The Strange Man
1073 Words
Oh, damn. Just my luck," I muttered as I slowly turned to face him.
Think, Emilia. Think fast.
"I—uh, I mean—I was just going to ask a hotel attendant for a change of clothes."
Alessino watched me suspiciously, his gaze unreadable. He clearly didn’t believe me. The weight of his stare made me uneasy, and in my rush to move away from the door—to prove I wasn’t trying to escape—I completely missed the gown I had tossed on the floor earlier.
My foot got tangled in the fabric. My eyes widened. s**t.
I braced for impact, expecting to crash onto the floor. But instead, I landed on something firm and warm. Alessino.
We froze. My hands were splayed against his bare chest, my breath caught in my throat. His arms had instinctively come around me, steadying me. For a moment—just a single heartbeat—we stared at each other.
Then, as if realizing what had happened, he quickly pushed me away and sat up straight.
I scrambled back as well, my eyes darting around the room in sheer embarrassment. God, this is so humiliating.
Alessino exhaled sharply before turning to me. His voice was calm, controlled—too controlled.
"I’ll have my assistant bring us a change of clothes," he said. Then, after a brief pause, he added, "And about last night—forget it ever happened. That was a mistake that shouldn’t have happened."
His words hit me harder than I expected.
I knew it had been a drunken mistake, but still… It was my first time.
And he was brushing it off like it was nothing.
But I didn’t let my feelings show. I forced myself to nod.
Satisfied with my reaction, he turned away and reached for his phone, dialing his assistant.
Once he finished making the call, Alessino disappeared into the bathroom.
I sat there, replaying his words in my head. “Forget it ever happened.”
Why was this affecting me so much? His words had been bothering me since last night, and I hated that they did. Maybe it was because he was devilishly handsome—annoyingly so—but whatever the reason, I needed to snap out of it.
I couldn't afford to get distracted. I had to focus on saving my father, when the time comes.
A knock on the door broke me from my thoughts.
"Come in," I called out.
Alessino's assistant entered, bowing slightly before setting a bag down on the table and leaving without a word. I peeked inside and pulled out my clothes—a short, floral dress. Just as I turned, the bathroom door swung open.
And then the dress slipped from my hands.
Alessino stepped out, a towel hanging dangerously low around his waist, water still dripping from his dark hair down to his sculpted chest. His biceps flexed with every step he took, muscles shifting effortlessly under his skin.
I couldn't breathe.
Oh God, just take me now.
"You're drooling," Alessino muttered as he brushed past me.
I snapped out of my trance, heat rushing to my face. Without another word, I grabbed my dress from the floor and bolted into the bathroom.
"God, that was so embarrassing," I groaned, lightly banging my head against the door.
I took a deep breath, trying to shake off the humiliation, then quickly turned on the shower. A few minutes later, I stepped out, now dressed and slightly more composed.
As soon as I entered the room, Alessino barely glanced at me before nodding toward the table.
"Hurry up and eat your breakfast," he said.
I followed his gaze to the food tray—sandwiches and a glass of juice. The sight alone made my stomach growl loudly, and I realized just how hungry I was. Wasting no time, I sat down and dug in.
Once I finished eating, I turned to Alessino.
Noticing I was done, he stood up without a word and walked toward the door. I quickly followed behind him.
His assistant was already waiting by the hotel entrance. The moment he saw Alessino approaching, he hurried to open the car door. Alessino slid in first, and I followed, settling into the seat beside him.
As soon as the car started moving, he turned to me, his expression unreadable.
"I'll drop you home before heading to the office. But don’t do anything stupid, like trying to escape just because I’m not around. I have eyes everywhere. Is that understood?"
His voice was low, calm—but there was an unmistakable warning behind it.
"You’re my wife now, so you need to act like one."
I nodded, but inside, I was screaming.
God, does he have to remind me?
And what did he even mean by wife? I thought this was a fake marriage.
The rest of the drive home was silent, except for the faint hum of the engine. Alessino had his phone in hand, typing something, completely ignoring me.
Fine. Whatever.
I turned to the window, watching as the streets passed by. Soon, I’d be home. Or at least the place I was forced to call home for now.
But just as the car turned our street, something felt… wrong.
The first thing I noticed was the black SUV parked near the house. The second was the man standing beside it, arms crossed, watching our car like he was waiting for us.
Alessino noticed him too. His entire body tensed, and with a flick of his wrist, the driver slowed to a stop a few houses away.
My heart pounded. I didn’t recognize the man, but the look on Alessino’s face told me everything I needed to know.
He was dangerous.
Alessino’s phone buzzed. He answered, and a tense silence filled the car as he listened. Then his jaw tightened.
"Understood," he muttered, before hanging up and turning to me. His expression was unreadable, but something about it made my stomach twist.
"Change of plans," he said. "You're coming with me to the office."
My pulse spiked.
"What? Why?"
Instead of answering, he knocked on the window, signaling the driver to turn around.
"Alessino," I pressed, dread creeping into my voice. "Who is that man?"
He glanced at me, his gaze sharp.
Then, after a pause, he said something that sent a chill down my spine.
"Another person I should have killed long ago like your father"
- Writer
