Chapter 4: Cost of Silence

The meeting room was stark, a perfect reflection of the world I was now in: cold, calculating, and suffocating in its power. The walls, grey and unyielding, seemed to echo the quiet tension that permeated the space. Lorenzo stood at the head of the table, radiating authority in a way I hadn’t seen in anyone before. The men who filled the chairs were sharp, powerful, the type that didn’t need to raise their voices to command attention. Their silence spoke louder than words could, their eyes constantly calculating, measuring, anticipating the next move.

I was standing next to him, trying to blend into the shadows as much as possible. My fingers clutched the fabric of my dress, the tension in my body barely contained. The room was thick with the low hum of conversations, business, alliances, and problems being solved with just a few words. It felt like watching a game of chess unfold, where each player moved their pieces with the utmost precision. But despite the calm of it all, I could feel the weight of their eyes on me.

I knew what they were thinking.

The girl Lorenzo had bought.

They had to wonder why she was here, what her role was in this world that felt like a game where everyone knew the rules except me. But no one dared ask, at least not yet. Not in front of him. The way they looked at me, curious, cold, calculating, told me that they were already measuring how long it would take before I broke, how long I could last in this world of power plays and backdoor deals.

Lorenzo wasn’t looking at me. He was focused on the discussions at hand, his sharp eyes scanning the papers in front of him. It was a rare thing, this moment of seeming detachment. I’d seen him before, the mask of the untouchable CEO. But I knew better than anyone else that beneath the smooth exterior was a man who held people’s fates in his hands without even trying. The air around him felt charged, as if he alone had the power to bend it to his will.

He was always in control, always one step ahead, and I was just another piece in his intricate puzzle.

“Daisy, you’ll be staying with us during this meeting,” Lorenzo’s voice cut through the murmurs, and my chest tightened at the sound of my name. He had barely acknowledged me up until now, and though his words seemed casual, there was an undercurrent in them that made my stomach drop. The cold command in his tone made it clear: it wasn’t a suggestion. It was an order.

He wasn’t giving me a choice in this.

I wanted to protest, to demand some semblance of freedom, but something in his gaze told me that there would be no point. His eyes, sharp and unreadable, conveyed a simple truth: I was in his world now, whether I liked it or not. The men around the table barely glanced at me as Lorenzo spoke. They were used to this. They were used to seeing women like me, young, scared and compliant.

I was nothing more than a commodity to them, a pawn in a game of ruthless ambition and power. It felt suffocating, and yet I couldn’t look away. The way they operated, the way they shifted in their seats, the way they spoke in clipped, calculated tones, it was all so foreign to me, so intimidating.

But there was one thing I knew for sure: no one here was weak. No one here was stupid. These men played for keeps, and they expected everyone to follow the rules of their game.

It felt like an eternity, watching them negotiate, as if I were invisible. I was used to being ignored, to fading into the background, but this felt different. It felt like being in a room full of sharks who knew I was the bait but couldn’t quite decide when to bite. Every now and then, a glance would flicker toward me, but no one spoke directly to me. It was as if I didn’t even exist, a shadow lingering in the corner, unnoticed unless someone chose to look.

Lorenzo, on the other hand, was as composed as ever. His voice never wavered, his posture never shifted. He was in full control of everything here, even the air in the room seemed to bend to his will. His power was palpable, and it made my skin crawl.

He spoke as though this world was his domain and mine, by extension, had become his too. “We’ll make sure the shipments are handled on time,” Lorenzo said to one of the men. “The Blackstone deal should be wrapped up by next month. Make sure to stay ahead of the competition.”

There were no pleasantries here, no polite exchanges or small talk. It was all power, manipulation, and subtle dominance. Every word, every gesture, carried weight, and the men around the table responded accordingly. There were no questions, no interruptions—just quiet compliance. It was a world where time was money, and every second spent was another moment gained or lost in a game that could make or break careers.

And somewhere in that, I realized that I had just entered the world where none of the usual rules applied.

I wasn’t a part of this world yet. I was still an outsider, an observer, caught between the harsh walls of Lorenzo’s empire and the unknown world I had been thrust into. The discussions went on, and I tried to stay out of the way, but every now and then I could feel his gaze on me. It was subtle, a brief flicker of his eyes that no one else would have noticed, but I did. He would look at me for a moment, his eyes piercing through the space between us, and then he would go back to the conversation like nothing had changed.

When the meeting finally broke up, I thought maybe I’d be able to leave. But Lorenzo wasn’t done with me yet.

“Stay with me,” he ordered, his voice low enough for only me to hear, but firm enough that I knew there was no argument.

His command left no room for protest. I followed him silently as we left the meeting room. The moment the door shut behind us, the air felt charged like something was about to break. We were alone now.

Lorenzo didn’t look at me as we walked down the hallway. The lights above flickered, casting shadows across his sharp featuresThere was a coldness to him that I couldn’t shake, a distance that left me feeling like I was constantly on the outside looking in.

“Do you have any questions?” he asked, his voice unreadable.

I swallowed, feeling my throat tighten. I had so many questions, but I didn’t know where to start. I wanted to ask about the men in the room, about what they thought of me, what I was supposed to do next, but I didn’t think he would give me answers. Not without some kind of cost.

I shook my head instead. “No.”

He didn’t say anything else, and we continued walking in silence. My mind was racing, but I tried to keep it in check. The tension that had been building in me all day finally burst when Lorenzo spoke again.

“You’re still trying to figure me out, aren’t you?” He didn’t wait for an answer. “I don’t need to explain myself to you, Daisy."

His words weren't an offer. It wasn’t a suggestion. It was a simple truth: I would either conform, or I would leave. And leaving wasn’t an option. Not anymore.

I stopped walking. “I never asked for this,” I said, the words spilling out before I could stop them.

He turned to face me, his gaze intense and unreadable. I could see something else in his eyes. There was no warmth there, no compassion, just the quiet understanding that he was used to people like me being thrown into his world and either sinking or swimming.

“You don’t have to ask for anything, Daisy,” he said softly, his voice almost too smooth. “Everything you need will be given to you.” He stepped closer, his presence overwhelming. “And if you don’t like it, you’re free to leave. But don’t think for a second I’ll let you go without consequences.”

I could feel the heat radiating off of him, his closeness almost suffocating. I wanted to take a step back, to put some distance between us, but I couldn’t. His words, his presence, they wrapped around me like a vice, closing in tighter with every passing second.

His gaze never wavered, as if daring me to challenge him. And I realized that I didn’t have the strength to defy him. Not yet. Not in this world where silence was the loudest sound, and where power was the only thing that mattered.

My heart pounded in my chest, but I didn’t say anything else. I simply nodded. There was nothing more I could do.

Lorenzo’s lips curled into a faint, almost imperceptible smile, his expression unreadable. He turned on his heel and walked away without a second glance, leaving me to follow.