Chapter 26 Found her
ANGELICA'S POV
“I am delighted you could make it here,” Aurora said, and I couldn't help but smile while looking at Madeline, who stood there with a pleasant smile.
“Of course, I had to come. However, I didn't have much on me. This is the only thing I can offer. It's an antique clock,” I said, placing the clock on the table beside me.
After talking to my mom about my feelings, she told me it was perfectly fine for me to feel those things about a man, but I needed to be careful and ensure my heart wasn't just looking for a replacement and that my feelings were real.
Madeline called shortly to ask if I wanted to hang out and attend her sister’s charity event.
Since it was a Sunday and according to the contract, I was allowed to wander and do whatever I wanted on my day off; I decided it was a good idea to have some time off Martino men.
My head was still pondering Ericson's haughty gaze and my body's intense feeling when we touched.
My body has almost never responded to anyone's touch like this. While I only had Tyler as my ex-boyfriend and wasn't experienced, I still felt exceptional about what I felt with them.
Sighing, I smiled at Madeline and walked to the auction room where these things would be auctioned for charity and helping the slum areas.
“So?” Madeline whispered as soon as we sat.
I quirked my brows at her inquisitively.
“Any update on your hot bosses? Have you seen their faces yet?” She wriggled her brows suggestively.
As soon as I remembered Dylan's face and how Ericson had removed his mask, a hot feeling spread over my entire body.
Even thinking about them made my heart skip a beat. My fists clenched involuntarily.
“I have come here to have a day without thinking about them,” I sighed to Madeline, who rolled her eyes.
She didn't say anything for some time as the host came and announced the beginning of the event.
“I know that look on your face all too well,” Madeline whispered after some time, and I looked at her briefly.
“You are falling for them,” she whispered.
I didn't comment. For some reason, I found it hard to deny it, so I sighed, wanting to look for distractions.
Licking my bottom lip, I turned on the phone I had accidentally dropped earlier. I didn't even realize it was switched off until a few minutes earlier when I entered the venue.
Seeing the missed calls from my boss, I ignored them, knowing what they wanted to talk about.
I needed time to compose myself before starting work for them tomorrow without letting our private conversation affect our professional lives. I needed to stay away from them.
I was about to turn the screen off when I saw the notification for a new message.
A frown appeared on my face as I saw the unknown number.
I opened the message and immediately froze.
There in the message was a photo. It wasn't just any random photo.
It was my photo, in my current attire, at the exact seat I was sitting on. Judging from the angle, I turned towards the window, where I saw a shadow before the person moved away.
My fingers trembled at the possibility of that man finding me already.
I dialed my stepfather’s number to call him after receiving another message.
“Is everything okay?” Madeline leaned towards me, and I instinctively turned the screen off without seeing the message's contents.
“Y-yeah, everything is fine,” I whispered, and she eyed me before focusing on the Tiara that a wealthy lady auctioned.
I opened the message and read the content of it.
“Did you really think you could run away from me forever? My, my, have you become prettier from the last time I saw you,”
I wanted to retort. But it was useless.
It wasn't hard to guess anymore. That man has found me.
The man that had been haunting my life, being obsessed over me for his sick games as he likes to hear my screams of pain, or that was what he told me, has found me once again.
“Isn’t it beautiful?” Madeline pointed at the beautiful painting by a famous artist, and I gulped.
My head pounded as my heart beat harshly against my chest. I couldn't focus at all.
Tears brimmed my eyes, and I excused myself from the hall, not wanting to draw any attention to myself.
Walking to the lady's bathroom, I finally let the tears spill from my eyes.
Dialing my father's number, I waited for him to pick me up, but he didn't.
Even after I tried my mother's call, no one picked up, and I wondered if they were busy with business.
“You can do this. It's okay if he has found you. You are not in your hometown, where he has influence. There are strict laws here. You are safe,” I told myself before washing my face.
Once I ensured I looked fine, I stepped out of the washroom and was about to turn the corridor when someone placed their hand over my mouth, and I widened my eyes.
I flailed my legs, struggling against the person's hold, ready to strike back and fight my hardest because I wasn't going to let anyone take me back to that hell hole I escaped after risking my life.
However, the hand that had covered my mouth was so gentle that it pulled me back.
My back hit the person's chest before I was turned around forcefully, and I was about to defend myself when the familiar scent engulfed me.
I was too stunned to speak when I saw Ericson’s panting form with his eyes glowing the same way they were glowing back in my cabin.
Why did he look so haggard, like he had run everywhere to find me? I wondered and was about to speak after he removed his hand, but the next moment, I was rendered speechless.
To my utter shock, he removed his mask, and before I could process what he was doing, he pushed me back into the wall, placing his lips over mine.
My eyes closed instinctively as his hand reached out to hold me close.
His lips were soft. He wasn't moving his lips, just holding me there before he took a deep, shaky breath and moved his lips ever so gently.
A moan almost escaped my lips when I felt his hot tongue graze my lips, and I parted my lips softly. He swiftly lifted me, and I jumped into his arms, instinctively wrapping my legs around his torso.
I was too shocked to react, but the warm feeling disappeared when I gathered my courage and emotions to kiss him back, and I was left wanting more.
“How dare you run away?” He asked, putting me down, and I felt a little embarrassed for getting carried away.
His question puzzled me, but Dylan rushed over and pulled Ericson away from me before I could speak.
He inspected me from head to toe to ensure I was fine, and once he was done, he looked at my slightly parted lips.
I gulped, my heart still beating fast.
I thought, just like the last time, I would make an excuse for Ericson and say he was impulsive and just worried, but rather than that, he gripped my chin and placed his lips over mine.
It was only a peck, but for some reason, it was enough for me to realize that my fate had been sealed the moment I encountered the Matrino brothers— my fate as their woman.
“Don't pull something like this again, or it won't just be a single peck next time. I will bend you down and make you cry in pleasure until the entire world knows you belong to us,” Dylan threatened me with his unfiltered words, and I gasped.
Did he just threaten to fck me relentlessly if I dared to run away? Did he know it was probably almost every woman's dream he met? To be fcked by him?
Ericson stood there, licking his bottom lip, and I struggled to grasp what was happening.
“She looks shaken up. Let me bring her back,” Ericson said, and Dylan hummed before leaving.
Before I could resist and tell Ericson I was a person that he couldn't control, he stepped ahead and clasped his hand with mine, intertwining our fingers.
“Playtime is over,” He pulled me away.