Chapter TWO.

MAEVE HAWTHORN

My eyes fluttered open and fear gripped me as I looked at the dark, unfamiliar room that I was in. My head still hurt and even my eyes were finding it difficult to adjust to the darkness.

‘What’s going on? What am I doing here?’ The questions roamed free in my head as I tried to make sense of what was going on and how I’d found myself here.

My eyes widened at the realization, I remembered walking down the street and feeling someone behind me, I remembered they had a handkerchief over my nose.

I’ve been kidnapped.

My chest tightened and chills ran up my spine as I tried so desperately to swallow the bile that had formed at the back of my throat. Goosebumps filled my skin as I tried to work out an escape route in the unfamiliar room I was in.

I tried to move and that was when I realized that I wasn’t tied up, I tried to look for my phone but realizing that the kidnappers couldn’t possibly be stupid enough to lock me in a room with my phone, I gave up my search for it.

Crawling around the dark room in search of a door, I wanted to leave and fear knotted within me as I tried but just when I’d thought I’d made a breakthrough, the lights came on and I was met with heavily built men.

“Whatever you’re trying to do, I suggest you give it up!” One of the men said, he looked fearful and no matter how hard I looked, I knew I’d never seen him before.

“Now come on, we can’t keep the Don waiting because of something as flimsy as yourself.” The other spat and overpowering the fear I felt was a ferocious anger and just before I could blink, he had picked me up and thrown me on his shoulder like I weighed a feather.

“W— What are you doing? LET ME GO YOU SICK BASTARD!” I yelled in anger, kicking my legs in the air as I hit the man carrying me on his shoulder as hard as I could but my blows seemed to have no effect on me.

“Who are you and what do you want from me!” I continued shouting even though they’d outrightly ignored me, “whatever you want, you’re not going to get! I’m worth nothing.” I added as if that was supposed to make them let go of me.

“We know that already.” The second man replied, his voice cold and rough and despite the fight I’d tried to put up, I was no match for them.

Finally getting to a door, the one carrying me on his shoulder kicked it open and behind the door was the most spacious room I’ve ever seen in my life without a bed in it.

He dropped me on the floor and a loud ringing resonated in my head, causing me to wince as I hit my ass on the ground.

“Be a doll and wait for the don to join you.” They said in unison before walking out of the room and closing the door behind them.

The don? It’s the second time they’ve mentioned him. What business does the don want with me?

Something about everything happening felt off, icy fear twisted in my heart and I began to shiver, my teeth clattering as fearful images built in my mind.

Nothing good ever comes out of meeting with a don and from the things that had happened before now, I knew I was meeting with a mafia don.

I felt a disturbing quake in my heart as I stood to my feet and it wasn’t until then that I realized my clothes had changed. I was now wearing a really skimpy dress that had no straps at all.

My boobs were all squished together and I felt like they were going to fall out of the dress. Heat rushed to my cheeks and spread to my ears as I pulled the dress up but doing that only revealed my panties.

“I DON’T CARE WHO YOU ARE BUT IF YOU’RE THE ONE WHO DID THIS, SHOW YOURSELF, YOU SICK PERVERT!” I shouted, anger coursing through my being.

“Stop being a fucking coward and just show your nasty—”

“You really are loud,” a chilled familiar voice caused my shouting to get stuck in my throat as I lifted my gaze to see the owner of the voice walking into the room.

My jaw dropped as a flicker of apprehension swept through me. My whole world came to a total halt, my heart jumping in my chest and it’s probably in my head but he looked like he was walking in slow motion.

My stomach churned with anxiety and fear as he came closer to me, the silence in the room lengthened, it was deafening and the tension between us increased with frightening intensity.

Both hands were in his pocket, his massive shoulders filled the coat he wore and the muscles rippling under his see-through shirt quickened my pulse.

His movement was full of grace and virility, he had a commanding air of respect around him and I have never felt an aura as intense as this one in all my twenty three years of living.

His compelling green eyes looked darker now that he’s closer and also strangely familiar, his lips parted a little, revealing a perfect set of white teeth and the shadow of his beard made him even more irresistible.

He held his head high with pride, his shiny dark hair was pulled up in a ponytail that did not only fit him perfectly, they somehow made him look dangerous as they revealed the tattoo on his neck.

Pulling his jacket off, I was able to see more of his tattoos, his scars and also, his muscles that immediately made me thirsty as I gulped down hard on my saliva.

He stood really tall and easily towered over the two men that were standing on both sides of him. He made them look like dwarves and as he stopped in front of me, my eyes widened.

I’m standing right before Enzo De-Luca!

I’ve seen his face many times in the papers, he doesn’t only run a cartel, he’s the most dangerous man in the city! This man trampled on one country in just two days, ruining and turning them all to nothing.

My heartbeat picked up at the realization and if only seeing him in the newspaper was all, I would’ve been less embarrassed but I remember it all too well now.

He’s the same man I’d bumped into last night when I was leaving my boyfriend’s house all teary and lost in my own thoughts!

“Y— You—" I stuttered, fumbling my words as my heart thrummed loudly in my ears, “you’re the man from—"

“Maeve Hawthorn, right?” He cut my word short, the way his lips moved was too arousing and despite the fact that it wasn’t the right moment, they called out to me.

Maeve Hawthorn. I’ve never thought my name sounded so sexy until now. Until he just called it.

My heart jolted and there was a tingling in my stomach that caused me to swallow again as I tried to throttle the dizzying current racing through him.

I could feel him staring at me with a smirk playing on his face and I could also see the heart rending fondness of his gaze that he suppressed almost immediately.

What are you doing, Maeve?! Snap out of it, this man is a mafia don!

“Wha— what do you want from me?” I struggled to ask and the room grew even more silence as his eyes bore into mine until I could no longer find it in me to maintain eye-contact.

“Your father owes me some money,” he deadpanned, nothing but seriousness coming from his voice as he spoke, “and he’s been owing me for months now, promising to pay up.” He paused for a moment.

“And since he’s dead and won’t be able to pay back what he owes, you’ll have to be the one to pay the debt, Maeve.” He finished, the way my name rolled off his tongue so easily sent sparks of desire through my being.

Hurriedly snapping out of whatever lust was holding me captive, I knew I couldn’t get out of paying the debt. My father had done lots of terrible things before his death and putting me knee deep in debt was one of them but I never expected him to owe the great Enzo De-Luca.

The man is so terrifying that people actually die just from being in the same space as him and yet, my father had gone ahead to borrow money from him.

“I don’t know how much he owes but I promise I’ll pay it off if you could just give me a little more—”

“Time? Yeah, your father asked for more time, I had no idea he was asking for an eternity,” he chimed in before I could finish what I wanted to say.

“Who’s to say you’re not going to do the same?” He added and my jaw dropped as my eyes opened widely. Molten anger rolled through me as I stared at him with that stupid smirk plastered on his face.

What is he implying? That I’ll take my life because of some unpaid debt?!

“Your father owes three million dollars.” He continued and the anger I was feeling just a while ago was replaced with shock.

I merely stared, my tongue tied as I stood there, blank and shaken. All the debts I’ve been working my ass off to pay didn’t even sum up to a million dollars and there’s this man that my father owes three whole million dollars.

“I— I didn’t— I’m going to—” I stuttered, unsure what to say, I wanted to assure him that I was going to pay him back but I knew I couldn’t do that even if I worked really hard for five years, there’s no way I’ll be able to pay off three million dollar debt plus other debts that I have to pay off.

“I don’t trust you to walk around freely seeing how things turned out with your father,” he decided to break the ice by talking, “so, whatever happens from now on will have to happen on my terms.” He added and I nodded in understanding.

“What do you want me to do now seeing as I have no money to pay you back right now, I intend to work for it and we can come up with a payment plan.” I suggested it as if a man like Enzo De-Luca was open to suggestions.

“That’s not going to happen.”

“Then what do you want from me?!” I snapped before I could get a hold of myself.

“My money,” his answer was cold and straightforward, “but you’ll have to work for it directly under me.”