" I'm okay Rafael. I just need my clothes and my phone. My friends are certainly worried about me. That's all and then I'll leave " , Ashley said .
" I'll bring you new clothes and your phone too but I won't let you go anywhere " , Rafael told her .
" Excuse-me ?! ", Ashley replied to him, surprised.
" Maybe you didn't hear me very well, I' ve just said that I' ll leave , it wasn't a question but a statement ", Ashley then replied to him confidently.
Then Rafael started getting closer to Ashley but she stepped back as he approached her and she almost fell. Luckily, Rafael caught her and delicate her right hand on back for Camera from falling and Ashley felt from a shot of the thrills browse all his body then his heart started beating faster and stronger than she was afraid that Rafael could hear it beating so fast.
" And I said that I won't let you go anywhere ", he whispered before saying : " and it's an order not a statement "
" You can't keep me here ", she shouted.
" Of course I can ", Rafael simply replied and then took his hand off from her back and then said : " I'll be back with your clothes and your breakfast. In the meantime, make yourself at home and feel free to take a bath too if you want ", then Rafael just left the room.
" I won't let you go anywhere blah ... blah ", Ashley mocked Rafael.
" Who does he think he is to give me order , uh ?! ", she then said , angrily.
She then headed to the bathroom to take a shower but she suddenly remembered last night's events when that man was pointing a gun at her head. She was totally petrified, she has never been so scared in her whole life. She also remembered the sound of that shot and then she saw that man laying in the ground and bleeding and all she remembered after that was that a silhouette was slowly approaching her and then she landed here, in this weird place with Rafael and was wondering who were these men who were talking with Rafael.
Leaving the bathroom, she then saw different clothes folded on the bed but none of them was her last night's clothes, she got dressed anyway. Next to these clothes was placed a meal tray with lots of good things ( waffles, a cup of tea, a bowl of fruits, ...).
After eating, Ashley sneaked out from the room and ended in the kitchen where she found a door that led outside and when she was about to get out a woman said behind her : " may I help you dear ?".
She turned around, a middle-age brown hair woman, wearing a light pink dress with a small white apron above and with shopping bags in her arms stood right in front of her.
" Uh...I was ... I was ...uh...", Ashley stuttered.
" You wanted to see the garden ?! ", the woman said.
" Yeah! That's it . I wanted to see the garden ", Ashley told her quickly.
" Go ahead then ! Go see the garden and when you'll arrive at the front door, just tell the guards that it's Gerta who is sending you ", the woman replied.
Ashley then hurried to get out of the kitchen, arrived at the front door of Rafael's residence and said to the men who guarded the door that it was Gerta who sent her, thus they let her pass.
Once outside, Ashley remembered that she had no money on her to pay for a cab or to take a bus so she will have to walk to her place.
Later that day...
" She did what ?! ", Rafael shouted to his men.
" She is no longer in the room Capo ", said one man, fearfully.
" How could that happen ? ", Rafael screamed angrily.
" Hugo and Andreas let her pass the front door ", the man said again.
" It's because she said that it was Gerta who sent her so we let her pass, '' Hugo said with a trembling voice.
" You, idiots ", Rafael shouted and then headed into the kitchen, where Gerta, the woman who had helped Ashley earlier, was cooking.
" What have you done ? ", Rafael simply asked her.
" Rafael, you couldn't keep her here indefinitely ", Gerta told him calmly.
" Of course I can . She was safe here. We haven't found yet who caused yesterday's attack", Rafael said with a raised tone.
" Yes, but we both know that it wasn't her who was the target last night, Rafael ", Gerta replied to him calmly again.
" But it wasn't up to you to let her out ", Rafael told her, always with a raised tone.
" Oh! Come on ! You know where she lives anyway. Here, eat something. You'll do very well after eating ", Gerta said while handing Rafael a bowl of soup.
" I don't want your soup, I want her back ", Rafael said and then left.
Meanwhile at Ashley's apartment
" Oh! Home Sweet Home ! ", Ashley stated, arriving at her appartment's door.
While opening her door, " Ashley ? Is that you ?", Kamila said and then headed to the door quickly.
" Kami ?! ", Ashley replied.
" Ash !! Finally you are here. We' ve been looking for you all day ", Kamila told her while hugging Ashley.
" Oh ! Ashley, I'm so relieved that you are finally here ", Brad then stated and hugged Ashley too.
" Are you ok ? We heard that there was an attack at the nightclub last night ", Kamila said worriedly.
" Yeah, unfortunately I was when it happened ", Ashley replied .
" Oh my Gosh , Ash ! And are you alright ? I'm so sorry that I wasn't there to help. I already left the club with Jason or Jack or whatever his name was ", Kamila said and then hugged her.
" I'm fine Kami , someone helped me so I wasn't hurt ", Ashley simply told her.
" I'm glad to hear that . And where were you, uh ?", Kamila asked Brad, furiously.
" I was... I was...", Brad stuttered.
" He was a bit busy with that blonde girl in the toilets, weren't you Brad ?", Ashley stated.
" Oh! You *swhole ! ", Kamila exclaimed.
" So you saw us, didn't you ?", Brad simply said.
" Of course I saw you and I don't care at all with whom you hook up in the bathroom of the nightclub, ok. All I want right now, is just to take a long and warm bath and then slip into my bed ", Ashley said.
Meanwhile in a mysterious basement....
" Everything went exactly as planned, Boss. The attack on Rafael's nightclub was a success. He and that idiot of Lorenzo saw nothing coming ", said a man.
" Excellent !! ", exclaimed a mysterious man and then asked : " How many men have we lost ?"
" Five but it was really worth it, Boss. If only you could see Rafael's face during the attack, it was priceless", the man stated.
" Of course I would have been happy to see that but I can't show myself yet, it's way too soon. We have succeeded in weakening Rafael's empire but he is not going to stay there and do nothing. Any news from our mole ?", the mysterious said.
" Not yet, Boss. But he already started to approach the target ", the man replied.
" Sure, keep me updated ", the mysterious man finally said.