Chapter 4 - The Golden Cage Becomes a Trap"Eat," Damien commanded softly, sliding a plate of steaming, exquisite food across the marble dining table.
Briar sat rigidly across from him, her fingers nervously tracing the edge of her glass of water. Three days had passed since Goliath started eating. Three days since she had performed a miracle that baffled the elite. And three days since Damien Ashworth had politely, but firmly, informed her that she was no longer permitted to leave.
"You can't keep me here," Briar said for the hundredth time, trying to keep her voice steady. "My landlord will throw my things out. I have a life, Mr. Ashworth."
"Your life in Brooklyn consisted of sixteen-hour shifts, a boss who paid you pennies, and a dingy apartment with a broken lock," Damien replied smoothly, cutting his steak with clinical precision. "I have settled your rent for the next ten years. Your clinic is bought; it now belongs to you. And as for your life..." He looked up, his dark eyes locking onto hers with terrifying intensity. "...your life is here now. With me. With Goliath."
"That’s kidnapping!" Briar slammed her glass down, standing up so fast her chair screeched against the hardwood floor.
"It’s protection," Damien corrected, his voice dropping an octave, losing its warmth entirely. He stood up, towering over her. "Do you think I don't know about Corbin? Do you think I don't know that your ex-boyfriend has been tracking your phone, waiting in the alley outside your clinic to drag you back to that hellhole?"
Briar froze, the color draining completely from her face. "How... how do you know about Corbin?"
"I know everything about everyone who enters my orbit, Briar," Damien whispered, stepping closer until she was trapped against the table. "Out there, you are a helpless target. In here, behind my walls, guarded by my men... nobody can touch you. You are safe."
"Safe?" Briar laughed hysterically, tears stinging her eyes. "I’m locked in a golden cage! What’s the difference between Corbin controlling every breath I take and you doing it?"
Damien’s jaw clenched. He reached out, his warm fingers gently catching her chin, forcing her to look into his eyes. "The difference, Briar... is that Corbin wanted to break you. While I... I want to worship the ground you walk on."
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Before Briar could process the terrifying weight of his words, a massive thud echoed from the hallway. Goliath came bounding into the dining room, barking frantically, his ears pinned back in pure panic.
Simultaneously, the penthouse's high-tech security system began to blare a deafening, crimson-flashing emergency alarm.
