Total pages in book: 126
Estimated words: 115400 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 577(@200wpm)___ 462(@250wpm)___ 385(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 115400 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 577(@200wpm)___ 462(@250wpm)___ 385(@300wpm)
I swallow hard, unable to make even a single noise as my chest heaves with unease.
Did he just say DeLorenzo? As in the DeLorenzo Mafia family?
Oh fuck. I’m in bigger trouble than I thought.
I watch as he finally walks away, taking big strides to the door. He reaches for the handle, turning it just an inch before looking back at me, and while he doesn’t say a word, the venom in his glare is enough of a warning to get his message across.
One word from me, and my life will become a living hell.
He finally leaves, plunging my room into silence, and before the door has even closed behind him, heavy sobs tear from deep in my chest. I bail out of my bed, my stomach clenching with unease, and within seconds, I’m hanging my head over the toilet, throwing up what little resides in the pit of my stomach.
He’s right. I got lucky today, but what about tomorrow or the day after that? A man like that doesn’t simply accept defeat. He will be back, and when he does, I’ll be ready for him.
11
CHIARA
Sitting at the kitchen island, I watch as Krista busily prepares a late lunch for Killian’s business meeting this afternoon. I’ve been here for a little over a week, and so far, it’s not as bad as I thought. I think.
Those first few days after Sergiu—which I’ve now learned is his name—visited me in my bedroom, I turned into a recluse. I didn’t know how to feel about it or how to navigate it. My thighs were bruised, and one look from Killian would have told him exactly what he needed to know—that someone had put their hands on me, and I wasn’t ready for that conversation. I believe every word that Sergiu said, that he will return with a vengeance if I breathe even a single word of what happened in my bedroom that morning.
I’ve lived the last week in fear of his return, but as I’ve crept through the mansion, searching around every corner, I’ve seen no sight of him. Krista has mentioned in passing that he’s here quite often, which turned my blood to ice.
In those days when my bruises healed, I told Killian I was unwell, and with his busy schedule, he didn’t bother to question me on it. Instead, he simply ordered Krista to make me soup and check in on me every few hours. I think she knows something went down, and I’m grateful that she hasn’t attempted to bring it up. Hell, I can’t help but wonder if her bringing me breakfast that morning now was a planned move on her part. I’d like to think it was, that she had a part in saving me from the ugliness of Sergiu’s abuse, and because of that, I’ve allowed myself to become closer to her over the past week.
She truly is wonderful, and judging by the way she speaks of Killian and her loyalty toward him, I can’t help but wonder if he truly is a good man beneath all of that darkness. I haven’t dared to tell anyone that I know his name or what he does for a living. If I’m honest with myself, I think I’m too scared to even entertain that conversation. Plus, it’s not information he has yet volunteered to me directly, and until then, I’ll be keeping my mouth shut.
He’s visited me a few times over the past week, and I hate how much I’ve enjoyed those visits. Some were physical, but other times he simply came and sat at the table with me and shared a meal. He watches me a lot. Every time he silently walks into a room, I feel him before I see him. My skin always prickles with goosebumps, and the weight of his delicious stare makes something flutter deep within me.
I think I like him, but it’s so much more than just a physical need for him. I want to please him, want to be the only woman who holds his attention, and perhaps that’s wrong of me, but I can’t seem to turn it off. There’s a raw electricity that pulses between us, and I’m quickly becoming addicted to it. Though I won’t lie, one comment Sergiu made has me concerned.
A DeLorenzo heir.
Is that why I’m here? Does Killian expect me to give him a child? I really hope not. I’m way too young for that shit. I’m not ready to be someone’s mom. When I was out there in the real world, I could barely keep myself alive, let alone someone else.
“Where’d you go?” Krista asks as she searches through her cupboards and pulls out a cheese grater. “You disappeared just now. Is there something on your mind?”
I scoff. “Understatement of the year,” I tell her. “I was claimed at an auction and brought here into this crazy world with a man who equally intrigues and terrifies me, so yeah, I think it’s safe to say that there’s been a lot on my mind.”