I.

Soft classical music filled the manor, bouncing off the dimly lit walls and filling her eardrums. With how loud her heart was beating, it was a surprise she could still hear the calming sound of Beethoven. She was taking a chance, a risk that could change it all, she feared this would be her only opportunity.

Glancing forward, she watched his towering imperious frame sit at the head of the dining table. His back towards her, she could still see the stoic expression on his face –he would be a masterful poker player, his poker face went unrivaled.

Finding her nerve, she wrapped her slender fingers around the stem of the wine glass and held the crystal dinner plate. The clacking of her heels against the wooden floor loud in the air, offensively mixing with the sound of Moonlight Sonata. It was almost fitting for the evening –appropriate for how she felt.

She could barely look him in the eye as she set the dinnerware before him. A small smile playing on her pink lips, feigning affection, she folded her hands together.

"I made steak; I hope you enjoy." She said, simply, before beginning to walk away.

He surveyed the plate in front of him, then within a rapid motion reached out and firmly gripped her thigh. His long strong fingers wrapping around her and swiftly pulling her down; into his lap. A soft gasp escapes her lips, surprised by the sudden action. She stares into his eyes, blue meeting green in an intense inferno. She sees the fire behind his ever-changing baby blues, and she could feel her stomach in her throat. "Sit with me." It wasn't a question; it was a command.

She watches as he reaches for the wine glass, blood red liquid swirling around in the cup. Immediately, she starts to curse herself; he is no stupid man. He brings the lip of the glass to her lips, his free hand snaking up her back and towards the back of her neck, gripping it with a force that shocks her. "Have some."

His voice is curt, he's testing her and she's very much aware. However, she weighs her options and soon realizes she has none. So, she parts her lips and lets the felonious liquid flow down her throat –him watching with a gaze so intense, she feels ashamed for even being in his presence. His eyes burn her skin, and she wants to run, far away from here. She bites down on her lip as the liquid burns her throat. He watches her as she slowly swallows it and he moves the hand gripping her thigh and uses his thumb to slowly run across her bottom lip; effectively freeing it from her teeth. Her breath hitches as he brings it to his own mouth and looks at her, the anger in his eyes never waning.

His voice, deep and warning, vibrates against the candlelit walls as he speaks. "Try that again, my dear Penelope," his face only inches from hers, "And you'll be wishing for me to poison you."

Immediately he releases her, and she stands stunned. The very poison she placed in his wine glass, hoping for him to consume, he had made her drink. She's at a loss for words as she processes the magnitude of what she had done. She doesn't even realize he is staring at her before he starts to cut into his steak and speak again, though this time it's with an air of indifference that crawls under her skin and burrows itself there.

"The antidote is in the bathroom; I would suggest you take it quickly before it takes you."

She sputters over her words slightly. "Sheldon…I–"

He doesn't give her a glance nor acknowledge her, and she supposes she deserves it. Afterall, she did attempt to poison him in order to reclaim her freedom. She quickly exits the dining hall and enters the bathroom; she sees the small vial on the counter; sitting there almost tauntingly. She's failed her escape attempt, and she knows he will go back to her father with this news. She has no future here, what quality of life can she live trapped in a large home –filled with fireplaces but cold to reside? She wasn't a prize to be claimed. She wasn't a pawn in a business scheme.

She glances in the mirror after she quickly swallowed the blue liquid, did she trust this to be the antidote? No. However, she would die either way.

Penelope, Penny, Queen of Queen Enterprise.

Her father, Wyatt Queen, a smart and wealthy businessman founder and overseer of all things pertaining to her family's claim to fortune, had been diagnosed with cancer. It was a tragedy that shook her family to their core. They had always been close and to hear their nucleus was dying, it was like a dagger to the heart. Wyatt, ever the business tycoon, dedicated the next few months to training and preparing his only son to take over the business. He wanted the family to continue to run what he could no longer, from beyond the grave.

Penny could laugh.

Her brother was no good. Randall had a way of making people believe what he wanted them to, it was easier to manipulate them that way. He had their father persuaded; he was ready to take over the business. Though, in reality he was just waiting for the most opportune time to wire half of the money they had to an offshore bank account and disappear into the night. The family was distraught.

Very quickly things had begun to crumble around them. She spent many a night consoling her heartbroken mother, Susan, and reassuring her that Randall would return with everything he stole. Susan never believed her, she barely believed herself. They had known better.

She only wished she knew then what she knew now. What her dying father was doing in his office for hours at night, refusing to go to bed until he was complete. All those meetings he held with tall men and suit wearing women. Many of whom would greet her kindly, though their stares always made her uncomfortable. It was only a few weeks later her father announced she would be wed to the future head of the next multibillion dollar dynasty, Cooper Enterprises.

She was shocked. Her father had signed her freedom away in the name of business and wealth. Wyatt attempted to briefly sugar-coat it, swearing it was to secure her future with a smart and capable man, but she saw through it. It was always business with her father, and the contract he had his lawyers draw was very particular. Penny locked herself away for weeks before being forced to meet with the son and future CEO of Cooper Enterprises. Sheldon Cooper, her future husband.

The large teardrop shaped engagement ring glistened under the dim bathroom light, she felt sick. She could never love a man as cold and callus as Sheldon Cooper, she wanted to be free. To perform on stage in front of millions and need not worry about a controlling husband. She wanted to leave this damning life behind and live the one she dreamed.

A knock on the door startled her.

"I would like to speak to you in our bedroom, Penelope." There was a pause, and she held her breath. "I do hope you've taken the antidote already, such a shame it would be to have to explain to our wedding guests that you've got cold feet."

She heard him walking off and finally exhaled.

She would escape, before the wedding. She had to.


Seen a prompt, had to write it. I intend on making this multi chapter, but bare with me I haven't written anything in years.