Love Written in the Stars

Sitting in the dining room with my head in my hands, I was desperate to be able to find a solution to get myself out of the mess I was in right now. Papers were scattered here and there on the table. They were different bills as well as my payslip. 'How am I going to get out of this?' I wondered.

Leo, my brother who was two years younger than me, had put me in really deep shit. He had always loved playing gambling games, which I didn't approve of course. Yet I wasn't able to top him. This time, he really got me into trouble this time.

My dear brother had decided to bet money he didn't have with people he didn't know. Great!

So there I was, Elea, 20 years old and a waitress, thinking about a way to earn 250, 000 dollars. That was more than I ever thought of in my whole life. How was I supposed to handle this situation? I barely earned 1, 200 per month! I couldn't borrow from the bank because I was blacklisted. As for Leo, he did not even talk about it.

I dropped the paperwork and walked over to the window in the living room. The streets were quiet. The weather was terrible. Big gray clouds hid the sun and rain threatened to pour down anytime. Sighing, I ran my hand through my long brown hair and glanced at my wristwatch. I still had five hours before I went to work. However, I decided to go see my boss in advance to see if I could work overtime. With that in mind, I went to the bathroom to take a shower.

Once dressed up, I walked back to the living room to get my bag and my keys. Then, I left. I went to take the subway to join the bar where I worked. It was barely 8 p.m. and the bar was still empty. The customers weren't coming so early. At around 11 p.m., however, the bar was in full swing most of the time. I decided to arrive earlier so that I could discuss quietly with the boss to take overtime. I'm wasn't naive though. I was fully aware that taking overtime wouldn't be enough to pay my brother's debt, but I had to do something. I was walking to the office of Ed, my boss, when I saw him walk towards me.

"Hey, you are quite early today. You normally start work at midnight, right?"

"Yeah. I wanted to see you first. Could I be working overtime?"

He seemed to think for a while. Then he nodded with a gentle smile.

"Alright, no problem. I suggest you henceforth come every evening at 8 p.m. instead of midnight. Does that work for you?"

"Absolutely! Thanks Ed!"

After signing my contract for overtime, I went to the locker room to change and start my night shift.

The night went off without a hitch. For once, there was no weird dude who hit on me.

I was back home at 7 a.m. and still did not have a solution to my problem. No matter how much I worked overtime, I would never have that amount. 'Damn!' I only saw one option, but a voice inside me kept telling me it was a terrible idea. I decided to call Leo first to know if he had found a solution to his problem.

"Yeah!" His voice was still drowsy.

"It's me. Did you find a solution?"

"Damn, you are annoying! Have you seen what time it is?"

"Yeah, brat! Unlike you, I work! Because of you, I had to work overtime!"

"I didn't ask you for any damn thing!" he spat.

"Are you serious? Should I remind you that you owe a huge amount of money to unsavory people?"

"I know that..." He sighed. "Don't worry I will handle it," he added.

"You will handle the debt on your own? Where the hell are you going to find the money? You're busy sleeping when you should be doing everything you can to make money. Should I remind you that you have until the end of the week to return the damn 250, 000? You are really and idiot!"

"I have already managed to raise 50, 000. I will do my best to find the rest. I already told you this is not your problem. Why do you persist in getting involved?"

"Don't be stupid. You're my brother! You are my only family!" I screamed, losing my temper at his flippant demeanor.

He didn't respond.

I took a few seconds to catch my breath before telling him my idea.

"Now listen, you're going to take me tonight to meet your creditor. I have an idea."

"Elea! Just stop it! There's no way he'll let you in. Even if he does, he won't give you a chance to speak!"

"Let me take care of that. I guarantee you he will listen to me."

"What do you have in mind?"

"You'll see, bro. Well I'll leave you now. Come get me at 10 p.m., I'm not working tonight. In the meantime, I will try to get myself some sleep."

With that, I hung up, not giving him time to answer me. He would have tried to dissuade me. What he didn't understand was that he had no choice. If he didn't pay those bullies, they would kill him. Well, I had to sleep first of all.

By the time I woke up it was around 6 p.m. I paced around the apartment, wondering if I was crazy to go to the demon's lair. 'You don't really have a choice, ' I told myself. The clock struck 8 p.m. I had to eat something but my stomach felt heavy as if it was filled with lead. At 9 p.m., I rushed into the shower. I washed my hair, and waxed my armpits and legs. In short, I just prepared myself as if I was going on a date, even though I was perhaps going straight to death.

After the shower, I got dressed. I chose an electric blue dress that went mid-thigh. I didn't put on a bra since the dress had a low neckline at the back. I dried my hair and curled it. I then applied a light makeup, which accentuating my eyes, highlighting their color. I had emerald green eyes and long brown hair that ran down my back. I was rather pretty and I knew it. Despite this, I was still single. I couldn't say why, maybe I hadn't yet found a man capable of making my heart beat. Whatever, I hoped to find him some day.

Once I had finished my makeup and done my hair, I put on my Louboutin pumps. Those pumps were the only fancy I allowed myself.

Suddenly, the doorbell rang. Instinctively, I glanced at my watch. It was exactly 10 p.m. For once, Leo was on time. Not wanting to keep him waiting, I answered the intercom to let him know I was coming. I took my purse and joined him downstairs. We then climbed into his car. He was dead silent, looking at nothing else but the road. I knew he was angry, but he didn't have the right to be. All this mess was totally his fault. We drove in silence to the quay and we stopped in front of a nightclub called "48." That was quite a funny name for a club, but whatever.

I was about to open the door and get out of the car when Leo held me back by the arm. I turned to face him and saw his worried face.

"Are you sure you want to do this? Once inside, there would be no coming back," he asked me.

I stared at him, wondering if I was indeed sure of myself. What if I just didn't get involved? Breathing deeply, I nodded. "Yes, I'm sure." He nodded and let go of my arm. We got out of the car and walked steadily towards the club. Two guards stood at the entrance, watching us as we came towards them.

"We're here to see Julian." Leo didn't bother greeting.

"And who are you?" one of the guards asked.

"Leo Vasquez."

"And who is she?" the other guard asked, showing me by his chin.

"She's my sister," Leo answered.

"Okay, wait here. I'll go see if the boss is willing to see you."

One of them went inside the club while the other stayed to keep an eye on us.

A few minutes later, he returned with a man in black. Quite frankly, he was a guy to die for. He was really gorgeous!! At first glance, I would say he was six feet tall. His dark brown hair was short on the side and longer on the top. He had light blue eyes, borderline transparent, as well as the build of a sportsman and square shoulders. Even with his costume, you could tell he had the physique of a Greek god. I literally drooled looking at him.

He must have noticed that I didn't take my eyes off him because when I looked up at his face, I realized that he, too, was looking at me with a smirk. 'Whoops!'

"Leo! I didn't expect you so soon! I hope you have my money. If not, you are really stupid to show up here."

'So this is the man to who Leo owes 250, 000? My god, he seems to be ruthless...'

"Uh no... Hell! I...I..."

Leo was stammering. He was definitely scared to death of what this man might do to him. I decided to intervene. After all, that was what I was there for.

"I have something for you," I blurted out.

The man who should be by inference Julian gave me a sharp look with his deep eyes.

"And you are?" His voice was full of contempt.

"I'm Elea, his sister."

"Oh, I see! So Leo went to whine on his sister's lap," he said hilariously.

"Not at all! But I'll do anything for him. Even wasting my time with an arrogant man like you!" I made my voice sound as firm and fearless as possible.

Julian glared at me. If looks could kill, I would be dead already. Leo shook my arm, probably hoping that I would shut up. Poor fellow. He should have known it was a waste of time.

"So?! Are you going to let us in? Or should I make my proposal here in front of everyone?"

Julian shifted to the side, and waved us in. As I walked past him, he grabbed me by the arm and pulled me towards him.

"I hope you have a great offer. Otherwise you and your brother will be swimming with the fish in the sea. Several people have died just for having talked to me like you just did," he whispered in my ear.

I stared at him without blinking, and yet I wanted to run away. He then scrutinized every inch of my body as if he was assessing me before adding, "Maybe first I'll fuck your little ass. Now, move on!"

I did not wait for him to tell me twice and quickly joined my brother who was a few meters away. I kept wondering if it wasn't the worst mistake of my life to have come here.

We walked along a long dark hallway. The guards inside then took us down a staircase that led to what seemed to me to be a basement. 'My God, that's not a good sign!' Usually, when shady people take you to a basement, it was recommended to run away. You should definitely not follow them.

So we reached the bottom of the stairs, and of course, it was a basement. I shivered but tried to hide it as best I could. Julian was staring at me with his azure eyes with a hint of amusement. He certainly expected me to get scared and run away. 'Never! I'd rather die than put myself down in front of him!' I thought. Well, that was just a way of speaking. Of course I didn't want to die.

The guards took us to a dark room, which smelled musty. There was only one table inside, with chairs all around it.

"Sit down," Julian told us.

Leo and I sat side by side, as far away from this guy as possible.

"Okay, I'm listening! What offer do you have for me?

So there you have it, the fateful moment had come. Mustering my courage, I breathed deeply.

"I am aware of the fact that my brother owes you a very large amount of money. So far, he has managed to raise 50, 000. So here is what I propose; today we give you the 50, 000. Then, you give us a few months in order to pay you back completely. Every week I will personally come to give you the money from my overtime, which should amount to 2, 500 per week. Until the sum is fully repaid, I will give you my overtime as well as my salary every month. That would make 11, 200 per month. Within 18 months, we would have paid you the all the money."

Once I was done, I saw Julian and the others all staring at me with a bewildered look. After a few second, they burst out laughing. I was puzzled.

"What's so funny?" I asked.

"Do you think you are dealing with some sort of banking institution or what?" Julian asked, still laughing.

"Sorry, I don't get it!"

"I'll explain you how things are going to happen. Your brother will give me the money he owes me on the date I gave him. Otherwise, he won't live to see another day."

"Damn! Are you crazy? We don't have that amount of money kept somewhere! We will never be able to have it in two days' time! There must be another offer that you would be willing to accept!" I yelled.

Julian looked at me. Well, he was actually assessing me. Leaning forward on the table, his hands joined together, he smiled at me.

"There is indeed something that I could accept," he said finally.

I stared at him in turn and saw a glint of mischief in his eyes. At that moment, I knew his proposal would definitely not please me. Nonetheless, I asked, "What is it?"

"Leo gives me the 50, 000 today and I agree to give him a year to pay me back the rest. But I'll need something in exchange."

"What?"

"You!" he said with a smirk.

"I beg your pardon? I am not sure I heard you well..."

"During the year that I grant to your brother, you will be mine! You will stay by my side to serve as a payment guarantee."

Leo, who had been silent until now, sprang up to his feet upon hearing that.

"Never! My sister will never belong to you! You just have to kill me here and now!" he shouted.

"I could indeed," Julian replied casually. "But even so, I would still need my money. So it will be up to your sister to pay me back."

"That's not what was planned!" Leo yelled.

"No! I'm the one setting the plans, you little piece of shit," Julian spat, grabbing Leo by the collar. "Now listen, never again try to outsmart me! Don't play if you have no money! Talk to me once again like you just did and I fuck your sister right here before I send you swim with the fish. Have I made myself clear?"

Leo nodded. Julian then let go of his collar and returned to his seat at the table. All this time, Julian's men hadn't moved an inch. They were still stationed at all the corners of the room.

"Well then, what have you decided?" Julian asked me.

"I don't think I really have a choice!" I spat.

"We always have a choice, miss."

"Sure! But we will never have that amount in two days. Obviously I don't want to die and I don't want my brother to die either."

"You don't have to do that for me," Leo whispered to me.

"Of course I do! You are my only family, my little brother! It's my responsibility to watch over you!" I whispered in his ear. "So if we have an agreement, you won't harm either of us, right?" I asked Julian.

"If you respect your part of the deal, there will be no problem!"

"Fine! When would I have to go with you?"

"My dear, the deal comes into effect as from tonight. I certainly won't let you take advantage of the night to escape!"

'Tonight? But how am I supposed to do it? I mean, I have a life, an apartment, a job...I just can't leave everything like that!' All these questions ran on a loop in my head. Julian seemed to realize what was bothering me as he answered my concerns.

"My men will go with you to your apartment so that you can take your stuff. Your brother should be able to take care of whatever else is left."

I had absolutely no idea what to say to that. As a matter of fact, there was nothing else to say, so I simply nodded. We all got up and headed to my apartment.

'Damn! I really should have let Leo handle it, instead of wanting to play Wonder Woman. Now I will be at the mercy of this man for a year! Why can't you ever shut up, Elea? Why do you always poke your nose into people's business?'

As I left the nightclub, I approached my brother's car, but Julian grabbed my arm to stop me.

"No, you get in my car," he insisted.

I turned to Leo and hugged him.

"I'm so sorry, Elea," he whispered in my ear.

"Don't apologize! I promised our parents I would take care of you, and I will. I want you to promise to pay off that debt. I want you to stay in my apartment while I'm gone. And go to Ed. Tell him I'm sick and taking a year off. Will you do that?"

"Yes, I promise. I love you, Elea."

"I love you, Leo."

I kissed him on the cheek and waved to tell him to get in his car. Then, I met Julian at his car where he was waiting for me with the back door of his SUV open.

I climbed in and took a seat in the back seat. Julian walked around and sat next to me. His two bodyguards took their places in front. Julian asked me for my address, and we set off.

Once we reached the bottom of my building, Julian ordered his men to wait for us, and he walked me to my apartment. I opened the door, put my keys on the front desk and walked into the living room.

"Just take a bag, that will do," he recommended.

"Just a bag? You're kidding, right? For a year, one bag will not be enough!"

"I said one. One bag!" he insisted.

I swallowed the stream of insults I was about to spill on him and headed to my room. I grabbed a suitcase, the biggest one I had, and started filling it. I gathered several pairs of jeans, several T-shirts, sweaters and underwear. I didn't take any dresses or makeup. 'If you think I'm going to look pretty for you, you're daydreaming.'

I then went to my bathroom and took toiletries, handmade soaps, handmade solid shampoos, a hair dryer, and a toothbrush. Once I finished packing, I went back into the living room. By that time, Julian had his back to me. He was busy looking at my pictures hanging on the wall. I took advantage of the fact that he didn't notice me to observe him for a few moments. He was tall, very tall even. I would say one meter ninety. He was broad-shouldered. His buttocks were superbly molded into his suit. This guy was a stud! It was just too bad he was an asshole!

"I am ready," I announced.

"Who are these people?" he asked me.

I walked over and looked at what picture he was talking about. It was a picture of Leo, our parents and me. I was three years old back then. It was the last family photo. A few days later, they passed away.

"These are my parents, my brother and me."

"Where are they?

"They're dead."

At my answer, Julian turned to me and looked at me for a few seconds, with a look filled with sadness. 'No, I don't think so. This man can't feel sadness. It's not possible, ' I said to myself.

"Let's go!"

I retrieved my suitcase, grabbed my keys, and took one last look at my small apartment with a slight twinge of sadness. Then, I locked the door despite myself.

"I have to give the keys to Leo."

"Giulio will take care of that," he said, holding out his hand for me to give him my keys.

"And who is Giulio?" I couldn't help but ask.

"My right-hand man," he replied immediately.

I handed him my keys and we headed back to the SUV. We set off again in dead silence. No one batted an eye. I didn't even dare ask where we were going. I didn't have a say in the matter anyway. After what seemed like an eternity, we arrived in front of a hotel with a big bright billboard "Quality Suite." A five-star hotel, no less. After we got out of the car, Julian's bodyguards were busy parking the SUV in the underground parking lot.

On top of that, they took care of carrying my suitcase and Julian guided me towards the elevator with his hand glued to my hips. His touch triggered a kind of intense heat in me, and immediately my cheeks began to blush. 'Traitor of a body that reacts to a handsome guy!' We took the elevator, then headed to the reception. The hostess, a luscious blonde, looked up and as soon as she spotted Julian, she gave him the most beautiful smile.

"Mr. Morinetti, would you like your key card? And an extra room maybe?" she asked, giving me a dark look.

"Just my key card, thank you."

The hostess gave us the key card and we headed back to the elevator. There were just the two of us. 'But where are the bodyguards?' I asked myself.

We entered the elevator and he pressed the button for the fifth floor. There were only two rooms on this floor. They were probably suites. We stopped at the one at the back. Julian put the key card on the reader and the door opened. He motioned with his chin for me to enter.

It was indeed a suite. There was a small hallway that led to two doors. At the end of the hallway was a huge living room, with two sofas, a coffee table and a desk on the left. At the very back of this living room was another door.

I looked around the room in awe. Everything was beautiful and luxurious. I could never have afforded such a suite. I looked around to see where my room could be. It was after two in the morning and I was tired. Just as I was about to ask him, Julian walked to the door at the back of the living room.

"The bedroom is here," he announced.

"Mine?"

"There's only one room, so it's ours."

"Excuse me?" I shouted, almost choking.

"If that doesn't suit you, you can sleep on the couch," he said flatly.

"Well, that's fine! I'll take the couch! Where's my suitcase?"

"My men dropped it in the hallway."

I took care to not thank him and walked mumbling down the hall. I opened the door on the right; it turned out to be a closet and indeed, my suitcase was inside. I tried to open the other door thinking it was the bathroom, but no luck; it was the toilet. I went into the living room, and knocked on the door of the man's room, which was definitely not gallant.

"Yes?"

I opened the door and asked him, "Where is the bathroom, please?"

"Right here." He pointed to a door in his room.

I didn't think it would be in his room. So I turned back right away, and decided to change in the bathroom. I opened my suitcase, grabbed a T-shirt and shorts and headed to the bathroom. I changed and went back to my bed, well, to my couch. When I got there, I found a blanket and a pillow on it. I smiled at Julian's gesture despite myself. I settled down and closed my eyes. I was so exhausted that I fell asleep right away.

Later, I was awakened by the delicious smell of food. My stomach was screaming for food. I opened my eyes and discovered a tray on the coffee table with a whole bunch of food. Coffee, tea, hot chocolate, freshly squeezed orange juice, pastries, jam and even spreads.

"I don't know what you eat for breakfast, so I had a little bit of everything," a voice said to me.

I gasped when I heard that suave, sexy voice. I straightened up, glanced at Julian and whispered a thank you.

"Hurry up. We're leaving in an hour."

"And where are we going?"

"Home."

"Why didn't we go there yesterday?"

"Because it's in Italy."

I immediately spat out my orange juice, which choked me up when I heard his answer.

"To Italy? No, I'm not going to Italy. Are you crazy?" I objected.

"You don't have a choice, Elea."

It was the first time I heard my first name from his mouth and frankly, with his little accent, it was downright sexy. 'Huh? What? Sexy? Get a grip on yourself, girl!' I quickly pulled myself together.

"I can't. I don't have a passport," I informed.

"Now you do," he said, showing me a passport in my name.

'But where did he get it from? That's totally impossible!' I asked myself with confusion.

"Now do me a favor and hurry up! Whether you're dressed or not..." He looked at his watch, "In fifty minutes, I'll have you on your way to the airport."

I glared at him and grabbed a loaf of chocolate from the tray to eat. Sure I was sulking, but I wasn't going to starve myself.

Once I finished my breakfast, I grabbed a pair of jeans, a T-shirt and a sweater from my suitcase and headed to the bathroom. I took a quick shower, although it was a real pity, because the tub happened to be a Jacuzzi. Otherwise, I could have seen myself lounging around for a long time. I got out of the tub after ten minutes, and after that, I was ready. When I went into the living room, Julian was on the phone. Despite my curiosity, I didn't understand what he was saying because he was speaking in Italian, or so I assumed. The only word I understood was "grazie," which means "thank you" in Italian.

"Did that shower make you feel good?" he asked in a more familiar tone.

"Oh, are we going to the familiarity now?"

"We are going to live together for a year, so we can leave the formals. Especially since in a few days, we will be very intimate."

"I beg your pardon? I must not have heard you right. I thought you said we were going to be intimate," I said, laughing.

"That's what I said," he confirmed.

He moved closer to me, his chest practically glued to mine. I had to lift my head to look him in the eye. After all, he was a good thirty centimeters taller than me.

"In a few days, we'll be intimate, you know why?"

I shook my head to signify no. He leaned towards me. For a moment I thought he was going to kiss me, but he just whispered in my ear, "Because I know you're not indifferent to me. I saw the way you were checking me out in front of the club. And you know what? You're my type."

He straightened up and looked at me with his deep eyes. I swallowed hard; his words put me in a state. 'Damn, yes! It's true he is hot and he doesn't leave me indifferent. But I was never determined to give in to my impulses, never! Not for a man who is holding me by force at his side.' Anyway, I was a virgin and there was no way I was going to give in to this man. I came to myself and told him, "You can always run if you think I'm going to let myself go with you. Rather die!"

He had a sneer on his lips and gave me a playful look.

"We'll see about that, Principessa."

I didn't know what that meant, and I didn't ask him. I grabbed my suitcase and followed him towards the elevator. We went down to the front desk where Julian returned his key card to the hostess. We got in the SUV and headed to the airport.

It didn't take us long to get to the airport. The hotel was only a few minutes away. After checking in, we went to our flight. First class, of course! That would have surprised me. We sat down, obviously, Julian next to me. I didn't know where his henchmen were.

"You can rest for a while, Principessa. We have less than two hours of flight, but once in Italy, I do not intend to let you rest for a long time," he announced.

"And I don't intend to allow that to happen, far from it," I retorted.

He laughed, and I frowned. 'He thinks he's that irresistible? Dream on! It's true that up to now I haven't shown any fighting spirit. But if he wants to play, we'll play, and the one who will lose in the end won't be me. I'll give him a hard time. Then I'll see if he still wants to be intimate with me, ' I swore to myself.

'Damn, why did I make this offer? Fuck, Julian, you're a damn fool! All it takes is a little ass to show up for you to screw up your principles. A year!' I wouldn't have given a fuck normally. My principles were plain and simple. For such a big amount of money, I am intransigent usually. If my debtor didn't have the money by the agreed date, I would kill him. That was all! But Elea had to show up, with her angelic face and that ridiculous proposition of hers. It looked like everything had been done to wake up the hunting dog in me. And of course, it worked.

Damn it! I forgot my principles and spoke with my cock! Because quite frankly, if I made this proposal, it was only because I wanted to fuck her! The moment she opened her mouth and started talking back to me, I couldn't hear a thing anymore. I was just imagining how her lips would taste. So here was where it all got us... We were on our way to Rome, my hometown. That inveterate bitch Elea was sitting next to me. She couldn't have been further from the truth if she was thinking the year ahead would be a dream year for her. She would stay in my villa and wouldn't go anywhere for a year. Maybe less if her asshole brother paid earlier. 'Anyway, I have every intention of fucking her. Let's say this will be my compensation.

Tony will be speechless when he sees me arrive with her.' Tony was my best friend and also my right-hand man. We grew up together and we always shared everything. By everything, I mean everything. Women included! The only ones we wouldn't share would be the women of our lives. It must be obvious; we were not assholes anyway. Well, perhaps we were... But not to the point of doing something that stupid. But since it didn't seem like it was going to happen anytime soon, we would be having fun for the time being. Sometimes we had fun at the same time, sometimes one after the other. And I intended to share my passenger...

Our plane was soon going to land. That bitch didn't open her mouth the whole flight, and I would thank her for that. But for some reason, I felt like that wasn't going to last. So far she hadn't said much, but I had this feeling that she was reserving herself for the coming year. I was really eager to see what she had in store. But how the hell would I be able to handle both my business and this bitch? She didn't even know who I really was. I could already imagine her reaction when she found out. Even her brother didn't know anything about me. He only knew we weren't good guys. Otherwise, he would never had let her come with me. Or maybe he would... I mean he was such an asshole! What kind of person would let his own sister go with an unsavory person to an unknown destination? Okay, he didn't know I was the boss of an Italian mafia, but still... What an asshole!

Once the plane landed, we collected our luggage before joining Pedro, my driver. He was waiting for us in my black SUV outside the airport. Like the good gentleman that I was, I held the door open for that bitch. She entered the car, glaring silently at me as she did. I smiled inwardly. If she thought I was impressed by her comedy, she was completely screwed. I got into the car and sat down next to her. I watched her closely the whole way. It must be said that she was really pretty. A fucking goddess actually. Her long brown hair fell down to her lower back, and I just wanted to run my fingers through it. She had large emerald green eyes and long black lashes that were lifted by a light touch of mascara. Her luscious little mouth, her high cheekbones, her generous breasts, her little round ass...Damn, I had a hard time restraining myself from fucking her. I quickly looked away. I was having an erection just looking at her. Damn, I looked like a virgin looking for love.

After an hour's journey in heavy silence, we finally arrived at my place. Pedro took the winding road that led to a huge wrought-iron gate. Once there, he entered the code that unlocked the gate. We got out of the car and walked up the huge limestone path that led to my villa. At the end of the limestone path was a huge fountain which served incidentally as a roundabout to leave. I shot a side glance at the bitch next to me. She seemed to like what she saw. Her eyes were wide and looked all around with her mouth wide open. I had a hard time suppressing a smile seeing her so dumbfounded.

Pedro parked the SUV near the fountain. I went out and opened the door to her. I took our luggage from the driver and invited her to follow me inside. She followed me obediently. When I turned to look at her, I saw her gazing around the house.

"Valentina!"

The name had barely left my lips when I saw my maid walking quickly towards us.

"Hello sir, madam," she greeted.

"Valentina, this is Elea. She will be spending a year with us. Elea, Valentina is the person in charge of the house. She will be at your service during your stay here."

Elea turned to me and simply nodded. She then waved to Valentina while muttering a hello.

"Valentina, can you take Elea's suitcase up to the white room, please?"

"Alright sir."

"I am definitely able to carry my suitcase, I don't need any help." Elea finally decided to break her silly silence.

Amused, I sighed.

"You could indeed, but we are here in my house, which means you follow my rules! So you just shut up and simply do as I say." I couldn't help but point a finger at her, giving her a cold look. "Valentina! You can go now, thank you."

The maid silently took the suitcase from Elea and headed upstairs. Once alone, I turned to face her.

"I'll show you around the house. After all, this will be your cage for the next 365 days. Well, the remaining 363 days. Okay, follow me."

I led her first to the outside.

"Here you have the swimming pool. It is heated so you can use it whenever you want."

"I don't have a swimsuit. Someone just didn't bother telling me we will be going to Italy and that I will need it," she spat.

"No problem. You'll find some in your room. You can also bathe naked if you like. That won't bother me the least, all the contrary." She frowned but didn't answer. 'Good girl!' I thought.

"The path you see on the left leads to a garden where you can go to kill time."

After I had shown her all she needed to see outside the house, we went back inside. I showed her around. We then went to the kitchen and I introduced Maria, my cook. I let her know that just like Valentina, Maria was at her service for whatever she might want to eat. Once we were don visiting the ground floor, I took her to the 2nd floor. There was a library, a room converted into a movie theater, her bedroom for the coming year, and Maria's and Valentina's bedrooms. I didn't bring her to the 3rd floor. I actually made it clear to her that on no account should she ever go there.

"Okay now, you can go and rest. We'll be having lunch in an hour," I told her finally.

She was about to go to her room when I held her arm suddenly. I had omitted one important detail.

"Each door located upstairs and the one leading outside the house is locked by a digital code. The code is automatically changed every hour and you will not have access to it under any circumstances. So don't bother trying to escape. You're stuck with me for the remaining 363 days."

"Even if I manage to get out of this golden prison, where will I go? We are in Italy! I do not know anyone here."

"And it will remain that way. The only people you'll see throughout your stay here will be Valentina, Maria, Tony and me. Unless I give you a special favor. But given your present behavior, that doesn't seem likely to happen any time soon."

"Tony? Who is that?" she asked with her brow furrowed.

"You will meet him in due time."

With that, I turned around and went to my room on the 2nd floor. I seriously needed a nap.