Chapter 3

“Pack these.” Shuffling through my pocket for a very familiar black card, I passed the groceries to the cashier. “How much?” I asked withdrawing it from my pocket.

“Two thousand. Card or-“ the kind-looking young woman started packing while typing the bill. I watched and looked around. I had been coming here regularly for the past seven months. This place was my end point, one step away from the downtown convenience store, and Silas would threaten to chain me.

“Card, please.” I handed over the card to her as she swipe it. Silas had given me his black card, and I had not used it once. But today, I was out of money. So, to prepare breakfast for him, I had to use his money.

“Have a good day.” She handed me a card and grocery bag and waved at me. I smiled. It was nice to be here. The hustle-bustle of people and the lively environment. It was early in the morning so I didn’t bother to dress up, only wearing my pyjamas and a loose emerald sweater that Silas brought for me last month. He said green complimented my eyes.

As I walked down the street, I notice the approaching winter’s arrival, the chilly breeze and the shedding of leaves. It had always been like this in London. While walking down my thoughts drifted back to last night. Silas had kept his promise and hadn’t tried to touch me since that….kiss.

Why did he do that? Why did he have to make everything more complicated than it already was? His infatuation with me was not a hidden thing anymore, but I wanted to keep it that way only, forbidden and suppressed. I did not love him. I was just his captive, the woman of his enemy.

His enemy.

I shook my head as a familiar building came into sight. It took me barely ten more minutes to walk and step outside the elevator. I hadn’t locked the door, and I was sure Silas might be sleeping. We did not share the bed, he slept in the living room on the sofa whining about how uncomfortable it was.

I opened the door when a yelp escaped my lips and the grocery bag in my hand slipped through my fingers before falling as the goods rolled on the floor.

Silas, with his bulky physique, stood at the centre of the lobby, making it appear smaller. He was only wearing pants and firmly held his phone in one hand, but it was his other hand that frightened me the most. My gaze shifted nervously between his face and his fingers, tightly gripping a gun.

“Where were you?” The man standing before me personified peril. He emitted it with such awareness that it sent an icy shiver down my back–a sensation unrelated to the external climate.

“To get grocer-“ The icy fury in his gaze sent shivers down my spine as he glided across the room, defying gravity with each silent stride. In an instant, my unyielding facade crumbled under the weight of fear. His presence was so near that I could discern delicate traces of emerald green twirling within the hazel depths of his eyes. The proximity was overwhelming, as waves of anger pulsed from him, engulfing my senses.

Close enough to touch me.

I stumbled back to escape his feral anger.

“S-Silas…” I swallowed, my pulse racing even more. Blood pumping thicker in my veins as muscles below Silas’s ear twitched. His eyes gleamed with what seemed like consuming rage blinded by concern.

“I…I thought…you-“ A faint wintery scowl appeared on his face yet he took a step in my direction. I took a steadying breath.

“Ran away? Where would I go?” I completed his words. It was a stupid thing to say, and stupid enough for him to assume. I opted for politeness to cover my anxiety. “You have left me homeless, Silas, remember?”

Irrationally, my breathing quickened as my gaze landed on his hand again. And it took a lot of effort to keep my hands from shaking. He was holding a gun, it was not surprising that he was armed–and the gun was just a reminder of who Silas Anderson truly was.

It was no big deal, I tried to calm my frayed nerves. I was used to dangerous men. Edward, Gerard Quintin, then Silvio Salvatore and now Silas. Silas noticed my eyes on the gun and he sighed before quickly throwing it over his shoulder.

“Don’t ask.” Closing the distance between us, I side-stepped escaping his fresh scent. Except he was already invading my space, and a second later, he had his hand wrapped around my wrist. I stare up at him, my skin warmed and my chest tightened.

“Okay, I will not. Freshen up, I’ll make breakfast-“ My words end in a breathless gasp as he reached to caress my cheek. His eyes gleamed as his thumb flickered down and parted my lips. I stare at him, my breath catching.

“Don’t leave me like that ever again.” There was a lingering concern in his touch.

“S-Silas…” To my revulsion, my voice came out thin and unnerve. It was as if I was a deer caught in my red lights, cornered by manly scent. One corner of his mouth lifted, and his fingers caressed my lips one last time before he took a deep breath and stepped back almost like he was fighting to do so. It was no longer hidden that Silas was attracted to me–intimately and disturbingly. I watched frozen to my spot as he turned around and walked into the bedroom. The bag full of groceries was still scattered on the ground as my breathing finally managed to even out.

***

“Don’t go anywhere without telling me,” Silas said in between the silent awkwardness as we ate our European-inspired breakfast. Homemade Croissants, Swiss Rosti With Smoked Salmon, Racuszki–yeasted polish pancakes and poached eggs.

Silas’s voice was sharp enough to slice the tension.

“It was just a grocery store visit. It’s not like I can run away.” I stared directly at him, getting a little frustrated by his sudden possessiveness. His eyes narrowed further, I didn’t know why I was taunting him like this, getting him angry and pissed was a bad idea.

“You don’t understand, I have enemies, Sadie.” He stood up abruptly, the chair scraping against the marbled floor, looming over me, and I tried not to flinch as I tilted my head back to meet his gaze. His eyes glint at me, concern flickering in his brown-Hazel depths again. For a moment, I was convinced he was going to touch me, but he gripped the sides of my chair instead, forcing me to turn towards him.

“Why are you here?” There was a strange hitch in his voice. I braced myself for hateful words. Trying to ignore the irrational sense of his infatuation with me.

“I…have a business party to attend.”

“But you haven’t attended any sort of meeting for the last seven months, are you planning to make an appearance?” I said cautiously, I ran my tongue over my dry lips, his gaze following my movements like a hawk. I had millions of questions for him.

Silas looked down, his features taut and I realised we were so close.

“I can not hide forever.” He said abruptly.

“And your father?” I fight the urge to flinch at the mention of his father’s name.

“I don’t know, I rarely talk to him.” He said and I hold my breath.

“Your mother, how’s she?” The panic I felt when Silas stormed was replaced with worry for the mother of my captor. I had met her once when we escaped the building before the blast.

“She’s….alive. Still in a coma. But safe.” He hesitated, still at her mention his jaw muscles tick. And my ebullient feeling faded with the combination of intimacy and concern for his mother. Silas licked his lips as his eyes averted from my face and he stepped back. My attempt of changing the topic was successful.

“Do you…wanna go to Paris?” Silas asked after a moment of silence, still refusing to look at me.

“For what?” I finished the remaking food and placed my fork on the empty plate. At a distant look from Silas, I waited as he spoke.

“I thought maybe we could spend some time with each other after I’m done with the party….or you can attend with me.”

“Why are you doing this all of a sudden?”

“I don’t want you to feel like I’m caging you. I want to pursue you, Sadie, not chain you to me. However, the thought entices me, but I’m not a barbarian.” That barbarian a.k.a Silvio Salvatore. I didn’t know how long I had been tied to Silas, but we shared a no-name relationship.

“You’re not afraid if Silvio will-“ Silas stiffened at the mention of his name. Why was it that whenever I mention Silvio, Silas becomes an obnoxious person–someone who hates him with his guts–even now I was oblivious to the reasons. But that did not concern me.

“He will not. He’s in the US.” I pondered and decided it wouldn’t hurt to join him.

“When are we leaving then?”

“This afternoon.”

****

“You didn’t tell me that it was this evening.” I accused him with a strained glint in my voice. We reached Paris in less than a few hours. The journey was short and less awkward after what happened at breakfast. I thought I was able to handle Silas’s possessiveness, but I was wrong. I could see in his eyes. He wanted to build a home with me.

I couldn’t handle Silas Anderson.

Maybe it would have been better if he hated me and treated me as Silvio’s woman and tortured me. I didn’t expect him to treat me like this. A lover. A woman he was in love with.

We checked into the hotel away from the venue at a little distance. Silas booked only a room for both of us. It would be strange if he hadn’t –cause, despite his warmth and gentleness, he was no less than Silvio in making sure I was in front of his eyes.

“I have a dress prepared for you. It’s in the bedroom. Do you want me to hire someone to help you?” He lifted his head from his phone, gazing down at me through his shades. And my cheeks heat up as our eyes met. With the fog of intense heat dissipating, I become aware that I was checking him out. Silas was acting so strange, not his usual quiet type.

“No, I can manage.” My flush intensified as I averted my gaze to look at the lobby of our little suite. I forced myself to not feel anything as his gaze lingered over me for more than a few seconds. He was not looking at me with lust, but adoration–and that was not right. It would’ve been fine if Silas wanted my body, not my soul. Fighting my emotions as his gaze reminded me of a man I betrayed, I decided to fake out my curiosity as I looked around. None of the things in this lobby attracted me, it was just some other hotel suite–clean and plain with a marvellous view of the Eiffel Tower.

“I’ll see you at 6 then.” My heart squeezed, forcing me to rub the centre of my chest. Funny how his sparkling eyes were creating so much physical pain.

“Sure…” I frowned at myself, more than a little frustrated that he was being gentle with me. I hated what he was making me feel, and just like that, I replaced my emotions with an unfeeling heart. Silas sighed, and then I heard his retreating footsteps. The door was opened with a click and then another click. He locked it.

This time I laughed to myself cursing myself as the pain in my chest grew. For the first time in seven months, I felt tears accumulating in my eyes. I would relive all of it over again if it meant fate would be biased toward me.

Damn, fate.

My laugh minuses to a dark chuckle as I clenched my jaw and fisted my palms. The memory of us–shattered in the distance–as I sighed.

Too much for freedom.

*****