ADRIANA'S POV
I LOOKED like I just won a million dollars in the lottery as I basked all day.
I had that exact amount in the account and the thought that alone made me over zealous.
For one, all the debts I had were cleared and I had been getting ready to get the preparation for my mother's hospital bills in NYC.
There was a saying that money makes the world go round, I had thought it to be a mere figure of speech till this moment, I could literally feel the world spinning while I stood fixed still not knowing what to do with the rest of the money in my account.
"Carolina, if you had a million dollars what would you do?"
Calolina was a stripper as well who danced with me on Wednesdays, the thing about her was she spent her money on drugs but when she was sober and not on anything she made a lot of sense talking.
We closed for the day and as I made my way home I could still hear her voice at the back of my head telling me what she would do if she had that amount right now in her account.
Of course she thought I was speaking to her in literal terms but she had made a lot of sense about starting off a clothing business and quitting stripping.
The bus home was odd and I felt like I was being followed every step of the way as a matter of fact it had looked like I was being followed all day.
I got out of the last bus and made my way into the Estate. There was still the feeling someone was walking behind me so I dipped my hands into my bag and circled it round the pepper spray I always had handy.
When I got to the part with more lighting I looked over my shoulders and saw no one.
I wasn't ready to take more risks so I increased the pace at which I was walking.
When I reached the front of my house I was surprised to see the cars parked out, I thought to myself the possible reason before my mum's name stuck to the back of my mind.
Could it be that she was dead and these were the cars of the sympathizers? I thought to myself as I dashed into the house as fast as I could.
I bumped into a man, and from how hard I felt I knew definitely it wasn't my step father this time.
My eyes went from his well polished Italian shoes, up his suit or his dark eyes that were piercing down at me as if he could devour me in just one gulp.
I looked around at the room as quickly as I could, there was a lot I could pick out in that one picture and it was the fact that we were all held at gunpoint including myself as the man had a gun pointed at my temple.
I trembled…
"Where is my fucking money?" He demanded.
All through that while I had been wondering who Massimo Grey was and had pictured one of those fat perverts at the club but how wrong I was, he had the most perfect face that I couldn't quite describe– He was evil or at least he was faking the look to get under my skin.
"What money?"
I felt a sharp sting in my face and as my ears rang all I could hear was the sound of Mother's voice calling my name.
"If I get to ask again someone is going to die." As if to show he meant it he walked over to where my mother was and pointed his pistol at her… just her.
"Adriana what money are they talking about?" She tremendously shook as she spoke.
Already I was bleeding on my lips and all it took was a slap, he cocked the gun and I could see he didn't fucking care if she looked sick or not.
"Wait!" I screamed.
"I have your money, I needed it for my mother's hospital bills. That was the only thing I took from it, I sorry. I’m going to return it, I promise."
He listened as I spoke and walked into the kitchen, punching hard on the wall that I wondered if he bled from how hard it echoed.
He called one of the men over who walked up to him, when he walked back again it was with a bottle of whiskey.
He poured it into an empty cup that looked like he had been the one to use it .
"Come here!"
I needed no one to tell me before I crawled on all fours to where he was.
"Stand."
I was starting to wonder what was at the back of his mind as he asked that I should stand up but I did it anyway.
"Strip."
My fingers trembled. There was no way in the world I would do that right there, not with everyone present.
I heard the sound of the gun cocking again.
"You know I have been thinking about your fucking body since I saw your pictures, can't seem to get it off my head…so don't keep me waiting."
My mouthed a please but it seemed he had made up his mind, I didn't blame him though, I stole the man's fucking money.
"On a second note, why don't I make you my personal stripper as you seem to be good at doing that …Or what do you think Marcus?"
The man he had called earlier nodded his head.
"Well we have a deal at hand." He said. "I kill everyone here or you become my stripper… My personal one."
This time I heard the sounds of guns cocking.
"What is your decision don't keep me waiting, Patience is not one of my virtues."
I knew he lied about that part of being patient, the man could have easily killed everyone of us but he didn't.
I took a deep breath in, here I was in the presence of Massimo Grey, being asked to sign some sort of deal… a deal I know would cost me my freedom.
“F-free my family, I’ll b-be y-your stripper.” I stuttered and in that minute, I knew that my life was taking another drastic turn.
ADRIANA’S POVIT WAS becoming so tension filled, as the time ticked. I could hear everything, every single one of it as though it was in the same phase as my heart– Heavy and slow.The sound of vodka being poured over ice making a sizzling noise. The heavy Cigar smoke that washung in the air making breathing difficult and with it came tension, a lot of it.I could see the burning gaze emanating from Massimo from behind where he was sitting– He didn't look like a happy man sitting behind that desk. As a matter of fact he looked far from it, regardless of the frown and all I still had to admit he looked quite handsome.I occupied a chair in front of him, looking not so good with the imprint of his hand on my left chin, leaning back on the chair I could see the displeasing look he gave me.He had asked earlier on if I was the only one involved in this swindle even threatened to find out if someone else was involved, probably a boyfriend but I had convinced him I had none.I looked uninte
MASSIMO'S POVLEANING back on the soft sofa with my legs crossed, my attention was divided between the thick mist of smoke floating into the air and her pretty face that was quite remarkable.Looking at her from a far off she looked incapable of this theft, but when you look at the dark side of the business she was involved in, you'd know better.Strippers were never really to be trusted no matter how gentle they seemed; it was just in their nature to do dubious things.I could feel every bit of anger trickling down my nerves, despite how subtle I might seem at that moment, but it was strong enough that I had to keep choking it down with a cup of whiskey.Despite all that, It burned in my throat, as I could feel every bit of it expanding on my chest, like a virus willing to rip my soul apart.My eyes skimmed the expanse of space as I searched across the room for Marcus, my one and only reliable guard; wiping my hand with a napkin. I was agitated at the fact that he was yet to be bac
CHAPTER 8ADRIANA'S POVI DIDN'T know what to feel about everything that was happening right now, it was all so unexplainable.Be it nervousness, anxiety or any other emotions, everything happened so fast I couldn't keep track of it.My feelings were a mixture of all the negative emotions you could think of, and in its trail, it left me feeling jittery. I didn't know how to react to the fact that I was going to live with this absolute stranger, and to be used for whatever he intended to do with me.I tried to study him for a while, his face, his looks. He did look rich– Obviously, but that wasn't the only thing that got my attention.It was this dark looming expression he had that was hard to explain, it was as though he kept it secret for a purpose.We drove in a different car from the rest, with my face glued to the glass as I watched life speed past me. A soft music played from the radio and its peaceful tune made my mind drift away with diverse thoughts plaguing it.I couldn't
Adriana’s POVThe cold water from the shower overhead trickled down my face and skin, leaving a numb chillness in its wake and despite the fact that I was bathing with clean water and I could perceive the sweet scenting soap on my skin, I still felt really dirty and stinky, like filth.“No matter what you do Adriana, you’re filth and filth you’ll remain for as long as you live!” Amy’s harsh words rang in my ears like music from a broken tape, and for the first time in my life, I welcomed it. I welcomed her insults and her down talking; and I welcomed every other negative feeling that came with being the unwanted child… the black sheep.I distinctly remembered how I used to desperately clamor for her attention and then after mother remarried, I began to clamor for a sense of belonging, for love, for care until I realized that all I had been doing for the most of my childhood was clamoring for things that I couldn’t get… things I could never have.Tears leaked out of my eyes as I thoug
Adriana's POVTHE music suddenly stopped and so did I. I knew it was unprofessional for me to stop dancing as the music stopped but I had been looking for that opportunity ever since I begun dancing.I could feel his razor-sharp focus running across my skin like trickling water and raking through every fibre of my being, it made me so nervous that when I finally got to the pole, I looked at it as if I did never danced on one before.I couldn’t even bring myself to touch it, let alone hold it due to the amount of anxiety that his eyes were making me feel. It was the kind that an entire club had not been able to me feel as I was able to do this almost every night, but with him it was different. His steely gaze was making me jittery, and this thing quite impossible.As expected, it didn't take long for him to snap and then he began to yell at me asking me if I was going to dance eventually or wait till it was finally Dawn.With trembling lips I responded that I was going to dance and the
Adriana's POVMassimo hadn't been joking when he said he needed me to dance for him every damn night. At first, I had thought that he’d been joking until he literally made me do it. He was like a walking alarm clock. Everyday, the moment the clock hits eight, he would burst right into my room like someone in a hot chase, and then sit on the couch with his legs spread, giving me a very lustful look. It was the usual… it was becoming quite a ritual.Within that look, I could sense impatience, and in most cases I could also sense danger… a kind of danger that would most definitely consume me whole if I didn't get my ass up to do what he wanted. I reluctantly got up, still holding his stare. I had already worn lingerie under, so I stripped slowly, bending over to remove my pants. The pole was beginning to sicken me now that I looked at it, but I didn't have a choice. I wrapped my legs around it, sliding down the pole to the ground.My legs, most especially my inner thighs were every s
Adriana’s POVNow I understand why people in psychiatrist hospitals found it sickening to be cooped up in a room for a long period of time. The fact that it only made them crazier related to my present situation so much that I could almost imagine myself clad in their shabby garments.I could almost think that I was fast turning into a psycho because these days, my routine was basically the same. I'd wake up, sit and stare, and then begin to think of the different ways I could give Massimo a painful but slow death. I only get food if he's in a good mood, and if he's in the best of moods, I get to eat twice.Right now, he was in my room and it seemed like he was in a good mood today. In fact, he had been in a good mood for most of the week as he hadn't even made me dance for him since the week began; moreover his look was different.It was less scornful and it was lighter. He simply sat and watched me from the couch, with a wine glass in his hands and a very heavy look in his eyes.
Adriana’s POVThe only thing I could hear aside from myself thinking was the incessant sound of the wall clock ticking. If I said I wasn't cold, that would be a lie. I was cold as fuck, but I didn't think I'd be able to stand up to get under the duvet or even find something to protect me from the harsh weather. Ever since last night, after Massimo had fired the gun and I had been thrown into this room, I had fallen to the floor and that was where I remained even till now. The tears that had dripped from my eyes continued slipping out even after hours and now I could swear that my eyes were already puffy and red even though I couldn’t see them. The silence that dwelled with me that night was sickening and the darkness… was something else altogether. I was so scared, scared of the dark and scared of Massimo that now he had slowly become an object of my nightmares.I was scared of what he would do to me. If he had been able to kill Jack without a second thought, Jack who had worked w
Adriana sat quietly on the bed, staring between the debtor who was speaking too fast, and Massimo, whose grin was just too wide, wondering about what they were talking about that had gotten them so excited.The doctor shook Massimo’s hand again, for what felt like the hundredth time before walking away with his briefcase clutched tightly in his hands.It was until after he had walked out that Adriana found her voice, and with a force, she croaked out;“What is happening? Why’s the doctor so excited?”The last thing she could remember was having a head-splitting headache. The one that had weakened her and made her faint, and now, seeing Massimo so happy as soon as she opened her eyes made it all so confusing.“I am talking to you, Massimo!” She exclaimed, causing Massimo to stop. He gently sat close to her on the bed, draped his arm around her shoulder, and with that grin still plastered across his face, he said to her;“You’re pregnant.”At first, Adriana was very sure she didn’t hear
Amy’s POVWith my plane tickets in my hand, I dragged my heavy suitcase through the airport terminal, and at the same time, ducking to prevent myself from being seen by one of my many enemies.It’s been three weeks since I killed Caden and made away with Adriana’s money, and ever since then, I’ve been literally watching my shadow.Everyone and everything seemed to creep me out, even the sound of random songs playing on the radio. I couldn’t help but think that I was being watched, and that was why I decided to leave the country.One of the reasons I decided to leave the country though was because I knew that the police were street me for killing Caden and taking part in a kidnap scheme. They also wanted to arrest me for theft and I couldn’t let that happen.Adriana’s money had been long deposited in one of my accounts, and now, all I needed was to get my sorry ass out of this country before I got caught.Bouncing down the extremely clean walkway, I arrived at the check-in desk but as
Massimo’s POVI slowly pried my eyes open and smiled when I was met with Adriana’s pretty sleeping face. She slept soundly and for the first time since I knew her, she didn’t care if she was stark naked or not.It’s been a few days since Caden’s death and even as Jamie and her twin sister, Jannie served jail terms, Amy was still nowhere to be found,l.It was as if she had disappeared off the surface of the earth with my money, and even as the police had set out search parties for her, placing them in several points around the city, none had been able to come up with information concerning Amy; it was alarming.My train of thought was suddenly disrupted when my phone screen came on, and a text notification popped up on the screen. I groaned in frustration when I discovered that the interruption was none other than Jessica and I frowned as I thought about what she might want now.Picking up the phone, I clicked on the message she had sent after I had finished reading through it, and I f
Adriana‘s POVAs soon as I tried to run, I was immediately tackled to the ground by four lunatics who suddenly realized I was some sort of trophy that could be transported from one place to the other just for them to make money off me.In desperation, I screamed out for help but it was nowhere to be found. I thrashed violently in their hold, wanting to free myself but there was no way I could stand the chance against four people who seemed as though they were high on steroids.“Let me go! Let go of me, you psychopaths!” I yelled out fearfully, whilst praying that Massimo would walk in at this moment, and just as I did, I saw him drive in with a sleek Rolls Royce, moving as though he was a madman.At first, Caden seemed so shocked that Massimo had driven in that he stood frozen to a spot. Even Jamie was suddenly unmoving; it shocked me that one person had this much hold on them.“Let her go!” He growled, causing Jannie and Amy, the two people who still held on to me, to move away fright
Adriana’s POVI arrived at the scene about five minutes before the stipulated time, and even though Caden was nowhere to be found yet, I still couldn’t help but feel like something was terribly wrong.The place was eerily silent and so was my head. It was as if my mind had suddenly gone blank and I couldn’t conjure up even a single thought.Seizing this opportunity, I picked up my phone, and quickly sent a text to Massimo even though I wasn’t sure he wanted to talk to me yet, that is after taking a picture of the secluded place and then putting it on silent before tossing it under one of the chairs where it wouldn’t be easily seen by Caden.I bit my fingernails as I waited for Caden. Time moved torturously slow and every moment felt like I was waiting for years. Just when I was already beginning to think about going back home, a black sleek car pulled over and immediately, Caden stepped out.“Hey, you!” He called out almost too cheerfully but as soon as he saw the look of disdain tha
Adriana’s POV“Did you… did you just say you’re Massimo’s cousin?!” I stuttered with widened eyes. It was unbelievable!As if to further surprise me, he nonchalantly nodded his head at me, smiled in a way that seemed a little sheepish, and muttered; “I am, and I wasn’t lying when I said so.”Something about the way he talked made me suddenly begin to feel suspicious about him. I couldn’t help but remember that I had also felt this way about him during the first few days we met.He had this thing about him, this silent pride. One that made you know that he was a servant in this house but at the same time, you just knew that you couldn’t talk to him the way you talked to other servants.That pride he had was the only thing that stopped me from disbelieving him, so I rolled my eyes as I looked away.Suddenly, I remembered that Caden was somewhere waiting for me. He was probably pissed right now, and with I’m not this thought in mind, I snapped; “I don’t care if you’re Massimo’s father
Caden’s POVMy eyes widened in shock when I checked Anastasia’s pulse only to notice that it wasn’t moving at all! She wasn’t breathing and no matter what I did to resuscitate her, it wasn’t working!“Shit!” I cussed aloud, feeling fear begin to seep into my mind. I couldn’t call Amy for help now, especially when Anastasia had died during intercourse. I mean, how was I supposed to explain to her that I had killed a girl I’d been drilling when Lu called to tell me about Massimo without her flipping out?It was impossible!With a new kind of desperation settling at the back of my mind, I picked up my phone and called the first person that came to mind. Now, I didn’t care about getting money from Adriana anymore, all I cared about was hiding this crime in the best possible way.“Hello, Caden?” His deep baritone voice called out, momentarily startling me. It was Lu, and he seemed genuinely surprised that I was calling him back only a few seconds after our first call.“I need a favor!” I
Caden’s POV“Arrgh damn!” I moaned under my breath as I leaned back, watching Anastasia, a girl I had cast my sights on for a long time now, ride me. She groaned in pain when I smacked her ass but despite this, she didn’t stop. One thing I loved about her though was her endurance and her wildness… She was one of those few humans who could be pushed to the wall but would never retaliate.Again, I smacked her ass, smiling when she bit into her lips, drawing blood, and with a new fierce determined look in her eyes, she began bouncing on my throbbing manhood, whilst throwing her head back.The room was hot and smelled terrible. It smelled like tobacco and swear, with a mixture of bodily fluids and alcohol… and something else that I couldn’t quite place, something that smelled damp.Lying on my back made the smell even more difficult to bear. I felt suffocated and nauseated at the same time…if that was even possible; and if not for the fact that she was so good at what she was doing, I wo
Massimo’s POV“Are you suddenly deaf, Mr Grey?!” Lux barked at me, causing a few of his minions around us to burst into laughter, and even as insulting as that sounded, I still couldn’t find it in me to be mad.Right now, all I could think of was Dylan, my younger cousin who at this moment was standing behind me, putting up a brave front.I liked how he seemed fearless. I mean, it was in our family lineage to be domineering but at the same time, I knew that Dylan was faking it. From up here, I could notice the tiny insignificant stuff that no one else could; I could see how his hands shook almost unnoticeably and how his eyebrows twitched now and then. I’ve known this motherfvcker for quite a while now, he’s suffered some of my bullying and teasing, and so I knew that right now, he was petrified.“And who are you?!” Lux barked, shifting his attention from me to Dylan and immediately, I felt a sense of fear pass through me, and when Dylan wouldn’t speak, he added; “Massimo, are you