Chapter-17

JANE

"Did someone who shouldn't have been here slip in last night?" His voice boomed and this time, I couldn't stop the tremble in my hands.

My heart dropped and I restrained the urge to look away. I couldn't show him any hint of fear or he'd catch on to it.

Everyone remained silent, their heads bowed down, as if they had stopped breathing, including me. He started taking slow but purposeful strides towards me, his gaze locked on me as if he'd eat me alive for breakfast.

I grabbed the napkin to wipe my mouth, hating my clumsiness as it slipped from my hand. I averted my gaze from him and concentrated on the napkin, raising it to my lips and wiping my mouth.

"Jane." He stopped in front of me and I barely stopped myself from flinching and clenched my fingers around the napkin tightly to keep them from trembling.

"Yeah." I looked at his fuming face and gulped.

"I asked something."

I shrugged, acting nonchalant and decided to stand up. His towering frame over me was making matters worse as I was having this strong urge to cower.

Pressing my hands on the table, I moved to get up when he leaned down, making me sit back on my seat. My heart pounded in my ears as I struggled to meet his gaze.

"What are you doing? I don't know anything." I kept my voice levelled as I looked in his eyes.

His jaw twitched as he glared at me. He opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted by the sound of clicking heels.

Our heads turned together as Adessa walked in along with a man who looked familiar, but I couldn't point it out where I saw him. Rosario stood up straight and I exhaled in relief before standing up and moving away from him.

"Doc," he drawled, looking her up and down with a strange look and my nose scrunched up in disgust, before I was able to bring my poker face back.

"I hope you're having a nice morning."

Adessa licked her lips before nodding with a small smile.

"Yeah. Good morning, sir."

"Where were you last night?"

She straightened her spine before speaking,

"I was here. Somewhere around one or one-thirty in the morning."

"May I ask why?" He raised an eyebrow.

"I thought I was allowed to come here at any time." Her voice was confident as she spoke.

"Yes. When anyone here needs your service, you are allowed to. Who needed your service last night?" He looked at me with a pointed look and I frowned.

Adessa's gaze shifted behind me for a fleeting moment before landing back on Rosario.

"Chef Matilda."

She looked behind me again and I realized she was looking at Matilda. The man who had followed her looked at Adessa with a slight jolt in his body before his gaze landed on Matilda.

Rosario turned to Matilda with a deeper frown at the same time I looked at her.

"Is that true?"

She wiped her hands on her apron as she looked between us and then at Adessa, her face not giving away anything as she spoke.

"Yes. I had a migraine attack and couldn't find my medicine. So I called her to get me migraine tablets."

"Hmm…interesting." Rosario put his fingers under his chin as he pretended to think, the malicious look on his face not diminishing at all.

"Then why didn't you open your door when she knocked?"

"I-uh-I found the tablet later and had them immediately, but forgot to inform her about it and went to sleep. So, maybe I didn't hear when she knocked."

Rosario gave her a long look before nodding to himself and turned to Adessa again.

"Did you go back home after that?"

She shook her head and spoke,

"No. I went to check on Ms Jane."

Rosario raised an eyebrow, as if waiting for her to continue.

"She had told me earlier during the day that she was bloated and didn't have an appetite. So I thought I should see if she was okay and it's good that I checked." She tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear before speaking again.

"She was vomiting and had severe stomach pain. So I gave her medicine and she was fine after some time. It was just a stomach bug, nothing much."

She lied. Why?

He hummed slowly before waving at her dismissively and turned to me.

Oh no.

The fear returned with full force. He was so unpredictable, I couldn't imagine what he'd do or ask the next moment and I just hoped he didn't know about Dom.

Dom wouldn't be so careless to get caught. He was smarter.

"Leave us alone," he drawled, while his eyes were locked on me.

I knew he was asking others to leave but still, I moved to leave.

"Not you, Jane."

I pressed my lips but stopped, my gaze went to Adessa who looked at me with a strange expression before leaving.

Sympathy?

My legs shook in fear, risking giving out and I held onto the chair beside me to keep myself steady.

"Why did you lie when I asked if someone was here last night?" He was now standing too close for my liking with an evil smirk on his face.

"I didn't lie. You asked about someone who shouldn't be here. I thought Adessa could come and go at any time. So I didn't think I should tell you about her." My fists clenched on the backrest of the chair.

My stomach was in knots and disgust filled me as his breath fanned against my face. He walked around me slowly and I so wanted to have a pair of eyes on the back of my head when he stopped just behind me.

I had to restrain the urge to move away or flinch, while my heart kept beating hard.

"Is that all?" His hand touched my arm and I flinched this time, moving away from him.

A maniac laugh left him as I looked back at him with defiance.

"For how long will you run away, doll?"

Doll.

This was the name he had given me when I was in a relationship with him. I detested this name from the core.

Cringing internally, I objected,

"Don't. Don't call me that."

He let out a chuckle, that was not at all amusing.

"But you loved the name."

"No. I just got used to it. I hate that name."

"You'll get used to it again. Don't worry, Doll. I'll make sure."

In a flash, his hand shot out and before I could react, he grabbed my arm and pulled me closer.

My heart almost leapt out of my throat and I moved my face away from him. My hands clenched in fists, landed on his chest in an attempt to keep a distance.

"Leave me. You can't force yourself on me like this," I gritted my teeth while my lips trembled.

Desperation gnawed at me to get as far away from him as possible and my mind imagined Dom bursting through that door like my personal knight in a shining suit.

But who was I kidding? It was real life and I shooed him away last night when he actually came for me. Why would he risk his people for me now when he knew I wouldn't go with him?

"I can do whatever I want. I am being lenient with you but don't take that as my weakness. Anyways, back to the point." He grabbed my jaws and forced my face to look at him.

My lips were squeezed in a pout at how hard he was squeezing my jaws and it hurt so much. I shut my eyes so that I wouldn't vomit in disgust.

"Did someone else come in last night? I am being gentle, so tell me the truth."

I shook my head as much as I could in his hold while tears threatened to spill from my eyes, but I restrained.

I won't cry in front of him.

"No."

His lips crashed on mine and my eyes snapped open, leaving my body too shocked to retaliate as he kissed me forcefully. I couldn't even close my mouth because of his hold and punched his chest with my fists to no avail. My skin crawled as he kept kissing me and finally my hands moved to swat his hand away, unsuccessfully.

Not having any other way, I bit his lip hard and drew blood. That made him move away with a hiss and he glared at me with a swollen and bloodied lip.

I moved a few steps back, wiping my mouth and glared back as my fear got replaced by anger. I could punch him until his face wouldn't be recognizable anymore.

"If I ever find out that someone else was in the mansion last night and you knew about it, then start praying to god for yourself and for that person. Because you aren't gonna like the consequences."

"Do whatever you want. I don't know anything," I spoke defiantly.

I knew very well he wouldn't know because it was planned by Dom. Even if he did find out, I was sure he couldn't do anything to Dom, and as far as I was concerned, I didn't care as long as my Mom, Jake, Dom and my friends were safe.

Let's see.

"Be ready for me tonight, Doll. Your special outfit will be in your room in the evening and this time, there won't be any distraction."

He winked at me and my blood ran cold while he walked away like nothing happened.