Billionaires Desire

The girl in the shadows

The walls whispered with the echoes of countless cries. Hidden in the shadows of a world that no one dared to acknowledge, a crumbling facility housed a secret so vile, so deeply entrenched in cruelty, that its very existence was a testament to the depravity of mankind. Desiree Aki had been here for four long years an eternity to a twenty one year old who had once dreamed of more. Each day had become a battle for survival, a torment that twisted through her thoughts even in sleep. Fear was constant, like the air she breathed, filling her lungs and burning her chest.
The facility was a maze of grimy concrete hallways, the air thick with the stench of decay and desperation. The fluorescent lights flickered overhead, casting sharp shadows that only heightened the atmosphere of dread. It was a place that suffocated hope, where the only sound more constant than the hum of electricity was the sobbing and screams of the broken souls within.
Desiree sat in a corner, her knees drawn to her chest, her eyes scanning the room around her. The other girls... no, victims were scattered across the room, some huddled in their own despair, others lying still, their faces frozen in empty resignation. They were like ghosts, too far gone to even recognize their surroundings anymore. Desiree, though, still clung to a part of herself, the part that refused to give up, even as the years wore her down. Her intelligence had always been her weapon, her beauty the curse that brought her here.
She was different from the rest. Not just in looks, though that set her apart in its own way. Her dark hair, long and silky despite the harsh conditions, framed a face that could have belonged to a goddess. Her skin, pale from the lack of sunlight, gave her an ethereal glow in the dim light. But it was her eyes sharp, calculating, dark that truly made her stand out. She hadn't been broken. Not yet. And that was why Anthony Killian had chosen her.
Desiree had seen him once. It was rare for anyone to come to this forsaken place, other than the guards who barely registered their existence anymore. But Anthony had been different. She remembered his grin, casual yet somehow dangerous, as though the darkness of this place didn't touch him. He had looked her up and down, his gaze lingering just long enough to make her skin crawl. She hadn't known who he was then, but she knew he was powerful. Dangerous. And now, she understood that power came from something far darker than mere wealth.
Her hands shook as she ran them over the cold, rough surface of the concrete floor. She had tried everything over the years tried to escape, tried to find someone to help. But all those efforts had led to punishment. The marks on her body were proof of that. Every time she looked in the mirror, she saw the reminders of her failed attempts to free herself. Still, there was a fire in her that refused to be extinguished.
*Why her?*... she wondered, as she had every day since that man Anthony had first appeared. He had looked at her like she was something to be claimed, like an object. It was only after the whispers started rumours among the guards that she began to piece together the truth. She wasn't just another prisoner here. She was being saved, if one could call it that. For a reason that sent chills down her spine.
Anthony Killian was a name she'd heard only in passing, a figure that loomed in the underworld, though no one ever spoke his name aloud. And yet, it wasn't him who terrified her. It was his twin brother Atticus.
Atticus Killian was something of a mystery, even in whispers. The few who mentioned him did so with a mix of respect and fear. They said he was cold, untouchable, that he saw the world in sharp lines and perfect edges. Where Anthony was lively and chaotic, Atticus was the opposite. He controlled everything around him with an iron grip, and no one, no one crossed him.
And now, it seemed, she was meant to be his gift.
Desiree's heart pounded in her chest as the thought of being handed over to someone like Atticus, as if she were nothing more than property, consumed her mind. She had fought so long and so hard to stay alive, to hold onto some piece of herself in this hell. But the idea of leaving this place, only to be delivered into the hands of a man whose coldness was legendary, was almost worse than staying.
The door to the cell creaked open, the sound drawing the attention of every girl in the room. Some of them whimpered, their bodies instinctively curling in on themselves, while others sat in silent resignation. Desiree didn't move, but her heart raced as the footsteps echoed toward her. She felt the cold metal of the guard's grip as he grabbed her arm and yanked her to her feet. She bit her lip to keep from crying out, the familiar sting of pain shooting through her arm.
"Get up," the guard growled, his breath foul. "You're leaving."
*Leaving?* The word sank into her chest like a stone. She should have felt relief, shouldn't she? But all she could feel was fear, fear of the unknown, of what awaited her outside this place. Of him.
As she was led down the hall, she passed by the others girls she had known for years, girls who had once had hope, too. Some of them watched her with hollow eyes, while others didn't even bother to look up. The metal door at the end of the hall was open, and beyond it, a black SUV waited. The windows were tinted, the vehicle looking out of place in the grime and decay of the facility.
Her mind raced as she was forced into the back seat. She wanted to scream, to fight, but what was the point? She had fought for so long and it had gotten her nowhere. She knew better than to hope for escape now. All she could do was brace herself for whatever was to come.
The engine roared to life, and the car began its journey. Desiree stared out of the window, her thoughts a whirlwind. She had heard rumours about the Killians, about the empire they had built, though no one ever dared to say it aloud. Mafia. The word was whispered like a curse, an untouchable secret that everyone knew but pretended didn't exist. She knew that Anthony and Atticus were at the centre of it, though she had never understood what that truly meant.
As the city passed by, the world outside a blur, she couldn't help but wonder what Atticus Killian would be like. Cold, calculating, detached-these were the words that came to mind. But why did his brother choose her? What did he see in her that made her the perfect gift for a man like Atticus?
And then there was Anthony. She remembered the way his eyes had gleamed when he looked at her, the energy he radiated as if he lived for the chaos around him. He was dangerous in a different way. He was unpredictable. She could see him doing something like this buying a girl as a present without a second thought. But what did Atticus think of it? Did he even want her?
The drive felt endless, each passing moment tightening the knot in her stomach. And yet, as much as she feared what was coming, she refused to let herself give in to despair. She had survived this long. She wasn't about to stop now.
Finally, the car slowed, turning onto a long, winding road that led through tall iron gates. The house if one could call it that loomed in the distance, a grand estate that looked more like a fortress. The air of wealth and power surrounded it, but there was something more. Something darker.
Her heart raced as the SUV came to a stop. The driver opened her door, his expression as impassive as stone. She hesitated, but there was no choice. With a deep breath, Desiree stepped out, her body stiff with tension. The weight of the house seemed to press down on her, suffocating in its presence.
And there, waiting in the shadows, was the man she had feared most.

Atticus Killian.