Chapter 2 The Penthouse

Gabriella went home after the strange altercation. She walked slowly as rain poured down upon her head. When she finally stood outside of the complex where she lived, she looked up at the overcast sky. She whispered a prayer asking for forgiveness from her mother before heading inside the double doors. She then headed up the narrow, carpeted stairs. Once she arrived on the third floor, she shoved the key into the lock of her door and walked inside.

After locking the door behind her, she turned around and faced the dingy apartment. It was an utter mess. There were dishes in the sink, leftover food on the table, laundry and clutter littered the floor, and the trash can was full to overflowing. Just seeing the state of the apartment gave Gabriella a migraine. She allowed herself to curl up on the couch as the bed was covered in her newly bought work clothes and she didn't have the energy to put them away in the closet.

It was growing dark out when Gabriella finally opened her eyes once more. She stared at the ceiling wondering what she was going to do with the apartment and all the things inside of it. She'd been told only to bring her valuables. Valuables to her meant the box of pictures and the locket she wore that belonged to her sister. Nothing else here mattered. She sat up and looked around, once more taking in the sight of her disarray. Why did she have to live like this?

She sighed heavily and moved to pick up a box of moldy noodles that a swarm of gnats were flying around. She dumped it on top of the overfull trash can and moved towards her bed. She climbed under the bed and pulled out the small box of her valuables and brought them to her chest as she knelt on the floor beside the bed. She slid the lid off the box and paged through the photos of herself, her mother, and her sister; her father having been cut out of each photo with scissors by her mother.

She smiled even though tears burned at her eyes, threatening to spill over as she stared at the most recent picture of the three of them together. She sniffled and put the photos tenderly back into the box before replacing the lid. She then blinked back the tears and stood up. She placed the box down on the cluttered coffee table. She sat down on the couch with a sigh. Her head still hurt and just looking at the way she lived only made it worse. She couldn't wait to get out of this hellhole.

When dawn broke, Gabriella heard the soft sound of knuckles rapping against her apartment door. She startled slightly from the abrupt sound. Standing, she walked over to the door and undid the bolt before opening it just wide enough to peek out. It was Alexander. She frowned, her brow furrowing.

"You're early." She stated in a matter-of-fact tone.

"You were clearly not asleep." He said and breathed a laugh. He then gave Gabriella a dazzling smile. "I take it you've gathered your valuables by now and you're ready to leave?"

Gabriella nodded before she walked over to retrieve the shoebox of memories. She then closed the door firmly behind her, preventing Alexander's eyes from staring past the door and into the mess.

"Let us leave." Gabriella said simply as she clutched the box to her chest protectively.

The man nodded and led her down the stairs and out to a nice car. He pulled open the door to the back seat for her to climb in. She gave him a look before climbing into the car. He then shut the door and climbed in on the opposite side in the back.

"Take us home." Alexander said to the driver. The driver gave a nod and they pulled out from the sidewalk and onto the busy streets.

The car ride was silent and uncomfortable. It was more than two hours before they pulled into the underground parking lot of a very large complex.

"You live here?" Gabriella asked with an indignant sniff. She had never seen such a fancy building. It was so tall that it made her heart pound just thinking about going so high. She turned to face the man beside her who was simply watching her.

"Naturally, you live here now too." He said with a frown. "I will have your apartment taken care of, so do not worry about your clothes and the like as they will be brought out for you."

Gabriella's eyes went slightly wide at his words, but she averted her gaze from his with a quiet hmpf. This building was famous around the city and Gabriella had never been able to even look at it up closely, let alone get inside.

They soon were parked in front of the doors and Alexander climbed out of the car before opening Gabriella's door once more. He offered her a hand to climb out, but she gave him a raised eyebrow and he backed up slightly. Once she was out and the door was shut, Gabriella watched as the car drove away towards the parking area.

"Follow me." Alexander said softly, pulling Gabriella's attention back from the carpark to his face. She nodded and followed him onto the elevator.

"Which floor do you live on?" She asked him to break the silence.

"We," he emphasized, "live in the penthouse."

Gabriella bit the inside of her cheek. She was terribly afraid of heights and the thought of looking down upon the city from such a place made her feel a little lightheaded. She swallowed thickly as she watched the elevator climb ever higher. When they finally reached the top floor, they stepped out of the lift. Gabriella didn't much care for the minimalistic décor of the place. From what she could see there was a kitchen with dark grey tile floor, black granite counters with gold veins throughout, a large black fridge, and an island counter where the stove and stainless-steel sink were. The kitchen was gigantic.

Gabriella then took in the large dining room. It had a large cherry wood table and matching wooden chairs. On top of the table was a small vase with a single red rose. After that she took note of the large sitting room. There was a fireplace in the center around which two leather couches rested. Against the wall was a tall bookshelf upon which rested many hardcover volumes and books. She then noticed three doors from the living room that led into probably bedrooms or a study.

"You may consider this your home from now on." He said simply. "You will have obligations to appear before the public with me from time to time, but you are otherwise free to come and go as you please. I must request that you stop working as a mourner. If you must work, you will work for me as my new private assistant."

Gabriella turned to look at him, her brow furrowed. "Your company does international shipping, is that correct?" She asked.

"That would be correct." Alexander said.