do is protect you."

"The only thing I need protection from is you."

We stared at each other. The tension in the room pulsed like a heartbeat. Finally, Czar turned and stormed out without another word. I exhaled slowly, rubbing my temples. I didn't know how much longer I could take this.

~

The car ride was silent. Anderi rode with us in the back, casually scrolling through his phone like nothing was wrong. Czar hadn't told me where we were going, so I'd dressed in a simple pale blue dress—comfortable, elegant, easy to move in. Though Czar hadn't said anything about it, he'd given me a once-over before we left the house.

We pulled onto a dirt path that led through thick woods. My stomach twisted in knots as we drove deeper into the trees.

"Where are we?" I asked, voice tight.

Neither of them answered.

I glanced around nervously. There were no houses, no signs of civilization—just trees and the abandoned-looking warehouse we were now pulling up to.

The parking lot was full of blacked-out SUVs. My heart began to race.

Czar and Anderi climbed out. I stayed put.

Czar opened my door.

I panicked.

I tried to kick him in the leg, but he caught my ankle with alarming speed.

"What is your problem?" he asked, narrowing his eyes.

"I-I thought—"

"Well, you thought wrong." He dropped my foot. "Now come on."

I followed him warily into the warehouse. But to my surprise, the inside wasn't abandoned at all—it was fully furnished. The space looked more like a luxurious compound than a warehouse. Men and women in suits filled the space, all armed, all focused. Some gave polite nods to Czar as we passed.

"Where are we?" I asked again.

"This is where I handle business," he replied.

Mafia business. Great.

We walked into a private room where a woman sat beside a tattoo setup, gloves on, ink ready.

I froze. "No."

"Zariah—"

"I refuse! This is where I draw the line, Czar. I'm not getting your family's symbol tattooed on me like I'm one of your property labels."

"You knew what you signed up for."

"Over my dead body."

"It won't hurt that bad," the tattoo artist said casually.

"Stay the hell away from me!" I snapped.

"Calm down."

"No, I won't calm down." I turned toward the door, but Czar grabbed my wrist.

Tears stung my eyes as my chest tightened. "Please, Czar," I whispered, voice cracking. "Don't make me do this."

His expression faltered—just for a second. Then his jaw clenched.

"Get her out of here," he said to Anderi.

Anderi nodded and led me to a quiet, empty room nearby. I sat on the edge of a chair, arms shaking.

"I know this is hard, Zariah," Anderi said gently. "But Czar does care about you."

I looked up at him, tired and raw. "If he really cared about me, he'd let me go."

Anderi hesitated, then walked out.

I sat there, staring at the floor. I didn't cry. I didn't scream. I didn't even flinch.

I was just... done.

All of this—because of the man I was forced to marry.

And I was beginning to think I'd never get away.

*~* 

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