Just as it had happened in her first days in that house, Andrei had forgotten about Elisa, but this time it had been for seven days and on purpose, as his first punitive step.She knew it because she had counted those days sadly. She had only had the visit of Mrs. Maria, the trusted maid of the tall man, and until that moment she was the only human being who seemed to care about her health.She came three times a day to see what she needed, and every day she had devoted herself to taking care of the state of Elisa's wounds, which no longer bled and seemed healthy.She no longer cried, but not because she didn't want to, but because her eyes seemed tired.She had never had claustrophobic symptoms, but being there in that room distressed and desperate her, so she started pinching the skin of her arms and legs to release tension the day before. Besides, she still had accumulated anger in her chest for not being able to take it out on the brunette."Mr. Andrei will get angry if he sees th
Then her face became serious. "Give them to me!" she demanded. "Give me the damn keys!" She pushed her onto the bed and climbed on top of her to start searching her pockets. "I want the keys, now!" she continued demanding, blinded by her objective.She had never been more confident in her own strength until that moment. In fact, she didn't even think she could have that strength after those days locked up. She felt capable of hitting that woman too if she didn't help her, after all, violence seemed to be the common language everyone spoke there.All the men near that room could hear her. Some laughed at her impending madness, and of course, they wouldn't do anything to help anyone.If that girl had to go crazy, let her do it, and soon."Enough, let me go, crazy girl!" Mrs. Maria shouted, trying to free herself from Elisa's scratches.Igor, who was sitting calmly and playing a poker game with some companions, sighed. This was getting annoying, even for him, who loved seeing people hit
Both turned towards that deep, harsh voice. Igor smiled, and Elisa hid behind him, knowing who the owner of that voice was, the one that stirred up and disordered all her hormones."She hurt Mrs. Maria," he responded amused, "and she escaped."Andrei walked towards them, pulling the young woman from behind Belov Igor's arm, gripping it tightly to keep her in front of him and to prevent her from resisting. He glanced over her, she seemed disturbed, and he could see the swelling and redness of the injuries on her skin.He raised an eyebrow as he looked into her eyes.She, on the other hand, trembled as she looked at him. Again, that inquisitive eyebrow threatened her and made her feel small and vulnerable."You scandalous woman..." he released her arm, and she, reflexively, brought her hand to that area that now hurt. "Go to your room now, I don't want to see you here.""I don't want to, I want to stay here. I'm not going to run away, I can't..."Andrei looked at her again. Who did she
During that whole week, Andrei had decided that it was a good idea to leave home or distract himself with good female company. He didn't plan to bother Elisa again for a few days; he wanted to leave her alone with her distress, and that amused him.But seeing her this time made him feel that it wasn't fun if she wished to kill herself, even though that's what he was aiming for. Perhaps his first approach with her hadn't been correct; torturing her like this wouldn't work if she was that weak.Although he couldn't help but laugh at the thought of her going crazy in her room, fighting with Mrs. Maria to hand over the keys.In a way, that was what he had been aiming for from the beginning, driving her crazy first and then figuring out how to continue having fun with her...Now he was in a nearby room that wasn't his own because no one was important enough to enter there. He was on top of the body of the girl who had entered the house with him on his arm.She was beautiful and didn't give
Andrei looked out the window while Anna rested on his chest.He had lost track of time, not realizing he had spent the whole day holed up in his room with that girl, perhaps to avoid the issue of Elisa's problems.He remembered her pleading face, begging him to kill her and end it all. He sighed at that memory because the whole game he hadn't even managed to play well was going to hell.He wanted to hurt her, yes, but he didn't want to see her like that so soon.He was disappointed and didn't understand why if that was his goal. Maybe he wanted to make it more enduring, and he hadn't even seen the process of how she had become unhinged, to the point of assaulting a maid."Let's go to the lounge," he said, sitting up without waiting for the girl to do so first. He wanted to stop thinking, and the blonde wasn't helping him do that anymore.**"Well, you're Elisa," the blonde greeted her with a smile, now shorter than her thanks to those heels she was wearing.She looked different all dr
When he saw Elisa taking a breath to continue saying things, he grabbed her arm again to turn her around, leaving her back against his chest and starting to lead her towards another place.With his other free hand, he covered her mouth. He didn't want any scenes at that party, and he had to show her that he was the one in charge."Shut up, you noisy woman," he ordered.Elisa resisted walking, but her strength was nothing compared to the brunette's. So she let herself be led, liking that he took her in that way and had so much power over her...She was really going crazy.They reached the courtyard, and he left her there, turning her around to face him again, removing the hand covering her mouth.Upon being freed from his grip, Elisa gasped, looking at him reproachfully."What do you want from me? Why do you..." she started to say."Shut up," the brunette ordered again. Elisa fell silent, hating his voice. "Now beg me again like you did this morning."That spark in her eyes reappeared,
He arched again to speak to her near her ear, without touching her, because for that, he would have his voice and words.She tensed when she felt his breath on her neck."Go get dressed, because you're begging for me to deflower you..." he finished with a smile, straightening up and giving her one last glance before turning and leaving with the blonde he would possess for the last time.Elisa remained in her place, panting because her heart had raced after that. She watched him leave with that blonde who wasn't prettier than her, and she was sure didn't hold a candle to her.She gasped a few sighs and placed her hands on her heart because of how fast it was beating. She didn't want him to go with her; she wanted him to stay there, whispering more things in her ear and telling her how he planned to deflower her.Then she entered the party, but they were no longer there, and she became distressed again. She looked around but couldn't find them.What was she doing? She was going crazy."
After a night filled with thoughts, Elisa hadn't been able to sleep well.She closed her eyes and saw Kirill's back fading away, giving way to Andrei's.He was cruel and capable of seeing everything with a cool head, and that scared her. How had she been so stupid and naive to start playing with guys like them?She should never have entered that line of work; anything related to female exposure couldn't be clean.Now she was in the living room, sitting on the sofa and looking around at everyone. No one spoke to her, and everyone seemed to be in their own world, discussing the things that men felt proud of.She sighed, understanding that a woman was never welcome in male conversations, especially if she wasn't to their liking.Anyway, she didn't expect anyone to talk to her. She knew perfectly well what her place was in that house, and even though Andrei had told her she was a guest, Elisa knew perfectly well that her role was closer to that of a prisoner.She felt like going back to h
Andrei accentuated his raised eyebrow upon hearing her.Yes, he had called a woman to please him because he somehow needed distraction and also needed to get the idea out of his mind that this place should be Elisa's.But how could he achieve that if she was in this house twenty-four hours a day, available to him?"Why do you want to know?" he couldn't help but keep that smile on his face. "Do you think only prostitutes would agree to spend time with me?"It was starting to feel like an interrogation full of jealousy, and he found it amusing in an adorable way.Elisa, on the other hand, remained silent in the face of these questions. Suddenly, she understood that this questioning was silly, and that woman didn't have to be a prostitute. She wasn't one, and she was willing to be touched by him in every way, so it made sense.She blushed."Come on, let's go," he offered his arm, and she looked at him hesitantly, while he maintained a victorious smile on his lips seeing her like that."W
Elisa was dressed up and ready for what would be the meeting at Kirill's cousin's house, but at the same time, she had mixed feelings about Andrei because she had seen him with a woman in the main hall the previous night.For that reason, she wore a cream-colored short and loose dress that naturally fell over her silhouette to a length that revealed quite a bit but still covered decently. It had a shy V-neckline with sleeves cinched at her wrists.She adorned her neck with a golden necklace that hung down past her chest along with a bracelet of the same color. Her feet were adorned with light brown ankle-strap sandals with heels that she was sure wouldn't allow her to run if necessary.But what did she have to worry about if she was going alone with Andrei? Besides, she had dressed like this on purpose to show him that she was much better than the woman he had brought home.She never thought she was jealous, and that made her laugh at herself.She looked at the dragon fountain and wis
Would he know what she had wanted to do? He was surprised by this calm conversation, far from the usual excitement they had between them."Elisa," he called out before she closed the door.She stayed inside without closing the door, waiting."What?" she asked."If you ever try to do something stupid again, I promise your pretty corpse won't have a pleasant ending, understood?"Elisa pursed her lips and slammed the door shut, letting out a quick sigh, realizing she didn't want to swallow that. She then opened the door again and went to the brown-haired man because he always had to threaten her with unpleasant things."Idiot!" she called out, reaching his side and growing angry again. "You can laugh at me and my lack of courage because I didn't have the guts to kill myself. But stop rubbing in my face the power you have over me!"The leader looked at her with that cold gaze, seeing her desperation and anger. This was the Elisa he rarely saw."You lacked the courage you claim not to hav
"That night Mr. Sokolov disappeared because he left with a dancer after a show, one who performed in the main act, and when I found out something had happened from the club manager, who was frantic, I rushed over because I knew something was amiss.""A woman..." he lowered the gun and smiled, raising it again to fire a shot into the ceiling in celebration. "Wow!" He holstered the gun in his pants, then gave Jasha a friendly pat on the shoulder as Jasha looked at him with fear. "Well, that's some information. I even think it's worth more than the money I lent you..." He genuinely smiled; this information gave him leverage over Andrei, and he would flaunt it. "Vitali, write a check with a good sum for our fortunate Jasha here," his smile was uncontainable. "You're a good man."He winked, planning his next moves against his rival and how to contribute the final piece needed to avenge his only cousin.***Elisa had an eternal pout on her lips after that. She had been happy, but now Igor w
The sky was covered with clouds, casting a greyish hue over the entire city, and under that sky, the dull gleam of a black Lamborghini Veneno caught the attention of those passing by on the street at that hour.Its destination was clear, the same purpose that had kept it in use during these few days: collecting debts, and within it, the man responsible for making it happen was delighted and excited for that moment.Upon arrival, a house in the lower districts of the city seemed dimly lit, perhaps fearful of what was about to happen inside it and to the people who had sheltered it for so many years."Vitali, come with me," Stefan said as he left his prized car to head towards the place where they would receive the money he had lent six months ago, and if they didn't give it to him, then he would have to vent his frustration in blood.A man and his wife were watching television, the man had been out of work for several weeks, and the worry of not having all the money he owed was distres
"I couldn't do it, I didn't do it, and I don't plan to do it. That's it... I'm sorry for losing my hope.""When you regret something and express it, the idea is not to do it again. If you're going to do it again, then don't say you're sorry!"Igor was angry. He had trusted in her sanity, and she had only disappointed him and thrown in his face how foolish he had been to trust the judgment of a woman who, in his view, still acted like a child.Elisa bit her lip, wanting to explain why she had planned this stupidity, perhaps then he would understand."I know, I'm foolish, but I didn't know what else to do... Talking to my mother now gave me more strength... Igor," she took a step towards him, "I didn't even make it noticeable, I didn't even shout it from the rooftops. I didn't want anyone to find out."He looked back at her. Why did he feel a chill in his chest at the thought of her hanging?"No. By opening that door," he pointed carelessly while looking at her, "I would have found your
Igor leaned his back against the wall next to the door of his leader's room, waiting for Elisa. He stared at the opposite wall and ran through all the ideas swirling in his head about the dancer's plan.He debated whether to tell Andrei or not; surely he would be capable of having her room converted into something resembling a mental institution just to prevent her from harming herself...As he pondered that, the door opened, and the brunette emerged, wiping her eyes with her hands.He looked at her analytically, starting in an amiable manner."How was it?""Beautiful," she replied with a smile. "We talked a lot, but about things related to what's happening at home. From here, I told her I was on vacation with a friend from work..." She moved her hands away from her face to confess something with a hint of guilt. "I talked to a colleague..."Igor pursed his lips; mistake after mistake, and those things only disappointed him. Why did she have to be so impulsive? Although, he was more
Andrei was sitting in his favorite armchair facing the fireplace in the grand hall, looking at the ironwork again as he had become accustomed to doing. He wasn't thinking of anything in particular; it had been two days since he had seen Elisa, and now he was waiting for Igor to go and tell her that she needed to speak with her mother in half an hour.He had been busy in the past few days sorting out some matters and dealing with the mess that Stefan had become again, always flaunting everything he owned and what he had achieved in France.On the other hand, Igor had also been dealing with matters concerning the nightclubs under his charge and hadn't seen the brunette during those days either. He didn't bump into her in the courtyard as had happened on other occasions, and that was strange."Were you busy?" he asked when the blond arrived in the hall."No, I was practicing my shots," he finished approaching. "Did something happen?"Andrei stopped looking at the ironwork to focus his e
"I used to think that the conviction of your men's ideals and yours was respectable because they were faithful to their purposes," she began speaking with a raspy voice when he stopped responding to the kiss; he kept his eyes closed, listening to her without loosening his grip. "Then I thought better of you all because, after all, you are people and should have sensitivity," then he opened his eyes, and she looked at him, staying close to him, "but your ability to act coldly all the time scares me immensely."He swallowed hard, also remembering his way of dealing with Kirill's death."And I used to like that coldness, but now I hate it, Andrei..."The brunette's eyes descended to her lips; they were red as he liked to keep them, but they spoke true words that unsettled him and made him falter."You question me, and you shouldn't," he looked her in the eyes, and she felt the pain of not seeing judgment from him towards her actions.He was indifferent to what he was doing to her."I'm n