The Dark Prince's Captive • Complete

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐓𝐰𝐨 - 𝑹𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒓

Lemonade... winkeu!
Shout-out to Han for being on the same level of rapper cuteness as Suga!
Aaand if you're only here for the vampire chit, you probably don't know what I'm talking about. Oh, well.

Sucks to be you.

My small, sturdy secondhand Honda Civic managed the drive just fine, in spite of the fact that it was over 15 years old. I bought it for $1500 off a lady last year—it had just been sitting in her garage for years and needed only basic maintenance.

Usually I was proud of my car, nicknamed Rhonda, because all great cars had great names. But pulling into the huge mansion four-star restaurant, I have to say, I felt out of place in Rhonda.

All around me were shiny Lexus’, BMWs, even one limo. Rhonda, with her mismatched-colored fender didn’t quite fit in.

I kicked off my Keds and slipped on my sky-high heels. It didn’t matter if my car was crap or if I’d grown up in a trailer park. I knew I looked like a million bucks and in my work, I could hobnob with the richest of the rich. I’d done it countless times before.

I could pull this off. That’s right, River, just keep whispering that to yourself about a million more times.

So, I checked my makeup in the rearview mirror one last time, then stepped out of the car. It took a minute to carefully navigate the stone pavers up to the front door in my sky-high heels, but I managed. Before pushing open the door to the restaurant, I arranged my face in the confident, alluring smile that had paid all my college bills plus some the past four years.

When I finally stepped inside, I might as well have been any other customer there—except that I looked like I belonged in New York City and a lot of these folks looked like they were from normal middle America. After all, Harrisburg was no New York City.

It gave me hope. Surely whoever I’d be meeting with would just want their money back.

The hostess paused when she saw me, but her eyes didn’t really widen until I told her the party I was meeting with. As soon as I said the name, Vladislav, she scooted back and dropped her head in deference. “Of course, ma’am. This way. I’m so sorry to make you wait.”

She hadn’t made me wait, I’d barely stepped in the door before she was there. But her response was telling.

Who the hell was this Vladislav guy? Russian organized crime or something? Shit, just what exactly had Bianca gotten me into?

But I was too far in to turn back now. Time to see this through.

I followed the hostess, whose hands were shaking as she held the wine list, I noticed. Awesome. This was just getting better and better.

She led me out onto a terrace. The sun had set and there was only one patron sitting at a table in the corner with the most magnificent view.

Twilight lay across the untouched landscape. This restaurant sat on the outskirts of Harrisburg and this side of the mansion was pointed toward the opposite side of the city. The view was to die for, untouched and unspoiled. For a moment, I wished the meeting had been earlier so I could have seen the sunset.

But duh, this was no time for staring at sunsets. I was just trying to stall in any meaningless way I could.

The man at the table stood up as I walked closer. Right. Time to put on the performance of a lifetime.

I stood up tall, swayed my hips, and smiled my alluring smile. I knew my glossy red lipstick was done to perfection and highlighted my plump top and bottom lips. My lips, along with my large, brown eyes and high apple cheekbones were what my agent loved about me.