The Velvet Room Conspiracy: Chapter Ten
Calculated Destruction
Charlie
Wes doesn’t just run The Velvet Room. He dismantles lives for a price.
Gloria Barrett’s letter is burned into my mind—her gratitude, the obscene amount of money clipped to it, the casual way she thanked him for ruining her husband. This isn’t just business. It’s calculated destruction.
I press my fingers against my temple, forcing my thoughts to slow, to make sense of what this means for me. He unravels people, strips them down, leaves them ruined. And now I’m in his hands.
Is that what he’s doing to me?
His voice cuts through the storm in my head.
“You need to let go, Charlotte. Of your friend.”
I flinch, my body goes rigid. I turn to face him. “You don’t know her. Not like I do.”
His gaze doesn’t waver. “Maybe not. But I know people. She might’ve started over, and you’re still chasing her ghost. Do you even know what you’re risking?”
You. I’m risking you, Wes.
The thought presses against my ribs, but I don’t say it. I can’t. Not yet.
“She wouldn’t leave without telling me,” I snap.
“People change. She might’ve seen an opportunity, and here you are, holding on so tightly, you’re willing to land yourself in real trouble for someone who probably wouldn’t make the same sacrifice for you.”
“She would.” The words crack as they leave me. His eyes sharpen—he hears it.
His head tilts, watching me like I’m fragile. “Move on, Charlotte. And I can help you. I can make you into something you never imagined you could be.”
I scoff, shaking my head. “Why would you care about what I become?”
His smirk is slight, just enough to make it feel like I’ve missed something. “Because it’s good for both of us. I value loyalty, and all you have to do is swear it.”
He lifts his hand, the moon-crest ring catching the dim light between us.
“And kiss the ring.”
My gaze locks onto the ring, its polished surface reflecting enough light to make the insignia gleam. This is a test, another move in whatever game he’s playing, and one I have no choice but to entertain.
I keep my expression blank, refusing to let my unease show. “What does the ring mean?”
He smirks. “Nothing more than what I said. No hidden meaning. No grand ritual. Just loyalty.”
The answer comes too quickly, and easily. I don’t believe him. Nothing about Wesley Remington is ever that simple. He wouldn’t demand this unless it was symbolic and I know better than to take his words at face value.
My pulse thrums against my ribs. He’s waiting, patiently.
“You’re testing me,” I say, not as a question but as a fact, because it’s the only thing that makes sense.
His smirk deepens, as he tilts his head acknowledging the truth I already know. “Everyone is tested, Charlotte. It’s how I decide who stays and who disappears. You wouldn’t want to disappear, would you?”
The words slide beneath my skin, not loud, not forceful. He isn’t threatening me becaue he’s already decided what happens to me next.
I glance down at the ring again, my thoughts moving too fast, unraveling every possibility, every consequence.
This never was about Bianca, it’s about me. Where I stand in his world because now I know what he’s capable of, and if he ever decides I’m in the way, I’ll end up like Simon Barrett—ruined, erased, or worse.
My throat tightens. “Kiss the ring?”
His smirk widens. He’s enjoying watching me struggle with the inevitable. “It represents loyalty. Unbreakable loyalty. That’s what this is about, Charlotte. We can help each other in ways you can’t even imagine. But first, you have to vow your loyalty to me.”
He’s testing me. I feel it in the way his fingers shift at his sides, how he watches me without blinking, without giving me an inch to escape.
He already knows what I’ll do.
“And if I don’t?”
His expression darkens though his voice never loses its smoothness. “Then you’re no use to me. And I don’t keep liabilities around for long.”
The words land like a blow. There it is. The threat.
I knew this was coming, yet hearing it still locks up every muscle in my body. My mind runs through every way out but there isn’t one.
I have to play along.
Wes tilts his head. “Get on your knees.” His tone is soft, coaxing. A predator whispering to prey. “We both know you’ve done so before. Now, kiss the ring.”
Anger flares behind my ribs but fear tempers it. He will destroy me if I refuse. But if I stay and give him what he wants, maybe I’ll figure out how to destroy him first.
I inhale sharply, then lower myself to my knees. My pulse hammers in my ears, my chest rises and falls too fast. I hate myself for doing this, for giving in, but I have no choice.
I lower my head, pressing my lips to the cold metal of the ring.
Wes watches me with satisfaction, his voice smooth.
“Welcome to your new chapter, Charlotte.”
I rise, unsteady, my body still wound tight, but he catches my hand, his fingers curl around mine, his grip deceptively gentle.
His voice lowers, threading through the silence between us. “You’re not alone in this, Charlotte. Loyalty isn’t a one-way street. You have mine too.”
Before I can react, his hand slides beneath my chin, tilting it up. His lips brush mine and the kiss steals my breath.
It’s not a demand but a promise, deception wrapped in silk. A final push, as if sealing the deal he’s just made with me.
When he pulls back, his thumb grazes the corner of my jaw. His eyes hold mine as he speaks.
“This is about loyalty. You give me yours, and I’ll give you everything.”
Everything.
The word coils around my ribs, pressing tight. I know better, but something inside me wants to believe him.
Because if I don’t…
I might not survive him at all.
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© 2024 Scarlett Witherspoon. All rights reserved. This story is protected under copyright law.
What an orchestration Mr. Weasley 👀