Chapter 21: Chapter 20 Already His Prisoner
My phone slipped from my fingers, hitting the floor. The woman’s voice was still buzzing faintly from the speaker, repeating the words that had just stripped the air from my lungs.
We can’t find your daughter.
"Mireya?" Giulia’s voice sounded far away. "Mireya, what is it? Who was on the phone?"
I didn’t answer. I turned and ran.
"Mireya! Wait!" Giulia shouted behind me, but my feet were already flying down the stairs.
I burst through the front gate of the building and hit the pavement at a full sprint. My folder tore open, the papers scattering across the road into the gutters. Cars honked as I threw myself into the street, swerving to avoid me. I didn’t care. I was just a mother, and my child was gone.
By the time I reached the street near the school, my lungs were burning.
Suddenly, the phone in my hand rang. I forced my trembling thumbs to swipe the screen, pressing it to my ear. "Hello?! Hello! Anastelle?!"
"Finished looking for jobs, Miss Brenner?"
Laziel Monroe.
I stopped dead on the sidewalk, my chest heaving as I tried to catch my breath.
"Where is my daughter?!" I screamed so loudly it drew stares from the people passing by. "What did you do to her?! Where is she?!"
He didn’t shout back. He didn’t even sound surprised.
Then, his quiet voice cut through the speaker. "Safe."
I choked on my own breath. "W-What?"
"She refused to enter the school compound," Laziel stated flatly. "She is currently in the backseat, informing my security detail that dinosaurs don’t eat vegetables."
Before I could even process the absolute absurdity of his words,, a tiny voice echoed clearly near the microphone.
"Mommy!" Anastelle chirped, sounding entirely thrilled. "Snack Man has a big car! It has a TV in the back!"
Daaa fuck?
I stood frozen on the sidewalk, my jaw dropping open as Giulia finally caught up to me, panting heavily and clutching her knees.
"Laziel..." I whispered, "Are you out of your mind?! You took my child?!"
"I did not take her, Miss Brenner. I simply stopped her from being run over," he replied smoothly. "I was on a call, actively ensuring you wouldn’t find employment in this city, when my driver noticed a small child wandering onto the road near the school gate."
What?
"I looked out the window and saw a little girl chasing a butterfly into traffic," Laziel continued, his tone dry. "She looked familiar. When I rolled down the window, she tilted her head, studied my face, and gasped. She asked if I was ’Snack Man’ from the FaceTime call."
I closed my eyes, pinching the bridge of my nose. Anastelle, oh my god.
"She has an exceptional memory," Laziel remarked, though his voice remained entirely calm. "Since she stubbornly refused to go inside the gates and the school staff was completely oblivious to her absence, I put her in the car. I do not have the time to argue with a four-year old a public street. I am bringing her to my office."
"I am coming right now," I hissed.
"Good. My driver is already turning the corner onto your street to pick you and your belongings up," Laziel said calmly. "And Miss Brenner?"
"What?!"
"Next time, ensure your daughter actually crosses the threshold of her classroom before you go scouting for secretarial positions."
Click.
The line went dead.
I lowered the phone, staring blankly at the screen. Giulia looked up at me, still gasping for air. "Mireya... what happened? Is she okay?"
"She’s fine," I breathed, "She’s currently with the Snack Man."
...
The maybach finally arrived.
Giulia grabbed my arm, pulling me away from the car. "We are not doing this. You are not getting in there."
"I don’t have a choice, Giulia."
"Yes, you do," she insisted. "My aunt lives just across town. You and Anastelle can come stay with us. We can manage, Mireya."
"Your aunt can barely feed herself," I said. "There are already four people crammed into that small house. We can’t add three more."
"She loves you! You’re family to us," Giulia argued, her eyes turning red. "We will figure it out. We always do."
I shook my head, stepping back. "No. Think about it, Giulia. If Laziel really did all of this in a single morning—if he bought our building and blacklisted my name before breakfast—what do you think he’ll do if he finds out we moved into your aunt’s place? He will destroy her too. He’ll take her home. I won’t let him throw your family onto the street because of me."
Giulia went quiet.
"This is my fault," I whispered. "You told me not to take that job, and I didn’t listen. Now you lost your house, and you lost your employment because you’re associated with me. I have to fix this."
"So you’re just going to give up your life?" Giulia’s voice cracked. "You’re just going to hand yourself over to him? To be his secretary? This is why I hate wealthy people. Who does he think he is?"
"He’s powerful enough to ruin us by snapping his fingers," I said quietly. "I’m going to take the job. I’m going to stay at his place if that’s what it takes. But I’m going to make sure he gets your apartment back, or a better one, and ensures you get hired somewhere else. I won’t let you suffer for my stubbornness."
The door opened, and a driver stepped out.
"Miss Brenner," he said, bowing his head slightly. "Can we go now."
Giulia stepped between me and the car door. "Mireya, please. You are going to become his prisoner in that mansion."
"I already am," I whispered.
💖 Author’s Note 💖
Thank you so much for reading this Chapter! 🥹 Every Chapter I write is filled with so much love, and seeing your support truly keeps me motivated to continue this journey with Mireya, Laziel, Anastelle, and everyone else.
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