Chapter 16

LEILA

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I spoke with my mother for a few Minutes before Matteo came in, of course I’d sworn my obedience, the words feeling like ash in my mouth.

 I had to explain to her that was I was off to somewhere safe before she actually let me go.

The journey back to the house felt strangely nice, a very weird ache in my chest knowing I had seen her even in that state was a small comfort.

My obedience.  It hits me as a reminder.

We got back to the house as I felt the shift and slow  moving of the car making me jump up, my eyes opens realizing I must have drifted off, a moment of unconsciousness.

“Dinner by nine. It’s already late, and a phone will be sent over to you. You’ll use that to communicate with me and one  drastic turn, and I shoot your brain out.”

He didn’t give me any time to process his words, any room to breathe. He simply jumped out of the car and left, the heavy door thudding shut behind him.

A small smile crept onto my lips.

At least now getting a phone would keep me busy, a small thread of connection to the outside world.

 I wouldn’t get to do anything, not really, but I could view videos, maybe even read, just like I always did in those stolen moments between shifts. I had tons of novels waiting for me on different platforms, stories that offered a brief escape from the harsh reality of my life.

I smiled to myself, a genuine smile this time, as I reached for the car door, opening it before Matteo could even round the vehicle.

“You look good.”

My eyes widened in surprise.

 Matteo had never spoken to me before, not a single word. So why the sudden acknowledgment? But he wasn’t looking at me, his gaze fixed on the ground.

I stood in front of him, waiting, but he continued to stare downwards.

He finally seemed to notice I wasn’t leaving and raised his head.

He looked dangerously handsome in his usual stoic way, his dark eye intense but it still didn’t beat the raw magnetism of the Alvaros, that dark killer look that both terrified and I hated to admit intrigued me.

 “How did you end up here?”A genuine curiosity overriding my fear for a split second.

He gave me a small, almost imperceptible smirk before moving forward to get back into the driver’s seat, presumably to park the car properly.

“Same way of debt,” his small lips moved in sync with his eyes devoid of emotion and he jammed the gearshift facing forward and zoomed off to park.

“Oh,” I murmured, my exclamation barely audible, meant only for myself.

I moved towards my room, the familiar sense of unease settling back in, closing the door immediately as I placed my back against the cool wood of the door and slid down it until my butt hit the floor, feeling exhausted like I had carried a tank earlier today but just that instant, a knock is heard.

I turned towards the door, as if I could somehow see the person standing on the other side from where I was sitting. The knock came again, louder this time, more insistent.

With a sigh, I jumped up and opened the door, just a crack, a habit I’d developed over the years, a small sliver of caution in a world that had taught me to expect the worst.

He stood there, Matteo, holding a neatly folded pile of clothes and a small, rectangular box I tried looking  at his face.

He wasn’t smiling, his expression as unreadable as ever.

Matteo seemed like someone whose only purpose was to follow orders, I couldn’t shake the feeling that beneath that stoic exterior, there might be a possibility of friendship, the both of us being friends for a longer period.

 If I would be living long enough to find out, that is.

I scoffed softly to myself, pushing the morbid thought away as I took the clothes and the box from him.

“Thank you,” gave a curt nod, his eyes still not meeting mine, before turning and leaving.

I stepped back into the room, my mind already racing, wondering what might be inside the box as  Damien’s words about a phone echoed in my head.

I practically jumped as I threw the clothes onto the bed, not even bothering to see what they looked like as my focus was entirely on the box.

I  opened it, my breath catching in my throat as I revealed a sleek, brand new smartphone, still sealed in its neat packaging.

A small gasp escaped my lips, and I quickly clapped a hand over my mouth, remembering Damien’s threat.

I walked over to my bed and carefully placed the phone on the nightstand, my fingers itching to touch it again, it feels like it was burning my hand, and I could tell its from my over excitement.

I finally picked it up, my thumbs hovering over the screen before I tentatively tapped it, the display lighting up with a vibrant glow.

I went straight to the app store, my fingers flying across the screen as I downloaded the apps I used to escape into other worlds well my e-reader, a few social media platforms I rarely used, and a couple of mindless games.

Then, I looked at the phone again, turning it over in my hands, admiring its smooth, cool surface, a  phone I’d always dreamed of owning, now mine, courtesy of the devil himself.

I glanced at the digital clock on the screen, my eyes widening in surprise.

He’d said dinner by nine, and it was already past eight.

I practically jumped into the  bathroom, shedding the dress in a hurry, allowing the warm water from the shower to flow over my body, cleansing my skin, washing off the grime and the lingering feeling of being used.

I went back into the room, drying myself quickly with a fluffy towel.