𝗗𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗹𝘆 𝗢𝗯𝘀𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻

𝘚𝘦𝘪𝘴

The faint sound of my curtains swaying followed by a cold breeze travels through my room causing me to shiver in my sleep. I groan in frustration and shift around my bed as small goosebumps begin to form on my exposed arms.

I could have sworn I closed my window last night but then again, I was too busy crying my eyes out that I could have forgotten to.

I try to pull up the sheets to cover my arms but they are being weighed down by something. With my eyes still closed, I tug on the sheets harder but they won't move. What the hell? Tugging on them one more time, I manage to partially cover my arms but not fully.

Giving up, I try to go back to sleep, content with being partially covered, but my eyes instantly open when I feel a calloused hand caress the side of my face. My swollen eyes meet with Joseph's light brown ones as his thumb moves down to my lips, pulling down lightly on my bottom lip.

A small gasp escapes from my mouth at the realization that he's actually in my room and I'm not imagining it. "Good morning, mariposa," he whispers gently, as he places his index finger on my lips, urging me to be quiet. (Butterfly)

I quickly sit up on my bed in confusion and slight panic. He looks taken back by my reaction as I push my curly strands away from my face to see if what I am seeing is correct. How the hell did he come into my room? How long has he been in my room?

"J-Joseph, how did you get in here?" I swallow harshly, wondering how he managed to pass by my father's guards.

"Through the window," he points to my window that is wide open. I place my hand on my chest to calm the racing heartbeat. If my father finds out he's here, he will kill him. And then he might kill me.

Joseph gently places his hand on my chin and moves my head to face him. I try to speak but he interrupts me before I can say a word. "Don't worry, no one knows I'm here," he says softly while caressing my chin. "I made sure to take care of the two bodyguards that were in the backyard," he says nonchalantly and my eyes widen.

Take care of?

"I-I don't know what you mean," I stutter, not liking the way he said those words so effortlessly. Joseph isn't the type of person to engage in violence. Yes, he can be a bit aggressive at times like many people are but he isn't a violent person.

He shifts on my bed to move closer to me, grabbing my face in his hands. Instead of making eye contact, my eyes travel down to the waistband of his pants, noticing something black peeking out of it.

"Don't worry about it, mariposa. What matters is that we finally have a chance to talk about us- about what I did," he caresses both sides of my face. I force my eyes away from the foreign object to meet his light brown eyes. "Did you get my messages?" he asks and I nod slowly, gently removing his hands off of my face.

I need to tell him everything that has happened.

As much as it hurts me, I need to tell him that we can't be together anymore.

"Joseph, we need to talk" my voice is calm as I study the emotions on his face, making sure that he isn't getting angry. His eyebrows scrunch together and his breathing grows harsh.

Shit, he's worried.

"Lina, what I did was unforgivable," he says before I can continue and moves closer to me taking my hand in his. "I-I'm a horrible person," he lowers his head and my eyes soften at the action.

I place my hands on his head, lifting it up to meet my gaze. He looks at me with his watery eyes and I don't hesitate to kiss the tip of his nose softly. It's hard to talk to him when his eyes have so much sadness. "Joseph, you are not a-"

"I am," he stops me. "Look at your wrists," he takes my hands and moves my wrists in front of my face, making me look at the faded purple bruises that are still evident on my honey skin. My eyes begin to water at the memory of how hard he was gripping my wrists. The memory of the coldness that was in his eyes when he did it. Was he going to let go? If Ivan didn't show up, would he have let go?

"Lina, I never meant to hurt you," he breathes harshly as he lightly lets go of my hands. "I-I just- you are my fucking world," his voice cracks and I begin to feel guilty about ending our relationship. "You know that right?" he stares into my eyes with his glossy ones, looking at me in a distressed manner.

"Joseph, I know that but-" before I can finish my sentence, I hear multiple urgent voices coming from outside of my window followed by scrambled footsteps. They know. They know he's here. Joseph hears the same thing and immediately gets up from my bed, placing his hand on the black foreign object.

My heart is racing, they will kill him if they find him in here. "Joseph, you need to go now!" I harshly whisper but he places his index finger against his lips urging me to stay quiet. He finally pulls out the object from his pants to reveal a small black gun.

He brought a fucking gun.

How did he manage to get one?

Where did he get one?

Did he kill my father's guards? Is that what he meant when he said he took care of them?

I move to the other side of my bed, making sure there is a good distance between me and Joseph. I don't feel safe now that I know he has a gun. I don't feel safe with the way he is acting. His head is focused on my door until he hears the shifting of my sheets. His gaze meets my frightened one and once he notices that I have moved from my original position he immediately moves back to the edge of my bed, tilting his head at me in confusion.

The multiple footsteps become louder as they reach inside the mansion and begin running upstairs. Doors are being busted open and inaudible words are being shouted. Joseph tucks away his gun and reaches for my hand but I move it away. "Y-You need to go," my voice is shaky as I try my best to move further away from him, but if I scoot more I'll end up falling off my bed.

"I would never hurt you, Lina," he whispers sternly as my eyes trail to my door, silently hoping that Ivan or Luca come in because the way Joseph is staring at me has me feeling uneasy. He swiftly grabs my arm pulling me towards him, placing a harsh kiss on my lips. I groan in reluctance, using my other hand to try and push him off of me but his tight grip is preventing me from doing so.

He breaks away and removes his gun from his pants keeping his grip on my arm. My eyes widen in panic when he points the gun to the door but his gaze is still on me. I hear Ivan's voice and my heart begins to rapidly pound against my chest. If Ivan comes through the door Joseph will shoot him. I can't let him do that. I can't. "Please leave," I whisper as Ivan's footsteps rush towards the direction of my room.

"I love you," he says quickly before letting me go and climbing out through my window. I release a deep breath in relief that he is gone but my short state of ease is interrupted by my door being busted wide open.

I flinch as Ivan barges inside my room with his gun tightly gripped in his hands and his eyes filled with distress. His eyes carefully scan the room until they finally land on me. "Lina, estás bien?" He asks, walking towards my bed, anxiously looking over my appearance to see if I'm harmed. (Lina, are you alright?)

"Y-Yes, I'm fine," my voice comes out lower than I expected. His body slightly relaxes but his head snaps towards my open window once he hears noises coming from outside. "Ivan," I say his name trying to prevent him from going to look outside but his mind is already made up. With his jaw clenched, he doesn't hesitate to run to my window and look through it.

"He's in the backyard, don't let him get away!" Ivan barks orders at the tiny radio on his suit. I rush to get up from my bed but Ivan gives me a quick warning glance before storming out of my room.

Even though Joseph scared the living shit out of me, I don't want them to hurt him.

I scramble out of my bed grabbing my white silk robe and putting it on before running downstairs like my life depended on it. I hear the furious voice of my father along with other commotion which encourages me to pick up my pace.

I finally make it to the first floor and as I'm about to turn to go to the kitchen, I bump into someone. Looking up, I meet Elena's worried gaze. "Mija, go back upstairs," she gently places her hands on my arms, lightly pushing me away from the entrance of the kitchen.

"Elena, I need to stop them, please," I beg her as I try to push past her but to my surprise she is incredibly strong.

"Mija, go back upstairs where it is safe, please, pequeña león," her voice is uneasy, almost like she doesn't want me to see something which makes my heart begin to race against my chest. (Little Lion)

Did they catch him?

Are they hurting him?

"Elena, por favor," I plead with her as my eyes begin to water at the many possibilities running through my head. (Please)

"Lo perdimos. El se fue," Ivan's voice is heard behind Elena. My heartbeat slowly begins to return to it's normal pace once I hear those words come out of his mouth. Elena finally lets me go and moves to the side letting me meet Ivan's enraged eyes. (We lost him. He's gone)

"You should have stayed upstairs," Ivan scolds me like a child which makes me cross my arms in anger.

"I couldn't stay-"

"Upstairs now, Adelina," my father seethes as he notices the relieved look on my face.

It's been a long time since my father has said my full name. Since anyone has really.

"Arturo-" Elena tries to intervene but he doesn't let her.

"Don't Elena," he glares at her, causing her to look down at the floor. He then focuses his attention on Ivan. "Tell the others to clean up the mess outside and then meet me in my office," he orders him and then returns his attention back to me. "Upstairs. Now." he grits through his teeth before signaling me to walk upstairs.

I'm fucked.

࿎࿎࿎࿎࿎࿎࿎࿎࿎࿎࿎࿎࿎࿎࿎࿎࿎࿎࿎࿎࿎࿎࿎࿎࿎࿎࿎࿎࿎࿎࿎࿎࿎

"I'm going to kill him," my father spits and my eyes widen in fear.

"Papá-"

"He killed two of my men, Lina," he slams his fist on his desk causing me to flinch. I shake my head in disbelief at his words.

Joseph would never kill anyone. Besides I would have heard the gunshots.

Wouldn't I?

"You're lying. Joseph is capable of many things but he wouldn't kill anyone," I angrily tell him and he clenches his jaw.

Before he can say anything, a knock is heard on his door. My father yells out for them to come in and Ivan steps inside with his hands behind his back and his eyes directed at my father.

My face falls once I realize that he is avoiding all eye contact with me. His facial expression is cold and his posture remains formal.

He's in full bodyguard mode.

And without a doubt he's angry at me.

I hate it when Ivan is mad at me but honestly he has every right to be.

All of this is happening because of me.

"Ivan, show Lina what that piece of trash left behind for us," he snarls while fixing the watch that is on his wrist.

Ivan hesitates at first but pulls out a single red rose with a small note attached to it from behind him. He holds it out for me to take and makes brief eye contact with me before returning his eyes to my father.

I slowly take the rose from his hand and begin inspecting it. My hand begins to lightly tremble when I see little drops of blood on some of the petals and the note.

Why is there blood?

Why would Joseph leave this?

I lift my head to see my father watching my every move. "Read it," his voice is rough and inpatient. With my hand still trembling, I detach the note from the rose and throw the rose on my father's desk.

My fingers nervously skim the small paper before opening it, only for my eyes to widen and my stomach to drop.

Anything you do is pointless. Lina is mine and nothing will ever tear us apart.

"He left the rose with the note on the dead bodies that were outside of your window," he tells me and my stomach turns. I feel nauseous.

I look at my father in disbelief and shock as he takes a deep breath, pinching the bridge of his nose. "He broke into my house, managed to kill two of my bodyguards, snuck into my daughter's room, and is now threatening me," he grits through his teeth.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill him?" My father glares at me, waiting for an answer but nothing comes out of my mouth.

My body is in shock as the words from the note keep replaying in my head. I can't believe that Joseph would kill two people. That he would say those words to my father. That he would leave a rose on the dead bodies.

I know Joseph has trouble controlling his emotions and I know that sometimes he gets aggressive but my mind can't comprehend his behavior now.

The Joseph I know would never do any of this.

I feel a hand on my shoulder and a tall figure comes beside me. I look up to meet Ivan's now gentle eyes, he calmly takes the note from my hands and goes back to his original position.

"L-Let me talk to him," my voice comes out as a whisper and I watch as my father's eyebrows arch in anger. "I can talk to him and I can stop him-"

"There is no way in hell that you are going to go see that bastardo," he growls and rakes his hand through his curly brown hair. "After everything I just told you, after everything he has done, you still want to see him," he scoffs in disbelief and I lower my head in slight shame. (Bastard)

"I-I just want to talk to him. I'm sure he didn't mean for this to happen. Papá, you don't know him like I do. He..He just needs help," I stutter on my words as I try to defend Joseph's actions.

Call me pathetic.

But I love him.

"I don't even think you know him, Lina," he scowls at me. "You say that he loves you, yet his actions prove otherwise," he spits and his eyes move to my wrists that are covered by my robe. I pull my sleeves down lower and shift uncomfortably in my seat.

He knows.

I turn around and look at Ivan, who keeps his eyes maintained on my father. He told him.

He betrayed my trust again.

"If I see that pedazo de basura anywhere near you or anywhere in general, I won't hesitate to put a bullet in his head," he warns me and my eyes begin to water. I hear my father get up from his chair and come beside me. (Piece of trash)

He hesitantly places a hand on my shoulder and kisses my head causing me to shift away from him. "Ivan and Luca, as well as two other bodyguards, will escort you to your charity event that you have today. And if I find out that you tried to escape to go see him, he will suffer the consequences, Lina," his voice is growly. I lower my head down, letting the tears blur my vision.

He removes his hand from my shoulder and walks out of his office, muttering complaints under his breath. Once he leaves I let the tears stream down my face as I begin to softly cry into my hands.

"I did what I had to do," Ivan speaks out. I hear him walk towards me and crouch down. He tries to remove my hands from my face but I don't let him. "My job is to protect you and if that means breaking your trust, then I will gladly do it," he tells me and I continue to cry.

I can't believe this is happening.

I can't believe Joseph would do this.

I feel like my life is falling apart.

"I'll call Elena to come and get you," he softly says and gets up from his position, leaving me alone in my father's office.

I continue to cry into my hands, my heart aching with every staggered breath I take. He wasn't like this, he was never like this.

The Joseph I met when I was sixteen wasn't like this. He was kind and gentle with me. He made me feel safe and loved. He made me feel like I mattered which is what I craved the most at that age since my father neglected me for basically my whole life.

It was up until recently that he started to change. He became more aggressive and more possessive but I didn't know he would be capable of this.

My fathers words keep replaying in my head.

"I don't even think you know him, Lina."

Do I even know him?

"It's so good to see you again, Lina," Susana, the hostess of the charity event, greets me with a tight hug. Susana is the executive director of a non-profit organization working to get children off the streets.

I've been collaborating with her for a year now and she has my admiration for all of the amazing things she's been able to accomplish.

"So, many people are here. I'm excited to see how much money you are able to raise," I return the hug and she smiles at my comment.

"Well, with the generous donation you made, I'm sure we will have enough money to build another shelter," her eyes light up with happiness and I can't help but break a smile. To be honest, nothing makes me happier than giving back to people who actually need it.

"Which reminds me, I know you are busy being the chairwoman of other organizations," she begins to speak as I quickly look at Luca and Ivan who are guarding the entrance. "But I would like to offer you a position at mine," she says and I return my attention back to her.

My eyes widen in surprise, "Really?" She laughs at my expression and takes my arm, walking us around the banquet hall.

"Lina, you are the most responsible person I've ever met which is impressive because you're young," she says and I try to remain focused on what she is saying but my mind goes back to what happened this morning.

Where did Joseph go?

Did my father send his men to find him?

"I know you are already busy but the work you have put into many of these events proves that you deserve a place in my organization," she takes a sip of her champagne. "With that being said, it would make me very happy that you accept this offer," she confidently whips her blonde hair to the side. Her hair accidentally hits my cheek, pulling me away from my thoughts.

I look at her confused because I didn't hear a single thing that she just said. "So, will you?" She tilts her head waiting for an answer and I finally remember what she had mentioned earlier. The position.

I stop us from walking and remove my arm from hers. "Susana, I am grateful that you offered me this position, I truly am but I'm going to have to respectfully decline," I gently tell her and watch as one of her eyes begins to twitch.

"You are turning me down?" Her condescending tone doesn't go unnoticed.

And this is where my admiration for her diminishes.

"You're right. I'm already busy and it would be unfair of me to be a part of this admirable organization knowing that I won't put as much effort in it because of how stressed I already am," I calmly tell her but she continues to look offended.

"Lina-"

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything ladies," a rich gruff voice comes from behind us, causing the both of us to turn around.

My eyes go up and down the tall figure that towers the both of us. Dean looks at Susana and then at me flashing me a charming smile.

Dean Pierce.

Another infamous playboy.

Son of Lucia, a famous Italian fashion designer, and Izaak, the owner of a well-known car company.

And not to mention he is Nathan's best friend.

He shakes her hand and then proceeds to shake mine. I take a moment to admire his dark cocoa skin and his sharp triangle chin. His tapered black afro and the small tattoos that decorate his hands. It's no wonder why all the ladies swoon over him.

And as I look at Susana, she looks like she's about to fall to her knees which makes me chuckle considering that she's old enough to be his mother. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Lina," Deans says as he places a kiss on my hand.

I send him a kind smile and pull my hand away. "Mr. Pierce, I am surprised to see you here," Susana interrupts our small interaction and licks her lips as she shamelessly gawks over him.

"My mother was supposed to be here today but she had some business to take care of and asked me to come for her," he explains to the both of us while sending Susana an attractive smile which causes her to blush. "I hope there isn't a problem with me being here," he jokes and she instantly shakes her head.

Is he flirting with her?

"O-Of course not!" She says with a bit of too much excitement and this time I can't hold back my laugh.

Dean looks at me with an amused smile but returns his attention to a red-faced Susana. "As much as I hate to end this conversation, I was wondering if I can talk to Lina alone?" His words take me by surprise. Alone? Why would he want to talk to me alone? Susana looks slightly displeased but nods.

"Of course," she gives him a tight-lipped smile. "And Lina, please think about my offer. I won't take no for an answer," she tells me before walking away leaving Dean and I alone.

"I have to say people were entirely wrong about you," he playfully says and I look at him with curiosity.

"Really? What did they say?" I ask, intrigued about what people may have told him.

I mean what has he heard about me?

Did Nathan tell him anything? Did he complain about me?

"They said you were beautiful," he says nonchalantly it makes me tilt my head back, making sure I heard right. "But beautiful would be an understatement to describe you," he continues and I laugh, genuinely laugh.

"You sure have a way with words, Mr. Pierce," I sarcastically tell him and he chuckles, while grabbing a champagne glass from one of the servers that swiftly passes by us.

I have to admit, he is good company.

He's different from Nathan.

He actually smiles and engages in conversation while Nathan maintains his cold expression and isn't as talkative.

But Nathan's quietness has me wanting to know more about him.

I want to know what goes on in his head.

What is behind those cold steel blue eyes?

And I hate that I find myself wanting to know these things.

"Call me Dean and I mean it, my best friend sure is lucky," he doesn't stop himself from raking his eyes down my figure.

He has no shame but what did I expect from a playboy?

Before either of us can continue the conversation the server bumps into me, creating a clamorous noise of multiple champagne glasses breaking on the floor.

Other servers come in a rush to help out creating a small crowd around Dean and I while the rest of the guests just stare. I shiver at a cold feeling spreading through my chest and I tilt my head down to see that the top of my dress is wet.

I'm thankful it's not wine at least.

The server mumbles an 'I'm sorry' before crouching down to help the others pick up some of the pieces of the broken glass.

"Lina, are you alright?" Dean carefully looks at me, only to snap his head away from me, clearing his throat.

My eyebrows furrow at his sudden change of behavior. "What's wrong?"

"I- uh, I can see through your um- dress," he says with his head turned away and I feel my face immediately flush with embarrassment. "Oh my god!" I exclaim and immediately wrap my arms around myself, looking around to see if anyone else saw my breasts. I knew I should have worn a bra.

"Don't turn around yet!" I warn him as I try to catch a glimpse of Ivan so he can save me from this dreadful situation but the crowd of servers are blocking my view.

"Believe me, I won't. If Nate was here I'd be dead by now," he mutters under his breath and my eyebrows furrow.

What does he mean by that?

Fuck me, today is not my day.

"Here you can take my jacket," one of the servers throws their jacket over my shoulders. I turn around to thank them but my heart nearly stops at the sight of Joseph smiling at me.

He's wearing a server uniform that has a name tag that says 'Liam.' Did he steal this uniform? His once curly hair is now straight and slicked to the side.

I'm usually not scared of Joseph but given what happened this morning, I don't feel safe when he is near me.

He killed two people.

And it makes me think, would he be capable of hurting me?

"J-Joseph, what are you doing-"

"Shh," he places his thumb on my lips to stop them from moving. "I love you, mariposa," he whispers before stuffing a small piece of paper into my hand and swiftly walking away.

"Can I turn around now?" Dean calls out and my head hesitantly moves to his direction as I try to comprehend what just happened.

"Y-Yes," I stutter on my words as I quickly stuff the paper in the pocket of the jacket.

Dean turns around and exhales in relief to see me in a jacket. "Glad to see that you are covered up," he smiles and I lightly chuckle.

Some of the servers begin to bump into each other and complain as Ivan pushes past them to get to me.

His eyes urgently look for me, checking to see if I'm alright.

"Lina, what happened? Are you alright?" He begins to bombard me with loads of questions while secretly inspecting Dean.

"I'm fine, someone just dropped a tray of champagne glasses. Everything is fine,"
I reassure him but his mature eyes stay worried. Luca walks up beside him and whispers something into his ear. I watch as Ivan's face begin to harden.

I try to hear what he told him but I can't hear anything with all of the background noise that is around us. I look at Dean only to see him attentively watching Ivan and Luca with his head tilted to the side.

"We need to go now," Ivan says in low voice. I want to ask him why but he nudges his head towards Dean, silently telling me to excuse myself.

"Dean, it was a pleasure to meet you but I'm afraid I have to go," I send him a friendly smile.
Ivan doesn't even give him a chance to say anything as he gently grabs my arm and walks me out of the banquet hall.

"Ivan, wait, tell me what's going on?" I breathe hard as he continues to walk fast, practically dragging me to the car.

"Just get in the car and I'll explain when we get home," his voice is harsh as he opens the car door ushering me inside.

Instead of objecting, I listen to him. I know that after this morning, Ivan has been in full alert mode. And he has every reason to be. Luca enters the car and sits in the passenger's seat while Ivan sits in the drivers seat.

Ivan doesn't hesitate to speed away from the parking lot. I want to ask him what's going on. Did he see Joseph? Did he see something?But I decide not to ask.

I double check to see that Ivan isn't looking at me through the rear mirror. Once I see that his eyes are focused on the road, I reach into the pocket to retrieve the paper Joseph gave me.

I shift my body closer to the door so that Ivan can't see what I'm doing. I quietly unfold the crumbled piece of paper and read the small words that are written down.

Meet me tomorrow at eight, where we first said I love you.

My hand crumbles up the piece of paper again and shoves it back into the pocket.

There is absolutely no way I can go see him. Especially now with Ivan and Luca breathing down my neck every second of the day.

But I have to. I have to find a way to go see him.

I need to talk to him and put an end to this at once. If I talk to him, I can get him to stop acting crazy.

He will listen to me.

I'm sure he will.

࿎࿎࿎࿎࿎࿎࿎࿎࿎࿎࿎࿎࿎࿎࿎࿎࿎࿎࿎࿎࿎࿎࿎࿎࿎࿎࿎࿎࿎࿎࿎࿎࿎
𝖲𝗈𝗋𝗋𝗒 𝖿𝗈𝗋 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗅𝗈𝗇𝗀 𝗎𝗉𝖽𝖺𝗍𝖾 𝖻𝗎𝗍 𝖨 𝗁𝗈𝗉𝖾 𝗒𝗈𝗎 𝗀𝗎𝗒𝗌 𝗅𝗂𝗄𝖾 𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗌 𝖼𝗁𝖺𝗉𝗍𝖾𝗋 🤍

𝖶𝗁𝖺𝗍 𝖽𝗈 𝗒𝗈𝗎 𝗀𝗎𝗒𝗌 𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗇𝗄 𝖺𝖻𝗈𝗎𝗍 𝖣𝖾𝖺𝗇?

𝖨 𝗐𝗂𝗅𝗅 𝖻𝖾 𝗎𝗉𝖽𝖺𝗍𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗆𝗈𝗋𝖾 𝗈𝗇𝖼𝖾 𝖨 𝖿𝗂𝗇𝗂𝗌𝗁 𝖠𝗅𝗅𝗎𝗋𝗂𝗇𝗀.

𝖴𝗇𝗍𝗂𝗅 𝗇𝖾𝗑𝗍 𝗍𝗂𝗆𝖾 𝗅𝗈𝗏𝖾𝗌!!