001: Eye of the storm

"Damn it!" I yelled across the marketplace as I ran along it. That was so typical for me! Again and again I rushed from one place to the next and only for my job, which was therefore also quite stressful. The culmination of it all was the fact that after the ordeal of showing up at the agencies on time, I still had to smile nicely for the camera. Or whatever.

Right, I was nothing more than a model. Quite a respectable one, if I may say so myself. Please don't judge me as a conceited bitch who only cares about looks. I like to groom myself and I always get compliments. So I can't be that bad, and besides, I have true friends who don't just like me for the little fame I get from modeling. They like me for what I am: a completely normal young woman who is like everyone else. I also finance my studies with modelling, but maybe more on that later.

It wasn't that far to the agency, I only had to walk this one kilometer. Why did I prefer to walk instead of driving the car? Quite simply, I lived less than three kilometers from the agency. Besides, the weather was far too wonderful to sit in such a big tin can. The temperatures were already over ten degrees, even though it was only the beginning of March.

I looked at the clock and swore out loud again. It was just after one in the afternoon and I had to be there by half past one! Oh damn! Giulia, I reminded myself, if you keep it up, your modeling career will eventually go down the drain! She would either way, but faster than I could think if I kept rushing so much.

Only through this quiet place and then I wouldn't have far anymore, but I stopped briefly. Somehow I felt slightly funny. I felt like someone was following me. I turned around, but there was nobody there. I had almost left the marketplace behind me. Turn left after the fountain and I was in the beautiful park. "Is that someone?" I asked loudly, but only the light wind answered me.

You're paranoid Lia, it shot through my head and I had to laugh at my own stupidity. What just got into me again was that I seriously believed that I wasn't alone! I went on calmly. I should rather worry about the shooting that was going to take place soon and I couldn't afford to be scared or anything like that.

I was certainly a strong woman, I had no doubts about that. When I compared myself to Krystal, my good friend and the wife of my best friend Titian, I had clear advantages. I really liked Krys, but when it came to strength, she was still pretty insecure, even with Tizi helping her. The two were the perfect couple anyway.

It was just too cute how Titian kept asking me for advice just to understand this once stubborn girl. I giggled happily to myself. In the end everything had taken its course and what belonged together came together. I was really happy for both of them. But I would also like to have someone who would take care of me so touchingly. Unfortunately, I found it very difficult to trust other people. It wasn't as bad for me as it was for Krystal.

I inhaled sharply as it was so damn fresh. Almost like a small child, I danced around the fountain at the end of the market square. My goodness, I wasn't acting like a twenty-six year old at all! So what did that matter? I had fun with my life and could be proud of myself.

It was only me who had built something up as a model. Nevertheless, I fulfilled my parents' ardent wish to study medicine. Well, I wasn't too keen on it at first, but now that I thought about it, it was the right thing to do.

Actually, Riccardo and Cecilia - my father and my mother - were quite relaxed, but as far as the studies were concerned, they gave me almost no other choice. And finally that with Titian. They still resented us a bit, but finally they realized that he and I were just friends. I knew that.

It occurred to me right away that I could visit her sometime. I was very attached to Florence, my homeland. The weather was much better there than here in gloomy Germany. But here were the best prerequisites for a career in medicine and since I had gotten such damn good grades in Italy, my parents sent me here.

Hardly anything was difficult for me, I even spoke German very well. After all, would have been stupid if I had refused to learn the language of the country in which I wanted to continue my education. Again a cheerful laugh escaped me. Yes, I've had some minor roof damage, but I've dealt with it.

In any case, despite the matter of my studies and Titian, I had a wonderful relationship with my parents. That was very important to me personally. I loved Rico and Lia more than anything in this world. Also, I was their only child, so I had to take care of my parents as well. They ended up doing the same to me.

I stopped abruptly. Again I felt like someone was following me. I was already as good as in the nearby park! Yes, exactly in the park where Tizian and Krystal met and probably also fell in love. Really creepy that I turned around here of all places again in panic.

You've almost made it, I thought and tried to run faster. The faster I ran, the sooner I got there. Very easily. Too bad I didn't have to decide that. Within a few seconds, something darted out from behind me, pulling me with it. It was a man, I could tell that much in the panic that suddenly overcame me.

I tried desperately to tear myself away from him, but I knew he wouldn't let me for the world. Now that he had me. "Let go of me right now you pervert!" I screamed hysterically and started thrashing. If that was possible at all. I still had no idea who was trying to kidnap me.

We stumbled deeper and deeper into the park, right up to the statue. The man stopped and turned around. My pupils dilated drastically. Could it really be? "Yes... Yes...?" I started stammering, but the man said, visibly unimpressed: "Exactly. Jakob Di Izmir”. "What... what do you want from me?" I asked, stuttering, glad that I was gradually finding my voice again.

Also, he really scared me. Involuntarily I had to think of that time and took a few steps back. He answered smugly with a counter-question: “What will I want from you, Giulia?”. I then opened my brown eyes wide. "You don't want that, you don't really want me here...?" I breathed in a trance without saying the last word.

My counterpart seemed to show an emotion for the first time. His eyes twitched, but only very slightly, and before I could take a closer look at him to make sure it was real, he looked at me calmly again. Then he wanted to know with extreme indifference: “You really mean that I want to rape you? Oh please Julia. Eventually you'll be begging to let me fuck you."

After these words, I gasped and sat down on the edge of the statue. I didn't know why I didn't run away. "You know my name," I murmured to myself, hoping it was the only thing he knew about me. "Of course," said Jakob without batting an eyelid. God, this conversation was already anything but great.

My counterpart looked at me expectantly, which I could not understand. "Why are you staring at me like that?" I asked, to which he replied, "Because sooner or later you're going to come crawling up to me. Just like all women." "Don't you think that's a little childish? We're adults, not teenagers anymore!” I snapped at his stupid behavior.

But Jakob only had a cheeky laugh for me. "Thanks for the compliment, baby. Only at twenty-two I'm enjoying my life and not starting a family like my dear half-brother does,” he remarked condescendingly. That made me angry. He made me angry.

No wonder I scowled at him. Then I say pointedly: “Yes, you can really tell that you are only in your early twenties. Unlike you, Titian is a very polite and warm-hearted person who doesn’t only think about sex, you wannabe Casanova!”. Slowly but surely I was really losing my patience, I could tell that already. This little child's head should be forbidden!

Then something else occurred to me. "What was that kiss about?" I demanded angrily, before he could even reply, sounding like a police officer cross-examining the suspect. In doing so he had brought me into great distress. "Did you like it baby? I felt it exactly how the kiss went down to the tips of your toes,” Jakob said casually.

Damn it, I thought, how does he know that? Yes, he was right. Even with both. He was a damn good kisser! I still hadn't been able to forget that silly kiss. After all, I had been nothing more than his guinea pig. But why he was stalking me was beyond me.

Suddenly Jakob was damn close to me. Too close. I instinctively wanted to free myself, but stupidly he cut off my escape routes. “It's only a matter of time before you too fall for me! You are like every woman. You like it when we guys court you like a trophy don't you? But that's not how it works for me! I'll get my fun whenever I want," he whispered weakly.

Again I almost burst the collar. “You are absolutely insane! I don't need validation from anyone, let alone you!” I yelled at him. "Judging by your reaction, yes," he remarked monotonously. "Pah," I snapped, "I'm one of the best models of my time, I certainly don't need that!". After my words Jakob laughed.

The man said mockingly, almost dangerously: “Oh no? But I see things differently, baby. Precisely because you are a model, you need this attention”. "No," I insisted, a tad lower, and swallowed hard. Was I really like that? I'd been so damn sure it was just some kind of hobby for me.

The more I thought about it, the more I faltered. What if he was right? "You see. That's where it starts, you're pondering," I heard Jakob say. Oh, I thought, die of your arrogance and wanted to go further, but he stopped me. Naturally.

He pushed me against the statue so that I bumped into the edge where I had been sitting before, startled. What would happen now? "So what is it now? Are you coming with me now?” he asked me, whereupon I blinked at him in irritation. Annoyed, he said: "Well, push a number with me". This nasty guy just wouldn't give up. Wait a minute, he would regret that!

In a sweet voice I squeaked, “It's really sweet how confident you are in yourself. But please find a stupid woman your age. You are truly out of my league”. I grinned at him to underline my words. Unfortunately, he didn't seem to like that because his eyes suddenly narrowed. Oh oh, that wasn't good at all.

Jakob approached me even more, although I thought that was no longer possible and hissed: "Take that back immediately, you bastard!". "No," I stuck to what I said earlier. That only made him angrier. His otherwise so beautiful green eyes - yes, you really had to give him that! - shimmered extremely angry.

However, he quickly grabbed my wrists without taking his eyes off me. What the hell was that? I stared at it in amazement, but then cried out in pain. "Oh, did I grab it too hard? Well, I'm sorry," Jakob teased so condescendingly that I could have freaked out again. Unfortunately, my situation did not allow me to do that.

But I didn't let my mouth be forbidden. "Listen, you wannabe Casanova, just let me go and I'll be fine!" I demanded of him, looking into his eyes again. These flashed with amusement. "And what if I don't want to?" he asked me. "Then I'll have to raid the whole park with deafening screams, willy-nilly," I replied.

The next moment Jakob laughed smugly. "What was so funny about that?" I immediately asked cynically. He would certainly not get me down, yes! The corners of his mouth were still twitching as he moved his lips closer to me. He didn't want to...?

Just before he could kiss me, the man stopped. Right in front of me he said: "One day it will be you who wants to kiss me". "Certainly not," I replied, exceedingly lame. I didn't like this closeness at all. "Oh yes, that's a promise," Jakob whispered to me and still didn't move.

Didn't he want to go anymore? I panicked, as I often do when someone gets too close. Especially if it was a man. Damn Giulia, I thought, you're not sixteen anymore! It's been so long, I barked at myself, taking deep breaths in and out.

Reassurance, that was exactly what was announced now. But my counterpart saw it very differently. "I'll get you into bed!" he whispered menacingly. "No, I'm not a cheap hussy," I defended myself. Not that I thought Krystal was like that, but women who fell for such an arrogant guy were easy to get in my opinion.

Jacob's eyes changed again. There even seemed to be a storm raging inside them, which made me even more restless. "And you're going to be one of them!" he suddenly yelled at me, causing me to jump in shock. Why couldn't he just leave me alone? He scared me. Such fear.

Stay strong, I admonished myself and said in a firm voice, “Forget it! How many times do I have to tell you that? I'm not a parrot!". That only irritated him more, which I shouldn't have done. Jakob freaked out and pushed me against the statue with brute force. When I started screaming, he put his hands around my neck and squeezed. Would I survive that?