James stared at the documents, his breath hitching as he saw his father's signature on the wire transfers. "How did you get hold of this? Why would you have this?" he stammered, his voice cracking with denial. "My dad would never—"
Hazel's laughter cut through the room, sharp and mocking. "Yes, he would 'never.' It's really funny how you trust him so much," she said, her eyes glinting with a cold, psychopathic light.
"Do whatever you want," James spat, trying to regain some shred of dignity. "You can let the world know for all I care. Release it."
Hazel didn't blink. She leaned in closer, her voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. "Do you think it will only affect your father? Seeing how you are, you don't seem to like him much. But what about your mother?"
James snapped, his eyes wide with a mix of fury and fear.
"Don't you think about how it's going to affect her? Your precious mother?" Hazel continued, circling him like a predator. "If I reveal this, it won't just be a scandal. It will destroy her. It won't just affect you and her; it will ruin everything she has ever known."
James felt the air leave his lungs. The defiance he had summoned moments ago vanished, replaced by a crushing weight in his chest. "What do you want?" he whispered.
"Simple," Hazel replied, pulling a fresh document from the folder. She laid it out on the table like a death warrant.
"Firstly, I will release you," she began, her tone almost casual. "Of course, you are free to leave. You can continue your school. But as soon as you are finished with your classes, you must always come here. Which means you will be living with me from now on. Second, you are to do anything I tell you to do. You will always pick up my calls. And, of course, I forbid you from dating anyone else."
James let out a harsh, dry bark of a laugh. "You're making me laugh. You think I'll just sign my life away?"
Hazel's expression didn't change, her dead eyes remaining fixed on his. "We shall see who will be laughing if I expose this. You should think about it carefully, James. You might not realize it yet, but I can make you and your fucking parents go penniless in a single afternoon."
James stared at the document on the table, the ink looking like dried blood against the stark white paper. He looked from the files detailing his father's crimes to Hazel's cold, expectant face. The weight of his mother's future pressed down on his shoulders, crushing the last of his resistance.
With a hand that wouldn't stop shaking, James reached for the pen. He didn't look at the guards, and he certainly didn't look at Hazel. He simply scrawled his name at the bottom of the page, the scratch of the nib sounding like a scream in the quiet room.
"There," he whispered, tossing the pen aside. "Are you happy now?"
Hazel picked up the paper, blowing on the ink to dry it with a delicate, satisfied hum. "Happiness is such a fickle word, James. Let's just say I'm... settled."
She stood up and gestured toward the hallway. "Since you'll be living here, I've already had your things moved into the guest suite. Though, 'guest' is a bit of a polite term now, isn't it? You're more like a permanent fixture."
James followed her, his feet feeling heavy. Every step away from the living room felt like a step further into a trap he had walked into willingly to save his family. As they reached a door at the end of the hall, Hazel pushed it open.
The room was beautiful, filled with expensive furniture and a large window—but James noticed the bars on the outside of the glass immediately. They were decorative, shaped like ivy, but they were steel nonetheless. On the bedside table sat a new phone.
"Your old one was... compromised," Hazel said, glancing at him. "Use this one. My number is the only one in the favorites. Don't let me catch you deleting it."
She stepped out, pausing at the threshold. "Get some sleep, James. You have class in the morning, and I expect you back here by 4:00 PM sharp. Don't make me pull out those files again."
The door clicked shut.