Chapter 90 Part of the Mafia
Clio
It would make sense.
He said he could take on Zhou-Lin. He was involved in a mafia controversy. He said he could protect me when he heard my story too.
And he kills without remorse. How could he say that, if not for this?
"What makes you say that?" His hand didn't move, still directed at me, his palm facing the sky.
He seemed a little different. His eyes were off, more animal-like. I didn't notice it until now, but looking at his eyes made me realize his pupils were shaped like that of a wolf. They weren't round,
"No normal person could kill so easily..." I whispered.
He stared back at me, "Let's go home," He took a step towards me but I stepped back without thinking.
He paused, a look of hurt flashed across his expression which made my heart fall too.
"I-" I wasn't sure about my feelings but the things Nolan said were coming back to me. But at the same time, the fact that he arrived to help me when I was in trouble. Harou told me. Matthew would always know if I was in trouble... Why? I want to ask but I want to know the truth about him first. The rest can come later, "You didn't answer my question."
"Does it matter?" He asked, his hand still out.
Does it matter?
...
It should matter.
"Yes," I replied
"So you won't go back with me?"
"Go back with you?" I asked, "You weren't even in your house for a whole week." I folded my arms, indicating I won't be taking his hand. The pain in my head didn't leave me, my skull was throbbing.
"I'm back now," He answered and waved his hand up and down a little, "I can keep you safe."
"Safe?" I looked at the person dead on the floor. An eerie feeling filled me up. He can keep me safe?
The blood was still gushing out of the man's body and I turned my head away because it made me feel nauseous.
God!
Is this why he was confident? Because he can kill people? So he will kill those people after me? Is that it? If he can kill someone without remorse, then there's no doubt about it.
I should have guessed it right there when I saw he was acquainted with Zhou-Lin. And with how infatuated the Chinese man is with him, there's no way they aren't close.
"How deeply are you involved with the underworld?" I didn't look back at Matthew. His non-human eyes were making me feel weird.
Matthew's hand finally fell and he let out a sigh, which somehow made me feel a little guilty, "I grew up on the streets, Clio," He answered me but I sensed a shift in his voice, "The underworld took me when I was still a kid,"
!!!!
I wasn't expecting that answer. It came to me as a shock and it made me look at him again.
"So yes, if you're thinking about it," His eyes still hadn't gone back to being human, "I can protect you because I'm part of it myself." He took a few steps towards me, his beastly eyes staring into mine, "So it's better to come with me."
The fact that I was right didn't sit that well with me either. My experience with the mafia has only brought me pain and now learning that the guy I was crushing on is part of them makes me feel weird.
No, not just weird. I'm scared. Not only because he's part of the underworld but also because of what I saw.
He can be so violent without breaking a sweat.
Feeling the weight of this fear, I instinctively took a step back, a subtle attempt to put distance between myself and the enigma that stood before me. Matthew however, seemed attuned to the undercurrents of my unease. His gaze, intense and piercing, bore into mine with a mix of understanding and something more primal.
"I," I fumbled my words, "I-I was staying with Imani," I took another step back, "I'll continue to stay with her."
I turned to walk away, the atmosphere crackled with tension as my heart pounded in my chest.
It was then that Matthew swiftly and decisively closed the distance between us.
!!???
I had just turned to walk away when he caught me without making a sound. In a move that defied protest, he grabbed me firmly, his grip both possessive and protective.
"What the-!?!?" I let out a yelp when I felt his hand on my hip.
Startled, I found myself lifted off the ground, tossed over his shoulder like a possession rather than a person.
"Sir!!!" The suddenness of the gesture left me momentarily breathless, disoriented by the swift transition from a moment of perceived safety to a new form of captivity, "What are you doing?" I asked with an anxious voice.
Matthew started to walk, "You're staying with me."
My eyes went wide and my heart dropped, "What?"
He tightened his grip on me with his right hand before I even thought about resisting. I turned my face around to try and look at him and he moved his head to meet my gaze.
"I said," His voice was firm, his sharp eyes pierced into mine, "You're staying with me," He placed his left hand on my hips to grip me tighter, "No matter what,"