ADRIANA’S POV
IT 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 uninterested in the event that followed as everything happened so slow I was thinking it was an after effect of the slap.I was pretty sure he was studying me and was probably angry at the fact that I felt more borethen I was scared.With the man he called Marcus out and the room falling to silence ever since while Massimo smoked his cigar, I counted the hours that had passed.Truthfully, all I cared about was the fate of my mother under this tense toxic atmosphere, nothing else, I preferred her being safe and not panicking as I was certain I would survive in a tense, awkward situation alone.He had looked at my father after deciding he would be taking me and without thinking twice my father had said “You can’t have her.”I couldn't help but feel so bad, was this how much he hated me ?My gaze tried to find an expression on Massimo's face through the thick smoke that was still suspended in the air.It bore nothing as it was bare of everything emotions, it was frustrating as hell that I would be going with this man that looked like he could shoot me down anyways.I didn't want to do it in all senses but I knew it was something I had to do for safety sake , for sanity sake.He had seen the look on my face and looked at me with disgust shaking his head, shaking his hea as if to say I was putting up an act this while.My jaw ticked at the thought of everything, at least I would still be having my head right there on my body.He would be getting me easily and I felt like a commodity something that can be sold, then resold, it felt like I just fucked my self over as every dream I had prior dreamt of was going down the drain.Scam, theft – Whatever he called it, u was certain Massimo was not mad at losing his money rather he was mad about something else I couldn't quite place my fingers around.The first thing he made note of was what happens if I breached the contract, with the way he spoke u was certain he meant everything he had said but looking at him so calm and all I was starting to think he was not capable of such evil he threatened to possess.Salvatore puffed on his cigar while looking at me, I could imagine he was picturing a girl like me naked and dancing as I saw a smirk crawling up his face , he was fucking checking me out.I couldn't deal with the situation, as the rest of the family were away in their room locked in I guess.I was worried about my mother and had raiaed the concern earlier but then he had dobe the kindest thing I had seen from him when he assigned one of his men to watch over her personally.I couldn't help but wonder how it was going to be,u was still not sure how long I was going to be with him but it was not something I liked very much as a matter of fact I hated the whole thought of it."Can I get a cup of water at least." I begged…he studied me for a minute before putting his hands all up.It looked like he didn't trust me leaving how much more when we got married and all.I stared at him with indifference, and uncertainty wondering if he would have someone going with me to the toilet as well.I’d thought a lot about this situation, and could see I was at the receiving end if it all. Already he was not getting the money back from the hospital and that exactly was what I would be going with him for.He was a jackass and by he I meant my step father, I was aware that he could easily pay the money and I wouldn't have to do any of this but it was a way of getting rid of me.Perhaps it would have been different if I had let him go all incest on me, maybe he would have paid as he wouldn't want anyone getting any of this.What I had wanted was to leave this fucking house it was what I wanted the most …It was also my vice. I wanted it, but I couldn’t let myself have it because of my mother.Now I felt it being forced on me and imposed. Nonetheless, now that I knew she would be safe, perhaps I could get excuses to go see her once in a while.Something like impatiens spread through his veins. I could see Marcus was running late and he was not liking it a bit.For a while I had this initiative that perhaps all this would go away if the contract was not brought in.I watched him closely. I bet after all he was just a lonely man like those that came to the club after all, or why else would he be needing a deal like this.Why else?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
Massimo’s POVMy hands shook violently as I held the wine glass and tried to take a sip. It was so bad that a few droplets splattered on my fingers and on the table, drawing the attention of a few of my boys to me but I quickly shrugged it off and desperately tried to ignore their curious stares. I shook my head in confusion, wondering what was happening to me but no matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t help but think that this was all Adriana’s fault. She was the reason I was like this as I just couldn't get my mind off her. The fact that she had planned with Jack to escape from me angered me. She needed to understand that she was mine and I wasn't going to let her go. That Jack of a guy infuriated me too but thankfully I had been in a good mood, else that bullet would have definitely landed in his skull and not in my sofa.I wasn’t sure why but I had decided not to kill him for some reason, and so I had just preferred to lock him up in one of my cells until I had come