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CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR

“Mrs. Rothschild, this is Demi Ivory calling to check in on you and Mr. Rothschild.” I sat in the new office space Alister had apparently created for me.

This was his way of saying ‘I’m sorry I whipped you to near-death, then raped you while denying your request to stop having corpses in bed with us.’

He wanted me to be more involved, to show him that I cared about his business…his empire.

“Demi.” She sounded relieved. “I’m doing well, thank you for checking in. And can you believe Declan went off on some fancy boat excursion right after we checked out of La Gabbia?” She cleared her throat.

“That’s absolutely amazing.” We both knew there was high chance this call was being monitored.

“So Sage, I know you ordered virgin hair extensions, but we were freshly out of blonde, so I checked in with our salon, and they are making some right away for you since we have new inventory.”

“Did the package of…hair extensions you already bought here make it safely?” I was hoping she’d figure out what, or rather who, I was referring to. It would be risky for me to search for Myles’s mother here with Alister watching my browser history.

The long pause had me worried, but then Sage sighed. “Everything I brought home made it safely, and I’ve put everything up where it belongs.”

Myles was safe with his mother. I made a difference. I saved a child the way I had wished to be saved.

“Demi, I needed to tell you something… There’s a beautiful boat that our friend is going to sail near Ivory Island tomorrow. I hope you’ll go peek at it for me. Declan said he wanted to know if it was worth purchasing.”

A pit in my stomach grew as I traced the grooves in my desk. “Will you check the boat for us?” she asked slowly.

It had to be Bradley. He was coming back for me.

“Of course, I will. You take good care, Mrs. Rothschild.” I hung up the phone and turned around in my chair to look at the wall of shelves.

Neatly lined books, small golden décor, but then what I ignored and no longer couldn’t were the glass canisters filled to the brim with eyelashes.

“Eyelashes are the dream catchers for tears.” I jerked around as I faced Alister.

He was wearing all white.

“I can hear their cries as I look into these jars.” He smiled as he made his way toward me. I stood and moved around the desk, fearful of the belt that snaked around his waist.

“Just like the caged girls, you are the most beautiful when you cry.” He paused before reaching for one of the glass jars and bringing it to my desk.

“It’s a bit funny, isn’t it? Every single woman who has walked through the doors of La Gabbia are, in fact, all or have been, caged girls…” He began sprinkling the eyelashes all over my desk.

“Some of them were fortunate to be trained via Ian’s white therapy and turned into pretty little wives, but my girls…” He laughed. “My girls all stayed beautiful, precious little birds. And birds so beautiful must stay in La Gabbia.” He ran his hand across his facial hair.

“You do know what La Gabbia means, don’t you, my wife?” He smiled at me.

“No, Alister, I do not.” The shake in my voice was clear, but I made sure to speak respectfully.

“The cage, of course. This entire resort is one beautiful cage, isn’t it?” He stood and began throwing the eyelashes all over us, like a sweet flower girl would on a wedding day with flower petals.

“Make a wish, my darling raven.” He was laughing wildly as he spun around and kept tossing the eyelashes into the air.

“You do know making a wish on an eyelash is always granted!” he cheered as I watched Alister Ivory flip into yet another sick version of himself.

I waited for him to stop. His face was flushed, and he gripped my shoulders, dragging me closer to him. I could smell the strong scent of whiskey on his breath.

“One more wish.” He lifted one finger up and pressed it between my eyebrows.

“Anything?” I asked lowly, terrified this was another game, another trap.

“Let Layla go…” I whispered. Alister’s breathing was heavy, cutting through the chilly silence of the space.

“Demi, I cannot. Because once I kill you, I’ll have to marry her—especially since you’ve sent her husband away.” He grinned. “She is the perfect substitute. Besides, the official caged girl is never allowed to leave. She is my property. She let you be the favorite girl, and she gets to be the caged girl. Rules are rules.” My heart crashed. He was going to murder me, then subject my sister to being his wife after she’d already been forced to go through hell and back.

I lowered my shoulders, hunched a bit, and let the moisture in my eyes build. I needed to look like a damsel in distress.

“One wish, Demi,” he rushed out before stretching his arms above his head.

“Let me go…Layla is far better fit to being your obedient wife. I can work in Miami for you as the bridge to new inventory.” I was a coward. I was the weakest link. I was selfish.

His eyebrow lifted as he stared at me curiously. “You really do hate it here, don’t you?”

“No, Alister. I’m just not the wife I know you deserve, but my sister is. I could lure the children and women. I know you are looking for a new confidante. Let it be me.” I nodded as I felt hope the way he was processing it all.

“Layla would be more willing to do…” I felt sick to my stomach, but I knew I was doing what had to be done.

“You have been defiant and truthfully, a boring hag in the bed. The corpses excite me more.” He tapped his fingers across my desk erratically.

“Father always said the two women you must not ever release from the cage are the favorite girl and the caged girl. The caged girl is the most obedient bird of them all. But the favorite girl is the one who is the best front. The best at a facade. You aren’t much of anything, Demi. I suppose Layla and I could keep this baby for ourselves. It is an Ivory, after all.” I didn’t know if he was having some kind of manic episode, but I did know he was considering my request.

“I will grant you this wish, but not fully. You are still mine to keep. I just need you to go away for a bit as I do a trial with Layla, my other raven. I have been extremely stressed about inventory and need someone to go to Miami while I handle La Gabbia. You will be allotted one week away.” He clasped his hands together and eyed me.

“I think that time apart will do us good, Alister. It’s not that I don’t appreciate you and our marriage; I just think I’d like to be in the field more, and then when I return, if you still want me to be your wife, I will. If Layla is more suited, well, I’ll accept this heartache and serve La Gabbia to the best of my ability.” I bowed my head and prayed he’d believe me.

“You can take one of the private planes. I’ll be tracking you. I still love you and that pussy.” He patted the tattoo on my shoulder before wrapping his hands around my neck and tightening them. “See you in a week, wife.”