Tangled in Luxury

Rome, Italy.

Alliana's pov:

We were supposed to return to the mansion, but as expected, plans changed, and we were off to a mall. The ride was eerily quiet, and I found myself struggling to breathe, wedged between the bodyguards. I couldn't resist the temptation to test them, to see how they'd react if I faked passing out. So, I waited a few moments, then did just that, watching for their response.

I leaned against the bodyguard next to me, pretending to lose consciousness. It didn't take long before Kai's head snapped toward me. "What the hell is going on?" he asked. The other two bodyguards turned to look. "Is she sleeping?" one of them muttered. "If she was, we'd have heard her snoring," another one said.

Then, from my right, I heard a slapping sound. "Ouch!" one of them yelped. "Vex, why the hell is she sleeping on you?" another asked. "What was I supposed to do? I was asleep!" Vex, the one who had gotten slapped said. "Hold on, check her breathing," Kai said. I held my breath, making it seem as though I had actually passed out. "I don't feel a pulse," Kai said, his voice tightening. "Holy shit. We killed our only hope of releasing Carlos!" Vex cried out.

"We didn't kill her, Vex," Kai snapped back. "So, why doesn't she have a pulse?" Vex asked, his voice thick with panic. "I don't fucking know," Kai said. "So that means she's dead!" Vex said. "Should we bury the body here or elsewhere?" another bodyguard asked. "We're in the middle of the road, AJ. We're not stopping in the woods to bury her," Kai said.

"Yeah, dumbass," Vex agreed. "Shut up, Vex, before I murder you next to her corpse," AJ retorted. "Will you two idiots stop arguing and act accordingly?" demanded another bodyguard."What are we supposed to do, Denzel?" Vex asked. "That's right! We have no idea what to do with a dead body! Carlos is the only one who knows, and he's not even here!"

That pretty much ended their frantic conversation. I suddenly woke up, lying on Vex's lap, and quickly inhaled before exhaling. My face was probably red and sweaty, especially given how hot it was in the car. "Oh my god, it's a zombie!" Vex gasped. "No, she's the new Jesus, who rose from the dead," Denzel said. "Same shit," Vex muttered.

"It isn't, Sherlock; zombies don't resurrect after actual death," Denzel corrected him. "What the hell happened to you?" Kai asked, his brows furrowed in confusion. Vex jumped in before I could respond. "She was dead, Kai." "Was she?" Kai asked. "No, you scumbags! I was wondering what you'd do if I passed out and you didn't do anything," I shot back. "Oh," Kai said. "That wasn't very nice of you," Vex spat.

"You weren't very nice to fucking abduct me, but here we are," I gritted through my teeth. "Oh, come on. If you agreed to help get Carlos out of prison, we would've gladly left you alone," Denzel said, trying to reason. "Perhaps control and leash your master," I hissed. "Master? I'm not gay," Denzel said. "You are, in secret. I'm sure you two kissed in the dark," I teased. "Keep on with your delusory mindset," Kai said, turning around to face the front.

"It's a good thing I did, because now I know your names," I said with a smirk. "Oh? And what exactly does that mean?" Vex asked, curiosity laced with suspicion. "If I'm ever found, I'll be able to identify Kai and his little bodyguards who helped abduct me," I explained, looking him dead in the eye. "Shiver me timbers," Kai said sarcastically, scowling. "Oh, alright," I said, rolling my eyes in annoyance.

We arrived at the mall a few minutes later, and just looking at the stores made me want to move here. The place was massive, sleek, and spotless, with every high-end brand I could imagine—Fendi, Gucci, Prada, Versace, and more. Kai was the first to step out when the chauffeur parked at the curb. He opened the door for Denzel, who then climbed out, followed by AJ, before I could even get out. Vex exited the other side, shut the door, and walked over to us.

"Alright, who wants to stay with her annoying ass?" Kai asked. "Not me," Vex immediately responded. "I'm fine," AJ said, shrugging. "Does it look like I want to deal with a woman all day?" Denzel added. "We can't leave her inside because she'll try to escape," Kai explained. I sighed, waiting for their bickering to stop. "Let's just vote, then," AJ suggested.

"All for Vex dealing with her?" AJ asked, raising his hand. The others followed suit before Vex could even respond. "Pardon? This isn't fair!" Vex protested. "You're just slow," AJ said, shoving Vex toward me. "The three of you owe me," Vex hissed. "Best of luck. We'll be waiting here. Let us know if she tries anything, and don't take your eyes off her," Kai warned, handing Vex some money before getting back in the car.

While walking away from Vex, I made my way straight into the mall. "Are you trying to get away from me?" Vex called out. "How does it look to you?" I asked. "Would you like me to use your hair as a leash?" Vex taunted. "Touch my hair, and I'll contort your cock," I threatened. Once inside, everything was pristine, much cleaner than the malls back in Ontario.

After two hours of shopping, wasting money, and struggling with heavy bags, Vex finally agreed to help after I threatened to cause a scene. But it wasn't enough, he had to call Kai, Denzel, and AJ to help carry everything. Once the bags were loaded into the car, we headed back to the mansion. "How much have you wasted in total?" Kai asked.

"About a hundred thousand," Vex sighed. "A hundred thousand?" Kai repeated, clearly stunned. "What else can I say? Women are pricey," AJ chimed in. "AJ, shut the fuck up. What did you even buy?" Kai asked. "Personal items, clothing, and other nonsense that a woman needs," I said."I'm sure she bought makeup and jewelry," Denzel speculated. "A woman, as she put it, requires," AJ said.

"So we're going to unload every bag of hers like we're slaves?" Vex wondered aloud. "What exactly do you want us to do? Let her do it herself? Who knows if she got a phone and called the cops on us?" Kai pointed out. "I didn't see her go into Apple because I was literally with her all day," Vex explained. "Sure," I mumbled quietly enough that they couldn't hear.

"Let's just go; I'm hungry," Kai finally said. "Yes, sir," the chauffeur replied as we took off. We arrived back at the mansion and parked out front to unload the items. As I tried to exit the car, Denzel slammed the door on me. "Asshole!" I yelled, kicking the door open. Kai's attention snapped to me.

"Woah, woah, don't fuck up my car door!" he shouted. "Well, tell Denzel not to slam the door in my face," I shot back. "It was an accident, snowflake," Denzel explained. "Are you sure?" I asked, stepping toward him. "Take a joke," AJ said, dapping Denzel up. "Would you like to see a joke?" I retorted. "Women can't joke," AJ said with a smirk. "But this one can," I said, before striking both of them in the balls.

AJ and Denzel shrieked and winced in agony, drawing Vex and Kai's attention. "Fuck!" Denzel cursed. "Oh, I'm sorry, take a joke next time," I said, heading toward the trunk. "What are you idiots trying to accomplish?" Kai asked. "Nothing, we're just tormenting her," AJ said, standing up with a smirk. "Stop fucking with her and act like professionals," Kai snapped. AJ and Denzel groaned, exchanging death glares as they approached me.

We unloaded everything and brought it inside. Mimi was lounging on the sofa, a sly grin on her face. "Hey, Mimi," Vex said slowly, approaching her with caution. Mimi's face twisted in disgust as he got closer, and she hissed as soon as he touched her. "Leave the cat alone," I warned Vex. "As if she'll like you," Vex scoffed. "I bet she will," I predicted. "All right, pick her up," Vex challenged, raising an eyebrow.

I looked at Mimi, who was staring at me with a puzzled expression. I leaned in and gently petted her, and her expression slowly shifted from confusion to calm. I smiled, then picked her up. Vex shot me and Mimi a look that was so hilarious I couldn't help but laugh. "Isn't that beautiful?" I asked, as Mimi settled into my arms.

"You must have done some witch shit on her," Vex speculated. "No. The truth is, she dislikes you, and we can both agree on that," I responded, setting Mimi back down. I then turned to my bags."Who's going to help me with these?" I asked. "Do it yourself," Kai said, uninterested. "Excuse me? I can't carry all of this by myself," I shot back.

"It's called a workout, and it's something you need," AJ said, smirking. "I'm already in shape," I retorted. "It doesn't look like it," Denzel commented. "Assholes," I muttered, grabbing half the bags and heading upstairs. Thirty minutes later, I stumbled downstairs and collapsed on the couch, completely exhausted.

"Wasn't it easy?" Kai asked with a smug grin. "Shut the fuck up," I said. "Maybe don't buy so much stuff next time," Denzel suggested with a chuckle. "A woman needs her shit," AJ explained with a grin. "Yeah, not necessary shit," Kai clarified, rolling his eyes. "Did you order anything to eat?" I asked. "No, we have food here," Kai said.

"Who's making it?" I probed further. "Who else? Our fucking chef," Kai said. I rolled my eyes. "It's crazy how you guys rely on others to meet your needs," I said. "No, we're just luxurious," AJ clarified with a smirk. "You wouldn't be here if it weren't for Carlos," I pointed out. "You would have been in the desert if it hadn't been for Carlos," Kai shot back.

"Sure, but you have no control," I said, getting to my feet and stretching. "Anyway, I'm off to bed. I'd rather save those poor chefs than feel entitled," I added. "All right," Kai said. I walked upstairs to my room, slammed the door shut, and immediately rushed to my bags. I dug through them, hoping to find something I had bought secretly without Vex noticing.

While Vex excused himself to the restroom, he handed me the money, and I took advantage of the opportunity. I went into Apple and purchased a new iPhone. I didn't care which model, I just needed a phone so I could communicate I bought it and hid it in one of my other bags so he wouldn't notice.

When Vex returned, I told him that was all I needed. Men are incredibly slow and predictable. There's no shame in it as long as you know how to hide and be sneaky. I unlocked my new phone and dialed Souline's number. I hoped she would pick up, but she didn't. I took a deep breath and decided to message her instead.

"Souline, it's me, Alliana. I don't have much time to speak, but I can assure you that I'm fine. I was abducted by Kai and his bodyguards and am forced to help with Carlos's case. Buy a ticket to Rome as soon as possible. Respond to this message as soon as you can," I heard footsteps approaching, so I quickly turned off my phone and hid it behind my bed, pretending to sleep while keeping one eye on the door.

Vex peeked in for a moment before leaving. I sighed and grabbed my phone again, turning it on to check for a response from Souline, but there was nothing. I can only hope she replies by morning. If she can make it, I can't wait for her to arrive here.