Chapter 26: Chapter Twenty-five

Mirabella must confess that the beautiful gene runs in the family. Ashley was extremely beautiful and attractive. She could pass for a model. She was not very tall but her long legs were attractive. Dark brown long hair and very shiny eyes.

Ashley’s grin lingered as her eyes swept over both of them. “Oh, I like you already,” she said again, very softly and mischievouly, her amusement very evident in her tone.

Hunter’s jaw flexed, clearly done with introductions. “Go freshen up, Ash. Settle in. You are being snoopy. I’ll deal with you later.”

Ashley arched a brow at his sharpness but only chuckled. “I see you are not even delighted to see your own sister. You’re still maintaining your bad boss brute on you lil sis.” Then, as if on impulse, she reached for Mirabella’s hand. “Will you come with me? I'd love to know more about you and how you managed to bring my brother home.”

Well, Mirabella could do with a little space from Hunter, so she was already smiling and somehow willing to go with his sister, but…

His movement was quick. His arm wrapped around Mirabella’s waist before Ashley could pull her an inch. He lifted her with an ease that left her breathless, placing her back onto the counter, spreading her thighs so he could wedge himself between them. His hold on her waist was firm, almost defiant.

Ashley blinked once, then laughed outright, the sound filling the kitchen. “Oh my God Hunter. You’re so ridiculous.” Her eyes gleamed with mischief. “You really don’t let her breathe, do you?”

Hunter didn’t bother answering her question, his hand moved to Mirabella's  lower back, keeping her close. His eyes darkened in a way that made her stomach flip and twist.

Mirabella was confused at his territorialism but she didn't think much of it.

Ashley raised her hands dramatically in surrender. “Fine, fine. I get it. She’s off-limits. I’ll retreat.” But before heading down the hallway, she flashed Mirabella a bright smile. “We’ll talk later, okay? Just us girls.”

Mirabella nodded, whispering, “Okay,” though her cheeks burned at the idea of being seen by his sister in a compromising position and left at Hunter’s mercy once again.

Ashley disappeared, humming to herself, clearly entertained by the whole scene.

The kitchen fell quiet again, only the ticking of the clock and the faint hum of the fridge filling the silence. Hunter’s gaze never left Mirabella, sharp and unreadable.

He picked up the sandwich again and lifted it to her lips. “Eat.”

She opened her mouth and bite into it, chewing slowly, though her nerves jittered under his stare.

As she swallowed, his lips brushed her ear as he spoke. “I’ll be going out soon,” he murmured. “Duty calls. I’ll be back late. Don't wait for me, but make sure you sleep in my room and on my bed tonight. I want you to sleep naked; no clothes on.”

Her breath caught at his tone—rough, commanding, leaving no room for refusal. But then hot heat flared in her chest, a different kind. Anger.

“I’m going to work tonight too,” she said, her voice small but steady.

Hunter’s hand stilled. His eyes narrowed dangerously. “No. You’re not.”

The flat finality in his tone sparked something inside her, a raw defiance that surprised even herself. She shoved at his chest, sliding off the counter. “You don’t get to decide everything for me! You fucking have to let me make decisions for myself. It's my life for God's sake.” Her voice cracked, the anger burning through her bones. It has to stop. Him dictating her life has to fucking stop.

Hunter only tilted his head, watching her with cool amusement. “You’re learning very fast, Bella. Cursing me now, are we?”

“Fuck you!” she snapped, the words not tasting so good, but the girl’s angry. “You don’t own my life. Stop trying to control me!”

His smirk widened, infuriatingly calm. “Careful now little cat. You don’t want to defy me or get me angry, baby. You wouldn’t like what I'd do to you when I’m angry.”

The threat slithered down her spine, dangerous and dark. She should have been terrified. Instead, her body reacted to it differently, heat coiling in her belly at the thought of what “what I'd do to you” meant to him. She shook her head violently, pushing the thought away.

“You can’t keep controlling me!” she screamed, her hands trembling at her sides. “I won’t be your prisoner forever.”

Hunter stepped closer, towering over her, his shadow swallowing her small frame. “Prisoner?” His voice dropped low, intimate, laced with something primal. “You think that’s what this is? Then why does your body melt every time I touch you? Why are you wet every time I take you?”

“Exactly. I don't know what you do to me. I can't even really push you away when you are close.” She whispered. Her lips parted again to say something, but no words came. Rage and shame collided in her chest. She hated that he was right. Hated that her body always wanted what he did to her again and again.

“That's because I was your first. The only man whose dick has ever penetrated your pussy and I know just what your body wants and only me can do these things to that body of yours which is mine as well." She pushed at him once more, harder this time, but he didn’t budge. His grin only widened, his eyes dark with lust. “You’re so fucking beautiful when you’re angry. Makes me want to bend you over this counter and ruin you.”

Her heart pounded painfully in her chest. The raw honesty of his words, the heat in his eyes—it made her legs weak. And she despised herself for it.

“Go to hell,” she hissed, spinning away from him.

Hunter chuckled low, the sound dark and sinful. “Baby, hell lives inside me. You should know that by now.”

The tension between them hung thick and heavy until finally Hunter grabbed the mug of coffee from the counter and gulped in one go. He pressed one last hard kiss to her lips, bruising and possessive, before stepping back. “Don’t test my patience Bella.”

Then he was gone, the door shutting behind him, leaving her trembling and breathless.

Hours later, Mirabella sat curled on her bed, staring at the wall. Her mind replayed every word, every command and the look in his eyes. Anger burned hot in her chest. She wouldn't feel intimidated by his hard look or the finality in his voice. She was doing what was on her mind. Nothing else.

A knock on her door pulled her from her storming thoughts. The door creaked open, and Ashley’s head peeked in. “Hey, you up for some company?”

Mirabella quickly wiped at her face, nodding. “Yeah… come in.”

Ashley strolled in, dropping onto the bed with casual ease. “So, Mirabella right?” she began with a grin, “how in the world did you end up tangled with my brother?”

Mirabella stiffened for a moment. She felt reluctant to share her story to someone she hardly knows. Her lips pressed into a line, but Ashley’s eyes were patient, kind in a way and if she didn't tell her, Ashley could still get the information from her brother. Finally, she whispered, “My father owed your brother a lot of money. Too much. So apparently, he… he took me as his payment.”

Ashley’s mouth fell open. “Jesus Christ. That bastard.” She shook her head, muttering curses under her breath. “That’s… so him. Ruthless to the bone. A human being for the payment of a loan. Are we in the 80s?”

“What are your parents doing about it? Are they okay with you paying the dept for them?” Ashley questioned in disbelief.

Mirabella's face fell, her throat tightened. She was quiet for the briefest time before she whispered. “What were my parents supposed to do? My parents are dead. And my brother too.”

The shift in her voice was sharp, brittle. Ashley’s heart pinched at the look in her eyes. “Oh My God Mirabella. I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to…” She reached out, squeezing Mirabella’s hand. “You don’t have to say anything more if you don’t want to.”

But Mirabella’s lips trembled as the words spilled anyway. “I don't know, but I think your brother has a hand in what happened to him. My brother. The way he dismissed the question the first day I asked him…” Tears pooled in her eyes. “I hate him. I hate that he uses me. I hate that I can’t stop wanting him even when I know he’s destroying me.”

Ashley’s chest ached. She wanted to deny it, to defend her brother, but doubt gnawed at her. “Look,” she said carefully, “Hunter’s… a monster, yeah. But I don't think that he would kill anyone just for the fun of it.. .” She sighed, though her own words felt hollow.

“Have you tried asking him again? Maybe you should try talking to him again. Just maybe.” Ashley advised.

Mirabella sighed in defeat. She knows that confronting him would only mean him pinning her down and pounding into her. That's all he thinks about when he is around her. She has her doubts that Hunter killed her brother directly, because that time she confronted him, he'd told her that; her brother chose his own path. But still she wasn't fully convinced that Hunter has nothing to do with it at all. “I don't think I'd get any reasonable information from him."

Ashley’s heart twisted at the despair in her voice. She pulled her closer, rubbing her back. “You don’t deserve this, Mira. None of it. But listen…what Hunter wants, he always gets. That’s just how he is. It doesn’t mean we can’t find a way to make it easier for you. We’ll figure something out, okay?”

Mirabella’s lips trembled, but she nodded, whispering, “Okay.”

Just then, her phone buzzed on the nightstand. She grabbed it, her face lighting up with a rare smile. “It’s Aria.”

Ashley leaned back, giving her space as she answered. “Hey!” Her voice softened, trying to sound cheerful.

On the other end, her best friend’s familiar voice rang through. “Bella, how’s the club job? Are you surviving?”

Mirabella forced a laugh. “Yeah, it’s… fine. Just very busy.”

Ashley could hear the forced brightness in her tone.

A few minutes into the call, Mirabella’s smile faltered. “So I have no hope of seeing you anytime soon?” she whispered, voice breaking a little.

Her shoulders slumped as she listened to the answer. Relief and disappointment warred inside her. At least Aria wouldn’t see her like this. Trapped. Used.

After the call ended, she sighed and turned to Ashley. “That was Aria. My best friend. She had to go back to New York because of her parents. I miss her so much.”

Ashley wrapped an arm around her shoulder. “Don’t worry. You’ve got me now. A new friend to talk to. Maybe even a better one.” She winked, drawing a small laugh from Mirabella.

The laughter eased the heaviness in the air for a moment. Ashley tapped her chin thoughtfully, then smirked. “You know what I think we should do?”

Mirabella glanced at her curiously. “What?”

“Shopping.” Ashley’s grin widened. “It would be fun. We can even visit the park if you want.”

Mirabella’s eyes widened, uncertainty flickering, but Ashley only squeezed her hand tighter.