Six

NOVARIA’S POV

Sylvester shifted slightly beside me, carefully adjusting the blanket over my body as though he was afraid I would get cold.

“Good morning,” he said softly, his deep sleepy voice filling the room. “Did you sleep well?”

I rubbed my eyes tiredly before sitting up slowly on the bed.

“Yeah,” I murmured quietly.

Sylvester frowned slightly.

It was obvious he still believed the man who barged into the room earlier had ruined my sleep.

“It’s still early,” he said. “You can go back to sleep if you want.”

For a second, the offer sounded incredibly tempting. The bed was warm. His room smelled comforting. And somehow, sleeping beside Sylvester had been the most peaceful sleep I’d had in years.

But then reality kicked in. I couldn’t exactly spend the whole morning sleeping in a mafia boss’s bed like I belonged there.

I shook my head quickly.

“I’m not sleepy anymore.”

Sylvester sighed softly before finally getting out of bed.

“Alright then,” he muttered. “Come with me.”

I blinked in confusion.

“Hm?”

“I had someone buy you some clothes last night,” he explained casually while walking toward the wardrobe. “I figured you’d need something more comfortable.”

My eyes widened instantly.

“What?!”

I stared at him in complete shock.

He bought me clothes?

When exactly did he even have the time to think about that?

After everything he had already done for me, this somehow felt too much.

My cheeks warmed slightly in embarrassment as I glanced down at the oversized hoodie and joggers I was wearing. Suddenly, wearing another man’s clothes felt strangely intimate.

“There was really no need for that, Sly…” I muttered softly, unable to look directly into his eyes.

“Oh, come on,” he said dismissively. “It’s nothing.”

He opened the wardrobe and pulled out several shopping bags before placing them on the bed beside me.

And immediately, my breath caught.

Inside were neatly folded clothes in different colors and styles.

A beautiful red dress. A soft pink one. Black-and-white long sleeves. Jeans. Warm socks. Gloves. Shoes. Slippers. Everything looked expensive, Carefully chosen. And somehow…my perfect size.

I slowly reached out to touch the red fabric, completely stunned. Pink and red had always been my favorite colors.

How did he even know?

The dresses were beautiful, far prettier than anything I owned back home. I hated how much I loved them instantly.

Sylvester leaned casually against the wardrobe, watching my reaction closely. A proud smile slowly appeared on his face.

“It’s obvious you like them,” he said knowingly.

I immediately tried to hide my expression.

“No, I just…”

“Take them.”

He handed the clothes toward me directly. I stared at them nervously.

Part of me wanted to accept immediately. The other part kept reminding me that I barely knew this man.

My hands remained frozen beside me while my mind battled with itself. Finally, I opened my mouth to respond, but Sylvester cut me off before I could speak.

“Here,” he said firmly, placing the clothes beside me anyway. “Problem solved.”

Then he grabbed a clean black shirt and a pair of pants from the wardrobe.

“I’m going downstairs to tell them to make breakfast,” he added casually before heading toward the bathroom. “Get dressed after I leave.”

And just like that he disappeared into the bathroom.

I sat there speechless.

Everything about him happened too fast.

A few minutes later, he emerged dressed neatly, his damp dark hair pushed slightly back while the sleeves of his black shirt were rolled halfway up his tattooed arms.

God.

Why did he always have to look so unfairly attractive?

“I’ll be downstairs,” he said simply before leaving the room.

The door clicked shut behind him. Silence filled the room once more.

I stared at the clothes again before smiling unconsciously. Then a gentle winter breeze drifted through the slightly opened window, brushing against my skin softly.

I finally got off the bed and headed toward the bathroom to get ready.

Honestly? I couldn’t wait to try the clothes on.

—--------

A little while later, I stood in front of the mirror adjusting the red dress carefully. And for the first time in a long while…I actually felt pretty.

The dress hugged my body perfectly while still looking elegant and warm enough for winter. Combined with the soft socks and slippers, I almost looked like a completely different person. Confident, Feminine and Alive.

But the moment I thought about going downstairs, my confidence immediately weakened again. I would have to face those men. Again.

Sure, Sylvester had assured me repeatedly that nobody here would hurt me. But how exactly was I supposed to forget the amount of blood covering Kelvin’s shirt yesterday?

Even now, the image still haunted me. And to make matters worse, all of them looked terrifyingly huge. Tall. Muscular. Covered in tattoos. Armed. Meanwhile, I looked like someone’s lost little sister.

Yet strangely enough…Living in a mansion full of dangerous men didn’t feel nearly as frightening as it should have. Because Sylvester had somehow made me feel protected and Safe. In fact, I was oddly frustrated that he had left me upstairs alone.

Taking a deep breath, I finally gathered enough courage and headed downstairs. The scent of breakfast immediately welcomed me the moment I entered the kitchen.

Sylvester sat at the dining table scrolling through his phone while a few men silently arranged breakfast plates before leaving immediately afterward.

The moment his eyes landed on me, he froze completely.

His gaze slowly traveled over the red dress, and for the first time since I met him, Sylvester genuinely looked speechless.

I waved awkwardly in front of his face.

“Hello?”

He blinked slowly before clearing his throat and looking away.

“Come eat breakfast.”

A tiny smile spread across my lips. I quietly sat down across from him, feeling strangely proud of myself for making the feared Sylvester Muskegon speechless.

I had barely touched my breakfast when my eyes suddenly landed on something on top of the fridge.

Chocolate.

An entire jar of chocolates.

My eyes immediately lit up.

Being honest, I found it quite strange that tough muscular men like them still eat chocolates.

Before I could even speak.

“No.”

I blinked in confusion.

“What?”

Sylvester didn’t even look up from his phone.

“You already had the idea in your head,” he muttered calmly.

I stared at him in disbelief. 

Was he psychic?!

“Please?” I asked sweetly, tilting my head slightly.

Sylvester finally looked at me.

“You already have enough sugar in front of you for breakfast,” he said firmly. “No chocolate.”

I immediately reached for his hand dramatically.

“Just one bite,” I pleaded softly.

Honestly, I wasn’t planning on stopping at one bite. But he didn’t need to know that.

Sylvester groaned quietly and looked away from my face as though avoiding eye contact would somehow make resisting easier.

I could practically see him losing the battle internally. So instead of continuing to beg, I lowered my gaze sadly toward my food and pretended to look heartbroken.

Silence. Then finally.

“Fine.”

I looked up instantly.

“One bite,” he warned, raising a finger at me.

A victorious smile immediately spread across my face.

“Thank you!”

But there was one small problem. The chocolate jar sat on top of the fridge. Far above my reach.

I stared at it helplessly before quietly sitting back down, awkwardly playing with my fingers.

He wasn't expecting me to bring it down myself was he?

Sylvester glanced at me once. Then at the fridge. And instantly understood.

A low chuckle escaped him.

Without a word, he stood up, grabbed the jar effortlessly, and handed it to me.

 I smiled brightly at him.

“Thank you.”

He shook his head slowly like I was a troublesome child before returning to his seat.

Just as we were about to finally eat peacefully another figure showed up.

“Morning, Nova.”

Kelvin entered the kitchen casually and dragged out a chair beside me.

Immediately, my entire body stiffened.

The memory of yesterday flashed through my mind again. I instantly lowered my head and focused on my breakfast quietly.

Kelvin noticed. And surprisingly…his expression softened.

“I’m sorry about yesterday,” he said sincerely.

I looked up slowly.

“It was just a misunderstanding,” he added carefully. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”

It was then obvious to me that all he wanted to do was to clarify things with me. Although I wasn't sure of why he was doing it, but I think that he just doesn't want me to be scared of him anymore. 

Sylvester remained completely silent during the conversation, calmly eating his breakfast while allowing Kelvin and me to sort things out ourselves.

Honestly? That alone reassured me slightly.

Kelvin sighed before leaning back in his chair.

“It wasn’t as bad as it looked,” he explained. “You just happened to see things at the wrong moment.”