Lost (Beautiful Beast I)

Chapter-8

~I want you, and the thought of anyone else having you is a knife twisting in my dark soul~ 

Christian Grey or E. L. James

Leia

Later in the evening, Irina returned from her meeting, too tired to do anything but finish her dinner and hit the bed. Meanwhile, Sophia and I spent the rest of time talking about her education and how she wants to became a best lawyer. Around half past ten, Nicholas arrived with a man whom I saw last night but didn't officially meet.

'You were too busy eyeing Lantsov so I didn't want to interrupt' He said, smirking at me.

The name sent a shiver down my spine. Couldn't he say He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named? I'd gladly prefer that.

'I'm sorry' I replied.

'No harm done. I'm Aron, Sophia's older brother' He shook my hand firmly.

'He meant Aron The Milk Lover' Sophia said, standing beside me..

Aron groaned and rolled his eyes at his sister who had a mischievous smile dancing on her lips.

'Milk lover?' I asked.

'Don't listen to her, she's a meanie' Aron said, giving her a mock stare.

'Let's see what she got to say once she hears the story behind that title of yours' Sophia said.

'You can save my embarrassment for tonight as it's the first time I'm meeting since she came here and I want the first impression to be best' Aron said reluctantly with embarrassment in his eyes.

'Yeah, another day for that story' I said, saving Aron from whatever that was all about.

Sophia stuck out her tongue to her brother before leaving us.

'Nicholas told about how he helped you and everything' Aron stared with a nervous look on his face 'I'm truly sorry'

'I'm glad Nicholas helped me' I said.

'You see, Stark business is-

'Women and drugs, got it' I too shed his sentences. He ran his hand through his locks and didn't look me in the eye.

'I see you know better than I thought' He said 'But the story you built up to get Nick's help, well, that s**t was fat' He chuckled.

I couldn't help but giggle at that.

'I'm truly sorry. I feared he might hand me over to them' I said.

'Yeah, I get it. Nick got it too. Anyone in your shoes would have done that' he said 'But truly speaking in a good manner, if I was your boyfriend, I would have feared anyone kidnapping such a beauty like you'

I blushed at his words, though it shouldn't have had that effect on me.

A smile and Aron returned the smile before walking to the dinning hall. I gave a quick glance at them. Nick already eating as Sophia filled his plate more and Aron settled in his seat.

I walked back to my room with the memory of my Dad and I watching golf as we ate dinner together as a family almost every night.

* * *

Another boring day came by with me and Sophia doing nothing in the huge house.

It's the third day being here in an unknown house and it just seems to get awkward day by day. The maids look at me as if I shouldn't be here, it ain't my place to be, and whenever Sophia and Irina talk something or anything, I sit like a dumb doll, not knowing.

Sophia shared some of her clothes and even bought me two pairs of undergarments without even consulting me! To say, I was embarrassed is an understatement.

Sophia, who is mannerly in everything that she does didn't think it was something to be embarrassed of. When I asked her to imagine the plates to be reversed, she just laughed on it.

From the time Sophia showed me the piano, I can't stop myself from walking towards the room. It takes everything in me not to enter in there and play again and again and again. I would even spend the whole day in there and wouldn't be bored.

I was desperately waiting for her to ask me play again since she really loved it yesterday but my bad, she didn't.

Irina spent some time with me in noon, mostly questioning how I manage to live alone. It was too difficult for me to keep up the lie and as I answered all her questions, the lies just kept piling up and stood like a mountain in my mind. When I saw her not stopping with her questioning round, I had to come up with another lie that I have a headache and excused myself.

I truly feel bad about lying but what can I do? I can't tell these people that my father dear sold me to that dreadful place and after seeing He-I-Don't-Want-To-Name, I don't think it's better a idea to tell the facts and lay my guard down.

The sudden shouting and laughing made me jump out of the bed and run down.

The voice was Aaron's and some other men. When I reached down, I saw three men wearing black suits, their attention driven my Irina who was smiling and talking to them.

Sophia is no where to be seen. One of the men is Aron, for sure and while I was waiting for the other two men to turn around, the car came to stop at the entrance of the door.

'That must be Nick' Aron said and excused himself.

He gave a soft smile when he saw me standing on the last stair.

'You don't want those two men to look at you, trust me' He said, and went away to Nick, who didn't even look at me and walked straight to the men.

Curiosity is pricking aside but I also don't want to intrude and embarrass myself. I walked up the stairs, till I was sure they can't see and heard the conversation. It was mostly bullshit, so walked back to my room.

The talks and laughter continued for another few more minutes and I finally heard none. I decided to look through the balcony and what I saw, took my breath away.

The two men are none other than Stark and Rob.

I watched dumbfounded as Nick hugged Stark. Irina got into the backseat with Stark and Rob behind the wheel before he took off.

I felt anger rising up and I don't even know why. I rushed out of my room, to the den and both of them stopped talking at the sight of me.

Nicholas eyes are glued to me just like mine are to his.

'What was that?' my voice came out to ruder than I expected.

Nicholas eyebrows scrunched in disappointment but he remained standing without answering me.

'I did tell you' Aron chuckled 'that you don't want them to see you'

I ignored Aron 'I believe you've not answered my question yet' I spoke in the same way he spoke to me when he first saw in that parking lot.

I saw his expression turn into anger but nevertheless, he remained quiet.

'I don't think you should be the one questioning here' Aron said as a matter of fact, gaining my attention this time.

'And why's that?' I folded my arms in front 'Those two men are nothing but horrible. If I'm in this situation it's totally because of them' I fired at Aron, my fury unleashing.

'Stark is family, Rose' Aron said, taking a step forward to me.

'Family?' I scoffed 'That man who sells women for a living is family to you?' I asked, truly ridiculed about it.

'What he does is not your problem. Stay out of it' Aron defended.

I looked at him with utmost shook. Is this guy even serious?

'You-

'This is my house and I get to decide who comes and goes' Nicholas spoke for the first time.

'Of, course. Of, course you do but that scoundrel-

'I've heard enough, Rose' Nicholas spoke with authority which made me shut up at once but the dagger like stare of mine remained penetrating into his eyes.

'You live under my roof, eat my food and sleep on my bed until they stop looking for you. That was the deal. I don't see where you added that you have the authority to question about anything in this family' Nicholas voice was rude and it did hurt to hear those words from him.

I tried to talk but words didn't seem to come out as I stood rooted to my spot and watched him taking small strides towards me.

'You are in this situation, not because of them, because of your stupid father' he said, making my eyes go wider than soccer ball. I felt my courage lowering and took a step back. He took another step forward.

'My family people sell other women for a living, not their own' his voice was soft but it was so loud to my ears.

I kept taking steps back while he covered them all, slowly. His dark eyes were so dominating and I felt my throat constricting, not letting the words come out.

'Cat caught your tongue, Rose?' His voice was mocking but his expression is still hard and cold as ice.

'Do you want me to remind why your father sold you?' He asked, taking another step forward.

'N-No, don't, please' my voice was a mere whisper and I desperately begged him with my eyes to not to say those words.

I don't want to listen to them again.

Before I could another step back, Nicholas gripped my upper arm and pulled me to his hard chest. I gasped at the sudden action and my hands automatically landed on him.

His deep, light cologne hit my nostrils. He bent lower until his minty breath was fanning my ear.

'Stark told me everything. Tell me, do you want to hear your father's final words again...Leia?'

I gasped in horror and looked at him in utter lost of words. His lips twitched slightly and he gave me his signature smirk.

'Leia, such a beautiful name' He said too softly 'You thought you can cook up stories and I'll believe every word you say? They saw you sitting next to me in the passenger seat and opened the gate for me to leave because they knew better than to stop me. Stark called me when we reached home and filled my cup about you'

His every word left me breathless and surprised. My shoulders slumped and I felt his other hand snaking my waist, making my body go rigid all over again.

Even through the layers of cloth, I felt his heat radiating into me. With his mesmerizing eyes focused solely on me, I found it extremely hard to look away.

'Talk, Leia. I want to hear your voice' He said, which took my breathe. Again.

'N-Nicholas, I'm sorry' I said.

'You must be'

'I was...I was not thinking straight and I just wanted to get away from there, that's why I lied. And then after coming here, I knew it was temporary and I feared you might send me back there again which made me lie again. You were in that place that night and I just wanted to get far from there' I said.

'Any girl in my place would have done that' I added when he didn't reply.

'Any girl in your place would have been caught. There's no chance she would have escaped that place. It's highly impossible' he said.

'Not if you would have helped her just like you helped me' I said, staring into his dark eyes that is sparkling with an emotion I couldn't decipher.

He smiled gently, something he never did before. The hand holding my upper arm came to my flushed cheek and he started to caress it with his calloused knuckles.

'Sweetheart, I only helped because it was you and not anyone else' He said.

I felt the heat creep from my neck to my flushed face. I don't know what he's doing to me and why my body is reacting to his every word.