Lilith wakes up in unfamiliar silk sheets, the scent of something expensive in the air. She wants to move, but her wrists clanked with the prettiest chains ironic to its purpose. Chains of gold rest lightly on her wrists—It almost felt like an accessory.
The elephant in the room was a gorgeous man. His features sculpted like a greek god. He was there, sitting quietly—observing her every movement intensely.
She knew exactly who this man was, as he was her family's enemy. Besides that, he was feared by everyone because of the power that he weilded in every nook and cranny in S city. Even mentioning the name Rafael Alaric would feel blasphemous and taboo.
She glares. "What the hell do you want from me?"
She sighed, knowing this man won't budge.
He smirked upon seeing her retaliation. He welcomed every part of it, indulging at her reaction. She felt the opposite.
"Everything," He declared. "Well, you specifically." He murmured. The atmosphere turned eerily quiet and cold, Lilith felt shivers down her spine.
"Are you stupid? If it's ransom you're looking for, you got the wrong daughter kidnapped. The Marchesi won't even bat an eye." Lilith argued with all her might. She feared he was going to eat her alive, torture her, or god knows whatever he'd do to her.
"I don't need quarters, I have loads–and that's exactly why you're here." He emerged from the darkness and revealed his expression. He moved toward her with deliberate steps, his presence swallowing the space between them. "And I always get what I want. Your clan cares too little."
She sits up sharply, ignoring the way the sheets slip off her bare shoulders. "I'm not yours. You stole me."
"No, sweetheart." His fingers trail against the gold on her wrist. "I claimed you. Long before you ever tried to run."
Her pulse kicks against her throat, betrayal and unease clashing inside her. She felt cold yet managed a response. "You..can't keep me here." her eyes glint fiercely.
His jaw tightens, amusement kicking into something darker. "Where else would you go if not here?" As he trails his fingers unto her chin, bringing it close to him.
"You said they wouldn't even bat an eye yourself. Tell me, would they come for you?" His expression cold and filled with mockery. She was reminded of her harsh circumstance.
She froze. His words were careful, cruel in their accuracy. She knows the truth—the war between their families has raged for years. There would be no rescue. No cavalry.
"So what are you gonna do? skin me? sell my organs?"
she said sarcastically, although she wouldn't even dare imagine her own words. She was his prey, and she knew it very well that there would be no escaping from this man.
He let out a low chuckle. "What an oddball. Why would I harm something I painstakingly took?"
His fingers graze her wrist, tracing the cold metal against her skin.
He was about to open his mouth to say something but was interrupted by a knock on the door. This took Lilith by surprise, her heart almost jumped. Rafael found this reaction adorable he might as well lock her away for good. That's what he thought, but quickly erased such from his mind.
"Talk." He commanded from the person behind the door. The person immediately followed through systematically, as if they were a robot. The report was short, yet Lilith felt like an hour had passed.
"Millard Marchesi has been detained, so aswell the rest of his clan–excluding the children ages no more than ten. The women are currently on house arrest." The messenger declared.
Lilith felt all the more hopeless. Her brother was detained. She didn't even know whether he was incapacitated or breathing fine.
"Oh, looks like no one would come for you anyway."
He chuckled derisively. Lilith had no choice but to back down.
She presses her back against the headboard, hands curling into the silk sheets beneath her. "You're delusional if you think I'll ever want this.." She hissed.
He hums, unfazed, as if her resistance is nothing more than a phase. "we'll see." His voice is maddeningly patient, rich with certainty. "One day, you won't fight me. One day, you'll come to me willingly." He leans, both palms in his pockets.
She scoffs. "You think love can be forced?" Of course, she knew who this man was—inside and out like the palm of her hand, because they shared an intimate relationship before they came to know of their real identities.
He leans even closer, eyes burning with possession. "No. Love cannot be forced. But devotion?" His fingers brush a loose strand of her hair, slow, reverent. "That can be earned."
Her breath quickened. This was another trick. A game. But when he straightened, stepping away, she felt the absence of his warmth like a missing limb. And she hated the feeling that she couldn't understand why.
"Sleep," he murmured, turning toward the door. "Tomorrow, let's have breakfast together. I'll prove it to you." He says with a cunning smile.
She watched him go, pulse hammering, mind twisting around his certainty. What was his goal? what was he trying to prove, that he can make her love him? That she will never leave?
The worst part is—he doesn't look like a man who doubts. He looks like a man who always wins. And she knew the latter was true to the bone. The proof was that her heart still falters when he is present in her mind.
Her nerves were tense from earlier, and she couldn't possibly try to sleep it off. However, she still tries to. Her mind and body demanded different things, either to sleep or stay restless the entire night.
Counting sheeps, she fell into slumber.
Rafael stayed behind the door until he sensed no movement inside the room anymore. He never left the door unguarded. He entered the room, gentle with the floor so as not to make unnecessary noise for disturbance.
He leans down and closely observes her face—"You're as beautiful as ever." and kissed locks of her hair.