Chapter 4 Worse than an asshole

Isabella's POV

My chest heaved up and down as the gazes of all the guests became more prominent.

Now, I was sure,they were definitely looking at me, but I was way too shocked and confused to think about that right now.

Antonio Ferraro just said this party was for me. Was it like something to welcome me into their world?

Maybe I had been overthinking things. Maybe he wasn't like what the rumors say about him, and maybe he wasn't using me for anything and was just helping my father's company.

Maybe I was wrong all along.

My lips slowly pulled up in a smile as I looked up at him. He had his free hand stretched towards me, gesturing me to take it.

With a slight hesitation, my feet moved from the corner by the walls where I had been standing and elegantly up the stage to meet him.

He was even more striking up close-tall, with a chiseled jawline and dark, piercing eyes that seemed to see right through me. His physical presence was as formidable as his reputation, and it was impossible not to feel the weight of his gaze.

As I stretched out my hand to meet his, he sharply redrew his hand and shoved them into his pocket.

My breath hitched in hurt and my hand hung where Antonio left it.

"...Isabella here is my new toy." He added.

My entire body just froze.

I... I was not expecting this.

My eyes blurred with tears and my lips trembled.

" I got her for an absurd price of helping a failing company, and I decided to show her off. " Then he looked at me, a side of his lips pulled up in a mocking smirk. "Isn't she something?"

As much as I didn't want to, I glanced at the guests, staring at them with my watery eyes. They were all looking at me like I was some like of product they wanted to check.

So this was what he called me for? To humiliate me?

Just when I was thinking I had been wrong he decided to prove every rumor right, no... The rumors had defined him as an asshole, but the truth was that he was wore than an asshole.

I bit down hard on my lips to stop them from trembling, but even that wasn't working. I've never felt so embarrassed in my life.

The men were boldly looking at me with lust evident in their gaze while the women; mostly the almost naked ones glared at me with jealousy and anger.

"She's good." A man commented, his eyes moving bolding across my body. "Way better than mine." He added with a light chuckle roughly pushing the lady beside him away.

I shook my head, covering my face with my hands.

I couldn't take it. This... This was too much.

With tears, I ran down from the stage and rushed out of the party hall.

How could he do this to me? I cried finally stopping when I noticed no one was around.

Yes, I was practically everything he said, but did he have to be so brazen?

He just harshly reminded me of my terrible decision to allow my family to make me do this.

But I had no choice, even without their intervention I would have done anything and everything to keep it alive and functioning.

"Damn you Antonio." I cursed in a whisper wiping the tears roughly from my eyes.

The truth was that the asshole did nothing wrong, he only pointed at the fact.

The fact that I was his toy, which also meant that sooner or later I would be forced to sleep with him and then all my nightmares would successfully come to pass.

"Why am I even crying?" I muttered still wiping my tears which kept flowing down like a fountain.

This was bound to happen. I should have known that I signed the contract of constant embarrassment and humiliating situations for the rest of my life once I agreed to this.

But it still hurt.

Being ogled by so much men, I've never felt so small.

"That's the reason he wanted me to wear a dress... He wanted to show me off." I snorted releasing a light laugher, mocking myself.

At least he didn't find me utterly disgusting.

' He redrew his hand the second your's was almost on it. ' My subconscious harshly reminded.

Maybe he did find me disgusting. That was probably why he was yet to use me as his ' toy ' up until now. I thought as I began walking around.

"Then I hope you keep on finding me disgusting until this entire ordeal ends."

As downgrading as that sentence was... I meant it.

As the evening wore on, I found myself in a quieter corner of the mansion, attempting to escape the noise and the eyes of the guests. It was there that I overheard a conversation between two of Antonio Ferraro's servants. Their voices were low, but I caught snippets of their conversation that made my heart race.

"Have you heard about the new arrangement?" one of them said. "The boss is getting more... particular."

"Yes," the other replied. "There are rumors that he's taking a more personal interest in his new acquisition."

The words ' new acquisition' and 'personal interest' struck a nerve. My thoughts raced as I tried to piece together the implications of their conversation.

I felt even more humiliated, but that wasn't what I wss thinking about.

The servants sounded shocked that their boss would introduce me and even throw a party for me... Could it be that he doesn't do this for all his ' toys? '

So what was I them, a special toy?

I snorted shaking my head as I dragged tearful body up to my room; could I even call it that?

More like the room Antonio Ferraro gave me to stay in for the meantime.

Now that he's back I doubted I would have any peace.

Then suddenly I stopped when I was already halfway up the stairs. "You know what, I'm not going to sleep. "I said to myself climbing back down.

Why would I sleep?

My life was going to be pretty miserable for the next few months, probably years and today was the start.

And I had nothing really to wake up to. My parents were dead and I lost my boyfriend of three years just few days before coming here; he didn't die, though I kind of wish he did, but he cheated on me with a mysterious woman.

My feet stumbled on the last step but I got up quickly and began walking towards the wine cellar; a place I found out existed yesterday when I was strolling round the huge mansion.

I needed drinks. Even though I was only going to forget for a few hours, I needed to. I was crying so much burden on my chest that only a bottle

or probably ten of strong liquor could uplift.

' Fuck Antonio Ferraro, fuck his guests '.