10

Alfred.

Next day. I opened my eyes to the gentle morning light filtering through the curtains, my body stiff from a night spent mostly awake. I locked myself in the room all night - no, that's not quite accurate. Sebastian locked me in, turning the key from outside with a finality that made my stomach drop.

"For your own safety," he had murmured through the door, but the click of that lock felt more like imprisonment than protection.

"Safety from what?" I whispered to the empty room. "From Liam or from my own desire to escape?"

I stayed awake all through the dark hours, perched uncomfortably on a hard wooden chair by the window. My back ached in protest, but I couldn't bring myself to lie in that bed again after what had happened there.

"What am I even doing here?" I asked my reflection in the window glass, watching as dawn slowly brightened the sky outside.

I don't know exactly what I was thinking about during those lonely hours - everything and nothing all at once. My thoughts swirled like autumn leaves caught in a whirlwind, never settling long enough for me to grasp them properly.

"Father sold me like property," I whispered, pressing my forehead against the cool glass. "Sebastian claims me like a possession. And Liam..." I shuddered, not wanting to complete that thought.

I was just completely puzzled by the bizarre turn my life had taken in less than 24 hours. One day I was a normal person with dreams and ambitions, and the next I was being traded between powerful men like a valuable painting.

"Is this really happening?" I asked the rising sun. "Or am I trapped in some terrible dream?"

Until a gentle but insistent knocking at my door startled me from my daze. I jumped slightly, my heart racing with sudden adrenaline.

"Who is it?" I called out cautiously, not moving from my chair.

"Breakfast service, Mr. Alfred," came a female voice from the hallway.

I hurried across the room to open the door, hoping against hope that perhaps it was someone who could help me make sense of this situation - or better yet, help me escape it entirely.

"Is the door locked from outside?" I wondered as I approached, testing the handle gingerly. To my surprise, it turned easily under my hand. Sebastian must have unlocked it sometime during the early morning while I dozed fitfully in the chair.

I pulled the door open to find a young woman in a neat uniform standing there with a carefully neutral expression. Her eyes widened slightly as she took in my disheveled appearance and the clearly unslept-in bed behind me.

"Mr. Alfred, they are waiting for you downstairs at the dining room for breakfast," the maid informed me politely, her eyes darting away from mine as if she knew more than she was saying. "Mr. Sebastian instructed me to tell you it's important that you join them promptly."

"Who? They? Who exactly is waiting?" I gasped, staring at her intently and gripping the doorframe for support. "Please, I need to know what I'm walking into."

The thought of facing Sebastian again after last night's confrontation made my stomach twist uncomfortably. And Liam - I couldn't even think about seeing him without feeling sick.

"Everyone, sir," she replied, her voice dropping slightly as if sharing a secret. "The entire family and..." she hesitated briefly before continuing, "and your parents too, sir. They arrived early this morning."

My heart leapt into my throat at her words. My parents? Here? A complex mixture of relief and dread washed over me in equal measure.

"My parents are actually here?" I repeated, needing confirmation that I hadn't misheard. "Both of them? My mother too?"

The maid nodded, a flicker of sympathy crossing her features. "Yes, sir. All waiting in the dining room. Mr. Sebastian seems quite..." she searched for an appropriate word, "...determined that you join them without delay."

I barely heard her final words as I brushed past her and rushed toward the staircase. All I wanted at this precise moment was to see my mother's face, to feel her comforting embrace and somehow convince her to take me away from this place.

"Mother will understand," I told myself as I took the stairs two at a time, my heart pounding with desperate hope. "She always protected me from Father's schemes before."

All I could think about was hugging my mother tightly and doing absolutely anything necessary to get out of this house and this arrangement. I deeply regretted my compliance yesterday - why hadn't I fought harder against this bizarre transaction?

"I should have run when I had the chance," I muttered under my breath as I neared the dining room. "I should never have agreed to any of this."

All I have to do now is pray fervently for either a complete disaster or an unexpected miracle to extract me from this increasingly unbelievable situation. At this point, I wasn't picky about which it would be - anything to escape.

"Please let Mother be on my side," I whispered one final prayer before pushing open the dining room door.

I paused briefly in the doorway, taking in the scene before me. My parents sat at one end of an enormous dining table laden with breakfast foods. Sebastian and an older man who could only be his father occupied the other end, while Liam lounged carelessly in a chair between them, looking bored and slightly hungover.

My mother spotted me immediately, her face lighting up as she rose from her chair. "Alfred! There you are!" she exclaimed, moving toward me with outstretched arms.

"Son, are you okay?" My mother stepped closer to me and gently cupped my face between her soft hands, examining me with the concerned scrutiny that only mothers can perfect. Her eyes searched mine, looking for signs of distress or unhappiness.

"You look like you haven't slept at all," she whispered, her brow furrowing with worry. "Has something happened?"

"Yes mother," I nodded automatically, trying to appear more composed than I felt. My hands trembled slightly as I placed them over hers, drawing comfort from her familiar touch.

"I'm fine, really," I lied, attempting to reassure her. "Just nervous about everything happening so quickly."

I drew my lips into what I hoped was a convincing smile, though it felt more like a grimace. I could feel Sebastian's intense gaze fixed on me from across the room, watching our interaction with hawk-like attention.

"Don't worry about me," I added softly, hoping she would understand the hidden plea beneath my words.

My mother's eyes narrowed suspiciously as she continued to study my face. She had always been able to read me better than anyone else, seeing through my attempts at deception since childhood.

"Why you don't look happy, Alfred?" she questioned directly, lowering her voice so only I could hear. "Yesterday on the phone your voice seemed to be cheerful and excited about this arrangement, but today you look pale and frightened."

She stroked my cheek gently with her thumb. "Tell me what's wrong, my dear. What happened after we left you here?"

I opened my mouth to explain, then closed it again as I caught Sebastian shifting in his chair, leaning forward slightly as if straining to hear our conversation. How could I possibly explain the bizarre events of last night with him watching so intently?