Chapter 7

Sera's eyes rounded in surprise, her face afire with indignation.

"No, Enzo , you can't do that," she shot back, anger raising her voice. "I don't accept this. I just came back, and you want to have sex with me? Really?" She asked, words tripping out in a rush of indignation.

The black color fell on Enzo 's face, his eyes flashing with anger. "You do not have the right to say anything," returning and yelling off the walls. "You are my pet, and the sooner this is retained in your mind, the better for you. Okay?" He asked tentatively, keeping the lead under the sound of his voice.

The air was thick with tension, heavy with words that should have been spoken long before today. Her heart went on a wild rush, her head spun, as Enzo 's words struck home.

She knew she had to tread really cautiously to get out of the dangerous waters of Enzo 's desires and expectations. Yet, she knew she just couldn't give in; she could not surrender without some kind of fight. But to what end was this fight going to lead?

As the tension between them continued escalating, Sera's voice rose to a shout as her words tumbled out in that passionate declaration,

"You cannot bully me just because you couldn't buy off my dad, okay?" Fire flashed in her eyes, and her face set in an angry mask as she stood before Enzo , who did not stop bullying her.

But Enzo wasn't the type of person to step back during an argument, and the defiance in Sera only lit his temper on fire.

"You have no say, Sera!" he yelled, his voice rumbling through his room. "You have to listen to me!"

Sera's face was unyielding with a flashing inner light of defiance in her eyes against Enzo 's aggression.

"Not in all cases, please," she said calmly, yet firmly. "You just don't treat people that way." She spun on her heel, turning the knob to the door and taking herself out of Enzo 's room and into her own, leaving him in his anger.

Enzo 's face was in a flush of rage as he yelled out to Sera, "Sera, come here! You have no right to just walk out on me!" But she didn't so much as flinch, didn't even turn her back to see for what reason Enzo was hollering. She just shut the door behind herself and started walking away, leaving Enzo to stew in anger.

THE NEXT MORNING

Closer still, as the early morning sun pierced through the window it's tawny rays casting their luminosity all over the room, a chirping of birds and melodic trills ensued-gentle alarms to wake anyone from their soporific mattresses.

The ringing alarm clock on the night table joined in with its screeching tone, cutting into the air to show the break of a new day.

Sera stretched, extending her back and limbs behind her, the softness of the luxurious bed beneath her. It was the first morning in Enzo 's mansion, and for that matter, she simply felt amazed by the whole interior decoration of the place.

She heaved off the covers and swung her legs over the bedside to sit up, legs swaying in the air.

She entered the bathroom to start her morning routine on the cool marble floor. She brushed her teeth with toothpaste, revitalizing her senses with freshness. She took a refreshing bath with warm water that soothed her muscles. Then, wrapping herself in the towel after bathing, she reached back to the bedroom.

She dressed herself in a soft outfit, in which the fabric would gently stroke her skin. With a book, she settled herself in one of the comfy spots in her bed, allowing herself to be deeply involved into the story inside the lines of the page, imagining a whole new world. This reverie was, unfortunately, disrupted by the sound of knocking.

"Who's there?" she said, looking up from her book, slight huskiness to her voice from disuse.

The answer was short and sweet; the voice on the other side of the door merely said, "You are being called, ma'am," and was gone almost before she had finished speaking.

Sera's curiosity took the better of her as to who could be calling for her and what they might want. She placed a bookmark in the book and then laid it aside, racing already with possibilities as she headed toward the door.

Sera padded down, the curiosity rising with each step. Who could it be calling for her, and what did they want? She reached the bottom of the stairs and entered the living room to find Enzo seated on a chair, his eyes fixed on his phone.

"Good morning," she greeted, trying to sound cheerful, but he only looked up at her briefly, his expression unreadable, before returning his attention to his screen.

A shiver ran down Sera's spine as she realized Enzo was avoiding her. She tried to shrug it off, thinking probably he had been busy, until he spoke; sure and commanding, his voice was.

"Get into the kitchen and make me breakfast," he told her gruffly without lifting his gaze from his screen.

"But.there are maids who cook for you," she stuttered, seeming to fawn on getting used to such a situation.

The gaze of Enzo finally rose off his screen onto Sera, piercing.

"I told you several times, you are mine," he growled in an intimidatingly low tone.

"You only have 30 minutes, and I would like to have breakfast." As Enzo let these words hang in the air, the air seemed to reverberate with a pent-up feeling, sending Sera in a haze of shock, feeling trapped.

Sera shuffled into the kitchen, weighed down with the reluctance that was etched on her face, and began a slow process of preparing Enzo 's breakfast. With her mind numbed by resentment, she toasted bread, fried eggs.

A few minutes later, she was through, and she set Enzo 's breakfast before him with a resigned air.

She asked, her tone tentative, "How is the meal?" But Enzo gave no acknowledgement, his gaze fixed to his plate, continuing to eat.

A pang cut through Sera's hurt and frustration that had been simmering in her, but before any more words could leave her lips, Enzo had spoken-firm and commanding.

"Get ready, you are following me now to work." The pupils of Sera enlarged in alarm while her brain burst with questions. What could he mean? Why would she have to go along with him to work?

"No, Enzo ," she gulped, her voice riddled with emotion.

"I don't know anything about your work. What am I doing there?" Tears pricked the corners of her eyes, just ready to spill out anytime. But Enzo didn't even glance up at her, his expression implacable.

"I'm almost done eating," he said, cold and distant. "In the next 20 minutes, we are leaving here."