The Public Execution of Pride
The morning light in the penthouse was unforgiving. It cut through the floor-to-ceiling glass like a scalpel, exposing every bruise on Rainier's wrists and every tremor in his hands.
He was still asleep when I unlocked the tether from the headboard. He didn't wake up—he simply exhaled a long, shivering breath, his body instinctively curling away from the cold metal.
I watched him for a moment. In sleep, the defiance was gone. He looked like the victim of a shipwreck, washed up on the shores of my life.
"Wake up, Rainier," I said, my voice cutting through the silence.
He bolted upright, his eyes darting to the silver chain on his ankle before they landed on me. The realization of where he was—and who he was with—hit him like a physical blow.
"Dress," I commanded, gesturing to the suit laid out on the chaise lounge. It was a deep, midnight blue, crafted from silk and wool that shimmered like oil on water. "We are going to the Ombre summit. You are my Chief Analyst today. You will sit behind me. You will carry my files. And you will look the world in the eye and pretend you aren't a prisoner."
"And if I don't?" he whispered, his voice dry.
"Then the 'Jane Doe' in the Swiss morgue becomes a reality," I replied smoothly. "Don't test my patience this morning, Rainier. My mercy died in the vault."
---
The Limousine: A Smaller Cage
Twenty minutes later, we were descending the tower. The elevator ride was silent, the air heavy with the scent of Rainier's fear and my cologne. When we reached the private garage, my lead driver, Marcus, held the door of the armored Maybach open.
I stepped in first, and then I tugged on the silver chain. Rainier followed, his head bowed.
The interior of the limousine was a smaller, more intimate cage. I sat in the back, the partition up, separating us from the world. I didn't let him sit on the opposite bench. I patted the seat directly next to me.
"Here," I ordered.
He sat, his thigh pressing against mine. I reached down and took the end of his tether, looping it around my wrist like a falconer holding a bird of prey.
"The world is going to look at you today, Rainier," I said, watching the city blur past the tinted windows.
"They are going to wonder how a nobody from the data pool became the right hand of Devillione Vilgoughvrum. You will give them nothing. You are a shadow. A reflection of my will. If he approaches you again, you will not look at him. You will look at me. Am I clear?"
"Yes, Master Vilgoughvrum," he said, the title sounding like a death rattle.
I reached out and tilted his chin up. "Look at me when you say it."
He raised his eyes. They were hollow, but there was a flicker of something new there—a cold, calculated resignation. He was no longer fighting the chain; he was learning how to live with it. That made him more dangerous. And infinitely more delicious.
"Good," I murmured. I leaned in and pressed a kiss to his forehead—a gesture of ownership that made him flinch. "Remember that you are the only thing in this city that I value. And I protect what I value."
---
The Vilgoughvrum headquarters was a monolith of glass and steel in the heart of the financial district. As we stepped out of the car, a swarm of photographers and journalists descended.
I felt Rainier stiffen beside me, his hand instinctively reaching for the collar of his suit to hide the silver chain.
"Keep your head up," I hissed in his ear, my hand gripping his elbow.
We moved through the lobby like a royal procession. I felt the eyes of every titan of industry on us. They saw the cold, untouchable Devillione Vilgoughvrum, and they saw the beautiful, hauntingly pale young man at his side. The whispers started immediately.
"Is that the hacker?" Some business man retorted.
"The one who saved the Vilgoughvrum mainframe?"
"Look at the way he watches him... like he's a prize."
We entered the conference room on the fifty floor. The long mahogany table was surrounded by the board members of Vilgoughvrum—old men with soft hands and terrified eyes.
I took my seat at the head of the table. I didn't point to a chair for Rainier. I simply stood there until he realized what I wanted. He stood behind me, a silent sentinel, clutching a leather portfolio to his chest.
"Let's begin," I said.
The meeting was a bloodbath. I used the data Rainier had unboxed in the vault to dismantle their defenses. Every time they tried to lie about their quarterly losses, I would simply snap my fingers.
Rainier would lean forward, place a document in front of me, and retreat into the shadows. He was perfect. He was a machine of cold efficiency. But I could see the way his eyes darted to the exits.
I could see the way his fingers curled into the leather of the portfolio every time the silver chain at his ankle clinked against the carpet.
Halfway through the meeting, Vricksen entered.
The air in the room curdled. Julian didn't look at the board members. He looked at me, then his gaze slid to Rainier. A slow, predatory smile spread across his face.
"Devillione," Vricksen said, taking a seat at the far end of the table. "I see you brought your... pet analyst."
I felt Rainier's breath hitch behind me. My grip on my gold fountain pen tightened until the metal groaned.
"He is my Chief Analyst, Vricksen," I said, my voice a low, vibrating warning. "And he is currently in the process of ensuring your firm's acquisition of Vilgoughvrum is a mathematical impossibility."
"Is that so?" Vricksen leaned back, his eyes never leaving Rainier. "He looks a bit tired. Are you working him too hard, Devillione? Or perhaps you're keeping him awake with other... duties?"
The room went silent. The board members looked at their shoes. Rainier looked like he wanted to vanish into the floorboards.
I stood up. The movement was so sudden that my chair tumbled backward. I walked the length of the table, the sound of my footsteps echoing like heartbeats. I stopped inches from Vricksen.
"Rainier," I said, not looking back. "Come here."
I heard the rattle of the chain as Rainier approached. He stood beside me, his head bowed, his body trembling so violently I could see the fabric of his suit vibrating.
I reached out and grabbed the silver chain at his throat, pulling him forward so Vricksen could see it clearly.
"He is mine," I said, my voice a terrifying, quiet rasp. "He belongs to me in ways your pathetic mind can't even comprehend. Every line of code he writes, every breath he takes, is a gift from me. If you so much as speak his name again, I won't just ruin your firm. I will strip you of everything you own until you're begging for scraps on the street."
He smile didn't falter, but I saw the flicker of fear in his eyes. He looked at Rainier, then back at me. "You're obsessed, Devillione. It's a weakness."
"No," I replied, leaning down so only Julian could hear. "It's a Zero-Sum Game. And I have already won."
---
The meeting ended abruptly. I didn't wait for the signatures; I had already broken them. I dragged Rainier out of the room, my hand fused to his arm. We didn't head for the elevator. I pushed him into a private executive restroom and locked the door.
I spun him around, pinning him against the cold marble of the vanity.
"You looked at him," I growled, my face inches from his.
"I didn't! I didn't look at anyone!" Rainier cried out, his voice cracking. "He was talking to me, Devillione! What was I supposed to do?"
"You were supposed to be invisible!" I slammed my hand against the mirror, the glass cracking behind his head. "You are my secret. My asset. And now the whole world is looking at you like you're something they can touch!"
I grabbed the front of his suit jacket and hauled him up until his toes were barely touching the floor.
"The game is changing. Since you can't be trusted in public, we're going to ensure you never want to leave the tower again."
I reached for the silver chain at his ankle and gave it a sharp, cruel tug. He fell to his knees on the cold tile, gasping. I stood over him, looking down at the brilliant, broken boy I had created.
"You want to know why I chose you, Rainier?" I asked, my voice dropping to a whisper. "Because you're the only thing that makes me feel like I'm not dead. And I will destroy you before I let that feeling go."
I knelt down beside him, my hand moving to the back of his neck. I forced him to look at his reflection in the cracked mirror.
"Look at yourself," I commanded. "Look at what you are. You're a thief. A prisoner. And the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. Tonight, we go back to the vault. And... I'm going to make sure you forget Vricksen's name entirely."
Rainier closed his eyes, a single sob escaping his lips. He didn't fight me when I pulled him up. He didn't fight me when I led him back to the
car.
He was beginning to realize that the cage wasn't just the tower or the chain. The cage was me. And there was no exit.