Chapter 4

Elara's POV

My brain screams at me to run, but my legs are frozen. I fist my little bag until my knuckles turn white. Lorenzo Russo is in my house, sitting as if he owns the place.

"Are you going to stand there the whole night?" he asks, raising an eyebrow. "Come in and take care of your guests, Mia Cara."

I don't move; my mind is running wild with thoughts of all the things he could do to me. "W-what a-are y-you doing in my house?" I stammer, silently cursing myself for appearing weak in front of this intimidating billionaire.

Lorenzo gets up from the chair, his gaze locked on me as he starts striding over to where I'm standing. My eyes widen, and I can hear my own heart pumping hard, as if I'd been running for hours. Finally coming to my senses, I turn on my heel, bolting out the door.

It doesn't take five seconds for me to bump into two huge men in black suits, arms crossed as they patiently wait to drag me back to their boss. Well, shit. But maybe I can still try to run. I can outsmart them and get away; I heard big guys are pretty dumb.

Clearing my throat, I beam brightly at them. "Hello guys, you see, I have a night shift at the mortuary, and I have to get going. So get out of my way; you don't want to get the corpses angry," I say as I attempt to walk past them, my hands trembling.

I feel a rough shove on my forearm as I'm forcefully turned back in the direction of my room. "Move it, girl," one of the big men grumbles, and I don't object. Not like his tone leaves any room for objection. Guess my stupid morgue story didn't work.

The moment I step back into the room, I notice Lorenzo standing in my kitchen, holding a big knife in his hands. Cold sweat trickles down my back, and I can feel my heart drumming in my chest. What does he want to do with the knife? Oh my God, I'm too young to die.

"Miss Walker, I didn't travel 500 miles to play catch or hide and seek. I came for business, and you will not be wasting my time," he says, strolling towards me as he casually flicks the knife in his hand, a sinister smile on his face.

"So, let's make this swift so we can be on our way, okay?" He leans down closer to my ear, his warm breath hitting my face.

Well, if he just wants to talk and be on his way, then that's great. "What do you want from me?"

He raises an eyebrow and then smiles slightly. The smile makes his dimples prominent. If this guy wasn't out for my life, I'd probably have jumped his bones right now. Too bad he's an evil human being and a demon in angel's appearance.

"Elara Walker, you're not in a spot to ask questions, don't you think? I should be the one asking all the questions," he replies coldly, his face losing any hint of a smile. His cold look makes me shiver, as if a bucket of ice has been poured on my head.

He points to a seat opposite his, and I scurry over to it, plopping down and gripping the armrests.

"So, tell me, why did you do it? What motivated you?"

I know exactly what he's asking, but that doesn't mean I have to answer him correctly. If he thinks he can get any answers out of me, then he's out of his mind.

I raise an eyebrow, feigning ignorance. "What motivated me? Okay, well, you see, I'm really passionate about business, and the desire to have my own company moti—"

He slams his hands on the table, his eyes glaring daggers into mine. "Do not mess with me and answer the damn question before I show you who you're messing with."

I gulp, the action feeling too painful, as if I'd just tried to swallow a rock. Okay, Elara, be honest with him. He's in the wrong, so you have nothing to fear.

"You ask as if you don't know what you did to me, Mr. Russo? Do not pretend as if you're innocent. I haven't done anything to you that can make up for the damages you caused me."

His brows furrow. "What are you even talking about? I did nothing to you. I don't even know you."

"Of course, you don't know me, Mr. Russo. By the way, I am just scum under your feet, right? Just like all the other people from the Lakesview neighborhood, right? That's why you had your stupid company destroy all our homes and properties, right? Because you don't know us," I assert, glaring at him.

A look of realization crosses his face for a few seconds before he replaces it with an emotionless look. "So that's why you decided to steal from me? Because my company demolished your neighborhood? You're so stupid," he mutters, clicking his tongue.

A fiery heat surges through my veins. How dare he act so nonchalant about it? As if he didn't ruin the lives of hundreds of people. "How arrogant and heartless can you be? Do you know what those families are going through?"

He mutters something that sounds like, "They deserve it after all they did." What the hell is he talking about?

"What do you mean by that? What did we do to you?" I question, crossing my arms against my chest. His eyes flicker down to my chest and linger for a few seconds. When I follow his gaze, my eyes widen in horror as I notice that my top buttons had come open, and my cleavage was on display. I hurriedly snap it back into place, then pass him an annoyed look. He just smirks.

"Miss Walker, the demolition was a company-sponsored project. Your neighborhood is great to construct a botanical garden that will serve as a touristic site. This is business, honey, and nobody cares about what will happen to your neighbors."

"How dare you, Mr. Russo, not even an apology. Your company did not even compensate us. Instead, you created false reports about us not having rights to live there as it's government land. That is cruelty."

As if I'd just told a joke, he breaks out into a fit of laughter, the sound echoing against the walls. Oh, I'm glad this is funny for you, jerk.

He suddenly stops laughing and locks his gaze on me again, his face impassive. Is this guy bipolar or what? "Elara, I think I've had it with you tonight. So, where is my wallet?" he asks, holding out his hand.

"What wallet? I don't know what you're talking about."

"Do not test me, woman. My patience is already thin, so tread carefully around me right now. You really don't want to see my other side," he glares at me. "Now, where is my wallet?"

Isn't he a billionaire? Why does he have to bother about 50 grand as if he will die without it?

I shrug my shoulders, pretending to be calm, but my trembling hands betray my actual emotions. "I don't have it. I already used the money and discarded it."

Like a flash of lightning, he bolts towards me, placing his hands on the armrests of my chair. His intense gaze doesn't leave my face, and a knot twists in my stomach. Okay, maybe the money meant something to him.

"I will ask you again. Where is my wallet?" he says, his voice threatening.

I gulp. "I'm serious, I threw it away."

He breathes deeply, running his hand through his hair. Oh God, I didn't know rich people cared about 50 grand like this. "Okay, then where is it? The picture?"

What the hell, what picture is he talking about? "I don't know about any picture, sir. What do you mean?"

His eyes widen, and I think I see a hint of fear in them. "What. Do. You. Mean. By. You do not know about a picture?" he roars, making me jump. "You know what? Don't talk. I know what to do."

My heart thumps loudly in my chest. What picture is he talking about, and what does he want to do? I watch as he takes his phone out of his pocket, dials a number, and keeps it on the table.

A few seconds later, a voice comes through, "Master Russo?"

His gruff voice replies, "Jason, finish that little boy in the hospital and his parents."

Is he talking about Jaden? Oh my goodness. My heart stops, my eyes widening as I leap to my feet. "No!! Please don't!! Don't hurt them, I'll do anything."

He smirks, the look now very sinister, as he asks me, "Good, so where is the picture?"

I can't tell him I don't know, even though I really don't know. Oh God, help me. What do I do?