4

I was lying when I said I liked someone else's pasta more than his. Silas cooked food like nobody else ever did. But infuriating this new version of Silas Kingsley had its own fun and satisfaction. But who knew this newfound possessiveness inside him might burn me? 

"I am actually curious to know who managed to charm you so much that you decided to give their cooking a chance. Because the Bella Murphy I know doesn't trust anyone with her taste buds. Except one. Me." Silas said, his midnight eyes aching my entire existence in his eyes. 

It was cruel for me to see how deep his eyes were. It was hard for me to look into them and not drown. And the more I drowned in his eyes, the more I realized that I never really swam out of them. 

"There's something called restaurants, diners, cafes, food courts, and food joints, Mr. Kingsley. And their chefs cook food more delicious than you can ever cook. So keep your jealousy inside yourself, and serve me some food." I said, rubbing my palms together. He rolled his eyes but turned the stove off and removed two plates from the cabinet. 

"Oh, so you're hungry now?" He asked me again, and I glared at him again. 

"Silas." 

"Bella." He mimicked me in a high-pitched tone, serving the food he made in two different plates and bowls. 

"You know, Silas, you might have become a Mafia Boss now but you're still the same! Irritating and childish." I couldn't help the jibe that escaped my mouth without any filter. 

Silas was quick to take offense. He placed the plates down and held my wrist, pulling me close. My eyes widened when he trailed his fingers down my cheeks and neck. 

"Silas! What the hell is wrong with you?" I cried out in shock and pushed him away. My heart was pounding at the familiar warm touch that left my body shivering every single time. 

"Just being childish, you see. And irritating." He said, smiling innocently at me. And I closed my eyes and buried my face in my palms. 

"What? Didn't you like the childish and irritating me? I am heartbroken, Bella. You broke my heart." Silas said, and I let out a scream which got muffled as I was still burying my face in my palms. 

"Silas, I swear to God, if you won't shut your mouth now then you will be on the cover page of the newspapers tomorrow." I said, lowering my palms to look at him with a sickly sweet smile. 

"And what made you think that I am not on the cover page of the newspapers now?" He asked me, arching his eyebrows up, and pressing his lips in a thin line. 

"I think you don't know how famous I am, Bella. You don't know how fast the newspaper gets sold when I am on the cover page of newspapers. I am the face of fame, sweetheart. By the way, why would I be in the newspapers tomorrow?" He asked me after he was done boasting about himself, about how famous he is. 

"I don't know much about the circulation of newspapers, Mr. Kingsley, but I can guarantee you that after beating you up for infuriating me so much, the newspapers will make a fortune of money." I said, and Silas' eyes widened slightly. 

"Pardon me?" 

"Exactly. Pardon yourself and let me eat. I am starving. And you won't make fun of me, do you get me?" I said and amusement lurked in his midnight gaze. 

"When have I ever disobeyed you, Miss Murphy? I might be the boss of many, but you're the boss of me, aren't you?" Silas asked me, and my heart warmed inside me as soon as he said I was his Boss. 

But I know how charming Silas normally is. He has a way with words. He has said something very similar to me before he broke up with me. 

Swallowing back the lump that formed in my throat, I took the plates from his hand and sat down on the chair, placing the plates on the dining table before digging in. 

Pain filled my chest, making it hard for me to even retort back. I remember the day Silas told me how much he loved me, how I was everything to him. And not even two days later, everything changed. Two days later I was nothing but a burden for him. Two days later he was no longer interested in me. 

Was he back to playing his game? 

Is he bored again? 

The question scared me even to blanch me. My fingers turned numb, icy cold and my heartbeat increased in fear. 

"Bella." Silas whispered, looking at me with a concerned gaze. He no longer looked playful. The sliver of concern was making my fear way too real. 

"Are you okay?" Silas asked me, making me eat pasta hastily, putting too much of it in my mouth to keep myself from answering it. 

In my attempt to ignore Silas, I choked on the pasta, coughing loudly. I heard Silas cursing behind me as he quickly filled a glass with water and rushed to me, making me drink it carefully. 

"The hell is wrong with you? Will you choke on your food just to avoid me? You're ready to hurt yourself so that you don't have to answer me? Is this how much you hate me?" Silas asked me angrily. 

For the first time since we met, I witnessed the anger in his eyes. The way they were glaring at me, freezing me on the spot, and staring at me in ways that made me mute was scary. His usually soft voice had an edge when he looked at me, looking ready to explode like a volcano. 

"I don't hate you." I whispered angrily, and Silas scoffed in answer. 

"Really? Then why were you hurting yourself?" He asked me angrily, his voice sharp like a blade, ready to slit my soul into half. 

"I was not hurting myself, Silas. I was saving myself. There's a difference you won't clearly understand." I hissed angrily, and he stared at me in disbelief. 

"By choking on the pasta?" He asked me again, his voice getting lower and lower, scarier than ever, and I looked away from him.

But he was Silas Kingsley, the most dangerous man in our country, and he was not done yet. He gripped my jaw and forced me to look back at him. 

"Look at me when I am talking to you!" Silas sounded like a predator, he even looked like one. His eyes were red from what looked like anger and felt helpless. 

"And why would I do that?" I asked him in disbelief and Silas closed his eyes and took a deep breath before looking at me. 

"Of course, you won't. You're scared that I might sense your lies before you can even brew them." His words left me speechless. No matter how much I tried to come back with a retort, I didn't know what to answer. 

"I have never lied to you." I said calmly, and he looked at me with a scrutinizing gaze. 

"Really? You have never lied to me, right? Then tell me why are you here? You said you missed your hometown but the news your father printed for you doesn't seem to support your lies. Did you run away from your father?" He asked me, taking a step to me, and my mouth went dry. 

This was not how I wanted our conversation to go. This was not where I wanted our conversation to head. 

"Don't butt your nose in my business." I spat with as much venom as I could find inside my heart. 

As expected, Silas' eyes turned dark with anger. His jaw clenched as he grinded his teeth in rage. Feeling the anger I never witnessed before, I took a step back but he didn't mind me. He was crossing the distance with a determined and hard gaze. 

"Did your father hurt you in any way, Bella?" He asked me, disregarding my harsh words, not paying any heed to my hostility towards him. 

"I said it's none of your business why I suddenly decided to come here. And it's certainly not your business why my father gave that advertisement. Mind your business, go find a new man to kill or abuse. Isn't that what you have grown up to be? A goon?" I said, and I knew how much I stooped low to make him hate me. 

"So you think I am a goon?" Silas asked me, smiling cruelly at me. No matter how much he smiled, I saw it in his eyes. 

My words hurt him. 

"My bad, you're a sophisticated goon! You're a mob boss. Right, Sir?" I asked him sarcastically, and he licked his lips, letting out a humorless chuckle that made me shiver. 

"If you think you can divert my mind by insulting me, then you're highly mistaken and very delusional, Bella. Trust me, if that petty excuse of father did anything to hurt you, he won't survive to see another sunrise." He promised me, and my eyes widened in panic. 

"You will do no such thing, Silas! I am serious. If you hurt my father, I swear, I will never see your face in my life ever." I lied. I freaking lied to keep him away Ethan, but Silas knew me inside out in ways that left me scared. 

"You do as you please, Bella, and I will do what pleases me. We'll see who wins in the end."