Chapter 7 -

By the time Rosa returned, Nia was sprawled on the bed, the hunger biting at her insides. The only thing that served as a distraction was the chandelier above, as though it was a form of entertainment. Rosa’s eyes briefly scanned her form and gave a disappointed shake of the head.

“Follow me.”

Nia didn’t say anything as she followed the woman down a grand staircase. Her eyes were busy roaming around the place, assessing one artwork or another like she were in an Art gallery.

She had to give it to Mr DeSanto, he had good taste in the arts. Sounds of voices coming from behind a set of large doors at the far end of the hallway made her spine straighten. Nia was about meeting the stranger again, but this time, it sounded like he was in the company of other people, which only made her anxiety skyrocket.

Rosa stopped by the closed doors, and opened one of it, revealing a lavish dining hall illuminated by yet another chandelier. The opened doors made the voices cease, and even though she couldn’t see any of the occupants yet, Nia didn’t feel hungry anymore. The woman who she could see as a future ally urged her into the lion’s den with a tilt of her head in the dining room direction. But she had second thoughts.

The woman must have noticed her unease, because she walked in, stopping to glance behind her shoulders if she was following. Nia realized that Rosa was helping her, and she wouldn’t want to give the woman a reason to hate her, so she left her spot by the door and stepped inside. The dining room was large, larger than a dining room should be, with a polished table stretching the length of the room, its surface set with pristine white plates, silverware, and crystal glasses.

Rosa walked further into the place, her small heels clicking on the tiled floor, Nia followed closely, assessing the space and its occupants. At head of the table sat the man she now knew as Mr. DeSanto. His striking gray eyes locked on her the moment she entered, their piercing intensity sending a shiver down her spine. He wore a tailored black suit like the one he had been wearing all day except this one seemed different, compared to the other. Nia wondered what kind of man wore a suit in his own home, much less a suit for dinner, except this wasn’t any kind of dinner?

By his right, her eyes met a blonde man, who was the only one not staring at her but at the red haired woman across from him who sent daggers at her. Something piqued her interest, there was an eerie similarity between Mr DeSanto and the blonde man beside him. Maybe it was the distance that was playing tricks on her, but from afar, they could easily pass as twins with different hair color.

Beside the red haired woman was another man, and to her utmost dread, it was baldie, and he was staring at her in a way that made her skin crawl. Nia removed her eyes from him, focusing her sight on the back of Rosa’s head until they reached the large table.

“Good evening, boss,” Rosa greeted with a deep bow then sidestepped Nia to leave the room. Before the woman walked away, she glanced at her for a brief second, and Nia understood the look she gave. It was similar to when she spoke her words of advice earlier in the bedroom, obey orders and behave properly.

An awkward silence ensued, even more awkward with the way she stood at the end of the table while the others stared at her like she was a spectacle on display for their perusal. Nia became self aware, staring at the distinguished clothing they were all wearing, whereas she had on something similar to pajamas.

“Nia Wallace,” Mr DeSanto’s deep voice filled the room. “Have a seat,” he commanded, gesturing to the empty space beside the blonde man.

Nia hesitated before walking to the chair across from him. Everyone including the guards stationed at various points in the room watched her every move with their imposing presence. The man she was supposed to sit next to oozed power and control, the kind that seemed to hold the fate of others in his hands. She avoided his gaze, sitting down with her back straight, and her hands resting on her lap to hide the tremble in them.

The tension in the room was thick enough for a knife to cut through, and the atmosphere was pregnant with anticipation. In as much as she wanted to appear calm and collected in the presence of these people, she was practically shaking inside. The act, detrimental to her facade. A sudden movement in the room gained her focus. It was DeSanto reaching to pour himself a glass of wine. He didn’t speak at all, letting the silence stretch as though he was testing her and how far her resolve would go before breaking.

After he was done, he leaned back in his chair at the head of the table, swirling the wine in his glass. “I trust your accommodations are to your liking?” he asked, his tone deceptively polite.

Nia’s eye twitched, she was trying to put herself together in this situation he thrust her in, and all he had to say was about her accommodations? She wanted to scoff so badly, but held her tongue remembering Rosa’s words. Maybe this was what the woman implied. That her boss would test her limits, but she just had to remain calm and behave properly.

So instead of cursing him, she replied evenly. “They are fine.”

DeSanto smirked, clearly amused by her restraint. “Good,” he said curtly to which she nodded bitterly. Her eyes made the mistake of finding the red haired by his side, immediately regretting the act.

When Nia felt self conscious earlier, it had a lot to do with the beautiful pale skin lady seated opposite her. With high cheekbones, a petite frame, slightly plump lips and one of those siren amber eyes, Nia felt dull and unrefined compared to her. And as if things couldn’t get worse, the lady caught her staring before she could look away.

“Do you need a picture?” She asked rudely, glaring at Nia.

She wanted to give a sarcastic response,something like ‘Not worth it.’ But someone beat her to it, and tsked, the disapproving sound emanating from the man beside her who was also staring at the red head. The lady’s face turned furious at the blonde man, both of them having what seemed like a face off. Nia deduced that there was definitely something between them or a history of some sort that must have grown sour for reasons best known to them. And she wondered who they were to DeSanto.

“When’s the Don arriving?” The lady directed to the dark haired man at the head of the table, having gotten enough of the intense stare down with the blonde.

For the first time, Nia heard the voice of the man beside her, and it was angry.

“Where the fuck is my son, Lucia?” He asked the red haired lady whose name, Nia now knew, is Lucia.

Almost instantly, her delicate features hardened, and her amber eyes narrowed as she addressed the blonde man’s words.

“If you’ve forgotten, he’s also my son,” she matched his rage head-on.

“I don’t care what you think is best for him, bring my son back here if not…”

She cut him off. “If not then what, Christian?” She said icily, her tone dripping with disdain. Nia had to admire the lady’s courage, she reminded her a lot about her best friend Isa and how she would stand up to any testosterone.