Chapter 23

Rosella....

I stare at him through the small gap in the door. He's waiting for me, sitting on the edge of the bed with his hands clasped together in front of him. The expression on his face is, as usual, impassive and the electric blue of his eyes isn't as bright as it was last night.

“We don't have the whole day, Esclave. Get out of there.”

I take another step back, inching the door of the bathroom back with me as I shake my head.

I'm completely naked on the other side of the door. I don't even have my blanket anymore, it's lying on the bed. I should have remembered to bring it along with me to the bathroom before leaving the bed.

But at that time, I had no idea that something like this would happen.

“I'll count up to three and by then if you're not out of that damned bathroom, I'll drag you out of there.” He states coldly then fixes me with his intense eyes and starts counting. “One…. Two—”

I'm out of the bathroom before he can count to three. I stand in front of him, gloriously naked and refuse to meet his gaze. He had already seen me naked back in the bathroom last night, there's no use in hiding from him now. I don't need him to "help" me out of anywhere.

When I raise up my eyes to take in his face, fully expecting to find an unreadable expression again, I didn't even think that something like this could happen.

His expression isn't blank now. Instead his face is covered with confusion, his brows furrowed and his lips pressed into a thin line. He's staring right into my eyes, I don't think he has even glanced down at my body.

But I'm still just as uncertain and perplexed as I was before. The change in his expressions hasn't cleared my puzzlement, it has doubled it. I don't have any idea what I've done now to elicit such a reaction out of him.

“The breakfast is set on the dining table. Join me whenever you want.”

With those mindless words, he strides out of my room…. Leaving me even more bewildered and confused than earlier.

~~~~

I wrap the blanket back around myself and step out of the room to find my "Master". I find him having his breakfast on the dining table in the kitchen. He doesn't even spare me a glance when I take a seat across from him. I wait for him to say something, tell me to have my breakfast or anything, but he keeps ignoring me.

After waiting for a moment, I give up and start picking at my food. I'm half way through my breakfast and have just taken a sip from my fruit juice, when he finally breaks the bizarre silence with the most weird and unexpected question.

“Why do you have a hormonal birth control device in your body when you're a virgin?” His eyes are trained down at his empty plate.

I choke on my juice and cough a little before meeting his eyes.

“Didn't Dr. Singh tell you that?” I retort with my own question as I desperately try to hide my blush.

“That's bullshit you've told her. What kind of work would demand so much of you, that you had to work all night long?”

“I never said that I worked all night long.”

“That's not the answer to my question. Tell me about your real occupation and the truth behind you getting that IUD.” The cold and detached tone of his voice irks me, making me want to snap at him and I do so.

“Why do I have to tell you that? What is it to you? You had said to me back there, on that stage in that place where Balthazar had taken me, that you wanted me to forget about everything that's related to my past. And then inside your car, you had told me that crying over what has already happened won't make anything right. Then why are you asking me all these questions. Why do you want to know?”

I'm breathing hard and fast by the time I've finished. He just stares at me from across the table with his bold eyes but there's no spark in them…. He almost looks like Balthazar's goons.

I shudder at the thought alone.

“You're my esclave. I've given up a billion dollars just for you. You do as I say without questioning me. You don't fight with me, you don't provoke me to hurt you. If you don't want to tell me, then don't. I have other means to get that information. But I guarantee you, the day I'll find out the truth, you'll be sorry for refusing me and begging for my forgiveness.” He puts down his fork and knife then rises up to his feet in one graceful movement. “Finish your breakfast, I'll be right back.”

He leaves me alone to empty the contents on my plate. But the problem is that his cold threat has left me chilled to my bones. My appetite is gone and I'm feeling nauseous.

I don't know how I kept replying to him without missing a beat. But it seems like his cold demeanour has bothered me more than his impassiveness.

I stand up on my weak legs and manage to keep myself upright with the help of the chair. I take deep breaths to calm down my hyperventilating heart. My hands start trembling violently, so I tighten my hold around the back of the chair.

After a few minutes or so, Adrian returns with a dress hanging on his arm. He makes a beeline towards me and comes to a neat stop in front of me to stand in my face. “Drop the blanket and put this dress on.”

“What?” I stare up at him, incredulously, not comprehending his direct instruction.

“You heard me, Esclave. Do as I say.”

“No.” I give him a hard glare then turn around to walk away from him. I don't know from where I'm getting all of this courage to go through with all of this. But I can sense that this thing is going to lead me to my demise today.

“Not so fast, my pearl.”

Taken aback by the sudden rise in the temperature of his voice, my grip loosens around the blanket and I freeze. He comes closer to my back till I can feel his warmth on my skin and stops just before making contact with my body. But my mind pushes me past the haze and forces me upon taking a step forward…. Only to feel a slight tug on the blanket from below. The resistance catches me off guard, completely and the soft material slides out of my loose grip before I can even get a hold on it.

I whip around to find his foot on the dragging part of the blanket and realise what has happened. “Put this dress on now.” He throws the dress at my feet and stands upright with his hands deep in his pockets, watching me with hooded eyes as their sparkle returns back, slowly.

I gaze at the dress, lying on my feet and feel my will breaking. My eyes well up with unbidden tears as I feel the humiliation suffocate me. I cover my breasts with my arms and squeeze my thighs together to hide as much of myself as I can. A single tear rolls down my cheeks, followed by a number of them slipping out of my eyes to wet my cheeks with my hurt.

When he realizes that I've teared up and fallen apart, I hear him sigh in something that sounds like defeat and regret. “Fuck!” He swears then bends down to retrieve the blanket and the dress from my feet.

I watch him through my blurred vision as he walks up to me and wraps the blanket around my nude body. Startled by his move, I freeze on my spot. He says nothing just steps back, gazes at me with heavy eyes then picks me up in his arms.

I turn my face away, adamant about not snuggling closer to him to give him another chance to castigate me. He carries me out of the kitchen, through the main hall and down the corridor back to my room without uttering a single syllable.

He kicks the door close behind him then walks to the bed and lays me down. I scuttle away from him on the bed instantly, still sobbing softly and curl into myself. Clutching the blanket tighter around my body, I stare up at him with fearful eyes.

“This was a mistake.” He whispers, remorse blanketing his face. He runs his fingers through his lush hair in what it seems like frustration then looks around. His eyes fixate on something and when I follow his gaze, I find him staring at the armchair near the wooden table by the window.

My back presses further back in the headboard as I watch him with rising trepidation, stalking up to the armchair and lifting it in a swift move. I prepare myself for what's coming and squeeze my eyes shut. After a few beats, I hear the shattering sound of glass. I jump, my eyes flying open to stare at the broken window in bewilderment. There's no sign of the armchair anywhere so, I guess he has hurled it out through the window.

I desperately try to stop the trembling of my body but my shaking intensifies when he picks the other armchair. This time, my eyes refuse to shut down. But instead of throwing it out of the window again, he carries the chair up to my side of the bed and sets it down to take a seat close to me. I try scuttle back but his words stop me dead in my movements.

“Don't run away from me, please.” He speaks softly, his breathing deep and heavy as though he's trying to rein in something. “I'm not going to hurt you. This is all my fault. I should have done things in order but I got impatient. I have made a rash decision without going into depth and have broken all of my rules.”

I don't know what else to do other than just to stare at him in bemusement. I don't have any idea what he's talking about but whatever it is, it doesn't sound good.

“You aren't meant to be here, Esclave. I shouldn't have brought you here last night. I should have listened to my rational side and taken you to the quarters. But I was blinded by hope.” He shakes his head again, a wry smile on his lips. “But I'm not going to mess you up anymore. I'll make this right. I give you my words.”

“What are you saying? I don't…. I don't understand.” I stutter as confusion grips me.

“I'm going to set you free, Esclave.”