“Do you hate me?”

This was it, today was the day that would make or break my future with Candace.

Judgement day.

“Do I hate you?” I was alone here, in Candace’s pet room, with Aria Fairmont. Which even for me, was a weird way to start my day, I had to admit. “No, I don’t hate you, I just hate what you are.”

“What’s that, Ma’am?” I kept my head down, trying to remember what Candace taught me. “A slave?”

“I mostly meant a dog.” Aria was sitting on the sofa with her legs pulled up and criss crossed in front of her, with the kitten in her lap. “But that too, I guess.”

“You don’t like dogs, Miss?” I was seated on the floor nearest the pet hatch, trying to make sure that my Mistress’ pets didn’t wander off.

“I’m allergic to dogs~” Aria smirked, continuing to pet little Sophia, who most certainly loved the human as much as the human loved her. “Just like you’re allergic to cats.”

“So you love cats instead.” It made sense of course, thanks to my allergy I positively despised cats, but I loved dogs to death. It made sense for Aria to be the other way around. “Is that why you didn’t leave for lunch with the rest of the superiors?”

“Not really, no.” I could see Aria grit her teeth, her eyes darting around the room as she examined every spot along the walls and ceiling, checking out every nook and cranny of the cat’s bedroom until she made eye contact with one of the cameras monitoring us. “I just wasn’t invited.”

“Is there a reason why, Miss?” I looked over at the camera and then at her, seeing her eyes quickly dart away from where she was looking. I knew she wasn’t here to babysit me, that was what Malcolm was doing in the basement right now, or else he would have left with Candace and them too. So why was Aria not invited? She didn’t exactly seem keen on keeping me company.

“Let’s just say that you aren’t the only one here who Candace’s father isn’t exactly a fan of.”

“How come, Miss?”

“I would love to tell you why, but… the Family…’ Aria gestured back to the camera with her eyes alone. “Let’s just say there are eyes and ears everywhere.”

As a world championship level Stolen Cosmos player, I was really good at analyzing things, and I could analyze people just as well as I could the game. Yet I never really had been able to peg Aria Fairmont for what exactly her deal was, like I was never really able to figure out Candace herself, but I had figured out many of Candace’s other friends.

Malcolm Peterson was easy, especially now that I knew what his job was. He worked with Candace as a sort of personal assistant, and he lived downstairs. When he wasn’t out with his boyfriend, he watched the cameras to make sure nothing fishy was happening in Candace’s house, as he was doing now. Like Candace, he was also trans, though I had yet to tell either of them that I knew that, he was just a little more relaxed and flamboyant about it than his boss was, not very difficult to pin down.

Despite also being in a similar position to Candace, Cyrus Griffin was not as difficult to figure out. I didn’t know a lot about him, sure, but I could tell what kind of person he was, an awful awful sadist. He had a large hand in how slaves were handled by the family, and I was not at all looking forward to ending up under his jurisdiction, like Liz was.

His wife, Elizabeth, was a bit more difficult to pin down, but after our run in when they’d arrived here, I realized she was one of the possible endings for this game I found myself playing. Depending on how everything went between Candace and I after tonight, I could very well become something like her.

I really did know nothing at all about Candace and Cyrus’ eldest sister, I knew I had heard it once, but even her name escaped me at the moment. She and Cyrus were of course Candace’s half-siblings, and though I hadn’t met her, I had met her mother Lilith, who wouldn’t be in attendance tonight. She was a sweet woman, who honestly seemed to fully support Candace for who she was.

Leah Watts was honestly kind of an asshole. She and her soon to be ex-husband, Ben, were now starting the process of going through a divorce, and it had apparently been a long time coming. Yet apparently despite her drinking problem and her general sort of cocky and aloof attitude, matched with her itchy trigger finger, the split wasn’t explicitly her fault. I didn’t like her very much at all, but I felt bad for anyone who ended up getting cheated on.

But then there was Aria, who for all of her time modeling in front of the world, alongside Candace, still confused me. Her actions were all over the place her thoughts raced, her eyes wandered, I could tell all of that about her, but I couldn’t tell why. There was definitely something suspicious about her. She’s hiding something.

And now there was apparently this business about how Candace’s father didn’t exactly like her, which was really odd. If he doesn’t like her, then why is she here, his ex-wife isn’t here after all, but Aria was. She was tight-lipped, tense, and uneasy. She clearly had something she wanted to say, but couldn’t find herself in the position to say it. She wants to tell me something, but she can’t… not while people are listening.

“Sophia is a pretty name, don’t you think?” Aria smiled, still looking down at the cat even as she addressed me. “Candace always comes up with just the cutest names~”

“She does, doesn’t she, Miss?” I swallowed nervously, going along with her. The fact that she stole my name and gave it to the cat didn’t bother me as much after last night. After all, I was Sophia Cavalier, and nothing was going to take that from me. “I am partial to the name she picked for me, I like Chloe a lot… I’m happy my Master gave it to me~”

I really wish Candace was hearing this. Malcolm had better tell her about how well behaved I was being, especially the part about complimenting her. Flattery, maybe if I continued to compliment Candace, Aria would lighten up just a little bit, but instead she was just grinding her teeth more. “That… that’s great, I’m glad you’re okay with… that … and all of this as well, I’m glad you’re… happy.”

“Is something the matter, Miss Fairmont?” I looked up at her, hearing her growl under her breath ever so slightly. “Can I do anything to help comfort you? ...Can I serve you in any way?”

“No. I’m fine…” She stopped petting the cat, letting Sophia climb out of her lap as the woman slowly began to sit up. “We should talk later , but… I will say one thing right now… I was actually kind of happy when Cavalier beat Candy’s butt in the finals~”

“You were, Ma’am?” I smiled up at her proudly at the thought of it, quickly soaking it into my ego, letting little Sophia pad her way into my lap instead as Aria stood up from the couch, trying to make sure the kitten stayed on my skin and not ruining my outfit for the night, despite me being allergic to her.

“Yeah… I was really upset when I found out that she died … I just-” She frowned, taking a deep breath before sighing loudly. “I really hate what happened to her.”

↞✶↠

What the fuck was that supposed to mean??

Either she had an incredible poker face… or she really meant what she said. One second Aria hated me and everything I was with a passion, and the next second she felt bad for me? What exactly was going on with her?

“Focus, you .” Malcolm snapped me back to attention. “Your Master is going to be home soon, and you need to be fully prepared when she gets here, we’re all rooting for you today~”

“Thank you, Sir.” I smiled back at him, letting him continue to do my hair and makeup for me from inside of the bathroom connected to Candace’s gaming room. “I’m sorry that this is the most appropriate place to help me with my wardrobe, I don’t want to use the Master's bathroom without her permission.”

“Oh hush, it’s fine, you don’t see me complaining do you?”

“No, Sir.” I smiled, taking a deep breath as he put on the finishing touches to the look.

“How is it, Chloe?” He turned me around, letting me look at myself in the mirror.

I looked gorgeous. Malcolm was a fucking champion, and I adored him for it. My dress, though not as flashy and eye-catching as the red one from the previous night, fit perfectly. It was once again, a neatly fitting black dress, fit for Candace’s servant, though this one was quite a bit less revealing and quite a bit more appropriate than my original uniform, and it lacked the white apron sewn onto the front, this one was all black.

My honestly quite short head of dyed hair was done up into the prettiest bun imaginable at the back of my head, keeping any unsightly strands of hair out of the way of my cute little face. I was honestly surprised to see myself looking like some sort of noble woman, knowing the humble punk rock lesbian beginnings I had come from. I was a changed person, and I was proud of myself for that.

“How did you do all of this, Sir?” I smiled, admiring the makeup he had applied directly to my face. My skin was clean and smooth. My lips were perfectly shaped, perfectly painted, perfectly shaded even, he applied some sort of fancy queer magic to make my lips look like they had been made by a world renowned artist, which they had!!

“Believe it or not, I started as Candace’s makeup artist when her father first hired me, and then I worked double time doing it both for her esports appearances, as well as for her photoshoots, and then I became her full time assistant. I take it the happy little slave likes it?”

“She loves it, Sir. Thank you…” I smiled, as happy as I could be in the face of the terrible stress I was soon to be faced with. The eyes, Malcolm, the eyes!! How did you do that??

The eyeshadow, the eyeliner wings, the mascara, it was something the likes of which I’d only seen on Candace herself, and maybe Aria in some of her photoshoots.

“Did you ever do Aria’s makeup for her, Mister Peterson?” I looked up at him, pouting my lips to make myself look cute.

“A pretty face like little Aria’s?” He grinned proudly, truly excited to be recognized for his work on a star like Aria Fairmont. “Why yes, I have~”

“I should have guessed~” I gave him a wide grin, turning back to the mirror and just fawning over my own reflection, now that was a girl I would swoon for. “Where’d that nickname come from, though? Little Aria?”

“Right, I forgot…” Malcolm sighed, slowly putting his makeup away into his makeup bag. “You don’t know.”

“I don’t know what, Sir?” I turned around, graciously holding his hand mirror out for him, like Candace had shown me to do. “My apologies for being uninformed.”

“The situation.”

“The situation, Sir?” I tiled my head, my delicate little expression just as cute as a button. “What kind of situation?”

“Aria’s situation, I mean.” There it is, something about Aria early wasn’t exactly sitting right with me. There was more to her that I didn’t know about.

“She seemed off when I was talking to her earlier… what’s her deal?”

“I saw that, actually… from the sounds of it she probably wanted to tell you, but she’s scared of being overheard.” Malcolm took the mirror, putting it away into his bag. “But I’m not super worried about it, it’s not like it really affects you~”

“May I please hear the gossip, Sir?” I pouted my lips, smiling up at him with my pleading puppy dog eyes.

“Alright, fine.” He smiled, shaking his head at me. “Let’s just say that she and Candace weren’t always very good friends.”

“They weren’t?”

“Not really, they were sweet to each other when they first met, and Candace grew to like the girl, but Aria’s early feelings towards Candace were… kind of like someone else I know.”

“Like who, Sir?”

“Like you~”

“Like me? Did something happen? Is that why Candace’s father doesn’t like her?”

“It’s not really my story to tell, but Aria kind of stepped into this web on accident.”

“On accident?”

“She got just a little bit too close to Miss St. Clair, and she found out something that she very much wasn’t supposed to.”

“And then what happened? What did she find out?”

“Slow down, hon… there’s no need to be so antsy, or so loud … we don’t want anyone to hear, this is just gossip okay?”

“Yes, Sir… of course.”

“Candace was a sweetheart, really… she didn’t want anything bad to happen to Aria, so she convinced Mr. Russo, her father, not to do anything drastic to the girl, but…”

“But, what?”

“But that is most certainly not my story to tell anymore.” Malcolm smiled, winking at me as he finished packing his makeup bag. “Let’s just say that she has eyes and ears on her at all times, to make sure that family secrets don’t get out to the public.”

“I see…” That made sense to me, I hadn’t really considered how similar Aria and I might be. “Well thank you for doing my makeup, Sir, I’m very happy with it.”

“And I’m sure your Master is going to be very happy with it as well~” Malcolm grinned, sighing to himself. “I really am going to miss this.”

“Going to miss what, Sir?”

“Gosh, you really are getting really good with the titles, but you can save ‘Sir’ for when Mr. Russo gets here.” Malcolm sighed, clearly quite exhausted. “I hope he’s happy with my work as well.”

“I’m sure he will be, Sir.”

“I sure do hope so, I am going to miss you quite a lot if you get taken away… But I am going to miss you quite a lot either way.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, your future hangs in the balance tonight, but regardless of how it goes I’m not going to be here after tonight.”

My heart almost stopped hearing him say that. “You aren’t?”

“You may be frozen in time here just a bit kid, but the world is still moving around you… whatever happens tonight, I’m not going to be here for the aftermath either way.” Malcolm frowned, trying to look away from me as he spoke. “If you succeed, I won’t really need to be here to monitor you… and if you fail, well… you won’t be here to need monitored anymore, but either way… I’m moving out and getting married~”

My heart started to thump excitedly for him. “You mean Anthony?”

“Yeah, and it’s apparently been a long time coming.” He nodded, grinning proudly, almost embarrassed. “Look, I’m not even going to be here to watch what happens tonight… but I really am rooting for you, after all… I do hope to see you and your master walk down the aisle together one day~”

I blushed, smiling happily at him as he said that. “Thank you, Malcolm…”

“Don’t mention it, Chloe.” He pulled me in for a hug. “Be a good girl for Candace once she gets back, because once they get here, I’m leaving…”

“You’ve been moving out the whole week haven’t you?”

“What do you think I was up to last night?”

“I’m going to miss you, Malcolm.”

“I’ll miss you to, kiddo~”

↞✶↠

“Are you ready for this, Chloebelle?” Liz reached out, playing with the bell attached to the ring of my collar.

“As ready as I think I can be, Ma’am…” I sighed, taking a deep breath.

“There’s the respect I was wanting last night~!!” She scoffed, taunting me for just a moment. “Candace sent us back ahead of them so that we could make sure you’re ready. She wanted to get Malcolm out of here before her father arrived.”

“Is she going to be arriving with her father then?” I blushed, my gorgeous face of makeup illuminating the embarrassment on my face.

“And Leah, yes.” Liz was just as antsy as I was, presumably because she wanted me to succeed tonight as fiercely as I did. “God, you’re too cute for your own good, pup.”

“What can I expect from tonight, Miss?”

“Probably a lot of running around doing things that aren’t very fun.” Liz sighed, unable to stop fidgeting as she sat in the seat next to me at one of the small tables in the kitchen. “And probably not a lot of… loving.”

“Loving?” I swallowed nervously. “What do you mean, Mrs. Griffin?”

“Well, Pops still doesn’t like you very much, so-” Liz scoffed, pouting at me. “Your best chance is pretending like you’re not in love with his daughter.”

“I-” I stopped myself from snarling under my breath at the thought of it. “But why?”

“I don’t know… you’re fucking adorable.” Liz twirled her own hair in her fingers, unable to reach out and do the same to mine. “He just didn’t seem too keen on the idea at lunch earlier.”

“Then I’ll do my best as Candace’s servant then?” I smiled, not letting the idea of my future bride’s father disapproving of our marriage get me down. “Yeah?”

“Yeah, that’s the spirit.” Liz smirked, grinning at me with anticipation. “Tonight is gonna suck for me too, I don’t get to be handsy with my Master in public, and I don’t even get to tease and play with you like last time!!”

I giggled, watching her pout at me with her whole ‘Oh, woe is me, I don’t get to torment poor stupid little fuckface all night, it’s not fair!’ attitude.

“I have to act and talk all prim and proper or whatever around him, it’s not fair… I’m not even the one he’s here to evaluate, but what my husband says goes, I guess.” She groaned loudly, looking up at the time on the wall clock. “I’m so bored already, how does she expect to keep you waiting like this. How does he expect to keep me waiting like this…”

I nodded, waiting for a pause in what she was saying before nervously inquiring about what was on my mind. “Am I really going to have to play an exhibition match tonight?”

“Pfft, of course you are, who do you think let Candace become an esports player in the first place?” She leaned back in her chair, her large breasts weighing her down ever so slightly. “He loves watching her play… he was even there, at the world championship, to watch her.”

I swallowed nervously. “He was?”

“He was… and he wasn’t very happy about it. He was even going to have you killed~”

So the family really did have it out for me…

“Just don’t do that again, I can’t imagine what would happen if his precious little princess lost right in front of his eyes to the woman who soiled her career, again. He’s already seen that happen once, and believe me, he was not happy. Like Cyrus whenever he demolishes a table just for stubbing his fucking toe, I swear.”

I wasn’t sure why, but the image of Cyrus stubbing his toe made me smile, and Liz noticed.

“It’s hilarious~” Liz smiled, a hungry expression on her face as she was about ready to gobble me up right then and there. “But don’t worry, you did well in your practice match with Candace last night… she kicked you ass pretty badly anyways, so it’s not like you can beat her, you’re too out of practice.

So she couldn’t tell after all… I sighed with relief. Happy to know that Liz was unable to realize that I had completely thrown the game to Candace, not willing to let my Master lose to me again. But if her father had been watching Candace for a while, I would have to make it look a lot more convincing than last night to make it look like I wasn’t just giving up on purpose. “He wants to see me lose, right?”

“He wants to see you get punished.”

“Then he’s going to see me get punished.” I smiled at her, ready for tonight. “I’m gonna get my ass kicked tonight.”

“Yes you are~”

↞✶↠

“That’s all Liz, you can go~” Cyrus waved his wife off, dismissing her towards the guest bedroom. Sitting at the dining room table, wanting to have a word with me, alone.

“On your knees, slave.”

I did as I was told, getting down on my knees between him and the sliding glass door to the pool behind me, waiting for him to turn around and address me before I spoke to him.

I’m the slave here, I need to remember my place.

“Listen up, because this is going to be important.” He was doing paperwork, working even while at his sister’s house, sitting at her dining table. “Acknowledge your superiors when they speak.”

“Yes, Sir.” The words jumped out of my mouth, eagerly and ready. “I’m listening, Mr. Griffin.”

“You’re in deep here, Chloe. This little gathering isn’t for fun, this is all business.” He very briefly glanced back at me to make sure I was paying attention.

“Yes, Sir. I understand.” My body was still, my posture was perfect, my voice was steady, and my eyes were pointed at the floor, not allowed to gaze upon one of my superiors.

“My father is the opposite of happy with you, and to be honest, so am I.” He returned to his paperwork. “I’ve been against letting Candace keep you from day one.”

“Yes, Sir. That’s completely fair.” I kept myself composed. It wasn’t surprising, it made sense after all.

“I am more than willing to have you killed outright, but at my father and sister’s discretion, if you fail tonight I will be having you shipped directly to the facility instead.” He stood, turning his entire chair around to face me before sitting back down. “And don’t you think that I will have any of my people go easy on you just because you belonged to my sister at one point.”

“No, Sir… I wouldn’t expect that sort of treatment.” I kept my gaze pointed downwards, making sure not to speak out of place. “If I fail today, I wouldn’t deserve it, after all.”

“You’ve got that right.”

“Even if I succeed today, I wouldn’t deserve that sort of treatment, Sir.”

Cyrus smirked, I could just feel it without needing to look up and see it. “Sounds like my sister has taught you well enough to know that much.”

“Yes Sir, she has, I assure you.” I lowered my head slightly, keeping my palms flat on my thighs as I performed a small bow. “Any failure tonight is of my own fault, not hers.”

“I’m never going to touch you like my sister touches you.” I felt Cyrus sliding his hand under my chin, lifting my gaze up to meet his for the first time. “But if I have to, I will more than happily burn her name off of your body myself.”

“Yes, Sir.” I remained unphased. “I understand.”

“There’s a lot more at stake tonight than you know, not just for you, but for her as well.” He released control of my head back to me, watching me lower my gaze to the floor once again. “You’ve soiled her image, not just in the eyes of this family, but on the world stage, and that means you’ve soiled her image in the eyes of the other families as well.”

“Yes, Sir. I won’t be humiliating her like that again, I swear.” I nodded, acknowledging my mistake. The mistake of defeating Candace St. Clair at Stolen Cosmos, even if I still strongly felt that it wasn’t my fault. But that didn’t matter, what I thought and felt didn’t matter, the only thing that mattered was her, and repairing her image as well as I can. “I’ll be the one being humiliated tonight.”

“Yes, you are.” He returned to his paperwork, growling under his breath at the stubborn chair as he picked it back up and turned it around. “And that’s why my father won’t be the only family monarch in attendance tonight.”

I could feel my heart being twisted inside of my chest at the thought of it. “Is that true, Sir?”

“Are you accusing me of lying, brat?”

“No, Sir. I am not.”

“Don’t question your betters, slave.” He began to wave me off. “Go attend to some chores, keep yourself sharp, make sure this place is ready to serve.”

“Yes, Sir.”

↞✶↠

That can’t be right. Why can’t it just be him?

I did as I was told, tending to whatever chores I could, readying the house to receive guests. It wasn’t fair, how was I expected to perform exceptionally well in the face of everything I was up against, especially knowing that I wouldn’t be meeting just one, but two different family heads tonight. How was that fair?

I hated Candace’s father just as fiercely as he hated me, in fact, I hated this whole entire family. I hated all five of the families. The only person who even remotely had a shred of good in them was Candace herself, and even then, she wasn’t perfect.

She was far from perfect.

Everything Cyrus had just said to me reminded me of how Candace treated me when I’d first gotten here, and it was only recently, after over two whole months of living as her housemaid, that she began to show me even a shred of respect.

But even so, Candace loved me from the beginning, I was sure of it. Why else would she protect me from her own family.

And speaking of Candace~

I heard static for a few moments, before hearing her voice being played through the speaker built into my collar. “We’re pulling up now, slave. Make sure to get the door.”

“Yes, Master!” I acknowledged her, quickly and eagerly, unsure if she was even listening to my voice being picked up by the microphone.

I turned the knob, opening up the door into the foyer and holding it as Candace walked in, accompanied by a very scary looking man, her father, Cardinal Russo. Curtsying slightly as she entered. “Welcome home, Master~”

She led the way inside, handing off her jacket to me to take care of it, her father following behind her and doing the same. Yet even after they were completely inside, neither of them said a thing to me, nor did they even look at me. They just continued their conversation between themselves, not bothering to acknowledge my existence.

“That’s not what I’m saying, father. What I’m saying is that you can’t have blue eyes unless both of your parents have blue eyes.”

“You’re a spitting image of your mother, sweetheart. But she very much did not have blue eyes.”

“That’s because she had a medical condition, father. We both do.”

“And that’s why it’s like looking at her whenever I see you, Candace.”

“That’s all fine and good, father. But I’m just saying that she must have had the genes for blue eyes, the only reason they weren’t was because of her albinism.”

“And why must that be the case, hon?”

“Because how else would one of my eyes be blue, father?”

The two of them continued on their way, the conversation following them as they walked away and into the parlor as I remained next to the doorway, completely frozen in fear.

“Look alive, Zeroes.” I felt the door being pulled out of my grasp as someone else closed it, watching Leah tap on the door with her fist. “Do your job before I drag you to the facility.”

“Yes, Ma’am!!” I snapped back to attention, nodding my head at her before quickly turning in place and making my way to the wardrobe room.

I delivered the coats to the wardrobe room for safe keeping, and Leah followed me inside, closing the door behind her. “Alright slut, listen up, because I am saying this once and only once.”

“Yes, Ma’am.” I hung the jackets up and swiveled in place to face her, my eyes pointed down.

“I am about four weeks sober and I am not at all having a very good time right now, so you’d better be keeping the alcohol away from me.” Leah growled under her breath, the bags under her eyes indicating that she did not sleep very well last night. “More importantly, I guess, is that you understand just how tempted I am to preemptively shoot you in the head right here and now, just to blow off steam.”

“Yes, Ma’am.” I swallowed nervously, trying not to show fear to the other woman. “I’m sorry about your husband.”

“Fucking can it, I don’t care about your condolences.” Leah made her way up to me, pulling out her handgun and putting the barrel up to my head. “I care about my orders, and I’m here as security, so don’t be making any wrong moves tonight.”

“N-no, Ma’am… I- I won’t, I promise.” I couldn’t help it, my voice cracked as she held the gun to my head, unable to keep myself from shaking and trembling in fear.

“Good girl, doesn’t even know how to tell whether or not a gun is loaded.” Leah licked her lips, flicking the safety to her gun off. “Make no mistake, this isn’t like last time, Chloe… This time, the gun is loaded.”

I nodded, still trembling in terror at the barrel of her mercy. “Yes, M-Ma’am…”

She flicked the safety back on, pulling the barrel from my forehead and holstering it back into her belt. “Scary, yeah?”

I bit my lip and nodded, managing to keep myself from crying only by keeping silent.

“You’re going to do great, Chloe…” She sighed, trying to reassure me that everything was going to be fine. “It would hurt me to have to take you to the facility.”

“You won’t have to.” I snapped back to reality, remembering what was important. “I promise, Ma’am.”

“Atta girl.” Leah smiled, grinning eagerly. “Get out there and make Mama proud~”

“Yes, Mama~ ” I smiled, stepping past her and making my way back out into the rest of the mansion.

↞✶↠

I made my way to Candace’s side, kneeling at her feet. My Mistress advised me to find myself at her feet when not faced with any immediate task.

The centerpiece of the entire parlor were those white rounded sofas, directly beneath the now immaculately polished chandelier. There was a circular table between the two sofas, and right there directly up at said table was Candace’s seat. Master’s spot was in that chair, and my spot was kneeling beside her, my head down, and my mouth shut.

Cardinal sat at the sofa furthest from me, to his daughter’s left. Candace’s father didn’t look as scary now as he had when he first walked in. I wasn’t sure what I was expecting, but he honestly just looked like a normal person, not exactly what I expected from an all powerful crime lord. He wasn’t all that old either, he was in his late fifties at the very most, and I found myself on the other side of Candace from him not out of fear, but out of coincidence. Candace was right handed, so I was to find myself on her right, that way she could keep better control of me.

“And here she is, father, just as I promised.” Candace acknowledged me as I knelt there, but she didn’t address me directly, nor did she look at me, and that meant it was not yet my place to speak. “Sophia Cavalier is dead, and in her place, I’ve turned what was left of her into my servant, Chloe.”

“I was expecting her to look different, princess.” He frowned, staring down at me with his cold and icy blue eyes. “She still looks the same…”

“Of course she does, father.” Candace reached over me, tapping two fingers onto the table in front of her. “I want everyone who does see her to know who she was before she got here.”

Candace and I had prepared for this, we had signals to help communicate to each other, and we both had them memorized. Tapping two of her fingernails to the table meant to go get her a drink, so I stood, making my way into the kitchen to retrieve her an iced tea. “And one for my father, he will have the same.”

“Yes, Master.” I curtsied, my dress twirling as I swiveled around, my back to the both of them as I walked towards the kitchen.

Just a few moments with them was terribly horribly stressful. I could tell that he was tough on his own daughter, which meant that his expectations for me were going to be literal hell. But still, I did as I was told, marching my way to the kitchen without hesitation.

“Not a fun guy, huh?” It was Aria again, standing in the doorway to the dining room. Right, she didn’t like the guy either. “Not really someone you want to associate with, is he?”

“He doesn’t seem too terribly bad, Miss.” I smiled at her, trying to stay respectful as I poured drinks for Candace and her father.

Aria frowned, shaking her head at me and biting her lip in frustration. “Recognize an out when you see one, Chloe.”

What the fuck does she mean this time?? I turned to face her, but by the time I had done so, she was already gone. Great, more riddles from little Miss Fairmont, exactly what I need right now.

I took a quick glance out of the kitchen window, it was getting to be evening already, and the sun was going to be setting soon. I returned to Candace and her father, delivering their drinks to them on a tray. By the time I’d gotten there, Cyrus was there too, on the couch opposite his father, his wife at his feet. No Leah, no Aria, just Cyrus and Liz. But more importantly, no new stranger to worry about.

“What even were you two doing, father, what took you so long to get here?” Cyrus inquired curiously.

“We had Leah take us by my mother’s grave.” Candace answered, sighing under her breath as I approached, taking her drink directly from my hand.

“Fair enough… Do you want anything Darling?” Seeing the drinks, Cyrus turned to Liz, watching her shake her head to let him know that she wasn’t thirsty. Either she wasn’t thirsty, or she didn’t want to make my job any harder, and I expected the latter. “Right, then I’m fine too… where is Leah anyways?”

“Probably consummating with Aria by the sounds of it?” Candace smiled, watching me kneel at her feet once again before turning back to her father. “Is something the matter, father?”

Cardinal wasn’t just staring down at me, he was glaring at me. “I would like to have a moment alone with the slave, before anyone else arrives.”

“Would you like to step outside with her, Sir?” It was weird hearing the word sir being said by anyone aside from myself, and it was even more shocking to hear it being said by Candace. “She’s allowed to be out on the porch, but no further.”

“I think I would like to stay seated, princess.” He spoke, and every heard him, that was enough of a clue for both Candace and her brother to stand up and begin making her way out of the room.

“We’ll be waiting right outside if you need anything, father.” Candace smiled and her dad, snapping her fingers at me. “Let me know if she does anything.”

Snapping her fingers was another one of our signs, but it didn’t have any specific course of action associated with it. It just meant ‘Be careful’.

“Sophia Cavalier, right?” He waited until everyone was out of earshot before saying anything to me.

“My name, Sir?” I moved myself towards him, kneeling in front of him as I spoke. “My name is Chloe. My Master has been very excited for me to meet you, Sir.”

“I suspect that that’s a lie.” He brought his drink to his lips, taking small sips out of it. “She’s been dreading this, hasn’t she?”

What am I supposed to do? Lie to him? Or make Candace look good?

“If she has been dreading this, she hasn’t shown as much to me, Sir.” I bowed my head. “She has been as eager to impress you as I am eager to impress her.”

“She knows very well how I feel about you being here with her, girl.”

“Yes she does, and she has been tremendously determined to change your mind about that, Sir. As am I~”

“Are you now?”

“Of course~!!” I smiled up at him, lifting my gaze for the first time.

Smack!! The instant I had looked up, I regretted doing so, as I felt him backhand me in the face at record speed, enough to knock me off balance in just a single moment. “Don’t you dare look at me, slave.”

“Yes, Sir. Sorry Sir.” I dropped my gaze back down. So this is where she gets it from…

“If my own wife did so much as even give a passing glance to another man, I wouldn’t hesitate to put her back in her place.”

“As you should, Sir.” Of course, of course she was. Candace’s mother was just as bought and sold as Liz or I was. “It’s important for slaves to remember their place.”

“Now you’re catching on.” He finished his drink before harshly slamming the bottom of his glass back down onto the table. “Now, why in the world should I let my daughter keep you?”

“I can’t answer that, Sir…” I swallowed nervously, taking deep breaths. “Only she can answer that for you, Sir. What she says goes. She leads, I only follow.”

“That’s a little bit better.” He shook his head. “I’ve spoiled her too much for her own good…”

“How is that, Sir?”

“I never should have let her keep you in the first place.”

“That’s not my place to say either, Sir…” I nodded, my heart aching and pounding in my chest. “All that matters to me is her, Sir… I just want her to be happy.”

“Is that so?” He tapped his fingernail against the empty glass impatiently as he picked it back up, beginning to chew on the ice cubes. “Because that certainly wasn’t the case when you humiliated her like you did.”

“No, it wasn’t Sir, not at all. But it is now.” I lowered my head to the floor, breathing heavily, trying to make sure that I didn't screw this up. “She has trained me well, Sir. I’ve learned what it means to belong to her… she taught me how to make her happy. It’s all I want… It’s all I need.”

“And if you had to give her up to make her happy?”

“Then I would do so in an instant, Sir.” I spoke without hesitation, and without any doubt in my mind. “Whatever it takes to make her happy, I would do so in an instant.”

There was a pause, the tension in the air hot on the both of our skin.

“A refill, slave. Go.”

“Yes, Sir. Right away.” I stood, picking up both of the glasses and taking them with me to the kitchen.

“She would be happier without you here to remind her of her own failure. I have no doubt in my mind about that.” He sighed, shaking his head at me. “And you’d be happier with someone else, as well…”

↞✶↠

I couldn’t breathe after that. As soon as I got to the kitchen sink I was practically heaving, feeling like I was going to vomit right then and there, struggling to hold onto my composure.

“Hey, hey, slow down.” I felt a gentle hand on my back, as Aria took the glasses from me and refilled them, setting them down next to the sink.

“I can’t… breathe.” I gritted my teeth, struggling to keep myself from crying.

“I know, I know, but can you hear that?” Ariat tilted her head back towards the parlor. It sounded like Cardinal’s children had once again joined him in the parlor. “We only have a moment, we need to make this quick.”

“Make what quick, Miss?” I stood back up, watching her open the door into Candace’s master bathroom.

“I need to talk to you.” She quickly urged me to follow her inside. “Right now, while no one is listening.”

I followed her inside, closing the door behind her. If anyone asked, I was doing as I was told.

“He’s right, Sophia.” It was kind of heart wrenching to hear her call me that. “You’d be happier with someone else.”

I froze, unsure of how to respond before Aria stepped up to me, pulling me into a hug.

“That man is the devil, and his family is just as bad.” She let go, stepping back away from me. “All of them… including Candace.”

“Don’t you dare talk about her like that.” I bit my lip, quickly growing enraged at the other girl. “I love her… and she loves me.”

“No she doesn’t, Chloe…” Aria paused, shaking her head and looking around for cameras, trying to make sure none of them were pointed at us. “That’s just what she wants you to think.”

“Don’t lie to me, Aria-”

“After all, who could love you?”

I froze, my heart aching at the thought of it, draining the life from my eyes and the air from my lungs.

“Anyone…” Aria’s voice quivered as she spoke, cutting straight through my mind and into my heart. “Anyone could love you like she does. Anyone could be better for you than she is...”

“I don’t deserve better-”

“This is what she does, Chloe.” Aria stared me straight in the eyes. “When she lays her eyes on a girl she wants, she pulls them into this web of hers, into her terrible family business.”

“That’s not who she is.”

“Yes, it is. You aren’t the first girl to fall for her like this, Chloe.” Aria spoke with no hint of hesitation in her voice. “I am.”

I paused, my heart aching as I listened to her. “What…”

“I might not have it as bad as you do, but I’m not here of my own free will.” Aria bit her lip, looking down at the floor at my feet. “No one that she’s associated with is even allowed to leave the island, ever… I can’t go anywhere or do anything on my own, the family eyes are always on me.”

“What are you trying to do…”

“I’m trying to open your eyes to the reality of this situation, Chloe… Whether you can see it or not, she had her eye on you from day one… and why shouldn’t she have?” Aria furled her eyebrows at me. “You’re popular… You have fans, and she was one of them.”

“Aria…” I shook my head, trying to push her away. “This is too much.”

“Please, just listen to me, Sophia… I was one of your fans too, I was so happy when you beat her.” She took me by the hands and squeezed them. “I know she’s probably told you that no one is looking for you, that no one cares about you. But you’re a smart girl…”

“Aria, I… I…” I bit my lip, swallowing the lump in my throat and nodding my head. “Continue…”

“I can’t keep you for much longer, Chloe… but I’m begging you, please…” She let go of my hands. “We’re not so different Chloe, we’ve both worked with her. She did this to me too, maybe not with slavery, but she tricked and lied just to get to me, just like she cheated to get to you…”

I couldn’t respond, there were no words in my heart to respond with.

“I can’t get away from her, but you… you still have a way out.” She smiled at me, opening the door back out into the hallway. “There are people out there who love you, some of whom might very well buy you if you get away from her… and I’m not telling you what to do, I promise, I just need you to know… she doesn’t deserve you… and this is your chance to get out while you still can.”

↞✶↠

I stepped back into the parlor, refills in my hand, more unsure of myself than I ever had been before. Candace was standing up, waiting for me to return.

“Hello, Master. I-”

Smack!!

Aria had twisted my heart, and I wasn’t sure what was really true anymore, but in my worried confusion, I had forgotten my place, and Candace swiftly punished me for it.

“That is for speaking out of place.” She took the glasses from my hands, and passed them off to Liz, who promptly delivered them to her father-in-law. “And this is for taking so long.”

She put her finger to her bracelet and promptly delivered a world shaking electric shock to my entire body, more agonizing and more painful than any had been before it.

Candace was not going easy on me tonight. This was not the soft and loving but stern Candace that I’d gotten used to having. This was the ice queen. This was Candace from those many months ago. This was Candace at her worst, and I hated it.

“Make another mistake and I very well might just let you be euthanized.” She tapped her foot impatiently, waiting for me to rise to my feet. “Do you understand that?”

“Yes, Master…” I grovelled for a few more moments, before getting up to my feet.

The two of us just stood there, neither of us sure what to do next, nothing to say to each other.

“Candace.” Leah popped in from the other end of the parlor. “She’s here.”

Candace took a deep breath, before nodding and addressing me. “Go answer the door, thrall.”

And so I did, I went to the door as I was told, and I answered it, holding it open for our newest guest. I couldn’t help but to get a good look at her, my eyes glancing up and instantly meeting hers.

Wait a minute, I know her.

To my surprise, it was Candace’s manager, Tallulah. Stepping into the house and handing her umbrella off to me, despite the fact that it wasn’t raining outside. She clearly recognized me too, smiling at me as I locked my gaze onto her instead of downwards where it belonged. “Miss Tallulah~”

She grinned, lifting one hand to my cheek and somehow magically pulling my gaze back downwards to the ground. “Gaze where it belongs, little one.”

I swallowed nervously, staring down at her boots. This wasn’t right. She’s Candace’s manager, I’ve met her before. My manager has met her before, she doesn’t work for the mafia, she works for Candace, taking care of her esports career…

But she had a new aura about her.

“I trust that you aren’t going to let me down again, slave.” She hummed under her breath, sighing at me. “I worked awfully hard to get your Master where she is today, and I do not very much appreciate watching you destroy all of my hard work… and I’m sure my family doesn’t much appreciate it either.”

“No, Ma’am… I’m sure they don’t~” I bowed, showing my respect to the other woman. “I’m sorry, Miss Tallulah.”

“Miss Tallulah is fine, Miss Paciente is better.”

“Yes, Miss Paciente.”

She nodded, stepping past me as she waved for me to follow her. We stepped into the parlor, and the moment she saw her manager, Candace had become a completely different person.

“Hello, Miss Paciente~” Candace was blushing as she took the hispanic woman by the hand, planting a gentle kiss on the back of her hand and bowing.

“Hello, Candy~” She smirked, taking Candace by the hand and spinning the mistress of the house in place. “I trust that I’m not going to have to be reminded of how she destroyed everything I spent my precious time helping you create~”

“Of course not, Ma’am.” Candace smiled proudly, stepping away from the other woman and towards me, gesturing for me to go put the umbrella away. “She’s much more well behaved than she once was, I promise you.”

“I hope she is, or I might just have to punish you as well~”

↞✶↠

It was once again a lot to take in, but I was going to take it in strides. I just needed a quick breather in the wardrobe room to catch my breath and readjust before making my way back out.

I can still do this, I can still impress them.

On the sofa to Candace’s left still sat her father, and next to him was Cyrus, his wife on the floor at his feet, having moved over to make room for everyone else. I knelt at Candace’s right, nearest her manager, Tallie Paciente, sitting on the couch to her right. Finally, to Tallulah’s right on the couch sat Leah, and to my surprise, Aria was with her. Not sitting on the couch next to her, but kneeling at her feet, as far from Candace’s father and Candace’s manager as she could manage, looking me directly in the eyes from on the floor across from me.

“Congratulations on your promotion, Tallulah.” Candace’s father was having a conversation with the other family head.

“I know right, thank you so much.” She smiled, giggling to herself. “When I agreed to mentor your daughter, I never expected my father to step down so soon.”

“I guess your work with my daughter was enough to convince him you were ready~”

“Quite possibly, or maybe he just wanted me to stop.”

“I resent that, Ma’am.” Candace shook her head at the other woman, and it took everything I had not to flinch as she slowly reached down, gently running her fingers through my hair as she spoke. “I’m a wonderful apprentice to work with, and you’ve clearly taught me quite well~”

“Why thank you, Candy.” I could feel her glare on me as she looked down at me. “But clearly not quite as well as you’ve taught her.”

“You think so, Ma’am?”

“I do, I’m quite proud of you for your work here, Candace.” She smiled down at me, testing my gaze again. “Even if she did look up when she wasn’t supposed to~”

“Oh, did she?” I felt Candace tighten her grip on my hair, and I started to panic.

I can’t. I can’t. I can’t. She can’t be mad at me right now. She can’t. I can’t handle that. I can’t.

And then I felt her fingers lightly pinching my earlobe, rubbing it just slightly. At first I thought she was going to hurt, and then I remembered what the signal meant. ‘It’s okay.’

Calm down, Chloe. She’s not upset at you, she’s just trying to save face.

She needs this. We need this.

“Didn’t I warn you what would happen if you made one more mistake, Chloe?” She continued to rub my earlobe, trying to let me know what she really meant. ‘It’s okay. I have you.’

“My apologies, Master.” I bit my lip, leaning into her hand. “What would you like me to do now?”

“Just stay right here.” She glared down at me, not giving me so much as a smile. “Sit still and look pretty.”

“Yes, Master.”

“My word, Candy Cane, just look at you!!” Tallie clapped her hand together. “Putting the little dream wrecker in her place, it’s almost poetic~!!”

“Thank you, Miss Paciente~” Candace smiled over at her, grinning proudly. “I’ve kept her the way she is so that people can recognize her, and know what she is being punished for.”

“I’m just so proud of you~”

Hearing the positive reaction from the other family head seemed to make Candace’s father feel just a bit better, and I could feel the tension being released from her hands as she continued to play with me.

“See father… everything is fine.” Candace smiled at her father, still unsure of what he thought about it all. “I’ve fixed her~”

“You’ve done a lot better than I had expected, that’s for sure.” He sighed, finishing his drink and setting it back down on the table.

“A refill father?”

“No, that’s alright, we can give the slave a break.”

“She’s clearly not the only slave here it would seem.” Tallie piped back up, waving at Liz before turning her attention to Aria. “Who’s this little one?”

“I’m not a slave, if that’s what you’re implying.” Aria growled under her breath, snapping back at the other woman.

“If that’s the case, then why are you on the floor with the other slaves, kitten?” Tallie gently cooed at her.

“Because she’s not a free woman, either.” Leah’s leg twitched, kicking Aria in the side.

“Well if she’s not a free woman and she’s not a slave, then what is she?” Tallie continued.

“Somewhere in between.” Aria sighed loudly, shaking her head. “A prisoner, a friend…”

“She’s a friend of mine, Tallie.” Candace stepped back in, trying to defend her poor friend as she glared at her father. “She knows too much, so my father doesn’t trust her to roam free… so she’s set up here in town, somewhere to live and work out of…”

“At that rate why not just sell her off as a slave anyways?” Tallie mocked the other girl, smirking at the terrified expression on Aria’s face.

“Because she’s kind of already mine, Tallulah…” Candace gestured at Aria and then at me. “Look, she’s no slave, she’s my friend. If we sold her off I wouldn’t be able to do photoshoots with her anymore.”

“At that rate, why not just keep her for yourself then?”

“I don’t need her, I already have a slave.”

“You can have more than one slave, Candy.”

They went on like this for a while longer, and I could see the enraged expression on Aria’s face just listening to the two of them talk about her like they were above her, whatever they were saying was really getting to her.

“I’m just here for moral support, but…” Aria stood, patting her own dress down. “I’m going to go see the cats, if that’s alright with you?”

“Go ahead.” Candace nodded at her before turning back to me, rubbing her fingers on my earlobe once again.

“In the meantime, Candy…” Tallie grinned at Candace. “Can I speak to you alone for a little bit~”

“Sure. We’ll step into my room.”

↞✶↠

Candace stepped out, taking Tallie with her, and leaving me with the remnants of her little group. Leaving me here with her father.

“I’m not going to force my daughter to give you up.”

My ears perked up hearing him say that, and it took a lot of strength not to look up at him excitedly.

“I think she should get rid of you…” He sighed under his breath, taking a glass of booze from Liz’s hand as she delivered it to him. “So long as Tallulah thinks that you’re fine to stay, then I will leave it up to my daughter whether or not she wants to get rid of you.”

“She won’t.” Liz sat back down, but in her husband's lap this time. “You gave Cyrus the same choice, and he kept me didn’t he?”

“You didn’t threaten to put an end to my son’s entire career.”

“Yeah, but I very well could have.”

“You spent months healing from broken legs, darling.” Cyrus pulled her hair, shaking his head at her. “Don’t make me hurt you here and now, in front of sweet little Chloe.”

“Chloe’s not sweet or cute, jerk.” Liz sighed, melting into her Master’s chest as he silenced her.

“So, what’s your deal, Mrs. Watts?” Cardinal turned his attention onto Leah for the first time.

“Now you want to know, Sir?” Leah scoffed, biting her own lip as she stared at her boss’ drink. “It’s really not all that important.”

“It was important enough for you to skip out on things this week.”

“I notified Candace as it was happening, Sir. What’s so important about it?”

“You’re my assistant, aren’t you?”

“I’m Candace’s assistant.”

“Not officially you’re not… You still work under me.”

“We all work under you, Sir.”

Cardinal smiled, the man had a little bit of charisma in him after all. “If tonight goes well, I’ll have a new job for you, Mrs. Watts.”

“Thank you, Sir. But I’m not going to be Mrs. Watts for much longer.” She nodded her head, standing up from her seat. “I need a drink…”

“Ummm…” I spoke up, quickly realizing that I very much wasn’t supposed to, but committing to it anyways. “You ordered me to keep the alcohol away from you, Miss.”

“Right you are, St. Clair... ” Leah rolled her eyes, shaking her head in exasperation. “Go get me a coffee instead.”

“Yes, Ma’am.” I popped up to my feet, doing as I was told, heading to the- Wait a minute what did she just call me?

Everyone else was just as surprised as I was, and Liz was just giggling her ass off, much to the chagrin of her husband’s father.

She just called me St. Clair…

I definitely didn’t mishear her, she referred to me as a St. Clair, and it most certainly had a nice ring to it, sending me smiling all the way to the kitchen.

Part of me liked it, but part of me did not. I had an extremely important decision to make.

I had to decide right here and now what I was going to do. Because Aria was right, and I knew Aria was right. Candace was and always had been a liar, a manipulator, and a cheat. The last few weeks did nothing at all to change that.

I wanted to discount what she was saying, I wanted to sweep it all aside and ignore it, but I couldn’t. Everything she was saying was turning out to be true, even Candace’s own words were confirming Aria’s heartbreaking little backstory to me, and if that was how Candace treated her friends… how was she going to treat her enemies? How was she going to treat me?

...Does she really love me?

Maybe this really was all just a cruel game, a sick twisted fantasy of hers to drive me into the ground and destroy me. That was how all of this had started after all, what if she was still playing the same game? Was Candace lying to me?

I’ve seen glimpses of a better Candace, a loving Candace. But tonight she’s right back to where she started, an abuser. If this was how she was around her family, was this how I could expect her to be years down the line? Was she going to become like her father? Was she going to have me euthanized someday for disobeying her?

That’s what her father did to his own wife. If she grew to be any more like him, was she going to end up doing that to me? I could see now that she could so easily replace me, it’s not even a hassle for her.

Besides, even if she didn’t turn out to be like her father… would she really be happier without me?

Even if she was good enough to deserve me, was I good enough to deserve her?

Her father hated me, her mentor hated me, her brother hated me. Even if she loved me, was it enough… would it really be enough to make her happy?

Do I really deserve to be called a St. Clair?

I turned around to head back into the parlor, coffee in hand, my head down, and my thoughts racing. Until suddenly I felt the mug of coffee being swiped from my hand before I could deliver it to its destination. Stopped in my tracks by the woman whose orders superceded all others.

“You’re to join Miss Paciente in my bedroom where she is waiting for you, she wishes to speak to you alone, slave.” She blocked access to the parlor, pointing me towards the door to her room. “Do not keep her waiting, and do not let me down, Chloe.”

“Yes, Master.” She snapped her fingers, and I was gone, stepping into the master bedroom, alone with one of the most dangerous people in the world.

“Don’t be shy, Cavalier, it’s quite alright.” She gently beckoned for me to join her, much in the same way that Candace had the previous night before spanking me. “I’m not going to hurt you or anything, I would just like to have a word with you in private, close the door behind you.”

“Yes, Ma’am…” I stepped again, once again doing as I was told, stopping just short of sitting down next to her on the bed.

“Kneel.”

I took a deep breath, keeping my gaze locked at her feet as I lowered myself to the floor beneath her.

“ I hope you now understand just how fucking deep this rabbit hole goes .”

I swallowed nervously, nodding my head at her. “I do, Ma’am.”

“You’re lucky that Miss St. Clair actually means quite a lot to me…” She stood over me, walking in circles around me. “Because I do not like you even a little bit Sophia Cavalier, not for one fucking second have I thought that she should be allowed to keep you here, you should be taken away to one of our facilities and you should be put down, like a dog .”

She didn’t even give me a chance to respond, she didn’t care what I had to say, she wanted me in here to scold and berate me, and I was going to take it.

“If I was in charge of her, I wouldn’t let her keep you… I put in a lot of work to get her to the top of the world, I did a lot to get her to the world championship, and then you ruined it . Everything that she and I worked towards, you ruined it, you ruined her.” She snarled at me. “The only reason that anyone is going along with this is because they love her.”

“And I love her too, Ma’am.” I shouldn’t be speaking. I shouldn’t be saying anything at all. But at this point I couldn’t stop myself. “I love her more than I love myself.”

Tallie sighed, kneeling in front of me. “This is your pre-game pep talk, child… she’s waiting in the gaming room for you… alone.”

“Yes, Ma’am…”

“Candace is something like a daughter to me, Chloe.” She helped me up as she stood, leading me to the door. “Break my little panda’s heart again and I will make sure you suffer for the rest of your life.”

↞✶↠

“Is she in there?”

“By herself, yeah.” Aria stopped me in the lounge, on my way to the gaming room. “So you’re just going to keep playing her game then?”

“I appreciate what you’re trying to do for me, really…” I sighed, trying not to make eye contact with the other girl. “But I love her.”

She nodded. “I don’t blame you for that at all, I made the same mistake.”

“Aria, I-”

“But just looking at you disgusts me, Chloe.” She scoffed. “Because I hate seeing what she’s doing to you…”

She continued. “I just don’t see how any of this is your fault. It’s not your fault that she lost.”

I paused, hearing anyone mention the world championship always made me freeze up with anger. “What do you mean…”

“Let’s just say, for instance, that beating her in a completely legitimate championship match was enough to punish you for, which let me remind you, it’s not.” She sighed, trying to make a point to me. “You don’t think that it’s suspicious at all that not just one, but two american women made it to the world championship finals at the same time? When does that ever happen? When has that ever happened?”

“Never…”

“She’s a liar and an abuser… do you think she’s really above cheating her way to the top, Chloe?”

“So what if she cheated, Aria?” I spat back. “What’s your point?”

“You’re a smart girl, you can put the pieces together, I’m sure.”

“What pieces-”

“Theoretically, if she really did cheat her way to the finals, which she did… she’s my best friend, she tells me everything.” Aria paused, trying to lay it all out for me, whispering to help prevent us from being overheard. “If she did cheat her way there then how did she ever expect to be able to beat you in the final match? Unless she was going to cheat…”

I paused, swallowing nervously. “I don’t like what you’re implying, Aria…”

“She knew that the only way she was going to win was if she cheated.” She glared me directly in the eyes, not for a second letting me look away. “So then why didn’t she?”

I choked on my anger, shaking my head at her. “I don’t believe you.”

“I’m not saying that it’s for certain, I’m saying that it’s what makes sense.” Aria put her hands on my shoulders, staring me in the eyes. “I’m not telling you what to do, I just want you to have all of the information.”

“I have to go, Aria.” I smiled at her, letting her pull me into a hug for a few moments before letting me go.

“Good luck, Chloe.” She smirked. “I’m rooting for you.”

I stepped into the gaming room, finding Candace inside waiting for me, alone.

“There you are, slave.” She turned to me, shaking her head. “I have been waiting for you.”

“I’m sorry to keep you waiting, Master.” I frowned, staring straight down at the ground. “Please don’t hurt me, Ma’am. I’m sorry.”

“Christ alive, what’s the matter with you, Chloe?” She stepped up to me, putting one hand on my cheek and tilting my head up to look at her. “We’re in here alone, no one can hear you right now.”

“I- I know, Ma’am. I’m sorry.” I pulled away from her, stepping further into the room, my thoughts racing through my head.

“It’s okay, Chloe. You’ve been doing great, I promise.” She grabbed me by the hand, holding onto me and refusing to let me walk away from her. “It’s just you and me right now, if there’s something on your mind, you can say it.”

“Did you cheat?” I blurted it out without thinking about it. Having seen her manager’s true intent it really did make sense for her to do something like that.

“Did I cheat?” She stared at me blankly, completely shocked to be hearing something like that at a time like this. “...did I cheat on you, you mean?”

“No, I mean-” I paused, thinking it over for a few moments. “Wait, did you?”

“We aren’t really an official relationship, Chloe.” She blushed, shaking her head and squeezing onto my hand. “I would hardly call it cheating… why, what did Tallie tell you about us?”

“I meant the game, Ma’am.” I squeezed back. “Did you cheat your way to the finals?”

“Chloe…”

“Candace!!” I begged her. “Please…”

“I would be lying if I said it was fully legitimate… but this is not a conversation for right now.”

“Then when is it a conversation for, Miss?”

“This can be a conversation for tomorrow, or literally any other day, but not right now.”

“But it’s important right now...”

“Why is this important right now, Chloe?”

“Because I need to know if this is really all my fault or not!”

Smack. I watched her eyes go wide, and then a moment later I felt her release her grasp on my hand, only to bring it across my face. Sending me tumbling backwards a few steps.

“That’s quite enough of that, slave.” She scolded me harshly. “My guests are waiting to watch me get my revenge on you, and that’s what’s going to fucking happen. Whether you like it or not.”

“I…” I bit my lip, struggling to hold back angry tears. “Yes, Ma’am…”

“Take a breather, Chloe.” She frowned angrily at me, holding me at arms length. “Go to the bathroom for a second, and then come back when you’re ready to be submissive. I am not dealing with an insolent slave, I deserve better than that, and you know it.”

I grunted under my breath, glaring downwards, not wanting to look up at her. “Alright…”

Fuck me. Fuck me. I locked myself in the bathroom adjacent to the gaming room, glad that there was no door connecting the two rooms from the inside like the master bedroom had.

Of course it’s not my fault. It was never really my fault, she just wants me to feel like it’s my fault.

“Calm down Chloe, it’s fine. This is fine.” There was a solution to this, I was just too terrified to go through with it. “You just have to play this match, and then it’s all over.”

I stepped up to the mirror, taking a good look at the woman inside of it. My reflection stared back at me through the pristine glass, helpless and utterly defeated. I never expected to see myself looking like this, Candace’s proper little thing, her maid, her slave. But there I was, clear as day, and the menacingly white light of my collar, blinking every few moments, made it that much clearer the situation I found myself in. Tricked, manipulated, gaslit.

She wanted me, and at least on the surface, I wanted her. But I couldn’t know whether the thing I was feeling was really coming from somewhere deep inside of me, or if it was just an earworm planted inside of me by someone completely and truly despicable.

It didn’t really matter how Candace felt about me, did it? Even if we ended up together at the end of it all, did the ends really justify the means?

I wanted to believe that she was doing the right thing, that we were doing the right thing. But deep down I knew that what she was doing to me was wrong. Even if her reasons for doing all of this to me were for the right reasons, the things she was doing were still wrong.

It didn’t matter whether she was doing this for the right reasons or the wrong reasons, because I knew deep down that those ends didn’t justify all of this. All of the torment, lies, manipulation, humiliation, and abuse that I had been suffering at her hands.

The good things that had come from this weren’t just some break in the clouds, there wasn’t really a silver lining to all of this. She put me into this hole, and only her words were able to dig me back out of this. But she said it herself, I’m not just some slave, I’m Sophia Cavalier.

‘I’d be lying if I said it was fully legitimate’ She said that herself, she admitted that she had been lying about that, and she had been lying to me about so much more.

I picked up a makeup sponge, one that was sitting there beside the sink, knowing that it belonged to Candace and not to Malcolm now that he was gone, squeezing it in my hand. Even Malcolm is jumping ship while he still can…

She had been preparing me for this. Not because it was really so important for me that I be allowed to stay here with her, but because she didn’t want me to realize what this really was for me.

My way out…

No. I didn’t know where I would end up. I couldn’t be sure that I would survive a stay at the facility, but I knew that she wouldn’t let me be euthanized, that was something I could be sure of. She was obsessed with me, she was a stalker and an abductor. If she was going to allow me to die, she would have done it already.

No. I couldn’t possibly know whose hands I might fall into, but if I didn’t go now, I might never find out. There really could be someone out there who would treat me right, or at the very least treat me better than she did. Could I really take that chance? Would it be worth it?

I bit my lip, staring at myself in the mirror, taking in the image of just how far I really had fallen. She did this to me…

Yet despite seeing clearer than day the intensity of just what she had put me through, there was still one thing on my mind that I couldn’t shake.

I love you so much, Candace St. Clair…

I did. I really did. I loved her.

If I get taken away from you, would you come find me?

If you really love me like you say you do, would you somehow find a way to wrap your iron grasp around me again?

With all of your money and all of your power, would you come find me?

Do you love me, Candace?

“I’m sorry Candace… But Chloe doesn’t really want to play right now.”

Candace St. Clair wanted a rematch against Sophia Cavalier, so she was going to get a rematch, and if she lost again, it was all over for us. If I won this match, I was going to get taken away from her. But that wasn’t really my fault… It never really was.

“If you want me, you’ll have to fight for me.”

“Are you still just standing here following me around?” I stepped out of the bathroom, tucking the makeup sponge somewhere that I could hold onto it for safekeeping, glaring Aria in the eyes once again.

“I just wanted to say good luck before the match.” She frowned. “Sounds like people are getting antsy.”

“Thank you.” I swallowed nervously, my hand on the doorknob into the gaming room.

“Just don’t throw the game like last night… I saw what you did.” She looked around, confident that no one was hearing our conversation, but wanting to make sure just in case, her eyes staring directly at my collar as she spoke. “Don’t lose this time~”

I took a deep breath, nodding my head at her. “I’ll do my best.”

↞✶↠

I stepped inside of the gaming room one last time, terrified of what was going to happen, closing the door behind me.

“I changed your account password to something I thought was more cute.” Candace was sitting on the couch, not bothering to look at me as she spoke, and not saying what it was she wanted to say.

“You’ve been listening.” I gripped the front of my collar with my fist, biting my lip.

“Just to make sure you were okay.” She continued to keep her gaze fixed up at the screen. “You weren’t really saying much.”

“How much did you hear, Ma’am?”

“Just since the bathroom…” She paused for a few moments, nervously thinking everything over before continuing. “What’s this about making me fight for you, Chloe?”

“Can we please play the game, Ma’am?” I stepped into the room, making my way over towards her.

“Are you really going to do this to me right now?” She stood up, facing me directly. “You’ve done so well, we’ve done so well together…”

“Thank you, Ma’am…” I smiled up at her, my voice cracking nervously.

“Please, Chloe…” Her face was flushed with nervous rage. “Can we please arrive on the other side of this together?”

“I can’t-” I whimpered under my breath, stopping for several moments to keep myself from bursting into tears. “I can’t let you get away with everything you’ve done to me…”

“Chloe, please… I need you to submit to me, tonight is everything we’ve worked towards.” She took me by the hands, squeezing them in hers as she looked down at me with her deeply beautiful eyes. “Do not make me punish you for this.”

“I’m not the one who should be getting punished, Master.” I stared into the ocean that was her eyes, feeling my own eyes beginning to well up with tears. “This isn’t my fault…”

I could tell that she was angry at me. She wanted to hit me, she wanted to hurt me. But she knew it would do nothing. She knew I was right, and she hated me for it. “You’re making the worst mistake of your life, Chloe.”

“This isn’t up to me anymore, Ma’am…” I swallowed nervously, squeezing her hands as hard as I possibly could. “Winner takes all…”

“A rematch?” She snarled angrily under her breath, wanting to squeeze my hands hard enough to break them, and I almost wished she would. If she shattered my fingers now, I wouldn’t be able to win the match. “Right here and now?”

“Yes, Ma’am…” I nodded, choking on my words as I said them, completely overtaken by emotion.

“So be it then…” Her face was red with anger, holding back her own enraged tears as she stopped herself from killing me herself. “I’ve always hated you, Cavalier.”

“I know you love me, Candace-” I smiled, taking a deep breath to keep myself from crying. “And I’m always going to love you.”

She let go of my hands, placing both hands on my waist. “Then give me a kiss for good luck.”

“Yes, Master~!!” I smiled, putting my hands on her shoulders as she pulled me towards her, carrying my heart and soul away into the most passionate and loving kiss we had ever shared.

If there was one thing that perfectly encapsulated what the two of us were to each other, and everything that our relationship was and would ever be, it was that kiss.

Holding each other as close as we possibly could, spiting each other in the face of everything we had been through. Striking at each other's hearts, trying to get at everything we hated about each other and about ourselves. We had changed so much, yet we hadn’t really changed at all. Here we were, right back where we started, as some little nobody stood up to an all powerful force of nature, bravely defiant as I challenged like I always did, knowing perfectly well that she was going to accept that challenge, even though she knew she shouldn’t.

Our hearts were beating faster and harder than they had before, our minds were racing, and our faces were flushed with every emotion you could imagine. Passion, anger, sadness, fear, and joy… but more than anything else, love…

“I love you, Candace.”

“And I love you, Chloe.”

“I hope you win this time, St. Clair.” I smiled at her, letting ourselves be pulled away from each other. “I’m rooting for you…”

And then we played the game.

↞✶↠

There it was. There’s the victory screen.

The screen had an eerie and ominous glow, illuminating little else but it’s evil purple light, the despicable nautilus spiral in the middle of the monitor being the centerpiece of the results screen.

But the symbol wasn’t what mattered, after all… we both played the same faction.

What mattered was the name beneath it, the screen name of the winner.

SoCavalier.

I won.

Of course I won, I’m the world champion, it would take a lot to beat me, and though she had won games against me before, tonight wasn’t one of those games.

What was I supposed to do now, what was going to happen. The answers to those weren’t really up to me, they were up to Candace and her family to decide what happens to me now.

Now that I had once again humiliated her in front of them.

I expected her to do something. I knew I wasn’t going to get a reward for winning this time. I expected the rage, I expected the anger, I expected the abuse. I expected her to punish me.

I wanted her to punish me.

And I suppose what I got was punishment enough.

“How could you…”

When she got really focused on the game, she sat on the floor, trying to get closer to the screen. Trying to get closer to her opponent, sitting on the other side. But she didn’t stand up, she just sat there. I was just as frozen as she was, if not more so. I couldn’t find the words to say, I couldn’t be allowed to say anything.

“…Why?” She didn’t leap to her feet to beat me, she just sat there. She didn’t glare angrily at me, she just looked at me. Candace didn’t rise to her feet and slam my head under her boot until I bent to her will.

She cried.

She wasn’t just sniffling or whining like I had seen her do before. She was choking on her words as she spoke. She was hunched over the floor, her face buried in her hands as she wailed. She sobbed her eyes out.

I knew that this was all her fault, but that didn’t mean that I didn’t feel about it. I really did want her to win, but she just couldn’t. She couldn’t cheat her way into my heart like she had cheated her way to the finals. This was her punishment just as much as it was mine.

“You…”

Her father was enraged. There was no doubt at all that he wanted to strangle me right then and there, for everything that I had done to him, for everything that I had done to his daughter. For making Candace cry. But what he wanted didn’t at all matter to me, what was done was done, and there was no turning back from here. “Do you have any idea what you have just done…”

“I won, Sir…” I swallowed nervously, my own tears beginning to stream from my eyes as I spoke. “Isn’t this what you wanted… to take me away from her...”

My voice shook as I spoke, glancing back over to Candace, who was now looking up at me even as she continued to sob. “Father…”

“Oh, dear…” Liz burst through the door, running past me and towards Candace, kneeling at her side, trying to comfort her. “It’s just a game, Candace… it’s fine… Right, Cyrus?”

Cyrus followed his wife, slowly and gently trying to pull Elizabeth away from his sister before she could wrap her arms around the crying woman. “No, Liz… Not the time…”

“Chloe doesn’t have to go…”

“Yes, she does, Liz…” Cyrus yanked Liz away from his sister, grabbing both of her wrists as he practically had to drag her out of the room. “And you.”

I looked up at him, glaring straight down at me furiously. “I hope you’re ready to get those brands burned away, because if you think for a moment that I’m going to let you keep my sister’s initials, you’re dead fucking wrong.”

“Cyrus, stop-”

“Shut up, Liz!!!” He snarled loudly, silencing his little rat as he pulled her away. “We’re leaving.”

“Are you for real, Chloe?” Leah had her hand on her gun, pulling it from its holster and pointing it towards me, clearly not wanting to do this. “Should I put her down, Sir?”

“N-NO!!!” Candace shouted through her sobs, pleading for her father to take mercy on me, even after what I had just done. “Father… you promised.”

“Candace-”

“You swore… th-that… you wouldn’t h-have... her killed.” She glared at me for just a moment, finding it much too painful to look at me for too long, sobbing between her words.

Candace looked up, seeing Aria walk into the room.

Aria looked at me for a moment, trying to give me a reassuring smile and a nod, before finding herself at Candace’s side, trying to comfort her the same way that Liz hadn’t been allowed to, looking up at Candace’s father and trying to plead for my safety as well. “Please, Sir… don’t do this to her… it’s not either of their fault, really…”

“Then what exactly do you propose I have done to her?” He walked directly to me, staring down at me as he tried to decide how exactly he was going to destroy everything I was.

“Take her away…” Candace whimpered through her sobs, her voice squeaking past her lips as she tried and failed to wipe her tears away. “Take her away to the facility, father… where we’ll never have t-to see her again…”

Cardinal nodded, turning to Leah and snarling. “You heard her… take this thing away from my daughter, I never want to lay my eyes on her again.”

Leah frowned… but she did as she was told, waiting for Candace to toss her keys over before crouching down beside me and forcefully yanking me to my feet.

I stumbled nervously, finding it hard to follow her as she dragged me by the arm. “I- I’m coming Leah, please-”

“Talk one more fucking time and I’ll blow your god damn brains out, Chloe.” She growled, shouting angrily at me. “The gun is very much still loaded.”

I stayed quiet, letting Leah temporarily hand me off to Candace’s manager, Tallie, while she left to go retrieve restraints.

“I’m really not at all surprised…” Tallie shook her head at me in disappointment, bemoaning the destruction of all of her hard work once again. “But I suppose we should all thank you for making the right decision, after all… none of us will ever have to see you again~”

She was a lot happier about it than I would have liked for her to be. But why shouldn’t she have been, after all she didn’t like me, and she was honestly just relieved that I would actually finally be gone forever.

“I did warn you about breaking my friend’s heart, though…” She smirked evilly. “You’ll have one hell of a life ahead of you.”

“Let’s go, fuckface.” Leah returned, stripping me and securing my restraints, my hands clasped together in front of me, dragging me on a lead out of the front door of the house, the little bell around my neck jingling as she pulled on the leash, leading me towards the garage. “Time to get you to the facility, before I do something drastic.”

My collar, which I hadn’t even realized was still firmly clasped around my neck, was beeping and glowing red, getting ready to shock me.

For just a moment, I was sure that this was the end of me, expecting this last shock to truly be the final blow. A surge strong enough to finally stop my aching heart.

And then it stopped beeping. The light turned blue, and it stopped blaring at me.

“I want everybody out of my house.” Candace snarled angrily, having recovered from the rematch and finally emerging from the gaming room, walking into the foyer. “NOW.”

“Especially you, father…” Nobody was going to argue with her about that, not even Cardinal Russo, and one by one, everyone in the house collected their things and stepped outside, leaving through the door of the foyer to return to wherever it was that they came from. “I need a second with her before you go, Leah.”

Once everyone was out of the house, Candace stepped outside, still struggling to wipe away her tears as she marched straight towards me, her bracelet still clasped to her wrist.

“Good game, Sophia…” She wasn’t angry. She was devastated, and she was sad, but she wasn’t angry. “Chloe…”

“Thank you, Candace.” I bit my lip, staring down at her feet. “It was a good game, I had fun…”

“I did too…” She almost smiled at me, turning around and making sure everyone else was gone before she pulled out my single stuffed animal out from behind her back, pushing Poppy into my chest and wrapping my arms around the stuffed border collie. “Be a good girl, my little collie~”

Cyrus and Liz were nowhere in sight, and neither were either of the family heads. It was just Leah, Aria, her, and I.

“Thank you for everything, Ma’am…” I took a deep breath, slowly coming to terms with what had just happened. “I’m so sorry…”

“There’s nothing to apologize for anymore… I’ve forgiven you long ago.” She held her bracelet up, taking it off of her wrist and pressing her finger to it, deactivating my collar. The blue light turned orange for a few moments, and then turned off completely, before she handed the bracelet to Leah. “This controls her collar, and these are the keys to all of her restraints.”

“Candace.” I interrupted her as she spoke, one last act of defiance in the face of everything that was about to happen. “I love you…”

“I love you too, Chloe…” She sighed for a few moments, before reaching out and grabbing me by the ear, and removing the cattle tag that marked me as hers. “You might not be mine anymore, but remember everything that I taught you, and make your next owner proud okay… can you do that for me?”

“Yes, Master…” I couldn’t hold it back anymore, as I felt tears beginning to roll down my cheeks. “I’ll do my best.”

“It’s okay, Chloe… I’m not your Master anymore…” She was crying too, putting one hand on my cheek and trying her best to smile at me. “I can’t give you a goodbye kiss.”

I whimpered under my breath, realizing how desperately I wanted to share just one last kiss with her. “Why not… Why not just one more, Ma’am?”

Candace choked, shaking her head as she wrapped one hand around the little gold bell, still dangling from my collar. “Because you don’t deserve one…”

She pulled and twisted, breaking the bell off of my collar. “...And I don’t deserve one either.”

We stood there, locking our gazes one last time, not sure whether we would ever lay eyes on each other again

“Goodbye, Candace…”

“Goodbye, Chloe…”