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CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

“What do you think, Demi?” I was flipping through, page after page. The ages of the child were next to them. Two weeks old, four months old, six months old, and then I flipped towards the end…

“Discounted items.” I gasped and saw babies around a year old with a red number next to it.

Customizable options were available, but a special request must be placed two years in advance.

“Demi?”

My head was spinning as I looked through each page, and finally, there it was. A page that made the stomach acid crawl up my throat.

“Breeders,” I mumbled and looked at images of women. They were the nightingales and doves, all divided up. Their stats were displayed next to their photos: weight, height, eye color, skin color, genetic, and medical history.

“Honestly, I might just tell Declan I want to place a special order with the mother known as Raven. She’s got the best medical history, and I think with a white male’s sperm and her beauty, we might just have ourselves a brilliant, beautiful little one. Hopefully, the skin will be lighter, but that’s a risk we might just have to take.”

“That’s my sister.” I saw the image of Raven on the page that Sage was fawning over. “That’s Layla.”

Sage’s forehead crinkled as she looked at the image, and then back to me. “Oh, my goodness, what wonderful news. I knew she looked familiar… Apparently, she’s able to be bred the fastest.”

Closing my eyes, I could see it all over again—Bradley in bed with Layla. Is this why? Were they…

“I think you…we…should request a special visit with her to make sure she’s the woman you’d want to carry your child, Sage,” I said as my heart pounded rapidly.

Sage paused for a moment and then looked back at me. “This is why I wanted you to come with me; I just knew it’d be useful to have some extra help. But I do like the sound of that. Besides, for two million dollars, we should have a bit more say.” Sage snapped her fingers in the air until the girl from the front desk came over.

They chatted as I stared down at the image of my sister. It was like looking at a reflection of myself. She hadn’t changed much, beyond her once beautiful brown eyes growing more and more lifeless.

“I think it’s really nice that you and your sister have taken to working at the same establishment.”

My eyes filled with tears as I looked through the photos. Where were these babies coming from.

“Demi?”

“Yes, thank you.” I nodded quickly.

“I’m going to go put the deposit down for a custom baby. I’ll be right back, then I want to go shop for the gorgeous hair extensions here. They only do it with real human hair.” Sage stood and walked back to the front desk.

I went back to the beginning of the white leather-bound book. There was an entire page designated to eye colors, hair color, and skin tone. How would they even guarantee all of this, and who even agreed to have these babies?

The nightingales weren’t pregnant; they were down there, caged up to be used as sex dolls.

“Guess what? We get to meet her now.” Sage was jumping up and down excitedly.

I stood quickly. “Wait, now?” I brushed my hands nervously against my dress as I followed Sage and the girl from the front desk.

“Yes, yes! She’s in her fertile window,” Sage shrieked, but was quickly silenced by the lady in a white turtleneck and pencil skirt.

“Ma’am, please, we must keep our voices down. You, of all people, should know why.”

Sage’s face flushed as she straightened her shoulders and clasped her fingers together. “Yes. Of course. My mistake.”

“We will need to change clothes to visit the breeder’s floor. There’s also a contract to be signed, and you may not speak to her, simply type what you’d like for her to read. She’s not permitted to have communications. Words and language can often cause us to have too many…thoughts.”

“Of course. I know.” Sage closed her eyes for a moment, as if she was replaying something in her head.

“Shall we, Demi?”

“Yes.” I followed behind them into a small dressing room.

She opened a closet and there was a row of black dresses—all identical sheath dresses with small labels with sizes.

“These would have looked amazing with my Chanel pearls.” Sage grabbed a size two, and turned away to a dressing room to change.

“Demi?” I looked at the pale woman in front of me with piercing green eyes.

“What is all this?”

She tilted her head and brushed her index finger against my cheek. Leaning in, I could feel her cold, minty breath on my skin. “Hell.” Pulling away, she smiled before handing me a dress. “Let’s all get ready quickly. Raven only has a few minutes before she needs to be fertilized.”

I wanted to just die.

“She’s not a plant. She’s a human being.” I looked at the woman’s name tag. “Kori, how could you…go along with all this?”

“Along with what?”

“She’s being raped, isn’t she?”

“Please do not talk about our precious breeders that way. You know, Demi, I’m not sure you should be joining us, anyway. I’ve been told you have a meeting with Alister Ivory tonight.”

“No, Mrs. Rothschild has specifically asked me to go with her. Please, don’t do this, Kori.”

She smiled at me with her eyes lowered. “One chance. Open your mouth, and you will have the same thing happen to your tongue that happened to Jamie’s.”

“You know what happened to Jamie? Please, please tell me!” I slammed my lips shut as Kori’s eyes widened.

“Demi, let’s go quickly change. Kandi just left us a whole new stash of wigs and hair extensions, too! They got a fresh batch of hair in to make them.” Kori shot me a look before pointing at the other side of the closet.

Each wig had a small name tag, and I knew exactly what that meant. Walking toward the wigs, I selected one. “Karina,” I whispered. I had met her in my brief stint on the Euphoria floor.

Shaking my head, I pushed past Sage and Kori.

“These are gorgeous! I always wondered what I’d look like as black-head. No, wait, that doesn’t sound right? Brunette? No, this is dark black hair… Hmm…it’s fine.”

I quickly changed out of my all white ensemble and tugged the tight-fitted black body-con on myself.

“You have to wear your hair down. Just quickly grab a wig, too. There’s too much gel in your hair.” Kori shook her head at me and aggressively handed me one before rushing away.

Placing the wig on my head, I brushed it with my fingers, but there was a tangle. Looking at the long, black hair, I squinted.

I tugged the object out. It was…flesh?

“Kori?” I called out.

She came in immediately, already fully dressed. “What is it now?” she snapped at me.

“What is this?” I lifted it to her.

“Oh, silly goose, it’s just a piece of what’s her name? I think you are wearing the Karina. Karina’s scalp.” She opened her mouth and started to chew it.

“Kori…” I gagged.

“Yes, it’s definitely fresher than some.” She licked her lips and winked at me before turning back to the hallway. “Let’s go, ladies,” Kori chirped.

I followed them to the elevator. “Demi, you’ll have to use your badge, too.”

We all scanned it before Sage lifted her wristband and scanned it, too. It looked like a normal wristband one would get at any all-inclusive resort.

The elevator dropped down and suddenly, we were on the floor I knew was where the caged girls were. The girls who, if they were lucky enough, became the nightingales and were freed.

I scoffed at the silliness of it all. Freed? To be abused, raped, and then…ultimately killed?

I began to turn toward the side of the hall where I’d already been. The side that led to the room I had seen Bradley in with my sister. I knew I wasn’t crazy.

I just hadn’t had a moment to absorb the fact that the guilt I had carried all this time wasn’t even based on reality. I didn’t kill my sister; I didn’t take her life. But she did betray me. She sent me to Charlotte. She was a part of why my life had now become a constant game of cat and mouse.

I was wrecked and ruined.

“No, Demi. This way,” Kori whispered.

“It’s so dark.” Sage covered her eyes and started to panic.

“Sage, deep breaths.”

“It’s all black… Why is it so dark? Where is the clean white and bright…” She was breathing heavily as we made our way down and finally entered a room.

“Mrs. Rothschild, enough. You must compose yourself. I know, trust me, do I know. This is hell for me to come down here, but you cannot speak out, you cannot be this way.” Kori waved her hand over Sage’s body.

“Hello, there,” a soft voice called out in a hushed whisper.

The room was enormous. We turned and there it was.

A giant bird-like cage that had a swing inside.

And on that swing sat a woman wearing a long, flowing black gown, and her long black hair was draped over her shoulders. The only sound echoing and slicing through the silence was the slight creak in the golden metal as she swung.

“I’m Raven.” She looked through the darkness at us. Alister referred to me by the same nickname.

But she didn’t look directly at us; she looked behind us.

The small candle flickered and illuminated her, but we were in the dark completely.

“I wasn’t expecting the three of you.” She smiled slightly.

“Raven, we have a special VIP guest. She’s interested in becoming a mother to well…a made-to-order child. She doesn’t want any from our shop, but rather one she can be a part of the journey with.”

“That’s lovely,” Raven said. But it wasn’t Raven, it was Layla. My Layla. I was frozen in place.

Sage leaned in and whispered, “She looks just like you, and you her, Demi.”

Kori glanced between us. “Absolutely no word of relation or this is all off.”

“Of course, I’m sorry.” Sage immediately walked away from me.

“You are breathtakingly beautiful. Do you stay in this?” Sage brushed her hand against the cold metal.

“This is my home. I’m to be kept safe here.” Layla continued to slowly swing as her gown dragged.

She was a vision.

This was so sick and twisted that she was here in an actual cage. How could Bradley allow this? How could…

“I wanted to know if you’d choose Declan and I to receive the next life as ours? We have a mansion in Rhode Island. We have four cars. I was…well, put through etiquette lessons when I was younger and lost. This life would be cared for and loved…”

“This is sick, and so are all of you,” I whispered to Kori.

Kori looked at me with anger. “Keep quiet.”

“That voice…” Layla said softly. “I know it.”

My heart stopped. I took a step forward as tears fell down my face and everything started to blur.

“Lay—”

“It’s time for you to lay down.” A cold, strong arm tugged me backward.

“Bradley…” Layla said, her face lighting up.

“Hello, my beautiful Raven.” I turned to him as he looked at me with agony painted on his face.

Slapping my mouth with my own hands, I cried into them and stumbled back toward the door.

“Well, you’re just in luck, Mrs. Rothschild. The male fertilizer is here.” Kori clenched her jaw as I hunched over in the corner crying.

Sage drifted away from the cage and toward Bradley.

“This is truly the greatest all-inclusive resort, isn’t it? This is where dreams come true.” She wiped away a tear from her face.

“I’m Sage Rothschild. It’s a pleasure to meet you. You’re just as beautiful as she is. We’d like the full medical records of both, if that’d be alright. I know my husband Declan would really like those. He’s a perfectionist.” She smiled at Bradley and brushed her hand across his face.

“My beloved,” Layla called out as Bradley walked to her.

“Mrs. Rothschild, we will have all that and more in the detailed files once Mr. Rothschild and you confirm payment. Mr. Ivory will want to meet with VIP clients—he’s particular about who gets Bradley and Layla’s precious baby birds.” Kori smiled.

“Of course. Of course. And just look at them! They are so in love. We wanted a loving environment. It’s proven, you know…” Sage looked at Bradley and Layla. He brushed her hair away and kissed her neck before he pushed her on the swing.

“Kori, I need to go…” I swallowed the vomit in my mouth. “Please.” I clawed at the door, then lifted my badge and scanned it against the keypad.

It opened. I fell into the darkness and ran toward the elevator, gasping for air as I felt someone’s hands wrap around my throat.

Falling to the floor of the elevator, I scanned my badge and pressed the floor of my room.

But the elevator kept going upward. It opened on the very top floor, where Alister Ivory’s penthouse was.

I clenched my fists as I stormed out and looked down at the black-and-white-checkered foyer. It was new. It used to be all black marble.

“Greetings, Miss Rao.” A faint voice startled me. I hadn’t been called by my maiden name in years. It was Marisha, the beautiful woman with long, dark hair and golden skin that matched my own.

“Mr. Ivory has requested you bathe and dress for your special dinner tonight with him. I will be assisting you.” She reached her hand out to me and smiled.

“The floors…” I stared down at the black and white.

“Yes. Aren’t they beautiful? You inspired them. Mr. Ivory is mostly a fan of all black, but he said that the purity you emit made him want to tie in the doves and nightingales with his design.” Marisha wiggled her fingers at me. I placed my hand in hers and together, we walked to Alister’s stunning all-black bathroom. There was no light beyond a few candlesticks flickering in gold candelabras.

I was numb. I stripped out of the tight dress and watched as Marisha filled the dark tub with water.

Sliding into it, I was surrounded by steam.

Marisha ripped peony flowers and sprinkled them into the tub. “Peonies have so many health benefits, did you know that, Miss Rao?” Marisha placed the remaining peonies into a vase, and then moved the candelabra closer. Sitting on the velvet stool, she poured a milky white substance from a glass bottle into the water.

“What is that?”

Marisha dipped her hand into the water before brushing it against my face.

“Peonies can aid in inflammation reduction, increase fertility, assist with mood disorders…”

Taking a small loofah, she began washing my body, pouring more of the liquid onto it.

“Tonight is going to change everything, Demi. I hope you know how lucky you are.” Marisha began scrubbing my hair and massaging my scalp.

“He wants your hair to be worn black again.” It had been a very long time since my hair had been worn without an itchy wig or being bleached blonde. The bright, blonde had become my new identity in some sick way. It was comforting, especially after seeing what darkness represented at La Gabbia.

“Okay.” I closed my eyes and let her take over. Because tonight was the night… I was going to kill Alister Ivory and end it all.