CHAPTER 3 : FEARLESS HEART

Scarlet had been placed in a private suite where Leonardo would come to meet her. She paced about aimlessly, trying to deduce her way out.

She knew what was coming, and she couldn't bear to accept it.

She began searching for a sharp object. Immediately, she rushed to the kitchenette to grab a knife, but the kitchenette was locked. She checked the bathroom and found nothing but soap, towels, and lotion. None of these items were good enough to intimidate the man coming for her. Suddenly, she ran into the living area, rummaging through some books on the shelf; still nothing. She sat on the sofa, trying to think, then stood up, feeling restless until her eyes landed on a pen resting on a file on the coffee table. She picked it up and began practicing through the air how she would stab the man if he dared to try anything unusual.

When the entrance door to the suite swiped open, it startled Scarlet. Soon enough, Leonardo was already walking in, escorted by his personal bodyguard.

Scarlet couldn't help but notice his dashing looks. This was the first time she had been this close to him.

He was a vision of sophistication, dressed to perfection in his tailored tuxedo, which accentuated his chiseled features and broad shoulders.

His piercing eyes sparkled with confidence, and his charming smile hinted at a wealth of secrets.

Every inch of him exuded refinement and luxury, from the crisp folds of his shirt to the precision cut of his suit. He moved with the effortless ease of a man who knew he was the center of attention, and his very presence seemed to command the room.

When Leonardo raised his hand to signal the bodyguard to exit the suite, Scarlet immediately mistook it for something else. She thought he was about to order the bodyguard to drag her to him, and so, without hesitation, she pulled out the pen.

“Don't you dare touch me unless you want your neck ruptured,” she snapped.

The bodyguard tried to intervene, but Leonardo made it clear that he could handle her, so he dismissed the bodyguard.

Leonardo smirked. Sliding his hands into his pockets, he walked toward the dressing mirror, checking out his own reflection, while Scarlet stood further behind him, still holding the pen.

“How did you get yourself involved with Cassius' club?” Leonardo asked, still focused on his clean-shaven jaw. He avoided looking at Scarlet’s reflection, careful not to induce fear in her.

He knew she was definitely scared and that her intimidating reaction was just a defense mechanism, but he wasn’t going to back down easily.

Scarlet seemed a bit confused as she tried to piece together a story, something tangible she could recall aside from the one Cassius had always told her, but she struggled with coming up with something.

All she could remember was waking up in a room and seeing Cassius seated close to her. Next, he had told her a long story of how she had been dumped at an unknown brothel by her mother as a little girl.

Growing up, she had become rebellious, got into drugs in her teenage years, and eventually became an addict. That was when the owner of the brothel sold her to him.

It was a terrible story, and it never felt like it was truly hers. She couldn’t even recall any details to support it. She would never tell it to anyone, not even to her enemy. Suddenly, she began to wonder why she even cared to sugarcoat her story. She wasn’t falling for Leonardo, was she?

“It’s none of your business,” she said, still holding up the pen. She had to focus and not let him sweet-talk her into going to bed with him.

“So, you don’t remember?” His deep voice echoed lightly.

“Like I said earlier, it’s none of your business how I got involved with the club,” she snapped.

Leonardo turned away from the mirror, walking slowly toward her.

“Don’t come any closer, I’m warning you,” she continued, still pointing the pen as if she were wielding a sword, ready for battle.

Leonardo’s eyes locked onto her with admiration. Her face was a masterpiece of elegance, her features a perfect balance of femininity and fortitude. Not even her fiery attitude could stop him from liking her. Damn, she was beautiful , unlike anything he had ever had before. Something about her was magnetic, despite her anger. But he couldn’t sleep with her in this state. She wasn’t willing to consent.

Not that he had ever cared about a girl’s feelings in the past when purchasing them from Cassius, but something about Scarlet was different. He couldn’t bring himself to force his way in.

“I need you to relax. I was never going to take advantage of you. Just feel free and calm down,” he said gently.

His voice was like a gentle breeze on a summer day, carrying a sense of peace and tranquility that seemed to envelop her, but she wouldn’t let it get to her.

“Don’t tell me to calm down,” she said, her voice almost breaking.

“You can’t fight like this. Do you really think pulling a pen would have stopped me if I had planned to hurt you?” he said softly, his deep, rumbling voice soothing.

“Yes, I was planning to stab your neck with it. besides What do you expect me to do?”

“Then you miscalculated every step, right from the moment you were brought in for sale. You should be thanking me for bidding higher on your behalf.”

Suddenly, Scarlet became dumbfounded with guilt. He was right. She recalled how she had hoped he would buy her because he seemed more appealing and kind looking than the other men who had been looking at her lustfully. His countenance had been reassuring back then.

Leonardo then approached her, gently lowering her hand. He took the pen from her and placed it further away. It felt like magic watching herself let her guard down.

Something within her felt the aura of solitude as he came closer. And when he did, He embraced her in his warmth.

“You can’t fight this battle alone. You need to relax and get some real sleep. You look so drained,” he whispered. His low, velvety timbre wrapped around her like a warm blanket, dispelling her anxiety with calm, measured words.

He couldn’t believe himself either. This sudden calmness, this tenderness, what was it about? He had always been dominant when purchasing girls from the VIP showroom. At first, they pleaded, but then he would go on in a way that made them crave for more of what he had to offer.

But this time, he couldn’t understand why he was so loose and accommodating toward Scarlet.

From the very first moment she had been dragged into the showroom for sale, his eyes had caught her. That was what pushed him to bid higher, until he found out that she was, indeed, Scarlet Blackwood.

She wasn’t crazy like the news had portrayed her to be.

And what the hell was she doing here, getting involved with Cassius? How come she didn’t know how she had ended up here? Something wasn’t right.

If only he could help her. But on the other hand, he couldn’t break the code of the showroom. It was a secret underworld for human trafficking, where girls were bought and sold.

He was just as guilty of illegal activities as the rest of them. The only difference was that he ran a drug cartel, an empire he had built for years under the front of an oil tycoon.

As he held her close, she felt herself relax, taking slow, deep breaths. She was exhausted from living like a rat, being fed less than what was needed.

She needed this. Something more than care.

She needed to sleep, without keeping her eyes open, without fearing what would come next.

“I need to sleep. Could you... please guide me through it?” she whispered, her eyes droopy with exhaustion. Something in her knew he could make her rest for sure. She believed him with every fiber of her being when he said he wouldn’t hurt her. And she couldn’t explain why but it felt ecstatic.

Leonardo carried her to the bedside, gently laying her down and tucking her in.

He continued to admire her. He was convinced, he had finally found the one.

The woman who made his heart beat.

The woman who would bear his fruit.

She was fresh and untouched, beautiful and vivacious.

He breathed deeply, wondering what spell she had cast on him.

Let it be known, the most ferocious leader of a powerful cartel had found the woman who made his heart beat.

And this time, he wasn’t going to give her up easily.