The Compound

Chapter 21

It was a chilly, cloudy morning that you woke up on a bare bed. No essences of Steve remained on his side other than misplaced sheets making small peaks that outlined where his body once laid itself. You groaned, sitting up and propping your body on your elbows to look from his side of the bed to the large windows. 

Winter in New York was beautiful, you had to admit. There was something so comforting about the soft snowflakes that fell effortlessly, weaving their paths between the skyscrapers that threatened their natural route. The soft white body of each piece placed a stark contrast against the ombre of cool gray clouds behind them.

But the bed you laid in brought your body away from the visualizer of cool imagery your mind had created. Throwing the plush comforter off to the side of your legs, you stepped out of bed, letting out an inaudible shiver as your bare feet took contrast to the cold hardwood floors beneath you.

You stood yourself up, walking down to the living room and kitchen area. Your mind was still waking itself, so your body would lightly sway with every move waiting for your blood to fully course through every vein. 

Grabbing yourself a cup of coffee as always, you admired the skyline beneath you from the floor to ceiling windows. There was a gloominess, a depression to this time of year that somehow made it more comforting.

You noticed no newspaper on the counter, an unusual sight. Usually, if Steve would wake up first, he would read the paper then leave it behind for you to gaze through. Paying little attention to the nonnormality of it, you grabbed the remote and turned on the TV, going to CNN to catch up on news.

The president's last day of impeachment was today. The Senate was expected to kick him out of office, so naturally, it was a pretty relieving day for you. The moment it was official the man would be out of office, you knew an invisible weight would be lifted from your shoulders.

But what the screen displayed was drastically different than what you could have ever anticipated. It was much, much worst. If it weren't for the strong grips your hands had on the hot mug that held your coffee, you swore you would've dropped it.

"Last night, an anonymous source leaked documentation to the New York Times regarding Steve Rogers, better known as Captain America. The veteran, retired superhero, reconstruction leader, and now widely successful CEO and businessman bought his fiancee, Y/F/N Y/L/N, from the widely controversial government agency known as The Compound." Your breath froze.

Yes, people knew who you were. You weren't on the news every day, maybe once a quarter, usually when there was an event. But now your own Steve was under attack everywhere after someone released classified records of his purchase of you. You naturally zoned out for a few minutes trying to figure out what was happening.

"One billion dollars is outrageous!" Your trance was broken by a guest they were having on, "Yes, Steve Rogers is one of the wealthiest men, if not the wealthiest, in the world, and he's helped the country thousands of times, both big and small, but he participated in what some consider human trafficking. This is almost like a political suicide if you ask me!" 

"Steve Rogers will be making a statement later today." The host finally wrapped up. You immediately shut off the TV. Placing your coffee down and sprinting back to your room.

With a breath caught in your throat, it felt like the world was spinning. Never did you think Steve would be in this much of trouble by the people and media over this. What made it worst was it was all because of you.

"Steve?" You asked on your phone, sitting on the bed. Your breath was fast-paced, with no rhythm at all.

"Sweetheart?" He asked, "Darling I-"

"I know, Steven, I've seen it." You could hear him sigh on the other end of the phone. It was silent for a few seconds, "What are you going to do?"

"My team and I are on this now, trying to figure out who released this. At five today I'll be making a statement which is being written right now."

"What's it going to say?" You asked next.