Chapter 6

From the moment Caspian locked her away, Shannon was done with him. Bellwether Manor was a fortress, but she spent every waking moment plotting her escape. Her most successful attempt was disguising herself as a maid and slipping out in a car. But just as she reached the gate, Caspian's car swerved in front, blocking her path. He strode out of his car and stopped right in front of hers. "You're not going anywhere, Shannon." Trapped in a gilded cage with no way out, Shannon made a decision. If she couldn't escape, she'd burn the whole place down. Caspian was in the apartment mollifying a sulking Elsie when he heard Bellwether Manor was on fire. It wasn't until he bought her an 80-million-dollar necklace that she finally smiled and kissed him several times. Elsie pulled him down onto the couch, and they sat together, looking through baby clothes. When his phone lit up with an incoming call, he abruptly shoved Elsie aside and walked out onto the balcony. Elsie wanted to follow out of curiosity, but the sharp look he shot her rooted her to the spot. Frustrated, she pounded her fists against the stuffed toy on the couch. Suddenly, she saw his face turn pale. Grabbing his coat, he rushed for the door. "Where are you going?" Elsie threw her arms around him, pouting. "The baby doesn't want Daddy to leave today. It wants you to stay..." Caspian was already impatient, but for the sake of the child, he forced himself to pacify her gently. "I have something urgent to take care of. Didn't you say you liked those earrings at the auction? I'll have my assistant bring them to you." At the thought of the priceless jewelry soon to be hers, Elsie finally let go. … After Bellwether Manor burned down, Shannon had to be moved to a secluded villa on the outskirts of the city. When Caspian saw her again, she was covered in multiple injuries. The anger burning in his chest turned into a heavy sigh. Carefully, he lifted her onto the bed and began applying ointment to her wounds himself. His touch was light, but Shannon still winced and frowned. Caspian immediately leaned down and blew softly on her skin. His tone was filled with worry as he asked, "Does it still hurt?" Shannon stared at him and said, "Of course it hurts. But I don't regret it one bit. I was the one who set that fire." He looked up, pain flickering in his eyes. "You were willing to go that far just to leave me?" "Yes. I want to leave you, even if it costs my life!" "Shannon Caldwell!" Hearing her say that, Caspian finally lost control. His voice shook with raw emotion. "Don't say things like that. You don't know how much it hurts me. "I don't love her. I really don't. Just wait a little longer, please. I promise everything will go back to the way it was." With that, he stormed out, slamming the door behind him. Before leaving, he gave Ryan special instructions to tighten security at the villa. For the next three months, Caspian never came back. He didn't even send Shannon a single message. It was as if he wanted to teach her a lesson. Meanwhile, he paraded Elsie around the world. He even let her flood her Instagram account with pictures of them together. In one, they were pressed close, feeding each other cookies with their lips like a couple showing off. By the beach, Elsie lay across his lap in a skimpy swimsuit, running her fingers over his abs, as if flaunting her prize. Under dim lighting, their legs tangled together, eyes locked on each other. The comment section was flooded with fans shipping them as a perfect couple. Shannon saw the pictures too. Once upon a time, she would have cried for days. But now, she felt nothing. She no longer expected anything from Caspian. All she wanted was to leave, so none of it mattered anymore. On the other hand, Caspian grew restless, wondering why Shannon still hadn't given in. In the past, whenever the media caught him with another woman—even if it was just for business—Shannon would get jealous and show up demanding an explanation. That was why he had been so sure she'd reach out soon. But months went by, and she never sent a single message. Caspian couldn't sit still anymore and secretly returned several times. But every time he checked the surveillance, he saw Shannon with a calm expression, casually playing with the dog, as if she didn't care about the rumors swirling around him and Elsie. Her reaction caught him off guard. The pain inside him was unbearable, yet he had no outlet for it. All he could do was leave in frustration.