TRUST at gunpoint

Chapter 4

The next morning, I was woken up by Ava.

“Hey, it’s time to get up,” she said softly, giving my shoulder a gentle nudge.

I blinked a few times, my body still heavy with exhaustion.

I hadn’t realized how tired I was. I must have slept for hours, and waking up in an unfamiliar room reminded me of the situation I was in.

I got out of bed slowly, feeling groggy. The room I was in was large but cold. It didn’t feel like a place I belonged, but I didn’t have a choice.

Ava smiled at me as I stood up, her bright eyes full of understanding. “You slept for quite a while,” she said, a hint of amusement in her voice.

I nodded. “Yeah, I guess I needed it,” I said quietly, my voice still shaky from the whirlwind of emotions from the day before.

She told me breakfast is ready and she will get clothes for me while I will take a quick bath.

After 30 minutes my morning routine was complete and when I came out , ava was there with an outfit, black jeans paired with blue shirt with sneakers. I put them on and let my hair open. I like them that way.

Ava led me to the long hallway. I hadn’t seen much of the mansion yet, just the room they kept me in, so I was curious.

I didn’t dare ask to explore more since I knew I wasn’t allowed. The tension from yesterday still hung heavy over me.

I hadn’t seen the ground floor or the second floor at all, and I was itching to look around, but I knew better than to wander.

As we approached the dining area, I noticed how big and grand everything was. The long dining table had nine seats, but one chair stood out from the rest. It was larger, with an air of authority about it. I figured it belonged to Christian. It looked like a throne, and I couldn’t help but think it suited him—cold, powerful, and detached.

I followed Ava to the table, and we sat down together. “Good morning,” I said, trying to sound normal despite how nervous I felt. The rest of Christian’s friends were already seated—Nick, Theo, MJ and Liam. They all greeted me with polite smiles,  “Good Morning,” they said in unison, smiling at me.

At least they didn’t seem as threatening as Christian, I thought to myself.

Just when I started to relax, Christian entered the room. His presence was commanding, and the room seemed to fall silent the moment he stepped inside.
I remembered the scenes from the last day and shivers went down my body.

He walked over to the head of the table, his expression unreadable, like always. “Good morning,” he said, his voice flat and emotionless.

Everyone said "Morning Chris" with a smile and then started talking.

Christian looked at me. I got nervous.
I could feel my stomach twist as I quickly replied, “Good morning, Christian.”

But instead of acknowledging me, he looked at me with cold eyes and said, “Stay in your limits.” His tone was sharp, and I felt a sting in my chest.

I was shocked, frozen for a moment.

“I… I’m sorry,” I stammered, unsure of what I had done wrong.

His words had hit me harder than I expected.

Who was he to tell me where my limits were?

But I swallowed my pride and kept quiet, knowing that standing up to him could make things worse.

I glanced around the table, hoping for some support. Liam raised his eyebrows at Christian, clearly disapproving of his harsh words, but Christian didn’t care.
He just ignored him and continued to eat, as if nothing had happened.