Daring to dream

OLIVIA.

Madam Rosa was very kind. And I found myself opening up to her after a few words and talks. She had a similar vibe to my mother, and it made me miss my mom even more.

“You’ll be fine, honey.” Her voice calmed me down. And her hands wiped off the tears on my face. But, I still felt heavy.

“Is he usually like this?” I asked her as she took off my clothes. I felt a bit ashamed, standing there, naked in front of her. I felt like a little child about to be bathed by her mother.

“You don’t have to be shy around me, dear.” She noticed my shyness, “And, No. Axel isn’t usually like this.”

Axel… I wondered if he allowed just anyone to call him that.

I sighed, her hands leading me into the bathtub. The water felt very warm, and I found my body relaxing.

“Most of the girls I usually attend to are either wounded, or half breathing.” She uttered, making me arch my brows in curiosity, “But, you’re perfectly fine. And you’ve got—‘’

“— most of the girls?” I didn’t mean to interrupt her, but I was curious. I sat fully inside the bathtub, feeling the warm water cover my whole body, “There’s other girls besides me?”

She kept quiet, obviously aware that she’d spilled too much. Her hands grabbed the sponge next to the bathtub, and slowly, I felt them scrubbing my skin.

“Is he going to kill me?” I asked. That had been on my mind for the past few minutes.

Madam Rosa sighed. “You’re overthinking, dear. Just relax.”

“I can’t just relax.” I forced out, unable to hide my pain, “My sister’s missing. And he told me something about her breaking the omertà. I don’t even know what it means.”

I felt her hand stop for a moment. And I turned back to look at her, catching the hint of fear in her eyes. It sounded like I’d said something wrong— something that reminded her about something, or someone. Whatever it was.

“Did— did I say something wrong?”

She shook her head, her hands resuming what she was doing, “Is your sister Isabella?”

My eyes widened. She knew her. 

“Yes.” I cried out, hoping she’d be willing to tell me more things she knew, “Do you know her.”

She nodded, “Yes.”

I felt a tear at the corner of my eye. My sister had definitely been here. Maybe she had even slept in this room.

“Do you know anything about her? Where could she be? Why are they searching for her?”

She shook her head, indicating she had no idea. But I saw the look in her eyes. She knew something. She was hiding something.

“Madam Rosa,” I called disappointingly, hoping she’d tell me more, “Please, tell me—‘’

“—You’re a special girl, Olivia.” She cut me off, her voice firm, “Axel definitely has good plans for you. I’ve seen the way he’s been treating you.”

I scoffed. She definitely hadn’t seen how he had ordered his men to tie me up and inject me. If this was special, then I didn’t want it.

“You’re only saying that to make me feel better.” I sulked, slumping my body further into the bathtub, allowing the water to go a bit above my breasts. “He’s using me to get revenge on my sister.”

Madam Rosa kept scrubbing in silence, her lips tightening. “Your sister stole something from Axel. An item that can destroy him.” Her words caught my attention, and I turned to look at her keenly.

She continued, “He’s after her, and she’s been missing for weeks now. The rest of the council wanted him to go after you, since you’re the target Isabella gave. But, he refused… until you showed up here on your own.”

I swallowed. This was all too much and confusing. Isabella had given me off to him as a target? That means he knew about me even before I came here. And what had she stolen? Why did she steal from him knowing how dangerous he was?

I sat up straight in the bathtub. I needed to hear more, know more. “What did she steal from him?” But Rosa was done talking. I could tell from the way she ignored my question.

“You need to let go of your curiosity.” She splashed water all over my back, rinsing out the soap suds, “Axel won’t hurt you if you don’t try to interfere in his matters.”

I pursed my lips, thinking hard. Something wasn’t right. There were things that were hidden from me. And I needed to find out.

I felt Madam Rosa’s hands move all the way to my arm holes, and I raised my hands up, thinking she wanted to wash them. But she tickled me.

I laughed. It was the first time I’d ever laughed since I got there. But she’d made me do it so easily.

“You need to make sure you don’t lose your smile.” Her face was bright, and she smiled at me, “It’s the only thing they can’t take away from you—‘’

She was interrupted. The door to the bathroom suddenly opened without warning and the first thing my heart did was skip in fear.

Axel walked in. And the moment our eyes locked, my smile disappeared. Fear returned, alongside my sadness. They came back with his presence.

“Leave us, Rosa.” He thundered. I watched him take off his sleeves in a hurry, his gaze holding mine, “Right now.”

I swallowed hard. Madam Rosa bowed slightly, carefully dropping the sponge into the bathtub. My eyes pleaded with her not to leave me alone with him. But she gave me a reassuring look, her legs carrying her towards the exit.

“Did— I do something wrong?”

This man instilled fear in me. I knew I’d be walking on eggshells around him. What had happened this time? Had he come to torture me? Hurt me?

He didn’t respond to my question. Rather, his hands took off his sleeves, exposing his broad chest. I swallowed a gasp. His tattoo was visible now— the head of a tiger. My eyes wandered to his pants unknowingly, and I saw a bulge. One that frightened me.

“You need to be ready for me, Kitty.” I only realized that’s what he’d been calling me since I got there, “Cause I’m fucking ready for you.”

Nobody had to tell me. He was here to devour me. To take my innocence. I shuddered, goosebumps crawling out my skin. This man could kill me if he ever got inside me. And the fact that this was going to be my first time…

“Please…” all I could do was beg. There was nothing else I could do. I couldn’t escape. I was fully naked inside the bathtub, and he had every chance to grab me easily against my will. His hands grabbed the waist of his trousers, taking off his belt. His pants slid down without force, and I saw the bulge grow bigger.

“Move aside.” 

He moved closer to join me. I baited my eyelashes, fear gripping me. The bathtub was big enough to contain the both of us. But it was going to be tight, our skins were definitely going to touch.

His legs got closer with just two heavy steps. He got in, his eyes never leaving mine. I shivered slightly, feeling his skin touch mine.

“Come to me, Kitty.”

I had no choice but to obey. As painful as it sounded for me to admit, I felt excited. I’d never done this before, but it was something that excited me. I pushed my body closer, my hands slowly moving away from my breasts I was trying to hide.

“I should have come for you sooner, Kitty.” He grunted. His hands found their way to my breasts, cupping them. I bit down my lips, trying to refrain myself from making a sound. What if it didn’t please his ears? What if it annoyed him?

“Are you going to make love to me?” I had no idea when the question slipped out of my lips, but I guess my fear took over.

His eyes darkened, “Don’t be ahead of yourself, Kitty.” His voice was stern and reminded me that all I had to do was shut up and allow him to take control, “Making love and having sex are two different things. One is pleasurable, the other can cause pain to be inflicted. And you deserve the pain and not the pleasure.”

That hurt me. He was going to make me experience pain. I already knew all he wanted was to crush me, but hearing him say that just felt more painful.

“I’m not going to fight it.” I said the words so easily, even though it was hard, “If you want to have your way with me, then do it. I only have one thing to ask you.”

I watched him arch his eyebrows. “You don’t have any pass to make requests.” He growled.

I nodded. But parted my lips to speak anyway. “Pl— please be gentle. I… I haven’t done this before.”

My lips trembled, the fear hitting me right in the face. He was going to do it anyway. I had no strength to resist. All I could do was pray he went gentle with me. I was already succumbing to my fate.

It didn’t stop him. I saw the excitement in his eyes when he realized that I was still a virgin. He didn’t seem surprised though, and it felt like he knew all along.

He grabbed me by the wrist, pulling him closer as I felt my legs touch his growing flesh in between his legs. I winced in pain, my wrist was still hurting. But, he paid no attention.

“You’re not allowed to do anything unless I ask you to.” He warned, his hands massaging my breasts rather roughly, “Not even moaning.”

It felt like torture. It was torture. But I knew better than to disobey.

Axel’s hands went rough on me, just like he’d promised. I pursed my lips tightly, trying so hard not to make a sound.

I prayed silently, hoping someone would come in and rescue me. His hands were causing me a mixture of pleasure and pain… but I couldn’t express myself.

My prayers were answered. Less than two minutes after silently praying for help, Madam Rosa rushed through the door, her breath heavy as she panted uncontrollably.

“Don Ace…” she called out with fear in her voice. She halted in front of us, turning her eyes away immediately she realized…

I saw Axel narrow his eyes. His eyebrows furrowed. He was livid with anger, it was evident in his countenance.

“Rosa, why did you—‘’

“I’m sorry to interrupt sir.” She had her head to the ground. I knew she couldn’t look at us because we were both naked in the bathtub, “Viper sends a message. La Mano Nera is here.”

“La Mano Nera?” He repeated, the fear moving to his voice. His hands let go of me immediately and I saw him try to rush up to his feet.

“Yes.” Madam Rosa confirmed, “He— He claims he has Isabella and the item she stole. He wants to see you.”

Her words caught my attention. I tried to stand up inside the bathtub, clearly not ashamed of the fact that he was still there.

Isabella? Had they found her? Was I finally going to be free?

Axel hurried out of the bathtub and towards the room’s exit, grabbing a towel Rosa handed out to wrap over his waist. My heart pounded in my chest with uncertainty, and I rushed out too, my body dripping water all over the floor.

But as I tried to move further, Madam Rosa’s hands held me back. Her warm hands touched my cold body mildly. And her eyes gave me a long, disapproving look.

“You can’t go out there,” She cautioned me, her voice laced with fear and concern, “Stay in here till he comes back.”

She wrapped another towel around my body, her hands reaching for my wet hair to dry. I bit down my lips, my ears aching to hear what was going on outside.

“Who’s La Mano Nera?”

“Shh.” She hushed, turning me over to face her, “You can’t say his name out loud.”

I frowned, “But you just said it—‘’

“—It’s different, Olivia.” She interrupted, getting me more confused as I furrowed my brows. “You can’t—‘’

“—Olivia!”

I heard my name— a loud shriek that threatened to pull down the roof. I moved away from Rosa before she tried to pull me back, rushing towards the door.

That voice… exactly the same after so long…

“Olivia, stop.”

I didn’t listen to Rosa. Didn’t bother to stop. I pushed through the door, my hair still dripping. And with just a towel wrapped over my naked body.

I almost tripped as I burst through the door, reaching the hallway where the little gathering was being held. Axel’s figure turned to me swiftly, and I met his cold eyes, threatening to hurt me.

I caught sight of another man— a bit short yet sturdy. And in his hold was my sister, Isabella, the person I’d longed to see…

I couldn’t hold back my tears, and my lips quivered when I saw her eyes. She looked at me, her hair messy, and her skin filled with scars and fresh wounds. I could feel my heart bleeding at the horrible sight.

“Isabella?”