THE DON'S COLLATERAL BEAUTY

Chapter 4

Alejandro's pov

She didn't cry.

That was the first thing I noticed as we drove away from the Morales house , leaving behind the cheap lies and scent of desperation of her adopted family. Gabriella was now quiet,not a tear, just silence and stillness, like she'd accepted her fate long before the word was spoken.

I leaned back in the leather seat, watching her from every corner of my eyes. Her delicate frame seemed even smaller, tucked into the corner, like she was trying to disappear. She looked out the window, but I doubted if she saw anything. Her life has changed, she has been sold like a property. To me.

Antonio didn't say a word as he drove, knowing better than to break the silence in moments like this. I didn't need to chatter or talk, rather I needed to think. The girl was different. Innocent and pure, too pure for someone like me. Yet, here she was, mine now. Not because I wanted a toy or mistress, or a damsel to rescue. No, she was a debt in flesh and blood. An offering from cowards who couldn't handle their dues, and yet something about her worries me. She wasn't screaming, she wasn't bargaining , she wasn't even angry. That made her dangerous.

When we pulled up to the estate, the guards opened the gates. The headlights washed over the grand face of my home, the steel, glass, cold, impenetrable just like me. I stepped out first and waited by the car. Tonio opened her door and Gabriella stepped out, slowly, unsure, as her eye took in the towering building ahead of her. “ This is your new home”, I said flatly, “Get used to it”.

She didn't speak, she just nodded, her lips parted still frozen. I hated that I was still watching her, wondering what was going behind those freighted eyes. Most women begged,clung, plotted

But she did none of that, and maybe that was the reason I could not stop thinking about her. I led her inside, not bothering to carry her things, after all, she didn't have much , just a tattered backpack.

The house staff lined the hallway, they were trained not to react, but I saw it in their eyes, curiosity, concern, pity. One look from me, silenced it all. She was no guest, she was a transaction.

Gabriella followed me up the stairs, I opened the door to the guest room,but paused, the idea of her staying far from me seemed wrong . No. I wanted her close, where I could watch her. Control her. I turned and led her further down the hall, into the room next to mine. “ This is where you'll stay”, I said, “Don't try to run. Don't touch anything that isn't yours and if you disobey me..”, I went close to her and whispered to her, “there'll be consequences”, she shivered.

She finally spoke, “ What.. What do you want from me?”, It wasn't fear that laced her throat, it was confusion, and that struck a nerve I didn't know I had.

“ Everything”, I said, “ And nothing, that depends on you”, she didn't understand, I didn't either. I left her there standing in the room like a proclene doll. She was breakable, she was fragile, but I had this feeling, that she would surprise me. And I wasn't sure if I was ready for that.

Back in my room,I poured a glass of whiskey and stared out the window, the firelight dancing on the glass. She was here, under my roof, under my control. And yet, somehow I felt like I just handled her to match my soul. I sat down in the leather chair, unable to shake the ghost of her eyes from my mind. They weren't pleading or terrified like most, but like someone who had learned to suffer in silence. I wonder what she has been through. That bothered me more than it should.

Have dealt with debtors, enemies who tried to slit my throat in my sleep. But that's s girl?She worries me more than all of them combined.

A soft knock on the door broke my thought, “Boss”, Antonio's voice, what, I answered, “ She's locked in, Room's secured, do you need anything?”no, leave us. He hesitated, then nodded

When the silence returned, I stood up and walked back to her door. I didn't open it, I just stood there listening.

“ Nothing”

That silence again. I hated it, I needed to know what she was thinking, what she was planning. Because no matter how innocent she looked, no one came out of the fire without lear

ning how to burn.