OWNED BY THE DEVIL'S HEIR

THE TRUTH

"I quickly grabbed my clothes and headed for the closet, I simply wore a two-piece pajamas, rolled my hair into a bonnet and stepped into the room."

"He sat on the bed, calm and composed like nothing had happened, like he didn't just see me naked, that alone made me more defensive, I didn't sit immediately, I just stood there arms folded, looking at him and deciding if I should confront him or ignore him, then he looked up my way......"

"Hello wife, sit. He said with an annoying smirk."

"God help me not to stab this man, I hated it but I had to obey regardless, so I sat. There was a moment of silence, before I finally asked the question that had been left unanswered for the longest time....."

"Why me, Lucien?"

"For a medical student, you miss obvious things, tell me you don't remember......... Anyways I'll give you the benefit of the doubt...... Do you remember pulling a man out of water a year ago?"

That was me, you didn't have to, but you did, I would have died that day if you came a few minutes late"

"At first the details were blurry, but then they connected, I acted out of impulse. I was rushing home that evening, it was already pretty late, I couldn't wait for the heavy rain to stop anymore, and all of a sudden I saw an object submerged in the river, on a closer look I realised it was a car and then a body was almost drowning close to it. I quickly dialled 911 then ran into the pool, dragged out the body and initiated CPR, removing layers of his clothes, starting chest compressions and then rescue breaths when that alone wasn't working, then I replied......."

"Yeah I remember, it's been so long ago, and that was what any decent human being would have done"

"Yeah, but that's not all I could remember, when I woke up all I could remember was your face, your voice and most especially those lips of yours, the feel of them on mine as you gave me breath, so I decided to track you down."

"I did so without a name or anything to identify you at all, so it was basically impossible, but then I saw you this morning and it clicked, so I had my people in tech check you out, I knew you lived close, so they tracked down the owners of every building in the corner and their tenants till your face came up then they ran a background check on you, that was when I realised your mom was hospitalised in my facility and you were owing, so I saw leverage.

"I knew you'd give in no other way......"

"Honestly, that was just CPR, not fate. You don't spend a whole year chasing someone over that, and given that you were nearly unconscious, how could you remember my face so well?...."

"Well I have a photographic memory, that's the only reason I can survive my line of business."

"Can I ask you something?"

"If you must, go on."

"What happened that day, how did you get there in the first place?.... I don't think you were supposed to be there."

"You ask so many questions amore mio and I won't be answering all."

"There was a moment of silence between us for a while, but it felt much more peaceful than earlier, I might even say I was enjoying it a bit, but I had to ask........."

"Since we are married, what happens now, what changes between us........"

"He didn't respond immediately, he studied me like he was weighing what to say. He shifted closer towards me, closing up almost all the space between us, his move wasn't fast or slow, it felt deliberate, and the shortened distance made me much more aware of his presence and the heat of his body, the change in the atmosphere of the room was too quick, it made my heart race, even though I tried to ignore it...."

"As my wife, I expect you to play the role."

"Role? I don't get it..... what role?"

"That was when something changed in his expression, it became more focused...."

"I want you, Ashley."

"I was speechless, my jaw dropped open. There wasn't any hesitation in his tone or choice of words, or in the way he looked at me, he pulled closer, completely closing up the distance between us. He raised his hands to my chin, grabbing it softly as he leaned in.... I was flushed, it threw me off balance."

"I want you, but I won't take what you don't give me, at least not until you want me to. You will come to me on your own, it's just a matter of time, but I'm not a very patient man anyway, so don't expect me to make it easy for you to resist me."

"Good night Ashley, I'll see you tomorrow."

"He said as he released me from his grasp, stood up and left the room."

"I woke up in the morning to Maria's call, my mom's surgery has been completed successfully and although she is still not conscious she is doing well now in the ICU, and has a 100 percent chance at a normal life now. I was really happy, so happy that I instantly walked into the bathroom to have a bath and prepare. I was going to see her, I had ordered a flower bouquet for her already and some food for them, which they will get ahead of my arrival."

"As I finished preparing, I heard a knock on my door......."

"Mrs. Alessandro, breakfast is ready, your husband says he wants you there, I'll tell him you'll be down soon, is that alright?"

"Yes, Mrs. Irene, thank you so much."

"I stepped into the dinning area and I was surprised to see a banquet, I mean, there is no wedding today, maybe I just need to get used to seeing this much food, for the while I'll be staying here."

"Hi good morning Lucien, I was told you asked for me to join you."

"Eat first, wife. Then tell me your schedule for the day, Damon will take you anywhere you need to go, you live here now so If you feel like you need to grab anything from your apartment, feel free to do so. Don't worry about your mom and your friend they will be relocated to a better apartment, they will also have access to a nanny to help out, you are free to see them whenever, but they don't get to come here without permission, okay? Now don't stand there like a statue, sit down and eat."

"Yes sir."

" I rolled my eyes and sat down."

"I just didn't understand all these crazy rules, I don't even have a say, anyways as far as my mom gets the best care I'm ok, I said to myself."

"I picked up my plate and grabbed as much as could fit into my plate, I didn't even know what most of the dishes were, but they didn't taste bad, as I ate I talked Lucien through my schedule for the day, which was my regular routine, get to classes, see my mom and then grab my things from my place when all of a sudden, I felt an itch on my throat, I just sipped water and ignored it, but it seemed to intensify....."

"My chest began to tighten, breathing was hard, I started to cough, everyone including me thought it was just me choking on my food because I was talking, but I started to feel light headed, the dizziness began to kick in, my grip on my glass of water weakened as it slipped from my hand to the floor, that drew attention as my vision blurred and my body gave in, I felt the pull of gravity , but I didn't reach the floor, Lucien grabbed the back of my head for support, as he screamed for someone to call the doctor,the look of worry was very evident on his face....."

"What is wrong, Ashley? Ashley! Keep those eyes open please, don't leave me I need you, those were the last

words I heard as I lost consciousness.