Page 64 of The Caged Girl

He was wearing an oversized white T-shirt and was sobbing while screaming, “Mama!” He tried to run out, but Ian, the older man, took a taser and jammed it into his small frame.

“No!” I shouted and dropped to the floor next to him.

“Great. Now he’s damaged,” Daphne hissed as she looked at his body that slammed into the hard floor.

“No, we need him and the little girl.” Composing myself, I quickly stood, even though I wanted to lift the child into my arms and hold him. “My husband asked me for four new restocks, and I will not leave until we do so.” I exhaled slowly before brushing my hands against my dress and shooting Bradley a look. He was stunned.

“Yes, ma’am. We will have them ready and shipped to La Gabbia tonight. The little boy is unfortunately the son of some big-time social media influencer who is posting about him daily. Be wary when altering his eye and hair color once it grows back.” Daphne bowed.

That was perfect. I knew exactly what I needed to do. “And don’t you dare ever use a taser or anything on them for the remaining hours they are here. I need to resell and not have to mark products down because you couldn’t care for our products properly.” I straightened my shoulders, and we continued to look at the next two children.

I could save them. I would save them. I just had to figure out a way to kill Alister Ivory.

CHAPTERTHIRTY-FIVE

“You did well,Demi. It was a good performance.” Bradley spoke into the headset as we flew back to Ivory Island.

“Performance?” I scoffed and looked at my nails. “I’m simply trying to contribute to my husband’s lucrative business.” I ignored Bradley for the rest of our journey back to the resort. He was unsettled, but truthfully, I didn’t know how much of what I said to him was a lie or what I was starting to become.

No one is truly born evil. We absorb bits and pieces of it until eventually, we become it.

After exiting the helicopter, Sarah and Taylor were standing with a tropical drink and a hot towel for me.

“Mrs. Ivory.” They both bowed their heads as we made our way back inside. I was mentally exhausted. I wondered when the children would arrive to La Gabbia. I made my way back to the penthouse and took a few deep breaths.

“My love, you’re home.” His voice startled me as I flung around with my hand on my heart.

“Daphne and Ian informed me of your selections, and I’ve notified the buyers. They are thrilled and are sending payment shortly. I raised the prices to a million each, and the Rothschilds will be shelling out almost three million for the custom product. You did so well, my love.”

“Of course. I wanted to show you that I could fit into your world, Alister.” I brushed my hand against his facial hair and smiled at him.

He leaned in and kissed me. “I have to run to handle a situation but take the rest of the day off. Enjoy yourself at the world’s biggest escape.” He left me in the living room.

“Alister, why all the black in some places, but white in others?” I called out as I spun around in the all-black living room.

He paused and turned to look at me. “My father and Ian believed white represented cleanliness, structure, and purity. I believe that the dark is truly where we find ourselves the most. The dark is where your mind is forced to become stronger and resilient, Demi. But my doves thrive better and are, in fact, more obedient after completing white therapy. My nightingales are more subservient after completing dark therapy. They don’t want to go back to being alone with their minds. It’s brilliant combining both. Just like a game of chess wouldn’t be possible without black and white.”

Nodding, I licked my lips. “Thank you for taking the time to explain, darling,” I whispered before turning away and heading to the bedroom.

“Why don’t you go see a movie on the Euphoria floor tonight? I hear they’ve put together an excellent film.”

My stomach tumbled. “Okay, I’ll do that.”

“Please wear black. The nightingales aren’t accustomed to anything else, and we like to keep the aesthetic perfectly matched,” Alister said calmly. I looked at the man in front of me before he turned away to leave. How was this the same man who had sex with a corpse on our wedding night? The same man who choked me to near-death?

I suppose that was the thing about predators: they have the power to mask and shift into anyone they need to be in order to hunt their next prey.

I made my way to the closet and tugged out a pair of black slacks and a black blouse. Standing in front of the mirror, I looked at myself. I didn’t think I could go on much longer. Thoughts of killing myself seemed far more soothing than ambitious thoughts of raging war with someone far more powerful than anyone or anything.

But if I died, Alister would kill Layla, Bradley, and the children. The sounds of the small boy screaming for his mother would haunt me. I closed my eyes and thought about the moment my parents sold Layla and me to traffickers. A white-haired woman tricked us to come with her, and now…

I was that woman.

Brushing my hair, I put in the small diamond earrings from the jewelry box on the island before swiping on the nude lipstick. It was easier to be Mrs. Ivory than it was to fight her.

Alister recommended I go watch the movie at the cinema tonight, and I needed to show my face there before I went exploring.

Grabbing a black fur coat, I slid my arms into it. I wanted to see Layla; I wanted to talk to her and understand what she had been through. I wanted to find any way to free her from the cage she’d been in for years.

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