7

I wandered down the halls until I made it to her door. Putting the numbers into the keypad, I unlocked her door only to confirm what Giovanni had stated. She trashed her room. The mattress was thrown off somewhere and all the drawers were out the dresser. Not to mention, she tipped over every bit of furniture. My attention was snatched when I saw her gazing out of the window.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk," I spat.

Her head shot over to look at me. Fear quickly took over her brown eyes leaving me to smile in amusement. Shutting the door behind me, I began taking steps toward the quivering soul.

"I give you a bed, a nice room, even some fine food, but this is how you treat me? I thought you were more kind than that," I frowned mockingly.

She began to crawl away from me with each step I took towards her, but sadly for her, she was far too slow. I grasped her arm and pulled her up so she was standing directly in front of me.

"Are you scared of me, angel?" I asked, smiling at the way she tried to hide her eyes away from me.

She looked different without glasses—some could say better. The glasses seemed to make her small eyes look magnified. Without them, I could see the perfect shape of her almond-shaped pools of brown with long eyelashes that easily kissed her cheekbones.

"Please l-leave me alone," she whimpered.

Placing my hand on her waist, I pulled her backside against me. "You see, sweetheart, I can't do that," I whispered passively in her ear. My hand skimmed down her arm like a soft gust of wind poking at her skin. As I felt her soft skin, I gazed at the woman's face. She was plain. To look at her was boring and nothing at all of a thrill, yet I could almost smell her potential.

"W-Why not?"

"I want something from you," I said. Her shoulders fell in response. The sight of her body immediately tensing up eased me to raise a brow.

"Are you going to r-rape me?" She asked. My lip curled in disgust before I gripped her by her neck. Her neck craned back, leaving the back of her head to press against my chest.

"Angel," I chuckled. "Don't ever confuse me for a rapist. Every woman that I fuck always begs me to."

"Are you going to do that to me?" She asking softly to the point it was almost inaudible. My head tilted with a smirk playing out on my face. The hand that wasn't gripping her neck had grasped her waist. I couldn't help but feel underneath the fabric of her shirt. I needed to feel the skin underneath.

"Careful, now. I may start thinking that you'd like me to," I whispered. After I let go of the woman, I watched as she stayed rooted in her spot.

"Then, w-what do you want from me?" She questioned.

"Your brain," I answered.

Her brows pulled together before she turned to look at me. My eyes fixated on the plump of her full lips as she parted them. "For what?"

"That comes at a later time. Now, I want you to be a good girl and clean this room. If I come back and this room isn't the way you found it, I will have no problem getting rid of every bit of furniture and leaving you to sleep on nothing but carpet. Am I understood?" I questioned with a raised brow.

She looked away from me, but still managed to nod her head.

I smiled. "Good girl, angel."

When I began to walk towards the door, I stopped after remembering something. "Oh, and you will get your glasses back once you eat."

Without waiting for her response, I walked out of her room and left her in there to tend to her mess.

My phone quickly alerted me with a message. I peered down at the screen only to clench my jaw in response. It was a message from Adriano stating that Viktor was planning something—something huge.

"Rosalina," I called out to my only maid. She was getting older now, but she was the last bit of my family that I had left to cherish. Rosalina practically raised me. "The girl... She is here because Giovanni believes she will find Viktor. The only problem is that she doesn't want to cooperate. Your job is to get her to cooperate and make sure she eats."

"Yes, sir," she mumbled.

I nodded my head at her before wandering down the hall, whistling a tune as I walked.

---

R E Y N A

Days had passed so slowly. It felt like my every moment was simply a repeat of the previous day. Everyday, I would wake up and approach the window. My mind would run and jump like it were a part of some obstacle course full of self-pity. I would then be interrupted by a woman who's company I began to enjoy, Rosalina. In kinder words, she would tell me that I should put an end to my stubbornness and to help the men that stole me from my searchings. When I would no longer respond, she would take my empty tray, absent of food, and walk out of my room. The saddest part was the lock that echoed through the room once she left.

No one dared to bother me after that until it was time for dinner. Instead of Rosalina, it would always be Giovanni who would do his best to convince me to help. My gaze would always avert from him only to find comfort in the outdoors. He would let out a loud sigh, throw my tray of food down in front of me, and walk out of my room.

At some point, I actually began to question if I was being cruel. It shocked me how foolish I had become to think of such a thing. I never asked to be here. My request was something simple—to be left alone. If they couldn't manage to do something so small for me, why should I bother to do anything for them?

So, as Giovanni throws down my tray of dinner, I keep my eyes locked on the trees. I watch the family of birds sleep, and I wish it were me who could be that free.

"Reyna, I know you're scared of Saint," Giovanni said. I could hear him, but I pretended as if I couldn't. Quite honestly, it was shocking to hear him say anything. He would typically throw the tray down and leave angrily.

He let out a sigh. "He's back in town. Just know that he is going to be pissed to hear that you haven't agreed to our bidding."

I couldn't help myself from turning to look over at him. I just wanted to make sure he wasn't bluffing about Saint's return. My shoulders fell when I saw there was not an ounce of dishonesty.