008

PIERRE

I sat opposite to my Tessa in the plane. She was tied up, her face wet with tears as she watched the clouds pass by. She was clearly exhausted from fighting and had given up. I hated seeing her unhappy, but if that was what it would cost to make her mine, then so be it.

I took a sip of champagne and began to use my phone, unmoved by our situation.

My men looked exhausted. They were seated scattered across the plane's seats. Nikolai and Antonio had already dozed off.

I let out a frustrated sigh and tossed my phone onto the table between Tessa and me, then placed the champagne flute on it.

“Do you want to talk?” I asked her. After counting to twenty in her head, she turned to me.

“Ask me anything, and I'll answer,” I said.

“How did you change this much?” she breathed out.

“Spending two lonely and depressing years in jail was all it took to create this monster. I thought of my life after I got out, and you were the only person in the picture. I was hurt you didn't come to see me… just like my family, but I didn't stop loving or thinking about you. Your face was the first thing I saw when I woke up and the last thing before I slept. In my second year, an Italian boss was imprisoned too, and was treated like a king. Even the police feared and respected him. I was always quiet, but for some reason, he took a liking to me. He was my guardian there, and was released the same time I was,” I explained, then called on a stewardess to get me proper alcohol. Tessa was still staring intently at me.

The lady filled my glass with whiskey as instructed, then left. I slammed almost half of the glass’s content down my throat and cringed at the burn. I set the glass aside and continued my narration.

“When I got out, I went home, and after seeing how unmoved my family were, I realized they didn't want me. So, I left and came to look for you, only to be told you relocated the same year I was arrested. I was broken. I didn't have anywhere to go, so I went to Italy with the mafia boss, Don Alejandro. Bless his soul. I let him mold me in his image. He sharpened me, named me Riccardo, and gave my once weak heart strength, making me the man I am today. After his mysterious death two years later, I took over his empire and set out to find the one woman who haunted my mind, my sleep. Took this long, but I've found you.”

Tessa was silent for a while, processing everything I had just told her.

“Are you happy?” She asked me, her eyes stabbing into mine.

I nodded and looked out the window. “You're here now, so yes. Although you're giving me a tough time, I'm used to being tough now, so I'll handle you.”

“I'm sorry you had to go through all of that,” she said softly, and I turned back to look at her.

“My mother stopped me from coming to see you. I wouldn't listen, so she had us relocate to avoid issues with yours. Besides, your family sacked her, so we really didn't have anything left there.”

“What's he like?” I asked her and she furrowed her brows in confusion before it finally clicked.

“Andrew. Andrew was a friend I met in college. We weren't close initially, but I heard rumours from my close friends that he liked me. Long story short, he bagged me my first acting gig, and that won him a chance with me. I realized he wasn't bad after all. He was a great listener, an advisor, a shoulder to cry on, and my biggest supporter. We became very close as friends first before we started dating. Then he proposed to me, and here we are.”

“And I'm the exact opposite of Andrew now. So I'll never stand a chance, right?” I asked, taking a sip of the liquor.

“I don't hate you, Pierre. I just want you to come to terms with the fact that life happened, and I've moved on. We're both different people now, with different lives and different worlds.” She explained, her eyes softening as she looked at me.

“Why are you so stubborn, Tessa Landon? I keep telling you. You're mine now. I didn't spend all these years looking for you only to let you go.”

“I am not yours. I'm not an object you possess at will. I'm a human being with a mind of my own. How don't you see how insane all of this is?” She said, trying to control her tone.

I looked at her intently for a while, my mind coming up with different suggestions.

“We'll continue this discussion later,” I said and picked up my phone.

“Can I have mine, at least? I need to call my people and let them know I'm okay.”

“No.”

“This is insane! What now? You're going to lock me away from the rest of the world because you own me?” She shouted.

“Not exactly, love. I'll show you the world. So much of it, beyond your wildest imaginations. And as for your people, I'll reach out to them when I feel like it.”

She stared daggers at me and I kept using my phone.

The drive to my estate in Italy was rather more peaceful than I expected. Tessa sat quietly beside me in the back seat of the SUV.

I glanced at her, but she kept her eyes forward. I placed my hand on her thigh and squeezed hard, not painfully, though.

She tensed but still didn't look my way.

I needed her to be comfortable. Free around me, because I was only a man in love. Yes, I was obsessed with her, but I would never do anything to hurt her intentionally.

I made a mental note to soften towards her some more and give her the respect she deserved.

If she behaved—that is.