Chapter 25: Gilded cage

BRISELLE’S POV.

The sun hadn’t even begun to set when Kai’s driver arrived at the dorms. I felt like a prisoner being led to an elegant execution. Veronica watched from the window, her silhouette sharp and silent against the glass, as I climbed into the back of the SUV with my meager backpack, leaving the designer bags to be handled like sacred artifacts.

We didn't go to Kai’s apartment. We went straight to the Thornefield manor. If the house would be intimidating at night, it was terrifying in the daylight. It sat on the hill like a gargoyle watching the city. I was led through the sprawling halls by a silent housekeeper to a guest suite that was larger than my entire apartment back home.

"Mr. Thornefield will be with you shortly," she said, gesturing to the small army already waiting for me.

There were four of them. A hairstylist, a makeup artist, and two assistants who looked at me with the clinical detachment of surgeons.

"She’s quite pale," the makeup artist murmured, tilting my chin up with a gloved hand. "But the bone structure is...interesting. We can work with this."

For the next three hours, I wasn't a person. I was a canvas. They scrubbed, polished, and painted. My hair, which I usually kept in a messy knot or hidden under a hoodie, was blown out into waves that looked like spun silk, falling over my shoulders in a way that felt heavy and foreign.

Then came the dress.

The emerald silk felt like a second skin—dangerous and sleek. As the assistants zipped me up, the fabric pulled tight against my ribs, forcing me to stand taller, to breathe shallower. When they finally stepped back, I turned to the full-length mirror.

I didn't recognize her. The girl in the mirror had glowing skin, dark, smoky eyes, and a mouth that looked like it had never known a sarcastic comment in its life. The emerald teardrop rested against my collarbone, cold and heavy.

A knock at the door almost made me jump.

"Come in," I said, my voice sounding more regal than I felt.

Kai walked in. He was already dressed in a tuxedo that fit him with lethal precision. The black silk of his lapels caught the light, and his white shirt was blindingly crisp. He stopped three feet away from me.

The room went silent. The artists and assistants gathered their kits, sensing the shift in temperature, and slipped out of the room like ghosts. Kai didn't say anything at first. His gaze started at my feet and traveled slowly—infuriatingly slowly, up the length of the dress, lingering on the curve of my waist and the exposed skin of my shoulders, before finally settling on my face.

For the first time since I’d met him, Kai Thornefield looked completely caught off guard. His jaw tightened, and he stayed perfectly still, his eyes dark with something I couldn't quite name.

"Is it...too much?" I asked, suddenly feeling like an imposter again. I reached up to touch the emerald at my throat. "I feel like I'm wearing a costume."

Kai stepped closer. The scent of him—that cedar and cold air hit me, grounding me and making my heart race all at once. He didn't answer my question. Instead, he reached out, his hand hovering near my waist before he pulled back, as if he were afraid the silk might burn him.

"You look," he started, his voice a low, rough growl. He cleared his throat and tried again. "You look like exactly what I need you to be. Dangerous."

"Dangerous?" I whispered. "I feel like I'm about to throw up."

"Good. Use that energy," he said, stepping into my personal space. He reached out and adjusted the emerald necklace, his knuckles brushing against the sensitive skin of my neck. I felt a shiver race down my spine that had nothing to do with the air conditioning. "My father is downstairs. He’s already in a foul mood because the press is outside the gates. He’s going to be looking for a reason to hate you, Briselle."

He looked into my eyes, his face inches from mine. "Do you remember the plan?"

"Stay close to you. Say nothing about my past. Act like I actually like you," I recited, my voice trembling.

"And?"

"And don't let Evelyn corner me."

Kai nodded, his thumb tracing the line of my jaw for a fleeting second. "If you get overwhelmed, you look at me. Not the floor, not the walls. You look at me, and I will get you out. Do you understand?"

"Why are you being...like this?" I asked, searching his eyes. "Last night you were a jerk on the phone. Now you’re acting like my bodyguard."

Kai’s expression hardened, the moment of softness vanishing. "Because if you fail tonight, I don't just lose money. I lose my future. And if I lose my future, I have no reason to keep your sister’s little secret. You aren't just protecting me, freshman. You're protecting yourself."

He offered me his arm, his expression back to that of a cold, untouchable prince. "Shall we? The vipers are hungry."

I took his arm, my hand resting on the expensive wool of his sleeve. As we walked toward the grand staircase, I looked down at the foyer below. I could see the flash of cameras through the distant windows and hear the low murmur of a hundred wealthy voices.

I leaned closer to him, my voice a mere breath. "If I trip on these stairs, I'm taking you down with me."

Kai didn't look at me, but I felt the corner of his mouth twitch. "I’d expect nothing less."