NIGHTMARE

chapter 20

I broke the hug now, staring into his eyes, and that was when I noticed that the darkness within them seemed to melt; they were getting warmer; they were staring into my soul, making it flutter and fly.

His jaw clenched tightly as he drew in a rather large swallow, fidgeting with the collar of his shirt and brushing his hair.

"Y/n," he started, looking me dead in the eyes. "Leave." His face was harsh and serious, staring bullets into my skin. I couldn't think of anything else to reply with. I was frozen again. I just nodded in a long and drawn-out way.

He didn't yell at me; he didn't demand; he pleaded; he just asked desperately.

I turned on my heels, unable to process what the fuck had just happened, and my footsteps trod towards the door, padding lightly on the floor as I went.

"Wait," I said, turning back around to see him shift awkwardly on the spot.

Whoever was standing here, it wasn't the Sano Manjiro I knew and feared; this was a man, not the monster I had been living with. "There are clothes in the closet for you, like I said earlier; you need to do exactly what I say tonight, or you will be six feet under the ground this time tomorrow," Cheery said.

I nodded and continued on my way to my room, glancing at the clock on the way past. At four o'clock, I have an hour exactly.

minus sixty minutes.

From inside the closet, I pulled out a strapless and skimpy black dress, a pair of silver black heels with sparkles on the buckles, and a stylish and most certainly expensive cropped fur jacket.

I was going to look like an absolute asshole in this attire.

For a trading conference, this was very fancy, but what could I have expected from the extravagant world of mobsters and criminals?

I showered and changed into my outfit, feeling exceptionally stupid and whore-like in the way I was dressed.

I did up the side zip and brushed my hair, curling it and pinning the messy bits back at the side.

minus fifteen minutes.

I rummaged around the closet for a few extra minutes, pulling out makeup.

I looked in the mirror. I like this. I was actually almost okay with how I looked until a larger woman came into the room, bearing a small black box. She opened it.

Inside was a shiny silver necklace with a bright green emerald as a pendant.

This was beautiful.

I turned it over in my fingers, and my heart sank. On the back was the symbol of the Bonten.

I was like a dog, and this was my collar, showing who I belonged to—a fifty thousand-dollar collar.

I tried to pull away, but the lady was too fast; she quickly fastened it around my neck.

If the tattoo wasn't enough, I now had this 'wonderful' necklace to go with it; it practically screamed to anyone who walked past me, 'I belong to the Bonten! '

If only I had stayed in the club that night, partying and drinking like a normal girl who was living in Japan.

If only, if only, if only.

I looked again at myself in the mirror, slipping on the silver heels.

My wobbly ass nearly face-plants the ground.

The woman staring back at me was more mature; she was older, tired, and worn.

I thanked the woman in the nicest voice I could master and stumbled out the door into the living room.