I had been dreaming of the day when I'd be free of the shackles that bound me in the name of contract only for me to be in a situation where I had to think about extending the captivity. No word came out of my mouth, and I only looked at him, startled.
No one in their right mind would dare to accept his condition, but I lost my ability to think a long time back. He didn't just capture my body but also my mind. Like a master controlling his puppets from above, he had been controlling all our minds.
"What do you say? " He raised his eyebrows.
Quickly, I shook my head, saying, "No! I don't want to do that."
He remained calm and nodded his head. "Okay! Since the beginning, I only offered a contract. Signing or not… it's your wish."
He again sat on the couch, nonchalantly, while I was stuck, not knowing what to do.
"Mr. Wolfe! Please don't do this."
"What did I do? You wanted to make a deal."
"Yes!" I walked to him. "Except this… except extending the contract, I'll do anything."
"What will you do?" He gritted his teeth. "What can you possibly offer?"
I bit my inner cheeks, thinking of everything that I could offer him, but I had nothing with me. Everything that I had was already taken by him.
Leaving me in my thoughts, he walked to his office room, and then after a few minutes, he returned with a document.
"Elira! I am giving you ten minutes. Either extend the contract for another year or forget this conversation." He sat down, calmly.
Ten minutes. That's all I had.
The ticking of the clock grew louder with every passing second, like a warning echoing in my ears. My palms turned wet, and my heartbeat was at an unusual pace.
Ten minutes to save Matthew, but at what cost?
The deal waiting for me would chain me for another year. Another year that would strip away whatever piece of sanity I had left. My breath became uneven. Freedom and love were on opposite sides of the line, and I couldn't choose which one to destroy.
"Forget about it." Mr. Wolfe stood straight.
When he was about to leave, I shouted, "I will do it."
A satisfied smirk appeared on his lips. He gave me the pen, looking into my eyes, which started to feel like he had been luring me into a kind of trap.
"Then sign it."
I didn't want to make the mistake again of not reading the contract properly. I went through each and every line before signing the contract. Except for the termination date, nothing else changed.
My fingers shivered just like the first time I signed the contract, and in just a minute, the chains around me tightened.
I extended the contract.
"Now, we have more than one and a half years to have fun, baby girl."
Only after hearing him did I wonder if I took the right decision.
"Don't forget your promise." I told him. "He shouldn't go to prison, and I want to meet him right now. I am worried for him."
He quickly called someone, and by their words, I realized he had people watching Matthew, which startled me.
We then got inside his car, drove off, and he stopped at AcadM.
"He is here." A small smirk appeared on his lips as he said, "Poor guy! He must want to spend time at the place that won't be there tomorrow morning."
Ignoring him, I tried to leave, but he held my stop, stopping me.
"Elira!" His serious gaze fell on me. "I am letting you meet him now because the contract got extended, but that doesn't mean you can violate rules. Remember to not break any more rules."
I simply nodded and quickly entered inside the building, calling out his name, "Matt!"
The entire building was swallowed in darkness, and the thunderstorms outside made everything feel even heavier, like the sky was mirroring our lives. Dark and uncertain.
As I stepped forward, the lights flickered on one by one, reacting to my movement. My footsteps felt too loud and sharp as I made my way toward Matthew's cabin.
When I pushed the door open, he was there, sitting alone in the dim light. His shoulders slumped, and he looked like a man watching the last pieces of his life fall apart in front of him, losing everything he once dreamed of, everything he fought so hard to protect.
"Matt!"
He didn't reply and continued to look at the void. Tears flooded my eyes as I walked closer to him and stood in front of him, saying, "Matt! Look at me."
His dull eyes reflected the sadness that he had been trying to hide. The eyes that once sparkled in joy and positivity lost their light. All I saw was a pair of dark eyes, gleaming with sadness and endless fury.
"Why did you come?"
"What?" I tried to hold his hand, but he took his hand away, shouting, "I didn't ask you to come here."
"Matt! I am sorry I couldn't do anything for AcadM…"
Angrily, he stood straight and kicked the chair, shouting, "How did you even know that I am here?"
I only looked at him with my teary eyes as his rage, for some unknown reason, started to grow from the moment he saw me.
"Did… did that monster bring you here? To check if I'm still alive. Go away, Elira! Go!" He pushed the things from the table and continued to kick the chair, which frightened me.
Never in my life had I seen him in such an angry state. I was too scared to even take one more step, so I rooted to the ground, stuttering, "Matt! C-calm down… You didn't text back or call, so I… I was worried…"
"Worried? Did you expect me to die?"
"No, Matt…"
"Because of you!" He pushed me to the wall, holding my arms. His reddened eyes and furious face that was only a few inches away from me terrified me to the core. "It's all because of you."
Tears started to roll down his cheeks. The pain, hurt, and anger on his face made it evident that he totally lost himself.
"You knew my life would be at risk if I hung around you after you signed the contract with that devil. Even after knowing that, you didn't reject me right away when I told you my feelings and only deepened them by giving me the hope. If only we had kept our distance, I might not be in this situation now."
The truth hit me like a stick of thorns, piercing every inch of my skin.
"You are right. The correct thing I should've done was say no at that time, but…" I sobbed while I tried to form a sentence, "I was in love with you, Matt."
He stepped a little away from me, holding his head. Our tears seem to be in a competition of which would run out first.
"But… please don't say that you would've walked away if I said no. I can't bear that. I don't want to think that you didn't love me enough…"
"Love? You never know how much I love you. Maybe, I can never love any other woman like I love you, but you, Elira… If you'd loved me enough, you would've stopped this destruction. You didn't fight for me or for our future but surrendered to him."
"Matt!" I was beyond frustrated. "If you think I have any control over Mr. Wolfe, then you are wrong. Besides, I tried so much, trust me…"
"Trust you?" He scoffed. "I trusted you even after every lie, but lies and secrets never end when it comes to you."
"What do you mean?"
He took a pause, trying to calm himself down while his hands clenched in fists.
"You were a stripper, weren't you?"
His words left me beyond shocked. My mind blanked, my hands trembled, and for a moment I couldn't tell if I was scared or completely lost.
I never mentioned it. He only knew my relationship with Mr. Wolfe, and the revelation of the truth brought back all the fears that I used to have.
"Even before the contract, even before Mira, and even before everything, you were a stripper and worked at nightclubs. What does it say about you?"
"That was also because of…"
"Mira's treatment?" He interrupted me. "Yeah, go ahead and use the same excuse."
I tried to explain myself, but he was not in the position to listen to me.
He said, "I don't even know why I am having this conversation with you. Leave, Elira."
I walked toward him, trying to convince him, but his rage returned, and he pushed me angrily, shouting, "Leave me alone."
It was not a gentle push, and when I expected to hit my body on the floor, a pair of arms protected me from the fall, and the monstrous eyes fell on the raging bull who was out of control.