Chapter 3 THREE

I run into the night like I'm being chased by a wild animal, my hands are shaking senselessly as I try to unlock my door. The key misses the hole countless times but finally, it slips in and I turn the lock.

Before I go into my house, I am aware of the black car lingering outside my apartment. I shut the door and run to the window to take a peek, I can see nothing because the windows are heavily tinted.

I shut the window and pull my phone out of my pocket, the screen has a huge crack on it, it must have gotten beat up along with me.

I dial Helena, my boss.

She owns the small hotel where I work as a cleaner. It was just last week she asked me to get the suitcase from the room and take it to the dry cleaners. My hands are shaking as I pace my tiny sitting room with the phone pressed against the side of my face.

“Hello,” I say immediately I hear the line come alive.

The line goes dead immediately I speak. I try calling her back multiple times but it is to no avail.

I remember Dante's words after he decided to let me go.

“Get me my money, Anya. I'm giving you two days. If you fail to deliver by then, I might not be so merciful.”

The threat in his tone was not false.

I ran to my room and changed my clothes. I have no cash on me and the tip a customer left me today was in my old clothes.

I have to walk to the hotel. When I get there, it's past midnight and Lily is at the counter.

“Hey, forgot something?” she asks me because she was here when I clocked out from my shift.

“No…I'm looking for the boss, is she in?”

“Uhm, no. Didn't she tell you?”

“Tell me what?”

“That she's visiting her daughter in London. She's probably on her way right now. She didn't tell me when she'll be back but she handed everything over to Jake.”

I'm starting to think I've been set up. Before I thought it was a mistake but now I think I'm a pawn in a scheme.

“Can you call her?”

“I told you that she might be on the plane now.”

“Who leaves their job and travels to another continent without formal notice?”

“Is something the matter? You don't look alright.”

I hear the door open and a bald man with red eyes walks into the hotel.

“I'll need a room.” He says to Lily and I'm automatically forgotten.

I walk out of the building and look around. I wish there was someone I could go to for help.

I pull out my phone and dial Helena again, trying to get her to say something.

Someone walks past me, leaving a trail of thick bluish black smoke. It gets harder to breathe so I leave and go back to my apartment.

My phone rings and I answer it before I can even glance at the screen.

“Helena?”

“No, this is Doctor Phillips,” His voice is a low mumble

“Is my mum okay?”

I can hear my pulse in my ear as I wait for a response. Fear is clogging my throat and a second of silence feels like an eternity.

“She's fine now but she had a Uhm… She had a flare up. I… I think she needs a different hospital, Anya. She needs serious attention, I'm sorry but I think we underestimated her condition.”

My shoulders shake as I cry.

“I'll be there.” I choke out

~~*****~~

DANTE

I stand on the balcony, looking down from my penthouse.

My mind is replaying images of her face and I don't understand why. I remember small details, like the curve of her eyebrows.

I remember the way I felt when she said she would do anything for me. I've heard that sentence a lot of times. Growing up in wealth and power, people would literally do anything to get my attention or favour, but when she uttered those words, it felt like I was being offered the forbidden fruit and I wanted it more than I've wanted anything my entire life.

I was seconds away from going down on my knees and asking her to give herself to me but my men were watching and as always, I had to live up to my reputation.

I feel my soul stir as her name comes to my mind.

“Anya.”

It is uncomfortable as I think of it now, how much of an effect she has on me in just one unfortunate encounter.

She looked like she was telling the truth, big brown doe eyes, stained by tears… Or she might just be a very good liar, and yet I wanted to lean in and wipe her tears away. It was hard not to reach out to her and brush my finger over her cheeks and tell her it was going to be okay.

Two million is nothing to me and yet I’m making it a big deal because there is a wish in my head and I want her to grant.

Why did I spare her? She stole from me, I should have put a bullet in her head but I couldn't let her die without knowing what those lips tastes like. What does that marvelous body of hers feel like?

It is happening again. I groan as I feel my cock throbbing painfully. I'd like a particular someone to ease that pain.

“Dante…you're here. I went to the mansion and your men said you left.”

Estella is wearing an emerald green dress. Her blonde hair is bleached platinum and tied in a neat bun.

She is not who I want.

“I want to be left alone,”

“But, I just got here.”

“Then leave.”

“Okay.” she says obediently and she walks out. I am expecting her to put up a fight with me. I saw the anger in her eyes but for the sake of pleasing me, she just walked off and I hate her for being so fake, I need someone genuine. Someone who will rebel against me, I'm tired of all these submissive women, it might be fun taming her.

I lean on the balcony and wonder if Anya is going to be able to offer me the things I desperately need.