She was looking more tired than usual. Her smile was permanent on her face as she kept peering out. "Your family cares for you," She heard. A shiver ran down her spine. She was grateful that the door was wide open and she could run if she needed to. "Yes, that's why I'm here." She said, heaving. She felt a shadow falling over her. She looked up. His gaze was fixed down at her, "Carlo is like a family. He could be rude. Don't take anything personally." His gaze darted out of the window. She glanced up at him, hoping to find him in anger. But nothing, blank expression, the softness in his eyes pushed her to relax. His head snapped down at her. One side of his lips twitched up. The calmness puffed, she held the need to swallow, tightening her jaw. "Your wedding dress." His hand motioned at the bed. Her head swiped, staring at the big paper bag. She shot on her feet recalling his words in her mind. "Not happening. Keep dre
He smirked seeing his angry face. He took the chair and glanced at his wrist. Orlando's frown deepened. "You set them free." He clenched his teeth. "For now," he tilted his head to one side, his gaze darkened. "They will target my sister." He said, his jaw stayed locked. "You mean... my wife." He shot his single brow up. "She's strong... but..." His hand fisted over the desk. "Your sister.... that your father adopted years ago when his younger distant cousin tried to sell his daughter." His hands tightened into fists. He still didn't know the reason behind this. His sources said that Roberto never wanted a daughter. That could be a strong reason Janette declared her third born dead. He was determined to find the roots soon. "You said a single word to her. I'll kill you." Orlando said, leaning forward in his chair. "I'm not planning to. She should have known the day you saved her. What's scaring her, Orlando
'He can't ground me. I'm his wife.' Her eyes opened. Many thoughts were running through her mind. Her shoulder was hurting while sleeping with the same posture. He wasn't cuddling her when she slept. Her running tongue always angered him. She should be angry with him for making her feel helpless. But she couldn't move away from his demand. Not bearing it any longer, she rolled on her back. Heat rushed through her body, recalling herself in two pieces. The light from the window was spreading over his strong body, his abs were small mounts, fully crafted. She bit on her lower lip. 'Just a kiss. He's asking for just a kiss. He has kissed me before.' She wanted to reach out and poked her fingers. Noticing her desire to touch him, she squeezed her eyes shut. She liked what he said to her before sleeping. Her body wasn't doing as she wanted. That was infuriating her. She just wanted to hide her flushed face when he was talking. Her body was
She was shocked to hear it from him. Violence wasn't his thing after Sara being part of his life. She knew what was bugging him. She placed her hand on his arm. "He didn't force anything on me, instead of smiling." She told him. His feet halted. Slowly, he turned to face her. His brows were puckered together, confusion could be seen easily, "You can't lie to me. I can ask Sara to check on you." He said. 'He was talking about Sara to check on me for any bruise and mark of hurt.' "You can set it after bath then." She sighed. "He could have done anything when he kidnapped me." She gulped. The world She was born into wasn't good. "I was scared when he told me about the tradition of un… His family." She hesitated. It was always Janette when it was about s*x education. "I wasn't scared of getting... you know..." Trailing off, she shrugged her shoulders. "I didn't want him to find out about my scars, brother." Her gaze cast down, She fidgeted on her fee
Halting, she frowned at his back. Sighing, she understood. She had seen a clip of it. Arturo had to tolerate his wrath. Sadly, she walked over to the car and got in after unlocking it. Abruptly, she wanted to be back in her room. She bit the inside of her mouth, just peering out of the windshield. Sighing, she ignited the key. Her eyes rested on her brothers, their postures were giving nothing. She knew they were worried. She would never easily allow the guards around her. She wanted to be around her family. She twisted the key and drove away. Her sad gaze drifted over the crowd. She always enjoyed being out with her brother and sister-in-law. The music was booming around her, but she wasn't paying attention to it. There was chaos inside her. The sudden change in her life had unsettled her. The dance floor was crowded. She stayed seated on the stool near the bar. Randomly, her eyes moved around. Though her guards were scattered in the crowd
Taking couples of deep breaths, she tried to pacify her anger. The wind was cool against her wet cheeks. She was sitting on the plush couch. 'Why did you do this father? I wanted to stay like a free bird. The cage you have sent me into took away my freedom. I was happy. I don't want to be a married woman.' She clenched the knife between her fingers. She wanted to stab him multiple times until he stopped breathing. "Planning to kill me, wife?" His chuckle reached her ears, making her anger worse. Turning, she chucked it at him. He moves aside. It hit the floor. He kicked it, a smile still playing on his lips. "Your mother and sister-in-law want to talk to you." He held out his phone for her. She didn't make any move and averted her gaze out of the window. 'Acting irrationally won’t help me. I have to calm myself. I need to find a way out of here. Father decided it. it's not Mom and Sara's fault.' She cou
'No matter, he's on the other side of the world. He comes back home at night. His demand was always to see me in less clothes. He never forces himself or makes any demands which infuriate me. He is taking things slow with me. I don't want to run away from him. But he doesn't trust me yet. He took away my freedom. My family… It has weakened me. They call every day. Fatter could have stopped him. Whatever the problem was, we could have faced it together. They just cut me off.' The door opened and her eyes locked with his. He frowned and peered down at his wrist. She looked away immediately. "You must not be waiting for me." He said removing his coat, and revealing his holster. A slight frown settled between his brows. "Will you allow me to go anywhere if we consummate our wedding?" She asked, staring out of the large glass window. He chuckled, "You mean s*x." He looked startled. "Yes, that." She gulped. She couldn't understand where th
Entering, she headed to the gym, "Don't follow me now." She said, glancing over her shoulders. She sighed when they didn't trail behind her. She found herself alone and pulled the hem of her top over her head. She was thankful for the sporty underneath it. She chucked it on the table. She wanted to take out her anger. She began to kick and punch the hanging bag. It was bigger and heavier than the gym in her father's house. Her knuckles were hurting. She could see blood every time she slammed her fist against it. Her legs' muscles were in pain. The sound of her breath was loud to her ears. The sweat was tickling down the sides of her back, neck to spine. Her mind was racing still mulling over his words. She couldn't get her thoughts straight. "Someone is so furious." Adam said, chuckling, leaning against the wall. There was no door attached to the gym. "You can be the punching bag." She thinned her lips, not stopping. "Enough now, Ell
She stepped off the car. She couldn't pluck away her worry and anxiety for her family. It continued revolving in her head. A soft touch pulled her away from the continuous nagging of her thoughts. He was the reason she could spend her days and nights waiting for the weekend. His fingers curled around her waist, tugging her to his side. She glanced at him. A smile crawled on her face. Her husband brought a hand up to shade his eyes, drafting his gaze around. He looked so handsome. She wasn't certain to express her feelings to him. But she wrote something on the paper for him. "There's no danger." She told him, smiling. Though, Ricco was still on the run. She believed her husband and brothers wouldn't sit calmly until they found him, or locked him up in the dungeon. The corners of his lips pulled up. He kissed the side of her temple. "You never know, wife." They strode away from the vehicle. She let out a heavy breath, preparing herself to face whate
Tears were falling down her face. "I am but some things still scared me." Her chin trembled. Orlando swiped his fingers on her cheeks. "You mean. Your husband?" He offered her a soft smile. "He would never hurt you. I will never let this happen. I'll kill every person who'll cause my sister pain." He said, promisingly. "I trust you." She said. "But," Her eyes darted back to the door. "Mom and Dad?" She asked, gulping. It was nagging her. He curled his arm around her shoulder and made her walk toward the door. "Give them some time. They're gonna be alright. I'm worried about you, pumpkin." He looked down at her. "You just said it, right now that I'm the strongest one. I'll be fine." She smiled at him, but she stumbled to a halt seeing ahead of them. Their hard and cold expressions were telling they were into a hot argument. Roberto was about to say something but he clamped his lips tight together at the sight of them. "Ell, you should be in your room."
She stared at the closed door. She lifted her hand to knock but halted. It was already cracked open. She pushed it wide open. "Roberto!" Her mother squealed, her glassy eyes glued to the door. After realizing it, she forced a smile at her. "I don't wanna talk now, Sweetie." She told her. She walked in. "I understand. I just want to sit next to you. Is that okay with you, Mom?" She asked, sitting next to her on the mattress. More tears welled out. She nodded her head, looking away. Her faze rested on the family picture. It was clicked after three months when they rescued her. She was so happy to have them all. She sat there, gazing at the picture. "You bought me that dress. You remember, Mom?" She asked. A soft smile crawled on her face recalling those days. Happy days! "Yes, your father went with me to shop for you. He never showed. He is happy to have you in the family." A genuine smile crawled on her face, despite tears. "Father h
Her forehead creased hearing voices out. Sara was sleeping without any care in the world. She got on her feet and they carried her forward. She grasped the knob and twisted it carefully, not waking her up. She paced out and peered down the hallway. There was no one. She shut the door behind her. The voices were making sense as she extended her feet toward the stairs. She climbed them down. She gulped recognizing her father yelling in anger. It never happened before. "You're not staying here. You betrayed me." He grunted. "That's not true. I was scared." Her brows crushed together hearing the soft but painful voice of her mother. She kept moving gradually down to the kitchen. "Bullshit," Roberto roared in anger, slamming his hand against the table. She stood under the archway, darting her eyes on all faces presented. Roberto was leaning on the dining table, his fisted hand was resting on the table, and his expression was cold as if he wou
The sun was up, peering into her room through the cracks of leaves. Worry was gnawing at her. She hadn't received any calls or messages from him. Arturo would be going through hell. There was no doubt. Her feelings were pushing her on the edge, needing her to see him, feeling his arms secured around her. Drawing herself out of the mattress, she glanced out with a heavy sigh. Her steps were slowed toward the washroom door. Her feet deterred, not certain. She didn't want to do anything. She couldn't bring herself to make a call to him. Her gaze flicked to the door waiting for him to walk in at any time. After a couple of heartbeats, she grasped the doorknob and twisted it. She knew he wouldn't come still the ray of hope never disappeared within her. "Got yourself busy somewhere else. Your feelings are weakening you." She muttered to herself. After a hot shower, she returned to her room with a draped towel around herself. Relief swept thr
She was relieved that her mother was fine. She took a steadying breath. Worry sat heavy in her stomach. She wasn't bothered about him. But not seeing him for hours left her worried and upset. Everything seemed to change. She glanced at the hanging clock again. They were still at her parents' home. She was getting impatient. She knew what he'd be doing. But she wanted his arms around her, wanted to feel secure. The door cracked open and her head swiped over to it, hoping to see her husband. "Where's he?" She asked and felt her heart running fast in her ribcage. He had become her safe zone. Orlando and Alberto exchanged looks. " You already know," Albert said, walking into the room. "What do you expect? I'm still not done with him." Orlando fisted his hands, his gaze turned dark. "You okay, Kid?" Alberto took her in a side embrace and gazed down at her. She nodded. "Girls?" She asked, looking up in his eyes. Alberto sighed
She was yanked forward after passing through a narrow hallway. The spotlight fell over her, making her blind. She shut her eyes against it. After many beats of her heart, she opened them adjusting against the light. She found herself standing on the stage with other kidnapped girls. It added fuel to her anger. She was in the center of it where she could see all the people who were here to bid. The lights were dim there. Still, she could tell they were businessmen, mafia, and some sheikhs. "She's the most precious, not-for-sale piece of this auction." Arturo's voice boomed in the hall. His hand was motioning at her. His big smile was glued to his fucking ugly face. The murmurs rose in the hall, showing their objections at his words. Her eyebrows drew together in anger. She held tight to her disgusted and rage feelings. She didn't want her past to drown her. She was feeling bad that innocent girls were going through this. After watching so many powerful peop
She grimaced at her reflection. The deep cut was ending near her ribcage, showing her skin between swells. She let out a slow breath. It could be worse. The dress was long but there were many slits, baring her legs. She was feeling like a burning fire. It was matching her anger and hatred for him. She was determined to give him a painful death. "¡Muy hermosa, Reina!" Bud ran the brush through her long silky hair. She was touching them delicately. She grabbed her hand and turned to her. "I'll help you. But you have to help me first. What's this place?" She asked. "Exits, entrances, counts of his guards, everything." She demanded. "That's impossible. You can't take his men down all by yourself. Your husband must be here at any time." Bud said, confidently. She narrowed her eyes at her seeing her confidence. "I'm not certain." She remembered the angry face of her husband when he couldn't find their whereabouts. Arturo was making his job very difficult.
Her eyes were red when the door opened, making her heart thud in trepidation. Her lips parted in astonishment seeing a beautiful brunette walking in, draped in only two pieces. Her top was barely hiding anything. A black collar was fastened around her delicate neck. She swallowed hard recalling his words. "¡Hola, Reina!" Her voice was filled with excitement as she had found the Niles River after walking for days. She closed the door behind her. The paper bag swung in her hand as she whirled to face her. She smiled broadly at her. She walked over to the mattress with ease in her pencil-high heels. She winched when the woman pounced on her side, looking at her as if she was made of expensive and delicate glass. "You're beautiful, very beautiful." Her smile dropped after a full minute of staring at her. Her eyes narrowed at her but she kept her question to herself. The woman seemed lunatic to her. "Untie me." She whispered to her. Her lunatic smil