41

41

The penthouse had been less miserable lately, and it wasn’t because Lissa suddenly woke up with a personality. No, it was the new guy—Adrian—the only person in this whole place who didn’t look at me like I was a stain they were forced to scrub every morning. He minded his business, nodded when he saw me, and he didn’t act like offering basic human decency would get him assassinated.

And yeah… maybe I’d already mapped out three different scenarios where he accidentally became my way out of this hellhole.

No shame.

Survival was survival.

And I'm pretty sure they'd do the same thing if they were in there shoe.

If they ever transferred him back to Italy, I’d beg to be shipped in the same box. I didn’t even care what excuse he’d need to make it happen. “We found this stray human, boss. She was attached to my boot.” Sure. Why not.

I paused and took a deep breath.

What would Simon think, though.

Would he be mad that I was plotting to use someone for my selfish gain? Or maybe he'd be disappointed? He'd understand why but still be disappointed because I was ‘sooo much better than this’.

When you get kidnapped, raped and used, the lines between better and survival blurs so fast you wouldn't notice.

Or he'd just shrug and go back to whatever life he was living now?

He probably has a girlfriend by now. Someone normal. Someone who didn’t start planning jailbreaks the moment a man made eye contact with her, someone who wouldn't break his heart. Someone whose father wasn't greedy to take out loans from death himself.

He’d probably be disgusted if he knew how quickly I’d latched onto Adrian as a possible exit strategy.

But he wasn’t here. Hopefully he's happy wherever he is, because I don't have the luxury of pride anymore.

I rubbed my arms, trying to shake the thoughts off, when one of the guards appeared down the hallway.

“Boss wants you.”

Of course he does.

Because why would a day pass without Dante Moretti summoning me like I owed him something besides my trauma and irritation?

I followed the guard through the hallway, my stomach tightening even though I kept my face straight. The closer we got to his office, the colder the air felt. The guard walked away just as we approached and I stopped near the opened door to take a deep breath.
I was two steps from the doorway, but from the angle I was I saw a man about to pee himself with a gun pointed at his face but the culprit's arm was the only thing I could see, but I don't need a soothsayer to tell me who it was.
After a few seconds the man practically sprinted out, with his eyes wild, and his face pale, like someone had wrung him out.

He didn’t even see me, and just ran straight to the elevator. He was shaking so hard I thought his legs would collapse before the doors closed.

My feet stayed glued for a second. This wasn't what I prepared for this morning, but I exhaled slowly and stepped inside the office.

I mean, I'd walk away if I could but what choice do I have.

He was sitting casually on the one-seater couch like he hadn’t just scared a grown man into a sprint. The balcony door was open, letting cold morning air sweep across the room. Only a finger holding tyengun from falling.

Waiting.

Did he call me to act as a decoration?

He just kept breathing in hotly, with a bored and irritated way look as he stared at the paper on his thighs.

After a few seconds of standing there like a lost intern waiting for instructions, I shifted my weight and wandered toward his desk.

If he wasn’t going to tell me why the hell he called me here, then I needed something to distract myself with rather than looking at his ugly evil face. He should kill me for it if he wants to.

There were papers spread out on his desk filled with numbers that at first looked confusing until u saw the headings, there were account numbers and names, payment for someone and the money immediately being transfered out, names I didn’t recognize.

Money.

A lot of it.

“Damn,” I muttered under my breath. “That’s a huge amount.”

“What are you doing?”

I almost dropped to floor in fright. “Nothing...?...”

“What huge amount?” He asked instead.

I think I said that out loud?

I looked over my shoulder at him. “I was reading. You didn’t tell me why you called me here.”

He raised his hand and pointed the gun at me. You'd think I'd be scared, I really wouldn't care if he killed me, he should do whatever he wants.

I raised a brow. “You’re going to kill me because I was reading?” I sighed and added, annoyed. “At this point there’s no redemption arc left for you,”
But instead of shooting, he tossed the gun at me before I could say jack.

I barely caught it with both hands. “What—”

“Put it in the rawer,” he said, nodding at the desk.

Oh...

“Oh.” My voice cracked embarrassingly. I cleared my throat, and drew open the drawer, placed the gun inside, and slid it shut like it might explode if I made eye contact with it again.

Once I was done, he crossed his legs and dropped a few papers from his thighs to the coffee table by his side. “What do you know about embezzlement?”

Why would he ask me that, do I look like I majored in business? Okay maybe, I kinda did, but still, why would he ask me that. I'd also embezzle his money if I had the chance.

I blinked at him. “I don't know...?...”