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WE CAME TO STOP IN FRONT OF A STATELY BUILDING, and Lord Mercer motioned for me to follow him. I had no idea where we were going, but I had learned better than to question him. As we entered the grand hall, I saw groups of well-dressed men and women mingling, their laughter and chatter filling the air.

It wasn't long before a group of men approached us, their eyes flicking towards me with curiosity and something else I couldn't quite explain.

"Hadrian!" one of them called out, extending a hand. "It's been too long. And who is this?" He gestured towards me with a knowing smirk on his lips.

"This is Theo," Lord Mercer replied evenly, his tone giving nothing away. "He's with me."

"Ah, Theo," another man said, looking me up and down. "I've heard quite a bit about you."

I forced a smile, my skin prickling under their scrutiny. "What have you heard?" I managed to ask, my voice steadier than I felt.

"Enough," the first man replied with a chuckle. "Lord Mercer seems to have taken quite an interest in you."

The implication hung heavy in the air, and I couldn't stop the anger that bubbled up inside me. I turned to Lord Mercer, my eyes blazing, but I held back my voice for I knew it would only cause more trouble. My chest tightened, and I forced myself to take deep breaths, trying to calm the storm of emotions inside me. The group of men continued their conversation, oblivious to my inner turmoil.

Lord Mercer, seemingly sensing my discomfort, placed a hand on my shoulder. "Gentlemen, if you'll excuse us, I need to attend to some business." He guided me away from the group, leading me through a side door into a quieter corridor.

"Wait here," he instructed, his tone firm but not unkind. "I need to drop something off with a friend. It will only take a moment."

I nodded, still seething with anger but grateful for the brief respite from the prying eyes of the crowd. Lord Mercer disappeared down the hall, leaving me alone with my thoughts. The ornate walls and luxurious furnishings felt suffocating, a stark reminder of the world I had been thrust into.

After what felt like an eternity, Lord Mercer returned, a small package in his hand. "Let's go," he said curtly, not meeting my eyes.

We exited the building in silence, the cool evening air a welcome contrast to the stifling atmosphere inside. As we walked towards the carriage, my anger boiled over, and I couldn't hold back any longer.

"Why did you bring me here?" I demanded, my voice shaking with emotion. "What was the point of all that? To show me off? To parade me around like some kind of prize?"

Lord Mercer stopped abruptly, turning to face me. His eyes were dark, boiling with anger and frustration. "Theo, I didn't bring you here to show you off," he said, his voice low and controlled. "I had business to attend to. You happened to be with me."

"That's not what it felt like," I retorted, my voice rising. "Those men, they were talking about me like I was some kind of... of novelty. Do you have any idea how that makes me feel?"

"I do," he snapped, his composure slipping. "But you need to understand something. This world is full of people who will judge and scrutinise. It's unavoidable. But I didn't bring you here to be paraded around."

"Then why did you bring me?" I challenged, stepping closer to him. "What am I to you? Your personal servant? Or just a fuck toy you want to show off to your friends?"

Lord Mercer's jaw tightened, his eyes flashing with anger. "How dare you speak to me like that?" he hissed. "It doesn't matter what you are. All that matters is that you are mine, Theo. Or have you forgotten that? If I want to parade you around then I will but that, in there, was not me showing you off. As I said, you just happened to be with me."

"And those men? Your friends I presume? The ones who looked at me like they could do whatever they wanted to me? What of them? What have you told them about me?"

His anger began to boil over and he laughed as he clasped my arm and pulled me away from the street into a nearby alley. "What have I told them? You are whore, or do I need to remind you? People in my circle have been to that parlour of yours, Theo. How can you be sure you've never given your body to them before? Would you even remember?"

I scowled at him, feeling tears pricking the corner of my eyes. His words were true. How could I know? Would I really remember all the bodies I was passed between over the years? I hated that he was right and I hated myself because of it.

"Even so, you knew they would ask about me. You wanted them to. I'm just another trophy."

Lord Mercer's expression hardened still, and he took a step closer to me, his voice low and dangerous. "Enough. That is enough. You should be grateful for everything I have done for you."

"Grateful?" I spat, the word tasting bitter on my tongue. "Grateful for what? For saving me from a life in the brothel, only to put me in another kind of prison? For sending money to my sister, as if that absolves you of everything you've done? For giving me the great honour of fucking you?"

His eyes blazed with fury, and for a moment, I thought he might strike me. But instead, he took a deep breath, his hands clenched into fists at his sides. "Let's go," he said finally, his voice cold and distant. He turned and walked towards the carriage, not waiting to see if I followed.

The tension between us was palpable, the air thick with unspoken words and unresolved anger. I wanted to scream and cry, to lash out at him for all the confusion and pain he had caused. But I knew that wouldn't solve anything. It would only make things worse.

I stood there for a moment, my heart pounding in my chest, before reluctantly following him. As I climbed into the carriage, I couldn't shake the feeling that our argument was far from over. The battle between us had only just begun, and I had no idea how it would end.

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Things were no different when we returned. Lord Mercer had sat in a silence the entire way back to the estate as though he was trying to quell the anger that still resided within him but I could see it seething in his eyes.

He paid me no mind as he attended to the ledger on his lap, pressing down with far too much force on his pen as he scribbled away. The harsh scratching of it against the paper was the only sound in the carriage save for the roll of wheels against cobble.

Good. I thought, glad that he was angry—that I had been the one to stir these emotions in him. Time and time again I had been furious and ridden with hatred for him. He had a way of making me feel as though I was nothing, less than nothing. Just a thing for him to control and use as he pleased. If I could make him feel even the smallest hint of the resentment I held for him, then I would be glad.

Lord Hadrian Mercer was a monster who had shown me a false, fleeting kindness in hopes of suppressing my resistance against him. Things would be easier when I complied to his whims but I would not give him the satisfaction. I'd almost fallen for it, almost.

The carriage came to a halt, and Lord Mercer's anger was still palpable as he exited. It was as though a cloud of thick, black smoke circled around him, lightening crackling through it as he strode with pride towards his home.

I followed suit, feeling my own frustration simmering beneath the surface, but I would not dare voice it aloud. A storm was brewing in the sky outside but the storm within would be much, much worse.

Lord Mercer barely acknowledged my presence as he strode through the hall. His demeanour was as distant as it had been in the carriage, but there was something in his eyes—a crack in the ice that betrayed the calm façade he was trying to maintain. I was still bristling with the need to confront him further, to push back against the tide of his authority that had swept over me so many times before.

"My lord," I said, my voice coming out firmer than I felt. "Before you retire, I need to understand something."

He paused, his back still turned to me. He took a deep breath, clearly trying to rein in his irritation. "What is it?" His voice was clipped when he spoke, as sharp as a knife sinking into my lungs.

"Why am I here?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper but carrying the weight of my pent-up frustration. "What do you really want from me?"

He turned slowly to face me with a coldness in his eyes that rivalled any I had ever felt before. "You are here because you are mine," he said, his voice low and stern. "That is the only reason I need. If you cannot understand that, then perhaps you will need a reminder?"

His words stung, and I could feel the walls closing in around me. "No." My voice was weaker now, deflated as a lump formed in my throat, the weight of his words crashing over me like a cold wave. I wanted to scream, to lash out, but I knew that would only make things worse. Instead, I stood there, my hands clenched into fists at my sides, and stared at him, trying to read the unreadable.

Lord Mercer turned away from me, walking towards the grand staircase. "You may go to your quarters," he said over his shoulder.

I watched him ascend the stairs, his footsteps echoing in the empty hall. Only once he was out of sight did I dare follow behind, feeling the painful sting of his words lingering like an ache in my bones. The anger I had managed to provoke had done little to change the power dynamic between us, not that I truly expected it to. Instead, it had only reinforced it, leaving me with a hollow sense of victory.

When I finally closed the door to my room, I sank onto the edge of the bed, my mind racing with thoughts and emotions I didn't want to face. The confrontation had not brought me any closer to understanding Lord Mercer's true intentions, nor had it resolved the conflict within me. Instead, it had left me feeling more isolated than ever, trapped in a cycle of anger and despair.

I hated him but my thoughts still lingered on the softer moments we had shared. The feeling of his hands on my skin, his lips touching mine. I hated him and yet, I craved him.

In the silence of my room, I realised that no amount of confrontation or defiance would change things between us. I was still his possession, still bound by the rules of his world, and the battle I waged was as much against myself as it was against him.

As I lay back on the bed, staring at the ceiling, I knew that my struggle was far from over. But for now, all I could do was endure and hope that somehow this war between us would end.

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A/N: I'm sorry I haven't been updating much lately, I had some personal business to deal with but updates should be more regular now! Don't forget to vote, comment and share!