Lisa's Point of View
I tried my best to avoid Theo with a heavy heart. The potential of having Theo as a great friend is there and I want it as badly but the Don's threat lurks behind me like a shadow stopping me from even thinking about the idea.
The foreboding last words of Theo to me about the Don made me realize that my outlook towards the Don is getting weak. It's like a shout out call and the event the followed (him getting mad about my little chat with Theo) solidified my doubts.
After he lashes out to me when he learned about my conversation with Theo, he suprisingly returned to being calm. He's making my mind in conflict everytime he's acting civil towards me. I won't use the word nice because his name and the word nice in the same sentence doesn't makes sense. Don't you agree?
I avoided as much contact as possible from him but for some reason I ended lying in his bed with him by my side.
He said that it was getting cold and he needs someone to make him warm. True to his words it is indeed freezing as hell. It's the month of December so the temperature is dropping low each day. Probably that's the reason why they decided to celebrate christmas in this month. The harsh cold weather is dreary enough to put anyone into a sullen emotion thus putting these holidays to somehow lift up the feelings of everyone.
I know I was threading in thin ice since the Don is still grumpy about me and Theo so I unhappily obliged his order with the fear etched at the back of my mind that he might do something if I resist him.
I'm currently lying in the farthest end of the bed with my back facing the Don. I hear the Don scoff as I feel him shuffle under the sheets.
"I asked you here to bring me warmth, isn't it self explanatory that a body contact is needed?" He speaks and I can feel his annoyed eyes burning at my back.
I release my lips which are nipped between my teeth and releases a sigh. Nervously I turn my body around facing the Don.
"Come to me." He rasps. I can't help but notice his deep throated voice thats sounds so sexy it makes my skin shiver.
I scoot closer towards him but the Don finds no patience with my slow unsure movement that he grabs me by my waist pulling me harshly towards him. The suddeness of his action makes the softness of my chest bounces into his hard firm one. The intimate closeness immediately brings the musky scent of him which yields all my senses.
His arms are wrapped around me, prisoning me. But I don't feel being restrained nor prisoned but rather I just feel uncomfortable and nervous by the contact of our almost naked bodies. As usual the Don forced me to sleep with only my underwear on while him is just clad with his boxers.
The series of different emotion he's inflicting me causes my mouth to part, not even stopping myself from acknowledging my warning thoughts.
"Why are you like this?" I ask him softly. I feel him release a deep breath and it takes him a moment of silence that I thought he won't answer me back but to my surprise he starts to speak.
"Remember what you promised me Lisa?" My brows squeezes when the thought of my forced vow to the Don is brought up.
"You left me no choice. You destroyed everything good left of me." I croak. I can't see his face from our position so my eyes burn a glare instead towards his toned chest. The tears I've been holding succededly paints my warm cheeks.
"Shh. Don't cry. Just do what you promised and I will protect you." He swears but its authenticity is still in question. Theo's warning flashes into my mind.
'Don't trust the Don.'
My body shivers from the thought and he seems to notice it so he tightens his grip around my waist and my back making me feel vulnerable even more.
I shake my head hearing those words. Protect me from who? He shouldn't be saying those because he is talking about himself. No other torments me the most than him.
But somehow hearing those words in the territory of his arms shifts something in me.
"I don't understand you." I mutter.
"You'll never will." He replies. His lack of words and explanation triggers my annoyance that my fear of him is pushed aside on my back. Pushing myself away from him to create some distance, I look up to him with a brave face.
"I understand that you came from a broken family and you lost your mom which explains your harsh attitude. I understand that you were raised in this abundance of wealth and power which explains your selfishness. But what I don't understand is why your treatment is so worst to me at the same time you are giving me some protective vibe as if you care of me. I don't get it!" Adrenaline fills my system as the thoughts that has been pestering me has finally left my mouth.
My heavy and fast breath fills the silence of the room. Fear is now shoving my short time courage at the back creating a lump in my throat. I can feel his body goes rigid and his breathing goes heavy indicating that he's furious. He squints his eyes showing his disapproval of my outbursts.
"I will act as if I didn't hear what you just said Lisa just for the reason that I'm tired." The Don growls. Without warning he pulls my body again towards him but now he turns my body facing the opposite making him spoon me.
He place his left arm wrapping it above my chest while the other arm is caged around my waist. My butt is in contact to the unaroused bulge on his crotch.
"If you know what's best for you, you should shut up now." He growls behind my ear. Silence fills the air again between us but the tension is still thick you can even feel it.
The tears haven't stopped yet but again somehow his embrace brings a soothing feeling in me. The Don starts to speak again breaking the silence.
"You're different. It took me a while to make you calm down. You're not aggressive like your kind but you're strong and brave. I mean most of your kind are just all bark but without a bite but you're different. You're innocence was surprising for me. You're like a pretty flower that I wanted to pull out so bad and keep it to myself. But the more force I give from pulling you out you still wouldn't leave the ground. And that amuses me." He confess.
I try to focus and feel his beating heart to find out that the beat is still steady, it didn't goes fast like what I expected. So he isn't lying then?
"So you just wanted me because I'm a challenge." I tell him
"Possibly."
"But you should know by now that you're the only person as of the moment who can act like this and is still alive and breathing by the next day." He chuckles but the seriousness is clear in his tone. My eyes widens from his statement. Is he joking or he's telling the truth. Has he killed people before? My tears are now then over and my thoughts is replaced by curiosity
"So it's an honor then?" I scoff.
"Yes, you should be proud of yourself. You're a strong person." My heart warms from his words making me confused again.
"This is what I meant." I say to him.
"What?"
"This past few days were very confusing. You are all cruel to me and then all of sudden you're kind. Then the next day you'll be cruel again and I can't still forget that you molested me too." I point out. Might as well tell him about it that too since we are apparently in the mood of opening up our thoughts and feelings. I admit the openess of the Don right now is bewildering.
"Lisa look at me." He turns my body to its original position making me face him again. He cups my face with his hand tilting it up towards him. "If you are expecting thatI'll ask for your forgiveness then forget it 'cos I won't give you that. Whatever I did to you is for a reason. I punished you because you have to learn and most of all..everytime I see your innocent face it triggers something in me making me act irrational to you at times." He admits.
Shock is an understatement. This is the most that the he opens his thoughts towards me. His revelation brings more question to me. I try to stirr from his steel grasp to face him and continue the conversation but he stops me from doing it by tightening more his grip
"Go to sleep now. This is the end of discussion." He warns. I know from his tone the he won't tolerate any more discussion so I opt to shut my mouth and try my best to sleep with these bothering thoughts.
He said that I trigger something to him but what he doesn't know is he also does the same thing to me. I can't help but feel that his strong warm arms wrapped against me and his hard chest being cushioned in my face that makes me hear his beating heart trigger some raw emotion to me. I can't help but feel safe in his arms and this feeling is what I avoids the most. I can't stop it but Theo's words flashes again in my mind.
'Don't trust him Lisa'
But I know that I'm already on that path though I know how destructive will it be for myself. This is my last thoughts before sleep overpowers my tired mind.
The following day I was hoping that the Don won't let me sleep again beside him but to my dismay he did again.
I wake up in this tangles mess. I'm sweating profusely and his warm and heavy body is against me. I slowly makes myself free from him doing my best not to wake him up. As soon as I break myself from him without waking him up, I take a closer look of him. This is the moment I can enjoy looking at him freely. The sight of him sleeping peacefully amuses me. He totally looks different and his handsome features are showing more in his relax face . Far from the scowling mad Don, he looks like a harmless angel.
To my dismay the following succeding days is still the same. The Don keeps asking me to sleep on his bed every night. And the constant contact with him though I tried my best to stop it is slowly chipping off the walls I built strongly against him.
What is he doing to me?
This isn't right.
***
Harold's Point of View
"Don here's the report for the coming year end assembly." Nicole hands me the tiny chip containing the datas that I need without even looking at her. I continue my work but Nicole's presence is still there raising my brow in annoyance.
"What?"
"Uhm Don it is almost dinner time I believe it will be the best to take your break now and--" she stops midsentence when she sees my deep scowl.
"Who are you to give me advice?" I ask her condescendingly.
"Don, it has been three days and you've been working so much. The concern is just for the welfare of our country. What will happen to us if you suddenly get ill because of overfatigue and lack of nutrition." She confides to me condifently. I release a deep breath from frustration. I know she's right but I need to finish my work fast so that I can leave this damn place as soon as possible.
It has been four days that I have been away from my home. Nicole and the rest of my assistants are with me and the insurmountable amount of work is too exhausting. It is almost the end of the year and the biggest assembly is soon to come creating tension in my team.
It has been four nights too that the I've been sleeping without Lisa's warmth near my body. It was a stupid idea of mine to make her sleep by my side to gain her trust with me making her submit to me even more in the long run. I thought it wouldn't affect me but a form of habit was created and now I'm used to sleeping with someone by my side.
I slept with Nicole the first night we arrived here back in New York. Another stupid idea.
The sex was good so I thought it was fine to make her stay for the night in replacement of Lisa but I was wrong. It didn't felt the same way. I was uncomfortable the whole night that I made Nicole to her irritation leave my bed in the middle of her sleep.
"Don?" Nicole halts my thoughts.
"I'll have my dinner here, you can leave now." I order to make her stop pestering me.
During the day, countless of meeting has been held. I've been very busy that I can't even have a time to take a break. My voice got hoarsed due to the number of times I shouted to the people who irks me by giving me dissatisfactory results in their reports but mostly because of my lack of sleep.
The evening was supposedly the time for my relaxation but I got no time for that. I usually work at the that time to finish my work so I can leave early. I still have a lot of things to think of and staying here where I know the chance of meeting any of my family member is making me on edge.
Now is my last night here in New York and I planned to make my last stay here to be chill and relaxing but the beep of my phone changes it all.
Nicole left a message stating that my attendance to attend a party is highly needed tonight to my dismay. I'm about to decline it but Nicole immediately added the name of the person who made the invitation in her message making me groan in frustration.
Apparently, it is my cousin's invitation and I can't say no to him. I guess avoiding my family is not an option now. Damn, I was hoping of a peaceful night with my bottle of champagne relaxing in the jacuzzi while viewing the NewYork city lights.
Two hours after, dressed in my personal tailored dark suit I make my entrance to this grandiose party of my cousin. I gaze my eyes around the venue and I can't help but smirk that my presence causes to stir the people around getting their whole attention. I make my walk with my inherent confidence not minding the awe and lustful eyes of women and men as I passed them.
My guard ushers me to the next floor where my dear cousin is probably waiting for me. To my amusement the number of his guards in comparison is greater than mine. Is his life in threat?
We made it to this glass door where I can view the people inside, most of them are familiar to me. As soon as I make my entrance, my cousin immediately make his appearance welcoming me.
"Harold Styles you came." He greets me with a firm handshake. My cousin who obviously had a couple of drinks already by his stance grins at me. I can't help but cringe when I notice that he reeks with something.
"You smell like sex. Go away." I playfully shoves him in his chest.
"What? No hugs and kisses? You dissappoint me Harold we haven't seen each other for like what? A year?" He tsked but wraps his arm to my shoulder.
"And when did you grew a vagina? You're acting like a overly dramatic clingy girlfriend." I roll my eyes. He seems to stiffen a bit by my remark but for a short time only. He then grins widely again to me again.
"Still grumpy huh? Still can't get over with your lost romantic incest escapade?" He mocks making my turn to stop and flinch. He then removes his arm to my shoulder to face me. He has the same built and height as mine. The same green eyes as mine that runs into our family blood gaze at me in contempt and mockery.
"What? Did I hit a nerve?" He smirks. The familiar numbing sensation of anger rushes to my blood by his subtle attack to me. This fucker.
The air changes between us. We are then prisoned into this deadly glare claiming our entitled dominance.
I know I look more intimidating than my cousin of a prick that eventually he's the first one to look away from our intense glares.
"I'm just kidding my dear cousin. You should've seen your face! I swear it will make anyone crawl in fear. Damn you're a natural!" He chuckles like what happened was just nothing and a fucking joke.
"I'm sorry if I offended you though." He apologizes sincerely. "Anyway we need to talk in private. It's something important. If you'll follow me?" He direct his hand to the back of the room. I swear I want to leave this building when this prick left those words from his mouth but my curiosity got me better.
The door that we entered is apparently the way towards the loft of the building. My guards are about to enter with us but my cousin blocks them. My guards move their heads towards me waiting for my order. I take a sigh and nods to them making them retract immediately closing the door behind us. Moving my body to face my smirking cousin, I cut off the chase by getting direct to the point so that I can fucking leave early.
"What do you want to talk about, Arthrun Styles?" I snarl.
***
Lisa's Point of View
The temperature is dropping more and more every day that passed. December is about to end and the New Year is commencing. The cold weather worsens the foreboding feeling of emptiness here inside the mansion. The warmth is scraped away that the bone chilling sadness creeps to you freezing and incapacitating your emotion.
He is supposed to come back five days ago. His stay to New York was supposedly for only five days but now it's been two weeks and he hasn't returned yet. It will be New Year's eve tomorrow and the mansion is gloomy than the usual. Most of the employees other than the slaves are now in their holiday vacation. All of them will resume their work on the second day of the new year.
His absence brings me to notice this unknown budding feeling inside of me. This feeling has made me restless the day when I learned that the Don didn't returned home right on his schedule.
All I have been doing the whole day is clean the mansion or sometimes clean the garden with Esme. Though I really hate going outside the mansion since Marcus is always there to harass me. He even threatened me of reporting to the Don of escaping when I kicked him in the balls after he maliciously made some nasty comments towards me. I swear his beet red face as he hold his breath in pain has been my highlight this past few days. He doesn't scare me anymore.
I'm doing my daily chores in the library when Dorothy calls my attention.
"Lisa come with me." She says to me making me squeeze my brows in confusion.
"To where?" I ask.
"To the Don's room." She says like it's nothing.
"What? But no one's allowed to enter it aside from you!" My eyes widen in bewilderment.
"It's fine Lisa, you've been there longer than me most of the time." I flinch by the insensitiveness of her words. Dorothy seems to notice my slight change of demeanor that she rubs her forehead in distress.
"Sorry that didn't came out right. Forgive me Lisa." She frowns obviously embarassed with her words.
"It's fine." I give her a small smile.
"I just need a little help and I already asked permission from Dax so it's fine." My eyes widen that Dax agreed to this. Do they trust me now?
"I thought he isn't here?"
"Dax? No, he isn't here but I asked his right hand to bring the message and he agreed."
"Oh."
"C'mon we have plenty to clean."
The moment I entered the room I can't help but feel the same unknown depressive emotion to engulf me. The familiar smell of the air and the different temperature of the room brings the hairs of my skin to stand. The feeling is overwhelming and when the sight of the Don's bed reach my eyes I can't help but feel a pinch in my heart. What the hell is this?
I blink my eyes rapidly as I turn around avoiding the familiar sight. I exhale to remove the tension his room is bringing me and I make my way to find Dorothy to distract myself.
"Oh here you are, you can start cleaning the Don's room first while I clean his bathroom" Dorothy suggests. My face drops from her idea.
"Can I clean the bathroom instead please?" She seems to understand my discomfort so she nods without hesitation.
"Alright."
We finished cleaning the bathroom and his room after an hour and just as planned Dorothy and I met in living room to clean it together. Silence engulfs both of us, each on it's own thoughts. I'm in the middle of wiping the table when Dorothy breaks the silence.
"The Don was a very bright child when he was young. Sassy boy he was. I swear that kid doesn't know how to shut up. He was always curious about anything leaving anyone around him speechless of the level of his curiosity." Dorothy smiles as if she remembers something. Why is she sharing this to me? I keep my silence letting her continue her speech. I don't know why she's suddenly sharing things about the Don but I'm glad that I'm having a glimpse of the Don's past.
"I know since then that that kid has a bright future ahead. I know it's embarassing but the young Don even taught me how to read and write. I was twenty three by that time and he was seven and believe it or not he can already read advance books for his age. I consider him as a genuis. He got all the qualities of being one but his only setback is his lack of patience." She chuckles. I agree with her with a smile. Yes, he's indeed the most impatient man I know.
"But things for him has changed. Since her mother died, a large part of him died too. You see my little Harry was raised to become a leader and his father has made sure he'll be formed to be the best. He was too young then to understand that but my little Harry was adamant to please the only parent he has left as if the lost of a mother can be compensated in a whole way by his remaining parent, Des. But Des failed him, he always did and since then he was never been the same." Dorothy sighs while looking from afar as if she can vividly see the past.
It doesn't take a genius to know that the Don had a bad past. Still it isn't an excuse of his attitude nowadays. Everyone suffer in a different ways. Some can be greater than the others but the result is still the same, it leaves you broken. The amount of suffering and bad memories from the past is not an excuse because you are given with a brand new fresh start everyday to slowly make the scars of the past fades it away to be replaced with new memories. It's just a matter of choice.
If you choose to be affected by it forever then enjoy a miserable life.
You might call me a hypocrite because I usually let my recent anxiety gets the best of me but this is still my present. When the time comes when this present will become my past and if I'm lucky that I survive this slavery I know deep down I will not become like the Don.
"I understand where he came from but it doesn't justify his actions. He's cruel." I say defeatedly to Dorothy.
"My intention wasn't to justify his wrong doings. The Don has always been an angry man. His reclusiveness is for a reason." She sighs as if she's finding the best way to defend him.
"What I'm saying is, whatever he did to you is maybe for a reason. There's always light in every darkness Lisa." She explains back.
"So you're saying that I should just accept and understand him then? Don't you think you're being biased here? Whatever he did to me is mine to put into contempt. You won't understand." I turn away from her, my voice is now trembling from anger. I feel her touch my shoulder, rubbing it to calm me.
"I'm sorry. You're right, i'm not in the position to persuade you to change your view of these happenings in a better light." She admits. I turn to face her again.
"Why are you defending him? I know you're very aware of how he is."
"He's like a son to me and I know him well enough to make me understand him no matter how bad his action is."
"You're all blinded.Everyone here in the mansion, I don't understand how you can't see how manipulative he is!" My agitation gets the better of me that I loss my control and screams at Dorothy.
Silence fills the room after my outburst.
"I-I'm sorry, I should'nt have raised my voice to you." I say to her after I realized what I did.
"No, you don't have to ask sorry." Dorothy shakes her head. She then smiles to me but clearly her eyes show sadness. "But I admire you child, you are a strong woman. No wonder that he..." She didn't continue her words making me crunch my brows. What was she about to say?
"Anyway, we should finish our work now. The Don will be back soon."
My heart beats eratically in my confusion after hearing his coming return.
"W-hen?"
"Maybe tonight or tomorrow. It wasn't specific but we need to prepare. It is very likely that he'll return with a very bad mood. The year end assembly is usually a strenous one." She explains
"Oh. So he'll be spending the New Year here then?" Somehow the idea of him spending New Year with us brings my heart to flutter.
"Very likely. I think everyone here in the mansion misses him. Why? He always brings life here with his usual over the top surly attitude it is almost entertaining to the most." She chuckles. I can't help but agree with a smile. Though the chances of me being entertained to his childlike temper is an impossibilty since I'm always the one who is the victim of his unbearable ill-temper.
"No definitely not in my case." I chuckle. I'm glad that the mood is now more uplifted after our almost heated discussion.
"Regardless, I know you miss him irking your wits. Admit it, it has been dreary this past days without him." She smiles and then teasingly smirks at me. My cheeks blush furiously from her remarks. Am I missing him? My brain and my heart is in the middle of a debate when I realize something that makes me snap my head back to Dorothy.
Okay. Hold up, who is this person? This isn't the Dorothy I know. Dorothy never smiles and teases her co workers. Nope, this isn't normal.
"You're really acting different. It's creeping me out." I admit. My remarks made her straighten her composure back. Seriousness returns to her countenance
"I'm not, Lisa. This is me. I'm just comfortable with you. Take that as a complement." Her voice returned to it's normal robotic low and dull tone.
My head shakes from her serious explanation. With a smile, I continue doing my work. The foreboding feeling from the Don's room is now replaced with a feeling of ease.
The thought of the Don lingers in my mind. Yeah maybe I do miss but just really a tiny bit.
Yeah keep convincing yourself that.
I shake my head from my annoying internal thoughts. If only I can physically smack my thoughts, I'll do it a hundred times.
No, I don't miss him. Why should I? I tell myself.
To my relief, after a moment of internal battle of my thoughts, I finally convinced myself that the his absence doesn't affect me in anyway at all.
The question though is, until when will my assurance last?
1.I'm sorry ahead for the next chap. (The thought of it gives me headache.)
2.I imagine Meryl Streep as Dorothy.
Jackson Rathbone as Arthrun Styles
3.Massive thanks for the reads guys! This chap is almost 4k+ words I'm so proud of myself haha.
Please don't forget to Vote :)
+grace