9

Ziyana 

It's been two days.

Two days of silence from the three brothers. Since that event with the eldest, Stefano, the house has been silent as a graveyard. Don't get me wrong, I love how cool everything is. I could do whatever I want and walked to any length of the house but that was it.

I wasn't allowed to leave the house though, not a single step outside. The one time I tried it, the stern expressions of the men stationed outside the house was enough to tell me to stay in the house.

The only person who has ever came around was that cook. An elderly woman who I believe to be a mute because she has never uttered any word to me. She was like a ghost. No matter how hard I tried getting her to talk she never replied to any of my small talks. I don't know where and how she cooks but she never misses the time for the meals.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner. All delivered as at well due. Even though I had everything at my disposal, I was restless. Even though I hated their guts, it'll still be an advantage to see them around and know what further plans they had for me. Not knowing what was going to happen to me is making me fidgety.

It was already dark now, I muttered as I went to the window to check, hoping that they'd show up miraculously.

Hours earlier I had heard some noise coming from another part of the house. The one time I got out, I saw a door connecting the main building to another. From the extreme of my window, I could see shining lights which was enough to tell me that there was something worth celebrating this evening. Not to mention shouts and music. 

Only God knows what they were up to. I didn't know what exactly they did for a living but with where I had seen Salvatore the first time, they had their hands deep in dirty business.

‘Like your father,’ a voice said in my head.

“It's not a lie though,” I muttered into the empty room, my eyes still on the metal gate. Even if it's just a glimpse I wanted to see the men. It wasn't long before the door opened and men began to trudged out.

I counted about fifteen of them but I never saw any of the devilish men. I was about to hop back into the bed when the door creaked open again. First was the spoiled brat and the jovial one, followed by the icy one. Except for Stephano, who seemed to be in deep thought, the other two were engaged in something interesting. Their eyes were bright and warm. The both vanished into the house, making it difficult to see what they were up to.

I slipped on my footwear and made my way outside. By then their voices could be heard from the hallway where I stood but I couldn't make our any meaningful words. They were arguing about something and it seemed serious. I tiptoed towards the entrance ready to listen more.

“Shall we now?” I heard a voice that sounded like that of Salvatore.

Seconds later,the sounds of their footsteps became clear enough.

They were coming up. I looked around for the nearest place to hide but there was none. I don't want them to find me in the hallways, they'll figure that I was as trying to listen to their conversation

I have to think fast!

The only option I had left was to return to the room. As fast as my legs could take me, I raced back in. I quickly lifted the bedcover and got under it. I turned my back to the entrance and closed my eyes, pretending to be asleep. The time they took to get to tre room was enough for me to steady the rapid beating of my heart. They opened the door slowly and in that time, I almost died of fear.

“Rise and shine, sleepy head,” I heard before, I felt the cover being removed from my body. As expected, it is as the spoiled brat

“What now? You guys ready for another round of assault?” I asked with sass.

“Assault?” Ice asked in what looked like surprise.

“What? Doesn't how you wrestled me to the floor the next time count as that?” I asked the icy one-Stefano.

“Well, I wasn't the creepy one in a stranger's kitchen at midnight,” he retorted. He took the chair in the room , scraping it on the floor before sitting on it. 

Vittorio sat in the bed,a bit far from me while Sal stood by the window, his hands in his pocket. After what Stefano said, none of them said anything for a while. They all kept mute as if they were waiting for one of them to start first. The silence was palpable and it makes me even more uncomfortable, my heart pounding like the beat of a drum.

I looked from one to the other, wondering what suddenly got their tongues.

“So, have you all made your decision?” I asked, starting the conversation since they won't. I had sat upright on the bed, folding my hands across my chest.

“About?” asked Sal, lazily. His hairs were covering his eyes partially, making it difficult to see his eyes clearly.

“When I can leave? You can't hold me against my will. If you do that, you'd be trampling on my fundamental rights. Return me to where you picked me up and we all can forget about this nightmare as if it never happened.” I said.

“What gave you the impression that you'd be leaving this house, kitty?” Vittorio said. If I didn't know too well. I'd think he was trying to sound sexy.

“Well, I'd love to believe that you guys aren't brutes. It's the twenty-first century, who buys off an orphan at some auction. I'm not some piece of jewellery for your info. And stop calling me these names, first it was Red and now kitty?” I said with frustration 

At the mention of being an orphan, I noticed Stefano's eyes clouded with some sort of emotions but it went off as soon as I saw it.

“Newsflash, Red. You aren't leaving this house. As of today, you've been grounded in this house until further noticed.” He said to my ho

rror and the looks on his face confirms that he's serious.