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NOTE:
Here is the long awaited chapter. Feel free to leave constructive criticism or feedback! Overall, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter and if so don't forget to show some love by voting, commenting, and sharing.

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1 1 | How Far We Go

V U L I A A M O U R

Vulia was mauled by the chaos that consumed her. A week had passed and there were no signs of Calix. Dread piled in her stomach because the anticipation made her weary. Although his shadows were absent through those daunting halls, his essence frolicked quietly. His tragic whispers bled from those walls.

Those funeral-ridden murmurs held a condescending tilt that made her spin. Those murmurs made Vulia realize her tongue's weaponry; that her own hushed words would be her demise.

So, she swam in the vibrato tones that circled her and sealed her lips. The walls, though, were the boulder that separated her from her freedom and truth. She couldn't roam the estate nor explore the rooms. All she could think about was the long week that passed--seven sunrises and sunsets. There were no signs of her brother yet, which made her wrathful and hopeful at the same time. If he showed up it'd be death row without back-up and she knew how reckless her brother was when it came to family.

Rage bloomed deep in her chest. Retaliation held her hand while she roamed her mind for answers. She was a prisoner, but not just any prisoner. She was his prisoner. A prisoner to Calix Ace. He could do whatever he wanted. If she didn't oblige, hell would gut her. When she had the chance to roam the halls (only to eat), she constantly looked over her shoulder to ensure no one was watching her. Subconsciously, though, she knew that they were all watching, waiting for her to try and escape. Some would say they longed for it by the murderous look in their eyes. They would swallow her whole in a heartbeat.

Their presence was her doom, a curse. A curse of death always merging. It breathed for her existence, clawing for her movements to shift erratically. Then, silence fell like petals on the floor. Quiet and beautiful for those who watched. Vulia wished she hadn't been aware of the silence.

The way her footsteps became the loudest sound and the most frightful. The walls and their whispers had swarmed her night after night, scratching at her most sane thoughts and prying into her sanctuary. She was never gonna be the same, on edge night and day until she found a way out. She knew she had to learn the terrain, and her surroundings before she stepped foot outside the woods that surrounded the place in which she was held captive.

In a week, she memorized the architecture of her room and every knick knack that filled the space. Any and everything in it was her way out. She swallowed, going over to the window to look out of it. The window captured the side of the estate where a garden had stretched for several yards and then a pool.

If Vulia angled her head, she could see a bit of the front of the estate where the trees and the trail resided. That meant that her room was closer to the front of the house. For the past three days, Vulia tried plotting how she could escape from the window. It was bolted shut, for obvious reasons, but Vulia had tried to conjure ideas on how she would get it open without being heard. It seemed impossible. To complicate the problem even more she had been two storages up, making it much more difficult to escape without breaking a bone or two in the process.

Suddenly, a knock sounded at her door. The door opened before she could answer it. Uneasiness clawed at her skin as the door opened. She swallowed when she met the steely gaze of Calix dressed in a white dress shirt and black dress pants.

He eyed Vulia before stepping into the room and gazing around. Vulia didn't move, she couldn't. Her feet were planted on the ground as she recalled their last encounter. The words echoed in her head again and again. She was his prisoner. She noticed in his hands there were clothes folded neatly. He placed the clothes in a chair nearby, never breaking eye contact.

"Get dressed," he demanded lowly. It was the first time she had seen him in weeks and it'd be an understatement to say he looked delectably irresistible. In her head, she fought long and hard. She tried to plunge the unholy thoughts away--deliberations mixed with death and pleasure boiling in the cauldron that was her head. In her mind, she didn't win. The fantasies imploded and she finally sank into him. She caved in, no longer fighting it.

A fool for his touch as she leaned into it more and more, succumbing as she always did. Calix was far more ravenous for her, it seemed, wanting her like the sun battling for the sky during an eclipse. She was in his cage and there was no escape. She imagined his soft lips and the roughness of his motions. The vices clung to his eyes, watching her like a predator watching its prey.

Vulia wanted to slap herself for thinking such thoughts. The pretty privilege ideology was the damn thorn in her side, or perhaps Stockholm syndrome was sneaking in and nestling itself into her marrow. Maybe, it was a combination of both. She dug her hope into that notion, excusing the fleeting image her head transpired. She walked toward him, grabbed the clothes in the chair, and headed into the bathroom to change. The attire was simple; he had given her a black shirt and pants with some fresh underwear.

There was something particularly odd about the change though that she couldn't quite pinpoint. He had been attending to business affairs, plotting the murder of her brother. Now, he wanted her to change her clothing for the sake of his hidden agenda. She folded her old clothes in a neat pile, leaving them on the counter in the bathroom. She returned to the room where he remained patiently. There was something much more haunting about his stance. His gaze was like a thousand swords plunging into her skin.

"You're gonna work at Temptation in the back rooms," he said. Vulia didn't speak as he continued. "If you try to escape there will be consequences, do you understand?"

Vulia remained quiet, but her face spoke a different language. It was the language of fuck you. Calix approached her and pulled something out of his pocket. A diamond rhinestone choker. An entity agleam with hues of bright sparkling gems of luxury. It looked expensive, more costly than anything Vulia ever owned.

"Turn around," he demanded. She turned around slowly, taking a breath as his fingers brushed her skin purposefully. Fingers that lingered a bit too long, and then gripped the base of her throat, giving her a tight squeeze. Vulia froze for a moment, her eyes dancing around the room frantically. If he tried to kill her would she be strong enough to fight back? She could try. "My hand looks better around your throat, bellezza."

Coldness replaced the warmth of his fingers. The choker was complimentary against her brown skin. She heard the click and turned around briskly to meet his deep eyes as he continued to speak. "But this will do."

"What game are you playing?" She asked while trying to contain her composure. It was hard when the franticness urged to seep from her question.

"Scacchi, douceur--you're a pawn and I always claim the queen."

His hand reached up to touch her neck, grazing the diamonds on her choker.  And for a moment his gaze softened only to return to the coldness that always drenched them.

"You're a prisoner of war. And yet mi fai impazzire, bellezza."

"Get your hands off of me," she bit out, gritting her teeth and glaring at him. So much loathing threaded itself in the space between them.

Vulia didn't catch on to the second portion of the sentence. He turned to leave without a second glance. Vulia burned holes in his backside as he exited the room, closing the door behind him. That bastard. Had he simply been playing on her desires this entire time? He deserved to rot in the deepest pits of hell and Vulia promised herself that she'd be the one to end his life if he killed her brother.

She was ravenous for that blood to scratch into his flesh and drip crimson. She was ready to linger over him and watch the life escape from his eyes. Calix Ace, the mighty, dead at the hands of a woman. She'd bask in the glory, in the details that carved a place in his tombstone. How delicious would it taste? How devastating would it be?

Finally, she released a breath and relaxed her face. She gazed out the window, disappearing into the canopy of leaves, a green reality imposing the red world she danced in. It hadn't been so bad on the other side. Tranquility nestled into her and everything behind her seemed to disappear as she disassociated from that damned room.

Nature was awake, spitting out melodies and roaming freely. She envied those outside creators and their freedom. In her reality, she walked the paths in the garden, touching the petals of flowers and sniffing the aromas they produced.

The sunlight cast down on the crown of her head and she tilted her head towards the sky to breathe it in. It sunk into her as she drank in the heat. This heat was different, it wasn't internal now that she allowed it. The falseness was becoming her reality. This air was a teaser of her freedom. It was what she'd be fighting for secretly while she waited. It'd be her reminder, her promise.

She saw ripples form in the water and her heart swelled. It reminded her of the life outside those trees. Where buildings hovered and people prowled in those busy cities with their mundane lifestyles. A lifestyle Vulia missed desperately. There was nothing about where she was now that was mundane. It was far more catastrophic, even as she stood by that window in the pretend garden she fabricated. She promised herself that she'd join the outside world again.

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Vulia was given a driver and a guard who drove her to Temptation. The car ride was tense yet placid. Daylight was present, streaming rays of light through the car, comforting her face. If Vulia decided to escape there would be sober strangers present. Vulia tapped her fingers, apprehension threading through her body as they got closer. Where it all started. Although she was joining the outside world this was not what she had anticipated.

Her break-up and the escalation to where she was now. She was the one to blame for her impulsivity and rash decision-making.  Flashes of her body and his melded together in redness. Limbs upon limbs. Thrusts. Heat. Rough grips. Soft touches. Aches and faint breaths. Whimpers and grunts. Glistens and shines. Her beginning and her ending. The collision of Calix and her.

She gripped a piece of her arm to stop the bulldozing images. The car halted, causing her to jerk forward. She was immediately snapped out of her reverie. The door to the car opened and a man that resembled Calix greeted her. River.

"Good to see you, Vulia. You look well," he small-talked.

"Suck my dick," she bit out.

"I mean if you insist, I usually prefer a little foreplay first," he responded. "This way."

She scowled at his response. He kept a hand on her back and guided her to a side door in an ominous alleyway. She was thankful that the sun was still out.

"Are you ready for your first day of work? It was my idea. Give you something to do so you're not rotting in that mansion? And that's not the best part--Here."

He opened the door. The club was somewhat empty aside from a few individuals loitering the space. The music was faint during this time. River guided her toward a back room.

"Your brother would not think to look here for you. And if you try anything, my brother decided to give you a little attachment."

River pulled out a small controller and pressed a button that sent shocks all over Vulia's body. She shrieked and fell to her knees, gritting her teeth and breathing intensely. Her breathing overpowered the dull silence. Eyes fell on her as she bit her lip from the sharp, intensifying pain. Fucking hell. That damn bastard.

"Welcome to Temptation, the devil's lair," he introduced. "Now get up."

The Ace's presence haunted her. It was her doom, a curse. One that emulated death, looming like an enemy cavorting in the shadows. It breathed for her existence, yearning for her words and movements. Dare to defy them was their mantra. And if she ever did so she was bound to get scarred in unimaginable ways. The silence fell like petals on the floor. Quiet and beautiful for those who watched in the pink undertones. Vulia wished she hadn't been aware of the silence or the way eyes latched onto her struggle. The music was faint in the distance. She rose to her feet. An older woman approached her and River.

"Well if it isn't my favorite Ace brother," Honey greets going in for a hug. "You're the only one who visits often."

"How can I forget about you guys," he remarked. "Look I brought in a new addition."

Honey's eyes landed on Vulia, seizing her up. She stalked over to Vulia who held her ground promptly. She bit the inside of her cheek, praying that she wouldn't get recognized.

"No harm is to be done to her or they'll be hell to pay," River said to everyone in the room, specifically Honey who was eyeing Vulia as if she had flooded the villages she occupied in a past life. Vulia wanted to facepalm at River's warning. Now, curiosity would ring and her identity would eventually be unveiled. She begged the universe and all celestial bodies that suspicion wouldn't reign from those lethal words.

"What's so special about her? Is she the new plaything to replace Eryn?"

Eryn. Why did that name sound so familiar? Where had she heard it before? Her brain couldn't configure an explanation, but she'd continue to search the depths of her brain until she was able to unveil who that name belonged to.

"I'm no one's plaything," she spat out. "Count your days, bitch."

Honey grabs Vulia by the chin squeezing tightly.  There was no doubt it'd leave a mark especially as she sensed the reckless digging of her nails in her skin. Those in the room unthawed the exchange that sat frozen in the center of the room. She leaned into Vulia, whispering lowly. Her cigarette smell irritated Vulia's senses. "I know who you are and no one will protect you when he walks out that door. No one can save you here."

"I don't need anyone to fucking save me."

Vulia wrenched herself from Honey's grasp before River could step in and separate the two. Her body trembled with the sudden surge of independence. She took a few steps forward. The air in the room was thick, and oppressive, as if it held its breath waiting for her to collapse under the weight of all their stares. She swallowed hard, trying to push the lump in her throat down, but it felt like it was lodged in her chest, growing with each passing second. Why was the room spinning? Her vision blurred and refocused, an unfamiliar dizziness tightening her temples. She felt like she was floating—disconnected from her body, as though the room itself was swallowing her whole.

Where was she? Why the hell was she even here? The frantic swirl of thoughts crashed against her mind, each question more suffocating than the last. What did they think this would accomplish? She opened her mouth to speak, but the words faltered, trapped in her chest like a tumor. Then, as if a cold gust of wind had swept through her thoughts, it hit her like a slap to the face. Eryn—she remembered that name. Thisbe knew her too. Nightcap. Had it all been connected somehow? Was Thisbe a part of this? Was Thisbe even alive? Would she even tell her brother that she was taken? She was sure someone had known by now. It's been days. Someone would have told him, right?

Fear gripped her stomach, twisting and churning with dark possibilities she dared not entertain. Just as the weight of it all began to drown her, a hand shot out and yanked her violently from the room, pulling her into another space. The sudden motion left her breathless, heart pounding in her throat.

She stumbled into the next room where River stood against the wall nonchalantly. His casual stance only made the tension in the room sharper, like an entity hidden in plain sight. He tossed her a protein bar, the small gesture jarring in its normalcy. Vulia caught it without thinking, but then her gaze flicked from the bar to River, and she froze for a beat, shock flickering across her features. This wasn't supposed to be happening.

The room around her felt... official. Too professional and in place. The kind of place where decisions were made without hesitation, where people disappeared into shadows never to be seen again. It was mafia business, no doubt. Vulia unwrapped the bar slowly, every movement deliberate as if buying herself time to gather her thoughts. She took a bite, chewing slowly, but the bitterness in her mouth had nothing to do with the taste. It was the truth—that stark, suffocating truth—that poisoned everything.

He could've done whatever he wanted. And if he had, she knew with sickening certainty that she wouldn't be able to stop him. The raw ache of helplessness gnawed at her insides. The realization burned hotter than any fire she'd ever felt. No one could save her—not her mother, her brother, or any of her friends. Where would they even look? Where could they possibly find her in this twisted web of danger and power?

"What was that back there? Every person in that room could kill you if they wanted," River remarked, his voice breaking the silence like the pop of a champagne cork. He seemed unfazed, but Vulia could feel his eyes boring into her as if weighing her every move.

"You gave them an order," was her matter-of-fact response. River quirked an eyebrow as if to say touche. She barely spared him a glance, her focus too sharp, too focused on the gnawing uncertainty threatening to overwhelm her.

"Why did you drag me out of there?" she asked, her voice sharper than she intended.

"Like I owe you an explanation," River chuckled, his grin wide and knowing. A moment passed before he added, "You looked like you were gonna pass out. I couldn't let that happen. You know, you being precious cargo and all."

Vulia didn't respond immediately, not amused by the joke. She just unwrapped the bar and took another bite, the silence between them heavy with unspoken words. His casual tone, and his playful demeanor, only made the situation worse. She hated that he was so composed while she was unraveling, piece by piece. The truth sizzled like a growing wildfire. There was no escape from it. Finally--

"I'm just doing a job," he eased. "And unfortunately I usually get the lame jobs so I'm stuck babysitting today."

A slight, sarcastic-like laugh escaped her, but she didn't allow herself to smile. His words were empty, meaningless—just another mask to hide the truth beneath. River scanned the room casually as if surveying for any immediate threats, but his gaze flickered just a moment too long. Was it his first time? Maybe. Or maybe he was just good at pretending.

"Can I ask you something?" Vulia's voice was hesitant with undertones of eagerness, but there was an edge to it now, like a blade waiting to be drawn.

"Depends on what it is. You can ask me three questions if they're appropriate." River's tone was light, dismissive.

"Who is Eryn?" Vulia asked, her curiosity pushing through her desperation for answers.

"Mm, jealousy doesn't look good on you, firecracker," River teased, his grin widening. Unfazed, she waited for a response.

"An old family friend that slept with my brother occasionally," he answered after a beat, his playful tone suddenly fading, replaced by something... else. Something distant. Vulia's heart twisted briefly. Why the hell did she even care?

"Are they still sleeping together?" Vulia pressed, her mind working in overdrive.

"No," River answered quickly, his tone shifting slightly, but just enough for her to catch the change. He didn't seem as flippant now. His gaze flicked away as if focusing on something distant.

She couldn't help it—she had to ask. "Where is she?"

River's face darkened, his playful demeanor slipping completely. "Dead," he said, the word carrying a finality that felt like a punch to the gut.

Vulia took a breath, her heart hammering against her ribs. "How did she know my friend? Was she involved somehow in the kidnapping?" she asked.

River didn't say anything at first.

"That was three," he stated, his tone mimicking Calix's. He grabbed her arm and pulled her away. "You should start working and don't draw too much attention to yourself. It'd make my job a lot easier."

The door slammed shut behind them with a soft thud, and the weight of the conversation hung heavily in the air, thick with unspoken words and truths that were too dangerous to speak aloud. Although she had gotten the answer to her questions she had been even more confused than before. If Eryn was a part of the family were they trying to find their killer? Did her brother have something to do with her death? How could she get the answers she needed? And was it more important than escaping? Was there a way for her to escape then?

Vulia knew when she returned to the backroom and more people filled the space that the sun must have dipped into darkness. Now, the music had been louder and shadows waltzed around corners. The darkness had become her friend at that moment. River lingered in the space talking to a woman. Honey gave her an order to fetch the drinks from the bar.

Had this been it? If she could get this choker off her freedom was outside that club. Her steps raced before her mind did, but then she realized it'd be too soon. She had to be strategic. She had to gain their trust and comfort if it were even possible. Moving through bodies in the hall she returned with a tray of drinks. Honey gave her a mocking smile and said, "Good girl."

The people around them chuckled and giggled. Vulia bit her tongue so hard that she had expected it to break off in her mouth. The image of the entire club burning filled her head. That was her happy place as her agenda of revenge stapled itself into her mind. All Calix had to do was stay away.

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TO BE CONTINUED

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