Entrapped

Chapter 6.

Tiara stared at the glowing moon through the glass window that was illuminating the black sky and tears instantly built up in her eyes as the moon that was there to brighten up her dark life was dead. Her life now embodied the dark night that was eclipsed by the dark shadow of her past.

She was born here and grew up with all these people who stood silently when such an atrocious punishment was given to her. Tiara ever since had started understanding what life was, she had started to feel this emptiness inside her and she often used to wonder what it was that she lacked but never found the answer until she slowly started to realize that it was a feeling of liveliness that was missing in her.

She realized that she was bound by the shackle of expectations everyone had from her, those shackles that had kept her soul captive and had never let the feeling of liveliness touch her. She started suffocating in her own home and that home eventually turned into a house.

Tiara had been loved by everyone around her ever since she was born so she had never craved for love and affection. It was the feeling of freedom that her heart had never got to taste and thus, after her high school graduation she planned to achieve it, to taste it. She convinced everyone to let her go to England for her college though what she had never thought happened to her, she fell in love and she realized it wasn't love that held people captive. It was not love that snatched one's freedom to live his life by his own means but people.

She chose to leave her people behind and married Mason and now he was dead. Her selfishness to be with him despite knowing that he could be in danger because of her snatched his life away from him and she could never forgive herself for that.

She blamed herself for his death, if only she had maintained her distance from him, if only she had never said yes to him while he was on his knees, looking expectantly at her with all those dreams in his eyes, he would have been alive somewhere enjoying his life with that bright smile of his.

"I am sorry, Mason.'' She mumbled, her voice hoarse and broke down in tears of despair.

Meanwhile in the far corner of the Black Mansion, inside the last room of the east wing he sat indulged in his memory, reminiscing all those moments where he felt himself falling for her.

Every picture and painting in that room overwhelmed him, sorrow seemed to engulf his soul as he kept looking at that beautiful face, a face that seemed so pure to be true. The light green eyes where he had always found innocence swirling was now sparkling with hues of deception.

He closed his eyes to see that foreign spark in her innocent green eyes that now corrupted her. His heart ached in sorrow and despair. She never had any feelings for him except for the fear that his reputation had caused but now he had seen the sheer hatred in her eyes for him. He wanted to earn her love but ended up earning hatred instead and a part of him was afraid of the outcomes that hatred would bring.

His mind started to look through the stored memories of the past until it stopped on one, the one which he thought would make her heart melt a little for him; the one he thought would sway her persistent fear but later on it turned out to be a very first step of the deception.

Flashback...

"Xavier," Luca entered inside Xavier's office after knocking and saw him going through a file in his hand. He looked pissed and Luca doubted whether it would be a good time to see him.

"What is it, Luca?" Xavier's voice was filled with annoyance as he looked up from his file to Luca, "I told you not to disturb me." He looked down again, focusing on the file in his hand.

"Tiara is here," Luca started, which made Xavier's hand go still and his whole focus went on what Luca had to say as he continued, "And she requested to see you." Xavier instantly shot his head up, not believing what Luca had just said.

It startled him because Tiara was an introvert, she didn't talk much and had never visited him personally, "Send her in!" He did not waste any second and asked him to let her in, his curiosity was at peak, he wanted to know why she had decided to pay him a visit out of nowhere. His heart fluttered at the thought that she was here to meet him.

Luca nodded and went outside frowning a bit as he sensed the urgency and desperation in Xavier's voice that didn't settle well with him.

Xavier quickly looked around his office as soon as Luca left to make sure it was organized as he knew Tiara didn't like unorganized places, she was a bit of a neat freak. He ran his hand through his hair to set them back to make sure that he too looked good.

The door slowly opened and he heard her soft footsteps and looked up at her. Her long blonde hair was loose and her green eyes sparkled in contrast to her pale skin colour and hair. She was wearing a simple summer dress of white colour with flat sandals. Her face was bare without any make up except for some light peach lip colour. She walked timidly towards him, clutching her white sling bag tightly. She was gorgeous and he felt blessed to have her in his life.

Tiara hesitatingly stood behind the table across him, a part of her was crawling in fear that his presence had caused in her. She clutched the strap of her bag tightly and dared to look up at him.

She saw him dressed in a white button up shirt like usual with black pants, sleeves rolled up with a few buttons undone that revealed his perfect chest.

His hair looked messy that made him look even better and those piercing grey eyes with high cheekbones and sharp jawline made him look like no less than Adonis.

"Have a seat, Tiara" Xavier said in his deep natural voice and folded his file away giving her his full attention, his grey eyes fixed on her.

Tiara nodded meekly and sat down, fidgeting with her fingers she gulped the lump that seemed to form in her throat in the presence of this dangerous man. Xavier was famous for his anger and she had no idea how he would react after listening to what she had to say.

"How are you?" He asked, trying to start a conversation to get her out of her obvious state of nervousness.

"I am good," She mumbled slowly and after a brief pause asked him back, "And you?" She wasn't sure if she could ask that or not and it didn't matter much to her anyway. She just didn't want to be impolite.

"Just a bit stressed about work but it's alright." He tried to lighten up the atmosphere of awkwardness she seemed to engulf herself in but failed when she just nodded at his reply and looked down.

"Would you like to have something?" He questioned after a while thinking hard about how to build up a conversation with her and make her comfortable in his presence.

"No, thank you." She refused and finally raised her duck up face and looked at him but the courage soon vanished away in thin air as soon as her eyes met his. The way his grey orbs were already looking at her frail figure took away all her courage to open her mouth in front of him and she panicked under his gaze.

"Y-You must be b-busy," She abruptly stood up afraid to be alone with him because she knew what she had to say would definitely anger him, "I will come late-"

"Tiara, stop!" His dominant voice was heard loud and clear that she instantly sat down again without even protesting as she thought that she had already pissed him off.

Xavier cursed himself as soon as he heard his own voice but he couldn't help it as he was used to dominating everyone, he was supposed to be like that, a dominant man that couldn't be denied, "Make yourself comfortable, Tiara. I am not going to eat you so don't be scared, okay?" He assured her softly this time because he really wanted to know the reason behind her visit.

Tiara nodded, feeling a little relaxed that his soft voice made her feel and she again looked at him who gave her a small smile and he didn't look like a scary mafia boss to her anymore.

"Is everything alright?" Xavier was talking to her like she was a baby, he didn't want to scare her away and wanted to talk to her for as long as he could.

"Yes, everything is fine," She gave him a tight smile as she was confused by his behaviour. She had heard that he was cold and dominating but it wasn't the case at that moment. She assumed that he might be in a good mood today and that thought delighted her as it could work in her favour, "I am sorry for showing up un-"

"It's completely fine, Tiara, I don't mind. You can come anytime you want." He cut her off and smiled at her. He liked how mannered she was but did not like to prefer this formal conversation between them. They were to get married one day and he wanted her to start getting comfortable around him.

She looked at him with wide eyes and agape mouth, she didn't know he could be this sweet and why was he being like that but it wasn't her concern. She was here for something else and she knew only Xavier could help her.

"Xavier," she looked at him with hesitation but decided to ask for his help nonetheless, "I am here to make a request." She knew the chances of her request getting rejected were very high but she would still like to give it a try as she didn't want to regret later on, wondering what if.

"Yes, tell me." He was elated, this was the first time Tiara had really considered asking him for something and it made him feel like she believed that he was the person who could fulfil her wish.

"I will be graduating high school soon," She started, her tone laced with nervousness as she looked here and there, "And I would like to s-study further."

"You don't need to make a request for that Tiara. I know you would score well and you wouldn't even need my help to get into a good university." Xavier was really proud of her; she had always been a good student and he was sure she could get admission in any university without his interference.

Tiara wasn't worried about her grades, she had something else in her mind. She knew she could easily get admission in any of the top universities and she hated that she was still here to have his permission first, "Xavier," she hesitated but managed to maintain her eye contact with him, "I would like to study abroad." She meekly put out her wish in front of him.

Xavier went still, his face turning cold and his eyes narrowing down on her. "Why not here in Spain, Tiara?" She witnessed the change in his posture and it made her scared.

"Because my dream university is in England. I have worked really hard to go there." Desperation was clear in her voice, this was something she really wanted for herself.

"What did your father say?" Xavier asked, he wanted to know whether it was Tiara who thought to seek his permission or her father made her come here though he was sure that her father wouldn't have dared to say yes on his own without asking him first.

"He didn't agree." Tiara knew he was feigning obliviousness and it felt like he was intently mocking her with that question. "I thought that maybe you could convince him." There was no need to convince him because Xavier would throw orders that wouldn't be denied by anyone, that was the power he held and she was here for it only.

Xavier let out an audible sigh and shook his head at her, "You can't go anywhere, Tiara." Xavier announced and observed her stiff body with his keen gaze.

"But I want to-"

"You know the rules, Tiara. You are to marry me so that I could take over the position of the leader from my father." Something inside her ticked by his answer. She was fed up with this because first of all, it was her life and still she had to seek his permission, it was already frustrating enough for her and now that he had declined her request, she really felt immense anger building inside her along with sadness that seemed to overpower her senses.

"Why is everything about you, Xavier?" She raised her voice a little, her soft voice turned slightly harsh due to rage she felt towards him at that moment and her fear seemed to be forgotten under the influence of fury. "Our mothers made a decision to marry us off with each other years ago and ever since then that's the only thing that people want from me!" Her eyes blurred as she opened her heart in front of him for the first time.

"I couldn't only live being your betrothed and being a wife later on, Xavier. I have my own existence." Her tears started to flow out of her green eyes, "I have my dreams. I wasn't born just to marry you."

She looked at him with her teary eyes, her eyes showed the sheer helplessness in them and him being her last hope to cling onto.

"You are also betrothed to me, Xavier yet no one said anything to you when you left the country and did what you pleased, there were no restrictions for you." She said and the patience that was holding her tears back fell apart and tear drops finally kissed her cheek. "And here I am, Xavier, I asked my father's permission to go and the first thing that came to his mind was that I was your fiancé and couldn't go," Tiara cried looking at him.

"We are not even married, Xavier and yet this marriage seems to suffocate me. There is no me, everything is about you as if my only duty was to carry your last name." She confessed her sorrow, expressing every single emotion she felt about their marriage and feelings she tried to keep bottled up in her.