Chapter Six

Snuggling into the bedsheets, I took a gulp of the scent of the pillow, burying my face into it. The bedspread smelt so good, I could detect notes of freshly cut wood and crisp, cool air. I took more in greedily.

There was a hint of leather and musk, but its not too heavy. It was a warm and comforting aroma, like a cozy hug from a loved one.

I sighed, enjoying my moments of bliss and escape from reality.

Mornings have never felt this blissful.

Ah.

Alarm bells rang in my head.

Wait, my bedsheets didn't smell like this. I shot up from the bed suddenly, taking notes of my surroundings. I wasn't in my room. I began to suddenly panic.

I've been kidnapped. Or worse.

"Aren't you attractive in the morning?"

My eyes shot towards the wall where Noah was leaning on, looking a bit amused at my current state. my hair was sticking out in every direction and I looked really frantic.

I had no idea how I missed him standing there. he wasn't particularly hard not to notice. His larger than life attitude announces his presence most of the time.

That means this was his room! I began to panic once again, checking to see If I was clothed beneath the sheets.

Who knew what the pervert was capable of?

I was clad in a tank top and some basketball shots. I sighed again, still a virgin. I think. I didn't feel sore so everything seemed intact.

Wait, these aren't my clothes!

My throat hurt as I tried to speak, reminders of yesterday's events. Noah gestured to the bed stand, a glass of water and some aspirin laying In wait for me, along with some pancakes and orange juice.

"You pervert. Where are my clothes?" I said, trying to the best of my ability to show my irritation.

He scoffed, the amused look leaving his face as he looked me over slowly.

"I undressed you."

Holy shit.

I felt my face redden as I swallowed a bite of pancake. Nice.

"What?"

"I undressed you Eliana. I really liked it but that dress looked awfully tight. And i was able to do what I wanted to do since i saw you in it. So it was a win win."

I dropped the tray beside me to look at him properly.

"Oh my God. You asshole! I was fine in that dress." I couldn’t believe he saw me in my underwear. Thankfully I wore the new pair. But he had no right.

Damn, anything to see me naked huh?

"If you were so desperate to see me naked, you could have just asked." I smiled.

"Don't get your panties in a twist," He stretched to pick a pancake, his muscles relaxing. My eyes followed the movements. "It's nothing I've never seen before."

I couldn't believe how casually he was taking the situation. My face flushed with embarrassment and anger. "That doesn't make it okay," I snapped at him.

He moved towards me, placing his hands on either side of the bed.

"Take what you get. Now to business. How did you let Shauna attack you like that?" He folded his arms, letting them bulge out.

"And how am I supposed to know your former love interest is a wild animal? Your ex looked really decent."

He raised a brow at me. "Ex? She's not my type. I like mine with curves. She attempted to kill you, and you just took it like a punching bag."

I rolled my eyes at his exaggeration. "It wasn't that bad."

"She left claw marks on your neck. It was that bad. You need to learn how to stand up for yourself. Otherwise you might end up much worse than you did last night."

I bristled at his condescending tone. "I can handle myself, thank you."

"Suit yourself," he shrugged, his expression turning serious. "But please, try to have an edge. I dont want to fight your battles for you and I certainly dont want people thinking Im getting married to a weakling."

"I am not a weakling." I gritted out.

"I didn't think of you as a weakling. Given your father's reputation, I expected a little more edge. I guess its only reserved for me."

"I am nothing like my father."

He chuckled at my response. "I know. You're much better looking," he said, his eyes glinting with amusement.

I felt a mix of anger and embarrassment at his words.

"I'm not a weakling," I snapped back. "And I don't need you to fight my battles for me. I can handle myself just fine."

"Like you did last night." He quipped.

I glared at him, feeling a surge of frustration. "Last night was a one-time thing," I said firmly. "And I had no idea i was dealing with an animal. You have a questinable taste in women. "

"Again, not my ex. We only had sex a couple of times."

"She didn't seem to think so." Poor animal, that Shauna. Fighting for someone who didn't even regard her.

"Not my problem, it was just sex."

The reason I never wanted to have something to do with men, but life never went my way.

His eyes flickered to the almost finished pancakes beside me. "You sure seem to enjoy those pancakes."

I shrugged. "I was hungry. Didn't really have a choice."

"Hmhm. So no gratitude for making your ungrateful ass breakfast?"

I paused, midway through my juice.

I cleared throat. "Thank you for breakfast."

"You're welcome. Don't want you dying because I didn't feed you."

I scrunched up my face. "In that case, thanks for nothing."

He softly laughed. Maybe he wasn't that bad. Sure he was an overbearing asshole, but a part of him seems nice. He saved me from Shauna and brought me breakfast.

No no nope. He was holding me hostage. A monster. A beast.

Wait, does that make me Belle?

Belle and the beast fell in love at the end. My face reddened at the thought.

I could never fall for such a cocky and entitled rich but really handsome and sexy asshole?

Did I just call him sexy? Dammit, what's wrong with you Eliana?

I calmed my racing mind, bring myself back to the present.

"What did you even do to her?" I asked, the question had been plaguing my mind.

His eyes turned cold. "I took care of it."

I raised an eyebrow at the strange reply.

"What did you mean by that?"

He hesitated for a moment, as if considering whether to answer my question. Finally, he spoke, his voice low and measured.

"Let's just say I have a certain way of handling things." he said cryptically.

I stared at him, feeling a mix of curiosity and unease. "What kind of way?"

He shook his head, his expression guarded. "It's not important. What's important is that Shauna won't be bothering you again."

That sounded like a good deal but I frowned, feeling uneasy about the whole situation. "I don't like the sound of that. What did you do to her?"

He gave me a hard look. "I said it's not important. Trust me, you don't want to know."

I opened my mouth to argue, but he cut me off. "Look, I had to do what I had to do. Besides, I don't like people messing with my property."

My frustration grew at his possessive language. "I'm not your property," I said firmly. "And I don't need you to solve my problems for me. I can take care of myself."

He moved to me, holding my chin in his hand. I tried to move but he was firm, eyes boring into mine.

"You are my property. I own you. You are not different from the couch, just more expensive."

I was right, I could never fall for such an asshole! He compared me to furniture.

The nerve of this man.

I struggled to remove his hand but he wouldn't budge.

"Let me go Noah. You don't own me. You can't own a person."

He let go of my chin, letting out a humourless laugh.

"In this world, you can. I understand if you aren't used to this, but at a snap of my fingers, I can own your entire family. That's how money works, Cherie."

As monstrous as that sounded, he was right. Rich people ran this world. We were just living in it.

"You are an asshole."

"That's getting really familiar. Although i could never get tired of seeing that ass, I'm getting tired of the owner. Leave my room." I wasn't able to retort, the ass comment making the tip of my ears turn red.

"Oh, keep the clothes, they look better on you anyways."

He walked me to the door, leading me out.

"One more thing, I liked the pair. How did you know I liked red?"

What could he be talking about? Oh!

My face reddened as he shut the door. Note to self: burn every red underwear I own.

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