Rose
23/01/2033
I zipped up my suitcase, my heart in my throat. I didn't want to leave, I'd gotten along with Noah but I didn't want to leave my family. My door was thrown open and mom and dad hobbled in. Dad had recovered quite well but still had a cast on his leg which resulted in quite a dramatic limp. Mom's movements were stiff as if too much movement caused her pain which is fair given all of the internal bleeding caused by the crash and she was still dotted with colourful bruises.
"Rosie." Mom said softly, moving to sit on the sofa by my window, Dad sat next to her. "How are you feeling?" She asked and I swallowed the lump in my throat.
"Fine." I replied, it was far from a convincing one but I didn't have the energy, nor the heart for that.
Mom shook her head, her expression hardening, "You are not fine, and it is my fault. I should have never-" she paused. "-he was the first person that I have ever killed and hopefully the last. And it got us, it got you in this mess."
Dad placed his hand on her shoulder and whispered something to her. Mom nodded in response and then said,
"Everyone is here if you wish to say goodbyes, if not then you can just go." I bit the inside of my lip and then replied,
"I don't. I'll say goodbye to Ollie and Uncle Danny but I don't think that I could say goodbye to anyone else."
Dad and mom both nodded.
"No matter what, we will always be a call away. No matter what happens. I've spoken to Noah and he has agreed to train you. You already know more than basic self defence so it shouldn't be too hard for you to pick up on."
I nodded, the reality dawning on me all over again. I went over to mom and dad and hugged them both.
"I love you both."
Mom's grip was particularly tight on me, dad's was comforting and like a reminder that I would always have a home here.
Tears filled my eyes and a small sob broke free. "I don't want to go." I confessed, "I don't want to leave."
"I'm so, so sorry baby. I'm so sorry." Mom said, her pitch high, she must also be crying.
I pulled away and went back to my bed. I quickly scanned the room making sure that I had absolutely everything before wiping the tears from my eyes.
"I need to say goodbye to Ollie and Danny." I said finally, grabbing my suitcase and heading downstairs. Noah was waiting by the door, his lips pursed in a line, Ollie rushed towards me and I pulled him into my arms.
"I love you Rosie." I sighed, holding him close to me,
"I love you too."
Daniel moved into my line of sight, grandma by his side. I was going to leave without saying goodbye to her because it would be easier and that broke my heart.
I moved to hug them both and then said my goodbyes, I couldn't do anything about this and I might as well embrace this. This was going to be my new life, there was no point in crying about it.
As I got to the door Noah took my suitcase, Daniel then said,
"If he hurts you, I will kill him myself." I nodded, sparing him a quick smile before we made our way towards the car that would take us to his private jet.
I sat in the car beside Noah and let myself cry away from the eyes of my family. He didn't try to comfort me, just sat next to me and squeezed my hand softly.
"I will warn you, when we get to Sicily I will act differently. I will be more harsh and cold."
I sniffled, "Why are you telling me this?"
Noah sighed, "Because, most of my fathers men hate the Russians and I need to pretend like I hate them too. So-"
I cut him off, "-Great, so I'm going to be humilaited and mocked in front of people who don't know me in a language that is not my first but one I understand nevertheless." Noah nodded,
"Knowing Italian will get you some good points, but I'm afraid that until I take over, I can't really do or say anything."
I honestly could have slapped him. Not only was I forced to marry the man but also deal with him expecting me to take the insults and hatred thrown at me because of my blood.
Hell no! If he thinks that I'm just going to sit around and take it he has another thing coming. My mother and father did not raise me to be like that, I was ready to fight because I wanted to be there even less than they wanted me there.
I had to plan, I had to scheme. "I'm just going to go to sleep." I said softly as we hit the highway. New York traffic was anything but kind so I knew that we'd be stuck there for a while.
Noah smiled briefly at me and then diverted his gaze to the world outside the window which was currently sky scrapers and modern looking office buildings that towered like giants.
I closed my eyes, resting my head slightly to my side.
👑★👑
Sicily is objectively beautiful. Everything from the beautiful mediterranean style of architecture to the weather ensured its appeal. But this was no holiday. I was not sightseeing. In fact quite the opposite, I was blindfolded in the back of the SUV as Noah sat in the front chatting to the driver in a new ending flow of Italian that I was attempting to and miserably failing at translating.
The car ground to a slow stop. The conversation slowed to a natural stop and then I heard the doors open. When Noah finally undid the blindfold I glared at him. I was fucking furious. This was how it was going to be. It was a game and I am no fucking looser I am Rose Chloe Marshall and I will make this game my bitch if it is the last thing that I do. He reached out to fix my hair and I spat on his face.
"What the fuck?" He cursed loudly in Italian. My hands darted from my side and I reached out for his neck. He gripped both my wrists tightly, like a vice and pulled me out of the car. I stumbled, landing on my knees. They scratched against the warm concrete and I would be lucky if it didn't bruise.
"I didn't think that you'd be on your knees so quickly." Noah quipped, the man to his left laughed and patted his shoulder. My gaze darted to the floor before I stood, "Play nice tesoro." he chided.
"Or what?" I spat.
"Because I can be nasty too. And you do not want to see that side of me."
I smirked, it was a lopsided, overly cocky kind of smirk, "Try me you little bitch."
He dropped my hands and then said quietly to the man next to him. "Have her escorted to the cells."
The man nodded and grabbed one of my arms and dragged me towards a building in the distance away from the main home.
I was glad to see that he was not playing around because neither was I. Mom and Dad expected to hear back from me as soon as I landed. As soon as they realised something was wrong maybe dad would call in the cavalry and get me out of here.
The building that I was led to was grimy. The walls were marked with years worth of grime, mud, blood, dirt and other things that I do not wish to think about.
We approached a line of what looked like prison cells, but continued past them to a larger room. In the room was a small single bed on a frame that looked like it was about to collapse and a mattress that was as thin as a mattress topped. A moth-eaten baby blue blanket that was fraying at the hems was on top of it. There weren't any pillows, which honestly didn't surprise me. There was a small window lined with copper rusted bars, and a toilet in the corner of the room. He pushed me in and shut the door, the hinges squeaking so much that I was surprised they didn't just fall off.
The man slid a formerly silver now almost black divider open and then said in stinted English, "The boss will get you when he is ready."
I nodded, moving to sit on the bed. It groaned with every little moment as if in agony and wishing to be killed.
I could do nothing but stare at the wall. On it was a series of scratches marking out days next to a set of initials. They were here for seventy days by my count. I'd probably never meet this person, nor come to know their story but it looks like they'd counted each day, each line getting more sloppy with each passing week, month.
As for the initials, EC didn't give all that much away. I couldn't help but imagine a girl. In a similar situation to myself, trying to fight for herself and being locked up like an animal or traitor for doing so. Forced into a marriage with a man that not only did she not know but a man who treated her like a piece of gum on the bottom of his shoe. A nuisance and inconvenience.
I was about as inconsequential as a piece of gum on a shoe. Who am I kidding? I never had to stand up for myself, mom and dad always stood up for me. How the hell am I meant to stand on my own two feet and somehow make this man's life a living hell? All it's accomplished so far is making my life far more hellish.
I couldn't stand to look out the window, it reminded me that I wasn't home. That I couldn't go run to mom and dad and offload all of my worries on them.
A sardonic laugh escaped me as I felt the warm tears rolling down my cheeks. I couldn't pretend that I wanted to be here any more than Noah could pretend that he wanted me here. He had in essence kidnapped me and held me against my will but I was doing the same to him. If it wasn't for the mafia he would have left me in New York, left me at home with my family. With my friends.
Who am I kidding, I didn't have a life in New York outside of my family and I knew that and that was why I wanted to go to university abroad. Fate is a bitch huh?
After God knows how long there was a knock at the door of my cell and Noah strode in. He was wearing a crisp cut navy suit. The white button up looked starkly pale against his tanned, olive tone skin.
I could have sworn that I saw his smirk fade slightly but that could have just been me seeing things I wanted to see. Noah was so lovely in New York, I wanted that Noah back. I could happily marry that version of him but not this one.
"You're crying." He observed and I nodded.
"No shit sherlock, what are you going to say next, that my wrists are bruised or that my hairs a mess. Take your pick."
Noah sighed and then said something to the man outside the cell before shutting the door.
"Look Rose I told you-"
I cut him off, "-You didn't tell me shit. You told me that you'd change not that you would throw me in a cell after you pushed me down to the concrete.I hate you."
He shook his head. "I had to."
"You didn't have to do anything." I told him, my voice going eerily calm.
"Rose."
I shook my head. "None of this. None of it. I need my phone to call my parents."
He took a deep breath, his hand going up to rub a tattoo that I had not spotted on his neck. It was a bird, a blue bird I think that was flying out of a cage. Its beak opened as if it was singing. It was a beautiful piece of art and I couldn't help thinking about what it symbolised.
With his other hand he grabbed my phone and threw it at me. I caught it, bringing it close to me before logging in.
I clicked on mom's contact quicker than I ever had before and waited for her to answer.
"Rose." She said softly after the first ring. "Oh my baby are you okay?" She asked with a motherly sincerity that made me want to cry.
"I'm fine mom. I promise. Is dad there too?" I asked and I could hear her yell.
"Alex!" More tears than I'd like to admit flooded from my eyes as mom talked softly to me, about nothing but it meant everything to me.
"Rosie." Uncle Danny spoke, my heart which had already been trampled on, torn in two and put through a blender was then poured down the garbage disposal. They were all here.
"I-" I was all choked up and could barely speak. "-I love you all." I told them before hanging up. I didn't want to but if I stayed on the phone any longer I would tell them what happened and I couldn't have them getting caught in the crossfire.
Noah held his hand out expectantly for my phone but I shook my head. "I'm not a prisoner in their eyes." I told him.
"You can contact them once a day at a time of my choosing. I will give you your phone when you stop acting out. It's damaging my reputation and forcing me to do stuff that I don't want to do."
I didn't have the energy to argue. I just handed him my phone and then laid back on the bed. Pulling the threadbare blanket closer to me.
"You're not staying here." He told me. Much to my shock. I thought I would be destined to this room for at least seventy days. "You as my future wife will be staying with me. In my room."
Hell no.
"No." I told him, plain and simple. I would rather stay in a mouldy room with no pillows and a bed that is still standing by pure determination than with him.
"Yes you are. We have to keep up appearances.Everyone knows that you are my fiancée so we must act like we are to be wed."
I could not believe this man. "I want to stay here." I told him, pushing as much conviction as I could into my voice but even I could admit that it sounded like a blatant lie.
"Bullshit." He drawled, his expression unamused.
He reached out to grab me and pull me up. He then changed his mind and grabbed my waist, pulling me up over his shoulder.
"Manhandling me will not get you any favours you bastard."
He chuckled softly, "Call me all the names in the world.-" he paused for a brief second, "-soon however I will be your bastard husband and nothing except death can change that."
"Divorce." I countered and he chortled.
"Not an option." his hand gripped onto my thigh even tighter as he carried me from the room and towards the main house.
"I hate you!" I yelled loudly when we were next to a couple of people. Noah's hand moved from my thigh and swatted my ass.
"Someone really wants to be punished." He grumbled in my ear.
I wish I could have stopped the arrow of desire that struck my core hearing the imminent threat of punishment in his gruff tone. It sounded more like a fun evening than a threat to my lust blinded brain.
Before we entered the house he set me down on my feet softly.
"My parents are waiting to meet you. Neither are good with their English so you might want to speak Italian."
A small frown formed on my lips and I then remarked, "Do you not think that I have been through enough today?" I asked and he simply sighed.
"I'm sorry Rose but this was in the terms of the contract. It'll be quick I promise."
But it wasn't quick. It was nearly three hours of listening to a conversation that I was not involved in. Hearing words that I didn't understand and slowly growing to hate him more and more. His father was a piece of work, not only did he insult me, but my mother, father and brother. He failed to mention Daniel by name but referred to him frequently as the 'tart'. Which I assume was some sort of dysphemism surrounding Daniel's sexuality.
After exactly one hundred and seventy two minutes I'd had enough. "Noah, I want to go to bed. Where can I find my room?" I asked. His father glowered and his mother looked at me curiously. Like she was trying to work out whether or not me and Noah would be compatible or work out how cute our babies would be.
Noah waved a man over and asked him to show me to my room. I followed the man around the house, I was used to big houses, dad owned several but when you're in an unfamiliar environment as big as this it can feel like you are one wrong step away from death.
👑★👑
I didn't take much notice of the room, only the bed which I immediately collapsed onto before falling asleep. So waking up in the room with a heavy weight over my waist made me want to scream.
I bolted up and scanned the room. The bed was a four poster with red velvet curtains that surrounded us. I pulled one back and stepped out of the bed. The room was huge. The bed was in the centre of the room against the northernmost wall. A floor to ceiling window that overlooked the grounds was on the eastern wall. The sun was rising gently over the trees that separated the property from the outside world, acting as a barrier. On the southernmost wall was a mounted flatscreen television and at the foot of the bed was a deep sofa in a grey crushed velvet. It was littered with colourful cushions that looked like they were feather stuffed.
There was a door to the left of the television that I crept over to and opened. It was a walk in closet. Like the one I had at home only a bit bigger. Within the room there was a door that led towards an ensuite with a claw footed bath, a standing shower and a toilet. Bidet included.
I hated how much I loved this room. I would be massively loathed to leave it. I crept back towards the bed and drew all of the curtains back, tying them with the gold coloured ropes. Noah groaned at the influx of light and pulled one of the magically comfortable pillows over his head.
He made my life hell yesterday. I cannot wait to get my revenge and make the rest of his life a hell that not even hell can compare to.