CHAPTER THREE: A NEW BEGINNING
1426 Words
The gilded cage, once a symbol of luxury, was now her prison. He watched her from the shadows, a dangerous fascination growing with each passing day. The scent of expensive cologne and stale cigarette smoke clung to the air, a stark contrast to the floral perfume she preferred. His eyes, a dangerous shade of green, held a captivating intensity that both terrified and he hoped, intrigued her.
Seconds jumped to days, and days flew into almost a week since he brought her into his house. She was out of sight for the first two days.
His shipments had landed without itch, his warehouse filled to the brim with cash, and his girls came in whenever he needed them. Everything was going great. So why did he feel like something was amiss?
Carol looked after her, whatever Lara needed, he tasked Carol to provide.
He knew what time she bathed, what hand she ate with and how she preferred her eggs. Just yesterday, he learnt what time she woke up. He would be darned not to know everything, especially after the recent events, he left no stone unturned.
This was new. Like an alarm bell banging in his head, he sprung from his chair in the study and hid behind the curtains, ready to feed his eyes with her innocent body.
Twelve steps exactly. A pause, and back she went, into her room.
Dressed in a flowing white gown today, she lit his eyes. Again.
Eight. His lips counted each step she took.
From a distance, an aggressive shrill ring cut through the quiet, stealing his thoughts.
Darn. He cursed under his breath, a low growl rumbling in his throat. The damned phone, always interrupting at the worst moment. With a frustrated yank, he jerked the heavy velvet curtains closed, plunging the room into darkness. The world outside, with its tantalizing glimpses of her, was abruptly shut out.
He combed through the clumsy desk, a whirlwind of papers and there it was, he picked the ring. His eyes reeled memories of her. That was all he had left of her, slipping it into his chest pocket.
Finally, he found the damned thing, a sleek black device with a cracked screen. Twenty two voice messages and seventy nine missed calls. He tried to swipe up like the device suggested, but he was met with a passcode. The phone seemed to mock his frustration.
His sleek, leather shoes, neglected their usual grace for a war thump. With a mix of irritation and anticipation, he marched towards Lara’s room. The guards failed to look ahead, his figure out of that particular room and towards Lara’s was too surreal to overlook.
Like a perfect drift in a car race, he turned a sharp corner, and pushed the door open.
Carol jerked up on instinct, her pupils dilated, “Lord Davide,” her voice caught in her throat, “Did you call for me?”
Davide ignored the voice of Carol.
As he approached Lara, the sight of her, bathed in the soft glow of the lamplight, it stirred something deep within him. Her vulnerability, her fear, and her quiet strength were both a potent mixture that both fascinated and terrified him.
He cleared his throat, staring deep through her eyes into her soul, “Here,” he stretched his arm to hand her the phone.
Lara jumped at the chance, an electric spark pushing through her body as their hands brushed.
“Two minutes,” Davide turned to Carol, “After then, bring her to the dining.”
The door closed behind him. His expensive cologne clung to the room, a feel that part of him was still present.
Lara bellowed into the phone, “Hello!” She held the phone to her ear dearly as if to prevent her new born from falling off. It had been a long time she had the opportunity of this luxury.
“Hello?” She whispered, the caller at the other end reluctant to speak. “Cara?” A tear dropped, burning her cheek. She sniffed in, trying to stay strong. If it was indeed her sister, she needed to be strong for her.
“Lara?” Grace’s voice broke through static noise. “Are you there? Lara?”
“Yes, yes, I am here Grace. I can hear you. I am so sorry for everything, I don’t know how to explain this, this is so difficult for me,” Lara carefully rolled her eyes to catch a glimpse of Carol. She didn’t know what would get her in trouble, but Carol had been of immense help to her so far. She hoped she could count on her.
“What are you talking about, Lara?”
“I don’t…” Lara whimpered, the sobs overwhelming her. “Where is Cara? Is she fine? Is she safe? Can I speak with her?”
“She’s in school Lara, she is fine.”
Lara’s eyes widened in shock, a flicker of hope igniting in her heart, but the joy was quickly tempered by a wave of unease. “Wait, h—ow? What happened? How did you get the bills paid?”
Carol signaled at Lara to end the call.
Darn.
Lara spun away, her back turned at Carol. She needed this, and no one was going to take this away from her.
“What do you mean? I thought you sent him.”
“Sent who? Grace, what are you talking about?”
“He paid for the bills and her school fees. Everything she’d ever need, he paid for it all. He said…” the line broke into another static noise playing in the background.
“He said what, Grace? Grace! Who? What did he say!” Lara’s voice was a flush of worry.
The phone slipped out of her hand, bouncing off the mattress. Her face was dead, pale with horror and worry. Her core shook, vibrating at the consequences of the actions of a man she called father. She needed to get out of this mess. Some way. Somehow.
Her voice was robotic, “Let’s go to dinner.”
Her walk to the dining was long. She almost tripped herself twice. Carol was on hand to save her both times. Finally, she found herself in the large room. She walked over to the other end of the table, from Davide.
Why was everywhere excessively built?
Davide’s cutlery clinked against his plate as he sliced through his steak, “This is not two minutes,” he threw the piece of meat into his mouth.
Carol opened her mouth to speak…
“Thank you,” Lara overtook her.
“You haven’t even eaten the food,” Davide said to Lara, his head down.
“Not the food,” Lara whispered, “My sister,” she took the cutlery in her hands.
Davide’s fingers froze over his plate.
“I don’t know what you are talking about,” his voice was cold.
“Grace said—”
Lara’s eyes were a dead stare, the table vibrated from the shock of Davide’s fist bang. Lara needed no more to stay quiet.
The silence that ensued was thick, almost suffocating. She struggled to cut through her food, her appetite blunt rather than her knife.
“Why?” She broke the silence, her voice audible and firm, “Why me?”
He sighed, “You know why.”
“No. Why didn’t you kill me?”
“Then how will I get my money?”
“You are yet to get your money.”
“You will give me my money.”
“How?”
“You work for me now.”
“But I am yet to be assigned any duty.”
“f**k!” Davide roared. His gaze intense and unwavering as they bore into her. His green eyes had specs of yellow, like a flame. Her heart pounded, but something else throbbed. Something about him flicked a switch in her. She knew she shouldn’t feel this way, shouldn’t be drawn to him. A man capable of such cruelty. Yet, her heart pounded in her chest, a traitorous rhythm that betrayed her.
“Give me something to do to pay off his debts. You tell me I’m here to pay off my father’s debt yet I don’t know how. Let me pay it off, anyhow you wish, I am ready.”
Something about her words sent sensuous spikes through his body. His words were missing, and his pants throbbed. This was a new beginning. For both.
- Writer
