255

255
  Chapter 255
  Riley Burke  
  ~•~
  I summoned every last ounce of strength in my body and dragged myself to the door.
  Even if he wanted to trap me, the least he could do was provide me with food and water, so I wouldn’t die of hunger and thirst. 
  As I got close to the door, I banged on the door multiple times, yelling at the top of my voice for someone to open up. 
  I spent about five minutes hitting the door but nobody answered the door. 
  I didn’t give up though. 
  I kept on hitting the door until I finally heard footsteps coming in the direction of the room. I moved back a bit as I waited in anticipation to see who would open the door. 
  They twisted the door knob and slowly pushed the door open. It was the same man who had given me a glass of water the first time. 
  “Please can I have something to eat and drink?” I pleaded, not caring about the fact that I had been kidnapped. 
  My stomach rumbled whenever I realized that I had been there for two days without food. I needed to eat something and I wasn’t sure Maxim intended to have me killed. 
  “Stand up.” The man ordered, his expression unreadable. 
  I forced myself to get up even if it was hard. I took a deep breath and steadied my feet as I stood on the ground. “Can I get something to eat?” I asked again, looking up at the man. 
  “Sure, follow me.” 
  He stepped out of the room and I trailed behind him. 
  My mind was racing with different thoughts as he led me to another part of the building. Were my parents even trying to find me? Had they realized that I was missing and didn’t just decide to ghost them? 
  I prayed silently, hoping that they were already trying to find me. 
  The man led me into the main house in the huge compound. It looked so beautiful and luxurious. If it belonged to Maxim, I didn’t think he took me because he wanted money. 
  The man actually wanted revenge. 
  But I was certain that my mother didn’t do anything bad to him. Even after all the pain he caused her, she decided to forget about him and move on with her life. 
  Or else there was something that I didn’t know about. 
  I mean, when I was little, my mother tried her best to keep the adult problems away from me and my brother. But somehow, we always managed to figure out what was going on. 
  The man finally came to a stop at the dining room. 
  “Sit.” He commanded, his face void of emotions. 
  I nodded as I took out one of the chairs and settled down. My stomach was still growling and anybody who was around could hear the sound. 
  I sat quietly while the man went into the kitchen. 
  A few moments later, he returned with a plate of food. 
  It was just a small portion but I couldn’t complain about it out loud. I didn’t want to say anything that would upset the man. I couldn’t risk him taking the food away from me. 
  “Thank you,” I muttered under my breath, more to myself than him. 
  I picked up the cutlery that was carefully placed by the corner of the table and started eating. I had never been so hungry in my life. 
  In less than five minutes, I was done with the food. 
  The food only made me more hungry. 
  “Can I have some more?” I turned to the man who had been standing behind me and asked nicely. “Please, I’m really hungry.” 
  He didn’t respond. He just took the empty plate and returned to the kitchen. I had no idea if he wanted to bring more, I just sat there waiting for him to come back.
  The next time he came, he held a glass of water. 
  I took the glass and gulped down the water. 
  I didn’t need anybody to tell me that I wasn’t getting any more food. I didn’t ask either. 
  I needed to start thinking of how I would plan my escape route. I couldn’t stay trapped any longer. Plus, I had no idea if anyone was even looking for me. 
  As I handed the empty glass to the man, he gestured for me to stand up from the dining chair and follow him. With a nod, I stood up from the chair and walked behind him as he led me upstairs.
  “Where are you taking me?” I asked, my brows slightly raised. 
  The house was quiet and I had a feeling that it was empty too. The man didn’t respond. He just kept on walking and I had no choice but to follow him. 
  After walking down the hallway, he finally stopped in front of a door. I was scared to go inside as he opened the door, but I was also curious to see what was inside the room. 
  “Go inside.” He commanded as he nudged me on the shoulder. 
  Letting out a deep breath, I stepped into the room. 
  I was surprised to see a normal bedroom. There was nothing strange about it. It looked really nice and I was confused about why he took me to the room. 
  Before I could say anything, the man spoke. “Have a shower and get dressed. Check the wardrobe for fresh clothes.” He pointed to the huge brown wardrobe. “I’ll be back in thirty minutes.” 
  He didn’t even give me the chance to ask questions, he just turned around and left the room. He slammed the door on my face and I just stood there, trying to process what had just happened. 
  After a few moments, I walked to the window. I pushed the curtains open and looked through the glass. The building was in a deserted area and it was just trees that were around it. 
  Trying to escape on my own wasn’t going to be an easy task. 
  I closed the curtain and stepped away from the window. As I let out a deep breath, I realized that I was stinking. I hadn’t had my bath in two days, so I wasn’t surprised. 
  The man said he would come back in thirty minutes. I had no idea what he was coming back to do, but I knew I needed to be ready before then.