CHAPTER 40

Anna's Pov.

The next afternoon I sat at a Blue Ridge restaurant, which is one of the very best in town and strictly by reservation which can be booked down for months.

Normally I wouldn't be able to afford a restaurant so nice but I guess being the wife of a billionaire has its perks.

Lucius didn't come back home last night, and I have yet to receive a message from him. I felt hurt and upset more than anything. I felt worried and sick. I figured I needed to find something to permanently do with myself so I wouldn't keep overthinking.

I was currently sipping some wine waiting for Kylie and Lu. From where I sat I saw them open the door and excitedly come in. I felt disgusted by their pretense and attitude but I had to play along at least till I was done asking my questions.

They both smiled brightly as they approached the table, Lu bent in for a hug and I reluctantly stood up pasting the most plastic smile on my face.

“Hey girl,” she said with enthusiasm.

“Hii” I said trying to match the energy. Kylie envelopes me in a crushing bear hug that irritated the life of me but I push it back down.

“We missed you so much,” they say in unison, “I missed you guys too,” I say through my teeth.

“Well I'm kinda mad at you,” Kylie said.

“Oh, really why?” I asked.

“You didn't bother to try and reach out to us or anything. We've had to be like sending you a thousand DMs”.

At this point, I can't hide my irritation to save my life. “From what I see you only started sending me messages like two days ago. When the articles and blogs announced I got married to Lucius. Before that, you didn't send a message. I could have been dead for all you know.”

My response seemed to have startled them, especially Lu who smiled tensely. “But anyways I'm fine, I wanted to ask a few questions.”

“ Sure, anything,” Kylie said in an over-eager fake tone.

I mentally rolled my eyes before asking “Did you see or hear anything about my parents before they disappeared? Do you think they were kidnapped or something?”

“ Kidnapped?” Kylie said.

“I don't think so though, I remember running into your mum at the store and she seemed to be buying quite a lot. The next thing I heard is they loaded up their stuff in a van and left”.

Hearing it broke my heart again, I couldn't just figure out why they'd do something like that to me. Was their lives at risk or something?

I was done with the conversation, “Would you girls like to order? So I could pay, I'm about to leave.” I know I don't need to do that for them, especially since they're snakes but I'm nice like that.

“Leave?” Lu said questionly, her warm brown eyes feigning concern.

“Yes I'm leaving, I don't have the time or energy to spend with fake friends or gossip”.

Kylie choked a little on the wine she was drinking, and both Kylie and Lu exchanged a look of surprise. “What are you talking about?” Kylie said, looking slightly tense.

I gave a bitter laugh, “You know, now seeing you two I wonder how I didn't spot you as fake friends a long time ago. I don't think I'm a very good judge of character” I said this also to myself. I'm referring to how easily I believed Eloise and thought she was my friend.

“We're sorry we didn't text you but we didn't even know where you were till pictures of you surfaced online,” Lu said.

I felt irritated by the minute, this girl was being so manipulative and lying to my face. “Shut the fuck up,” I said in a stern voice.

“I heard you two talking about me the other day in the school bathroom. I stopped by school wanting to visit. Until I heard the horrible things you had to say about me”.

Kylie and Lu immediately looked very apologetic, Kylie stretched her hand towards me as though to hold my hand but I flinched as though she had a terrible disease.

Lu knowing they had been caught just looked down in guilt. “We're sorry Anna” Kylie managed to say.

I stood up feeling done with the conversation “I have nothing more to say to you two. Enjoy your friendship without me, it's really stupid that you couldn't even think the best of me. Chase heard half a conversation and not one of you could speak up in my defense though you claim to be my best friends”.

“Anna, what were we to think?” Lu said.

I gave a sadistic laugh “You can consider this the end of our friendship, don't ever try to contact me again please,” Kylie started to say something but I turned walking away.

I didn't stop walking till I got to the car where Wolf ( one of the bodyguards) was already waiting to drive me back home.

I sat down in the back seat of the car trying to hold in my tears, the reality dawned on me that truly I was alone indeed. Everyone I knew had betrayed and left me, for just a split second the image of Lucius flashed before my eyes.

Wolf looked at me in concern through the mirror “Ma'am are you okay? Did anyone in there try to harass or bully you, please let me know I can handle it”.

I shook my head “Not at all, I just remembered something sad that's all”.

He stared at me for a couple of more seconds as if to determine the truth of what I said before nodding and driving away.

When we arrived at the house I could see Lucius's car parked at the parking lot, signifying that he was back home. At least I'd have company, weirdly I hadn't seen Jolyn all day and now that I think of it I didn't see her yesterday either which is odd.

Wolf parked the car and opened my door lending me a hand. Once out I muttered, “Thank you.”I noticed he walked at a reasonable distance and he didn't leave till I was at Lucius' bedroom door.

I raised my hand to knock but the door opened automatically.

Lucius looked upset like big mad and I wondered what could be the reason. As soon as I entered I saw that cold font again.

“Welcome back home,” he said with icy politeness.

“Thank you,” I said not understanding the reason for his demeanor.

I hadn't moved into his room full time and to be honest I don't think he even wanted me here at all. I looked around awkwardly to go back to my room but his voice stopped me in my tracks.

“Next time you need to leave the house, send me a text or call. Just let me know before the time and I'll need the exact location of where you'll be going to, when you intend to be back, who you're hanging out with exactly, and always turn on your location”.

I knew I should just walk out and avoid a fight with him but, what the hell!? All these rules coming from a man who I don't even know where he slept last night.

“And how about you huh? Do I also get to keep tabs on you too.” I faced him squarely looking him boldly in the eye.

He arched his brow in amusement, he walked steadily towards me darkly, instinctively I stepped back till my back hit the wall. He put both hands on the wall trapping me, I couldn't move.

I was trapped looking at his cold blue eyes for a second reviewing a flash of something else, an unreadable emotion but he covered it up immediately.

His eyes fell on my lips and his eyes lingered but he quickly averted them to my eyes, he said in a low tone.

“Understand this Anna I own you, every part of you I need you to get that in your head, I'm the mafia lord no one is to know my whereabouts but about your whereabouts.”

I wish I could speak up but all the fire in my blood seemed to have been calmed down by the icy cold in his eyes.

“Is that understood?”

I don't know how or why but she felt herself nodding in agreement, “Good” he responded.

The moment he put his hands down, I don't know why I felt like disappearing from his bedroom. I turned to leave but I couldn't let him have the last say.

“I'm not your property Lucius, I'm your wife and if you expect accountability from me, you have to give it to me too. Out there you're the mafia lord but in here you're my husband and you should respect that too”.

I didn't wait for his response. I typed in the code and banged the door behind me. Getting into my room I plopped down on the bed near tears and upset.

I heard my phone beep and I picked it up to check the notification. My heart skipped a beat as I saw the notification from Chase “Hey stranger”.