Understudy [ABO] [MxF] [18+]

E I G H T E E N

Ally began to lose count of the days trapped in that room.

She knew it had been about a week, give or take. It was hard to tell with no access to a phone or clock of any kind, and not knowing how long she had been asleep for. Some days she slept all day, some nights she didn't sleep a wink. The maids brought her whatever food she said she was craving, but whenever they opened the door there was a bodyguard standing right there to stop her from any chance of escape.

"This is such bullshit," she cursed as she threw herself onto the bed, tired from pacing the room for hours again. They had given her some books at least, so she wasn't completely bored, but there was only so long she could stare at the pages before her head began to ache. Then she was simply left to her own thoughts for hours between meals, which gave her plenty of time to process everything that had happened over the past few weeks.

A knock at her door made her jolt upright in surprise. She sat silently for a moment, waiting for the usual greeting from the maid before she came in, but it was just silent.

"Who is it?"

"It's me," Gabe said and open the door a fraction, "can I come in?"

"Please!" Ally jumped off the bed in delight and rushed over, wrapping her arms around her brother with more joy than she ever had before. It was the first face she had seen other than the staff in what felt like forever. "Please tell me everything that is happening out there. I'm going crazy trapped in here."

Gabe laughed and pried her off him, "Alright alright, go and sit, I brought dinner." He lifted up a paper bag with a wicked grin, and Ally nearly drooled as the greasy scent of fried food hit her nose. "I figured you're probably sick of luxurious home cooked foods by now."

"Absolutely." Ally grabbed the bag and skipped over to the table, not waiting for Gabe to sit as well before she ripped the bag open and attacked the chicken nuggets. "Now, spill the tea."

Gabe cautiously took a handful of nuggets and nibbled on them as he spoke, "Well, you've been in here for just over a week now. They wouldn't let me come and see you until things had been finalised, which they aren't quite, but that's part of the reason they let me come and see you."

"Things...?"

He cleared his throat uncomfortably, "Father... well, he kept his word and let you keep the baby, but he is furious. You won't leave here unless you get married."

Ally stopped shoving food into her mouth to laugh, "What?"

Gabe slowly placed a folder on the table, "Their profiles are all in there. You won't like any of them, I can guarantee it, but have a look anyway. I managed to at least convince father to let you pick your poison."

"I'm not getting married."

"Then you'll be stuck in here forever."

"He can't do this! It's not right!"

"You really believe he cares about that?" Gabe's voice was suddenly hard, and Ally flinched away from him. "You know him as well as I do, and that won't happen. If he decides to hide you away in here for the rest of your life, you know damn well he will. Getting married is your only ticket out of here. I tried to convince him otherwise, but he wouldn't listen."

"And mother?"

Gabe only had to give her a look and her heart sank.

Ally wiped her hands and picked up the folder, flicking through it with growing dread as each choice got worse than the next. Almost all of them had to be double her age, some more, and none of them appealing in the slightest. Most of them had a note saying they had been mated before, and already had plenty of children, so hiding another amongst them would be easy enough. No one would even realise if they child looked nothing like her husband.