Chapter 4 Familiarity

• Leah’s POV
• I panicked.
• I took several steps back. They started running in the opposite direction. I took the opportunity to dash toward the other end of the hallway.
• I had no idea where I was going, but I kept running. The mansion was huge, and I felt lost. Hallways stretched endlessly, lined with doors. If not doors, there were endless corridors, filled with paintings, vases, towering ceilings, and chandeliers hanging from above.
• It felt like I was suffocating, not knowing where to go. I had been running for what felt like miles, for who knows how long, and then, out of nowhere—I tripped. I cursed at my own clumsiness.
• Groaning in pain, I suddenly heard footsteps approaching. Panic surged through me. I glanced around, desperate to find somewhere to hide. I can't stay here. This place is full of secrets, and I know I'm not safe if I stay any longer.
• As I frantically searched for an escape, a hand suddenly grabbed me. Slowly, they lifted me up. I was so shocked and confused. When I turned to see who had grabbed me, my eyes widened in disbelief.
• It was him.
• "L-Lucian," I muttered, saying his name in a breathless whisper. He gestured for me to be quiet. "Don’t say anything," he signaled. Then, without a word, he led me into a room nearby and locked the door behind us. Everything was dark; I couldn’t see a thing. The only sound was the rapid thudding of my heart. I hoped he couldn’t hear it.
• I felt him guide me toward something soft—probably a bed—and lay me down gently. Then, he moved away. Suddenly, the room filled with light. I squinted, my eyes adjusting, blinking rapidly against the brightness.
• He walked towards me, and I panicked. "Stop right there."
• He didn’t say anything but halted as I commanded. He raised an eyebrow, clearly confused as to why I stopped him. I swallowed hard, backing up on the bed to create distance.
• "Enough with your games. I overheard what you said on the phone. You got another woman pregnant. Why? W-Why would you involve me in all of this?" My voice cracked.
• "Why drag me into your twisted game? Why do I have to be one of your marriage candidates? Or worse—why does this whole thing feel like a setup?" My voice rose with frustration. "You have no idea—I could report you for this!"
• But instead of being intimidated by my words, he just stood there, unfazed. He moved closer and towered over me, his eyes cold and dark. I couldn’t help but shiver at the way he looked at me. He slipped his hands into his pockets and took a deep breath.
• "It’s useless if you try to report us to the police. We control them."
• I blinked several times. "W-What? What do you mean?" Fear crept up inside me. I was starting to realize that they weren’t ordinary people.
• I gasped when he suddenly sat beside me, leaning in. I shifted uncomfortably. Being alone with him in this room was unsettling. Who knew what he might try to do? Yet, when he spoke, his voice was calm, though his expression remained stoic as he stared into my eyes.
• "And why did you assume I got another woman pregnant? Yes, something happened between us, but I wanted to know who she was because that night... I felt something. Something I’ve never felt before. That’s why I wanted to find that woman."
• His tone softened slightly. "You shouldn’t have been eavesdropping. If it were your conversation, you wouldn’t like it either, right?"
• His words hit me harder than I expected. He made sense. But as he spoke, memories of that night flooded back to me—the night I had been with a man whose identity I didn’t know. And now… now I was pregnant.
• Unconsciously, my hand rested on my stomach as I stared at him. He followed the movement of my hand, his gaze lowering to my belly.
• He shook his head slowly. "I know you're confused, but it’s pointless to fight us. You don’t know who you’re up against. You have no idea what will happen if you disobey. That’s why it’s easier to just follow our plan."
• He paused, his eyes piercing mine. "All you need to do is choose one of us to marry. After that, the rest of us won’t have a say. We’ll respect your decision."
• I swallowed hard. But something inside me snapped. I felt a surge of energy coursing through my veins, up to my face. My heart pounded violently in my chest, and I struggled to breathe. The thought of being alone with him in this room stirred something deep within me.
• "Are you going to hurt me?" I whispered.
• He didn’t answer my question right away. Instead, I felt him scoot closer to me, inch by inch, until he was just a breath away. I couldn’t speak. I was locked into his gaze. Then, he raised his hand. I flinched, thinking he was about to do something to me. But instead, he gently grabbed my hand and removed it from where I had been resting it on my stomach.
• “We kidnapped you because we need you. Why would we hurt you if we need you? Think about that.”
• I couldn’t respond. He was still holding my hand, and suddenly, a strange current of electricity surged through my body. It was an impulse, something I hadn’t felt since that night—when someone had taken my virginity.
• Even though it was against my will, I had felt a spark.
• I didn’t know who that man was. The one who had gotten me pregnant that night. And in my terror, I couldn’t even remember where it had happened. All I remembered was darkness. I had woken up, naked and confused.
• “Stop trying to run from us, Leah,” he said softly. “You’re under our control now. But you have one choice: me, or one of my brothers—whoever you want to marry.”
• I couldn’t think straight. My mind was spinning in a thousand directions. My heart pounded so hard, it felt like it would burst from my chest. My knees were trembling, and at the same time, my body was growing cold. But it wasn’t fear.
• No, it was something else.
• He was stirring emotions in me that I couldn’t explain.
• “We’re not going to rush you,” he continued. “I’m willing to wait for your decision. Who you’re going to marry among us.”
• And then, I was left speechless as he slowly leaned closer.
• Closer, and closer…