10: HIS

Elara’s POV 

“Call the police, now!” 

Alice rang it out like a fire alarm, bitter emotions were thickly laced in her look, and her voice. Confused and spontaneous, Evelyn rooted out her phone and began punching digits with sweaty hands. 

“Stop.” I flung the phone from her grip and retreated to the end of the room, with my hands stretched to my back, preventing the slightest chance of her retrieving it. 

“Lilian, what are you doing?” Evelyn’s soft voice totally changed. 

“Protecting my daughter.” I maintained my stance. “He wouldn't want me to involve the police.” 

She looked from me to the old lady, and back at me. Her eyes bore curiosity, one I was afraid would go unattended. 

“Let me handle it my way,” I resumed my unbaked tale. “It's my attention he seeks.” 

Alice scrunched her nose and furrowed her brows. She was the only one amongst us yet to meet Marco. “Is he some sick fella?” 

I opened my mouth, but mopped, and shut it. “I'll be fine.”

Silence gently crept from my end of the room to theirs. No one said anything and frankly, it was best this way. 

Alice’s phone chimed with a text. Since it was with me, I easily flipped it open and read. As expected, it was from Marco, but this time, an instruction. 

‘Step outside.’ 

The ominous message gave me mixed reactions. Something in me was suddenly repulsive to the idea. This was a trap, like baked cheese with pepperoni just for the cute mouse. And yup, I was starving to see my little angel. 

Spinning into conclusion, I slipped Alice’s phone in my pocket. “Please let me hold onto it. I'll be back shortly.” Her lips stuttered and she just shrugged. About to return Evelyn’s, I swiftly changed my mind. “I don't trust your emergency response.” I slipped hers in the other pocket and dashed out. 

When all of this was over, I'd sue this nasty shitty place for gross incompetence. Outside of the hospital premises, there were quite a few cars parked along the free lot. I looked ahead to see a black tainted limited edition SUV on the other side. 

‘I'd drain your blood, Marco.’ My fists balled beside me. ‘You’d hate bringing my daughter into your silly games.’ 

I crossed and walked down to the spot. As if to confirm the car was his, the soft click sounded when the doors opened. I slipped into the back seat, right next to the bloody devil, and the doors automatically shut. 

“You fucking moron!” I launched myself at him, slapping and punching and cussing him out. 

Oddly, he remained composed as if I was just a soft wind fanning his cocky ass. A gentle smile creased his thin lips like he was rather having fun, rubbing it in. My fingers itched to dig into his sockets and pull out his eyes. 

“Fuck!” 

He gripped my hands when I pinched his lips and dragged. My fingers scratched his unbelievably soft lips, leaving a trail of his flesh in my fingers. Like an old teacher scolding a student, he pulled me on his thighs and cussed under his breath. 

“How does it feel to hurt?” I trashed the scared part of me. I had gone violent for the first time in my life, causing another to bleed. 

“Good.” His tongue ran along his injury, licking off the blood, and nursing his wounds. 

Bile welled up in my throat. I was irritated by everything. Seeing his swollen lips made it worsen. “Fuck you!” 

“Oh yeah.” He faked a moan, the pad of his fingers lurched beneath my shirt and teased my bare back, along a fine line on my spine. “You know how I like it.”

Raising my hands to push him off, the sight of his brown flesh in my nails broke the last straw. I swayed forward and gagged, messing up his white long-sleeve shirt. 

My head throbbed with banging ache and my vision spun recklessly. Everything was getting to me all at once. 

He held his breath momentarily, his eyes darkened with hate and anger. 

“Where’s my baby?” I cried, almost going violent again. Aiming for his face again, as if that was his weakness, I stopped when he clutched around my throat and held me as his prisoner. 

I was staring in his frosty gaze, scared for Violet. My eyes were suddenly watery and I batted nonstop to stop the tears from flowing. I'd be damned to validate his torture. 

“Listen up, lady.” His cold tone and hard grip broke my defenses. Tears streamed down my cheeks, pooling on his hand and he sighed. “I see through your pretense. Your dad is a genius, I must give him his flowers.”

“Don't hurt my baby.” I continued to sob, paying less attention to his words. 

“Damn it.” He hissed, freeing his grasp and I slumped onto him, smashing my face in my puke. “Can you not make this hard?” 

He held a handful of my hair and pulled, peeling me off his grip. With his free hand, he undid the buttons and shrugged off his shirt. Like a rubber band, when he let go of my hair, I collapsed on his hard torso again. 

“Just shut up, lady.” He sighed. 

I nodded against him, too weak to put up a fight. All I needed was my daughter. Remaining on his lap and silently sobbing like a doll, the ride came to a halt soon enough. 

Succumbing to my instinct, I found the strength to pull away from him and rushed out. He came out, bare-chested, with his fine abs in the wild. He thrust his hands in his pockets and flexed along at his pace, while I struggled to meet up. 

The building was elaborate and grand, just like his hotel. This was a shade of fayrouz and blue, with sculptures of fallen angels. I followed eagerly as he walked up the steps and into the lobby. The staff bowed and immediately went mute at the sight of him. 

The place smelled of spirits and drugs, but unlike random hospitals, there weren't patients storming in and out. It was likely their group’s private hospital. 

Leading me past the well-illuminated hallway, he pushed open a door. Once I spotted Violet’s little limbs, my petite frame nudged him aside, almost stumbling over. 

“My sweet angel,” I mumbled, running my hands along her fragile body, from her hands to her face, brushing the blonde hairs that adorned her pretty face. 

She was on oxygen, with fine lines of tubes attached to her small nostrils and veins. The BP machine continuously monitored her vitals. 

“Mummy is here now.” I took her small hand in mine and smooched kisses on it. 

Marco remained still like he wasn't in the room. He watched me dramatically caress Violet. 

Fueled with weird energy, I turned to face him, matching his aura. “Leave me daughter out of this.” 

He raised his hands in surrender. Leaving his spot for the first time, he pulled out a document with about five pages and tossed it to me. 

“I own you as my bride and toy,” he smirked. “Or you walk away with your daughter.” 

Of course, what was I expecting from the devil? He showed me what good health care was, and threatened to snatch it off. 

“And no, I won't bear the consequences.” He slouched on the couch nearby and crossed his legs. “You will remove every fucking tube and be responsible for her life.”