The Ride Into His World
989 Words
The moment the car door closed. I understood something terrifying that no one in that vehicle saw Adrian as a man they could question. Not the driver,the man sitting in the front and the man himself. The engine started without a word.
I sat stiffly on the leather seat with Adrian beside me. Too calm.
He leaned back slightly, one arm resting along the seat, his gaze fixed out the window like the chaos they should have just left meant nothing.
No one asked where to go. They already knew and that was the first thing that made me uneasy. The second was the silence. Nobody spoke,checked phones,or even turned their heads. The two men in the front stared straight ahead like a statue.
I shifted a little bit. “Are they always like this?”
“Like what?”
“I mean quite”
“Yes they are working"
I looked at the back of the driver’s head again. “Working for who?” Adrian didn't respond right away. Then he said “Me”
I exhaled slowly and turned my attention to the city passing outside the window. Late night restaurants, crowds of people laughing on the sidewalks. Just a normal life. Meanwhile I was sitting in the back of a black car with the man my step-father seemed terrified of.
“You know”. I said after a moment, “most people introduce themselves before they buy someone’s freedom”.
Adrian's gaze moved back to me. “Adrian Vieri”
The name meant nothing to me but something in a way the driver’s shoulders stiffened quietly told me it meant something to other people.
“Lia Moreno,” I said.
“I knkw”
I frowned. “ Of course you do”
I studied him carefully now. Upclose, Adrian didn't look like the criminals I had imagined. No scars, no loud arrogance, no flashy jewelry. Just a well-suited, calm eyes and a presence that made the air feel different around him.
“You still haven't answered my question,” I said.
“What question?”
“Why me?”
“ you asked that already”.
“And you avoided it anyways”.
No I didn't it
“Then answer it.”
Adrian looked outside the window again. For a moment I thought he would ignore me.Then he said quietly “You needed help”
You keep speaking like everything in the world moves because you allow it.
“thats not true"
“Really?”
“yes”
So what doesn't move because you allow it. Adrian didn't answer, instead the car moved slowly. I frowned and looked outside the window. We had left the busy downtown streets and now we drove through a quieter district lined with tall buildings and gated properties
.
“Where are we going?” I asked.
“Somewhere safe.”
“Safe from what?”
Adrian looked straight ahead. “From the men who were bidding on you tonight.”
“I could have handled them.”
“No,” he said calmly. “You couldn’t have.”
The blunt answer irritated me. “You don’t know what I can handle.”
“I know exactly what you were about to face.” His tone was quiet but there was something sharp underneath it.
The car turned into a long private driveway. Tall iron gates opened automatically before we even reached them. I stared, security cameras lined the walls with two guards standing near the entrance. Both of them straightened the second they saw the car.
The gates closed behind us. “This is your house?” I asked with curiosity written all over my face.
“Yes.”
The car stopped in front of a massive building that looked more like a private estate than a home, and more guards stood near the entrance.
None of them looked surprised to see Adrian. One of the men in front got out and opened the door for me.
“Miss.”
I hesitated and looked at Adrian. “Do you live like this every day?”
“Yes.”
“With guards,gates, and armed men.”
“It keeps things organized.” Adrian stepped out of the car then looked back at me “Are you coming?” I slowly climbed out.
The night air felt colder and quieter here. One of the guards opened the front doors immediately and we stepped inside.
The interior was just as intimidating as the outside, high ceilings, polished floors, dim lighting that made the entire place feel more like a fortress than a home. I turned slowly.
“You weren’t joking.”
“About what?”
“Walking into your world.”
Adrian removed his jacket and handed it to one of the staff members who appeared from nowhere.
“No,” he said. “I wasn’t.”
Footsteps approached from the hallway and another man appeared. Older and well dressed.
The moment he saw Adrian, he stopped and nodded
respectfully. “Boss.”
I felt the word hit the air like a dropped stone. Boss?? Not sir or Mr vieri. The man’s eyes shifted toward me Just for a second then he looked back at Adrian.
“We have a situation.” Adrian’s expression didn’t change.
“What happened?”
The man hesitated.“Victor Moreno has already started calling people.”
I almost stopped breathing.
“Calling who? Adrian’s gaze hardened slightly.
“And?” The man lowered his voice. “He’s telling them you stole something that belongs to him.”
A pause then Adrian’s attention slowly shifted back to me.
His voice came out calm. “Looks like our conversation isn’t finished after all.”
My heart started beating faster. “What does that mean?”
Adrian held my gaze.
“It means,” he said quietly, “your stepfather just made a very dangerous mistake.”
- Writer
