The Coldwell

Protecting Her

Vanessa moved to the apartment that same day. She loved her mother and grandmother, but she felt so good to be away from them, from their constant surveillance.

She played soft music and sat on a chair on the apartment's terrace. At that hour, the city lights seemed to pale in comparison to the beautiful starry sky. Everything was peaceful and quiet at that moment.

The terrace connected with the one from the neighboring apartment. An attractive man came out at that moment, and Vane only saw his broad back as he seemed to gaze at the sky.

"It can't be, I must be hallucinating. This chocolate must be tampered with."

She observed the cup she held in her hands carefully. When she turned to look at the man again, he was gone.

"I'm telling you, it was a hallucination. Dante Damasco has no reason to be here. I need to consume less chocolate."

Dante had returned inside the apartment; he had seen her perfectly.

Meanwhile, Katrina was having dinner with Evenus. At first glance, the man seemed charming and pleasant.

"It's been a while since I had such a good evening. Thanks for this."

“Thank you for inviting me, especially because I know you're a very busy man, and you've made time to invite me. I hope your wife won't misunderstand; this is only because you offered to help me.”

“I don't think she cares at all. She's more concerned with getting the latest models from all brands to flaunt them in society.”

Katrina internally smiled, realizing they were quickly moving to the next stage, where the man uses the excuse of his wife's coldness and lack of interest to generate a sense of understanding in the woman he wants to conquer.

It was typical of these types of men to seek justification in their lies to not feel too guilty about what they were doing, and of course, Katrina intended to take advantage of that moment.

“I truly apologize; I didn't think things with your wife were like that. With such a charming husband, it's logical to think you'd be her top priority.”

Evenus made a kind of pout, then lowered his gaze to make the theater he was creating more convincing.

“Well, you see, that's my sad reality, a reality I have to live with every day. To my wife, I'm the last on her list. She's a very cold woman, and I feel really lonely, lacking companionship.”

Katrina couldn't believe so much hypocrisy. Due to her previous investigation, she knew the woman went out of her way for her husband; it was he who always used work as an excuse not to spend time with her.

Evenus's wife was a spoiled and pampered girl due to her upbringing, but that didn't justify the behavior of the jerk she had as a husband.

The girl extended her hand to touch Evenus's cheek as a show of empathy for what he was supposedly going through.

“I'm really sorry; it's not fair for a man like you to be going through this. You need a woman by your side who loves you, cares for you, and is willing to put everything aside.”

Evenus brought his face closer to hers, and when he was about to kiss her, Katrina immediately pulled back. The man clenched his jaw, dying to taste those full lips.

“I'm sorry; it was an impulse. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable.” He lied, seeing that the face of the now red-haired woman had turned serious.

“I think you've misunderstood things.”

“It won't happen again, not without your consent, I assure you.”

“I hope so. I wouldn't want our friendship to end just as it begins.”

Evenus cursed internally; he wanted to caress Angelina's smooth skin, but apparently, he would have to wait to do so. He had thought he was going to achieve it that night.

The next day, at Damasco Corporation, Dante arrived very early; the employees hadn't arrived yet. Vanessa arrived minutes later. The first thing she did was bring coffee to her boss, ignoring what he had ordered her not to do—bring him coffee he hadn't ordered.

Vanessa gently knocked on the door, and Dante immediately instructed her to come in.

“Go ahead.” Vanessa entered immediately.

“I brought you some coffee, sir. It's very early, and I thought you might like it.”

“Thank you, leave it on the desk.”

“Are you engaged or married?” Dante was direct, curious to know who the man accompanying her was.

“Neither, sir.” Vanessa found the question a bit odd.

“Alright, you may go.” Dante deduced that the man was likely her lover.

The day passed like any other. Dante had some meetings, and Vanessa accompanied him in each of them. Business matters bored her, but she had to pretend to pay attention to what was happening.

At the end of the day, Vanessa said goodbye to the secretary who left a bit earlier than her. The floor was empty, and Vanessa noticed that Dante was still in the office, the light still on.

She grabbed her bag to head towards the elevator and go down to the underground parking where she left her car. Upon exiting the elevator, she felt someone grab her arm forcefully.

In a matter of seconds, she found herself pressed against the wall and in strong arms.

“Hello, beautiful. Missed me?” In front of her, she saw Mr. Ferrat's face, Dante's partner.

“I thought of waiting for you. The other day, your boss interrupted us. How about we go somewhere else to have a good time?”

“No, I think you've misunderstood. Please, let go of me. It's late, and I have to go home.” Vanessa felt a shiver run through her body, realizing the man had alcoholic breath.

“Accept spending a good time with me, and I'll pay you well. Girls like you accept anything for good pay.”

“Well, you've made a mistake with me, so let me go.” Summoning her strength, Vanessa tried to push him away.

“Shh, shh, shh, calm down. Don't play hard to get. I know you want it too.”

The man tried to kiss her, and Vanessa raised her hand, digging her nails into the scumbag's face.

“Damn cat, how dare you damage my face? Now, I'll teach you to respect me.”

Ferrat delivered a strong blow to Vanessa's face, and the poor girl started trembling.

“Since you don't want to accompany me, I think this place is ideal to get what I came for.”

Vanessa thought the man would achieve his purpose when she felt him forcefully thrust his hand between her legs. She closed her eyes, wanting to scream, but tears and the terror she was feeling prevented her.

Suddenly, she heard a loud thud. Opening her eyes, she saw Ferrat on the ground.

“You scumbag, son of a b****, by what right do you come here to disrespect one of my employees.”

“You don't have to get involved; this girl is outside her working hours. Besides, I don't understand why you're acting outraged when you've taken all your employees. What's the difference?”

“The difference is that I haven't forced them.” Dante approached and delivered a strong kick to the man's abdomen, eliciting a loud groan of pain.

Dante immediately called the guards, who arrived promptly.

“This is the damn way you're keeping watch. I'll settle scores with you later. Hand this man over to the authorities. And you, Miss Sanders, I'll accompany you to testify against this bastard. Retrieve the recording of this moment, send it to my phone; I'll submit it to the authorities.”

“You'll pay for this, Damasco. I assure you; what you're doing won't go unpunished.”

“Of course not, my dear Ferrat. I'll make sure you're received in prison as you deserve. The law of retaliation is a good resource to make men like you pay for what they've done.”

“You wouldn't dare.”

“Certainly, and I assure you I'll enjoy doing it.”

When the guards took Ferrat away, Dante approached Vane. The poor girl still stood with her back against the wall, terrified, completely immobile.

“Come on, I'll accompany you to the station for your statement.”

Dante shook his head as he observed Vane's eye, which was beginning to swell and had taken on a somewhat strange color.

“They'll have to check to file the corresponding report. We can't allow that man to roam the streets freely.”

Vanessa nodded slightly, and Dante took her arm to guide her to his car. Carefully, he fastened her seatbelt, then got in to drive to the police station.

They were attended to quickly; after all, Dante was someone very important. Nevertheless, the process was cumbersome. Vane had to endure a medical examination, fortunately conducted by a female doctor, which made the experience somewhat less embarrassing.

“There was no penetration, but he has still hurt you a bit. You'll feel irritation for a few days, nothing that a good ointment can't resolve. I'll also give you something to reduce the swelling in your eye.” By that time, Vane's eye was too swollen from the strong blow; it looked closed.

“Thank you.”

“You can get dressed now. Wait in the office; I'll write my report. After that, you can leave. You've already given your statement, and Mr. Damasco has submitted the recording; it's enough evidence to proceed with charges against that man.”

Vane got dressed and returned to the office, where Dante was waiting for her. He offered her a hot tea.

“Take it; it will help you relax. Is there any family you want to call?”

“I have no one, at least not in the city.” She answered, avoiding eye contact to prevent him from realizing she was lying.

“I'll accompany you home.”

“Thank you.”

Shortly afterward, they left the police station. Vane found it strange that Dante drove straight to the apartment building. She hadn't given him the address, so she deduced that he was indeed the man she had seen on the terrace. Had he seen Darius?

Vane drew several conclusions; maybe that's why he had asked in the office if she was married or engaged. She sighed heavily; her body ached due to the tension of the terrible moment. She wished she could be with her grandmother and her brother right now.

Dante behaved very gallantly with her. He helped her out of the car, then accompanied her to her apartment.

“If you allow me to come in, I'll stay for a while, at least until you calm down. You could get some rest.”

“Thank you.” The truth was she didn't want to be alone; she was still too nervous.

Upon entering, Dante saw that the apartment was decorated with exquisite taste. It was evident that everything there was expensive.

“Nice apartment.”

“Thanks. It was my ex-boyfriend's; he got another one. We reached an agreement, and I'll be paying him off.” Vane said this in case he had seen her with Darius.

Dante pondered; that must have been the man who accompanied her the day before.

Vane reclined on the couch and soon fell asleep. Dante entered the room to find a blanket and cover her.

He watched her sleep; Vanessa Sanders was a very beautiful girl, and he couldn't understand what the hell she was doing in this place. Why did he suddenly feel an enormous need to protect her?