Chapter 5

Eliana:

I had to fight back hissing in pain as the maids washed my body.

The fresh wounds made the whole thing a lot harder for me, but I was glad that things were somewhat moving from where they had been for the past few days.

I knew that Lorenzo wasn’t going to simply ‘trust’ me. But I also knew that even the slightest hope of things going from me being tormented to me joining him on the table meant that things weren’t just stagnant.

Having sent Vladimir a message. I was now more comfortable with how things were going and where they were about to reach. The man must have been going mental over worrying, and I was glad that he didn’t know of what was happening; otherwise, I knew that he would have done his best to come here and shoot Lorenzo’s head, and although that would have solved a lot, I knew that it wouldn’t have been the end of this.

Knowing that I had a brother somewhere wasn’t assuring to me. It was the ONLY reason why we were keeping him alive. An enemy that we knew was always a lot better than one who we didn’t. Therefore, dealing with this crap until things were somewhat solved was going to be a whole lot better.

I placed my hand on the maid’s as it was on my shoulder, tapping it twice as I shook my head. The bruise there was killing me, and her massaging wasn’t helping “I apologize, did I hurt you?”

“Don’t worry about it, love. I think that you’ve scrubbed me enough. I think we can call it a night” I said and she nodded. Rinsing my body from the soap. The maids helped me get up from the tub and wrapped my body with a towel. I didn’t like being as exposed to anyone who wasn’t my husband, but it in this game, it was all or nothing, and I wasn’t going to get out with nothing.

I got out of the tub and watched as the girls brought me a loose dress, helping me wear it “boss ordered that you wear this dress today”

“I didn’t complain, sweetheart” I said and she nodded. The girls seemed to be taken back by the way I was speaking to them, but I needed to be on their good side if I was to be able to get things done. Having used one of their phones, I was sure to slip it in their pockets after I was done with sending the message. One of the girls brushed my hair, attempting to dry it only for me to shake my head; I preferred my hair being in its natural curls.

I put on the slippers they had for me, and walked out of the room, following them where they lead me as I fought the pain of my aching muscles. They knocked the door twice before opening it, nodding at me to go inside. Lorenzo’s eyes met mine and he got up from the chair he was sitting on, walking toward me as he did.

“You left your hair wet”

“I asked them to, I prefer…”

“Natural curls” he said smiling. It was the first time that I’ve see him smile since I was brought here. His smile reaching his eyes for a second before he nodded “I had them give you the dress as I assume that you wouldn’t want anything touching your sore back”

“Thank you for your consideration” I said looking him in the eye. He didn’t bother responding as he motioned to me to go and sit. The big dining table was empty, only having two plates, one at the head of the table, and the other on his left side.

I walked toward the chair on the right side, making him raise an eyebrow “I believe that your only child should be sitting by your side, and should be your right hand as she did”

Another thing that I needed to play with was that I shouldn’t be knowing of the existence of my brother. Lorenzo has kept him secret for all these years, and to earn his ‘trust’ I had to ensure that I was quiet until I was introduced to the man by him. Lorenzo nodded and motioned to the two maids to put a plate and cutleries. Doing as told, the maids kept their eyes on the ground as they worked in silence.

“You’re a lot like your mother, has anyone told you that?” Lorenzo suddenly asked heading toward his chair "however, I’m surprised that a woman like you was sold by her husband; I’m curious as to hear the reasons behind it. Take a seat”

I walked toward the chair, sitting on it, I stared at the glass of water for a second before looking Lorenzo in the eye “the two of us had our rocky relationship after Ian, my brother, killed their mum. The men couldn’t get over it…”

“Typical Romanov’s” he said crossing his arms over his chest. I had to fight back frowning at his statement, completing off the story Vladimir and I made out.

“Year after year, they couldn’t stand keeping me. Though why they chose to sell me to you, I still don’t know; I was well aware that they wanted nothing more than to get rid of me” I said calmly. Lorenzo nodded but didn’t bother commenting on the subject for a few seconds before he motioned for me to eat, staring at me as he did.

“I don’t like being stared at, Lorenzo”

“I don’t believe I asked for your opinion” he said grabbing his fork and knife “now, I suggest that you eat. The two of us still have a lot to talk about”

“Do we now?” I asked raising an amused eyebrow.

“Yes, you can’t expect me to be stupid enough as to trust you. If you wish to be trusted, you’re going to have to earn it” he said cutting his piece of steak “now, eat something, then we can talk in my office”