Next day...
She lay on the couch filled with boredom. Don had gone out that morning and had re-enabled the house's security system which could only be controlled with his fingerprint- he locked her in -all before she even woke up.
" 'For my safety' he said. Non morirò di noia solo perché pensa che io sia incapace di proteggermi [I won't die of boredom just because he thinks I'm incapable of protecting myself]" she grumbled and got up from the couch.
She walked around the sitting room and kitchen, trying to find an outlet that wasn't controlled by the house's security system.
With no results, she moved upstairs, examining all the room and bathroom windows.
"How could every window and door be covered by that damn security system. Quanto è intelligente [How smart is he]?" she grumbled and began walking towards her room when she came across an open door.
Out of curiosity, she peered inside and found an open window, not that big, but large enough for her to pass through.
She poked her head outside to examine it.
A pleasurably cold wind greeted her. She closed her eyes and allowed the peaceful sensation to consume her senses.
She opened her eyes and saw the light grey ominous storm clouds brooding hazily over the city below, indicating a forthcoming storm.
Some people would naturally begin to look for cover, but she saw it as the perfect moment to go around the city and revisit memories of the good times she was there.
With a shimmering glimmer of hope in her, she hurried back to her room, did her hair, put on light make-up, got dressed in a blue floral dress, carried a pair of black knee-length boots along with her bag, and rushed back to the room with the unlocked window.
She examined how high the window was from the ground and found it to be about 14fts high. Jumping was impossible. Her only hope was to climb down using the window posts below as her grip.
"Qui non va niente [Here goes nothing]" she said to herself and steadily threw her legs outside the window to dangle from it.
She hung her bag sideways over her shoulder, and gently tucked her shoes into it.
She stretched her long legs until it was steadily standing on the thick post of the window below, only then did she release the rest of her body from holding the upper one.
The stinging wind menacingly blew against her dress, almost giving her the illusion that it would carry her away or make her fall against the hard concrete.
She pushed aside those thoughts as they were only distractions, and daringly continued climbing down using the same pattern until she reached the last window about 3fts away from the ground.
She jumped down and dusted her dress, feeling confident to have escaped Don's tight security.
"Ha! Take that, Ace! Not even your dumb fucking locks can limit my freedom".
With a satisfied gleaming smile, she navigated her way from the backyard until she reached the front, dodging all the additional security cameras he had installed.
She then wore her black-heeled boots, walked off the property, and into the calm streets of the luxurious neighborhood.
***********************************
She decided to leave the neighborhood first before calling a cab that would take her to where she had parked one of her cars.
The wind brushed past her face and ears, and blew through her thick long hair, like a soothing massage from God himself.
She had always been obsessed with the dark, peaceful yet chaotic aesthetic of stormy weather. It was one of the few things that gave her real peace.
She heard a car driving up from behind her but ignored it and decided to focus on what a beautiful day it was.
The white Mercedes slowed down on getting to her. She still ignored it and continued walking.
"Hello, beautiful" the person in the driver's seat greeted with a grin.
'Un flirt per rovinare questa bella giornata... Che meraviglia [A flirt to ruin this lovely day... How wonderful]!' she grumbled sarcastically under her breath.
"Hello, handsome!" she replied with a less amused smile.
"A lovely lady like you shouldn't be walking under this kind of harsh cold weather"
"Firstly, the weather is not harsh-it's just a little windy. Secondly, I'm making the most out of it. Thanks for the advice anyway" She waved and continued walking, but he stubbornly continued after her.
'Why won't he just leave me alone?'
"You'll be worn out by the time you leave this neighborhood. Let me give you a ride out of Bel-air" he offered with a smirk.
She pondered on it for a moment, then with a sigh, she pulled the door of the car open and slid into the passenger seat next to him.
"It was warm in contrast to the cold outside.
"I've stayed in this place for a pretty long time, and I've never seen you here. Are you new?"
"Yeah. Just came here for a small vacation" she replied curtly and brought out her phone.
'More like a vacation for safety'
"That's nice. Hope you enjoy the city" he wished and brought down one of his windows to throw something into a nearby bin.
The cold finally got to her, causing her to shiver despite the warmness of the car.
"Cold?" she reluctantly nodded. Of all things, she forgot to carry a jacket.
He pulled the one that was hanging on the head of his chair and handed it to her.
She accepted and hung it over he shoulders. It seemed kind of perfect with her outfit. She muttered a small thank you to which he nodded.
She used the opportunity to assess him. Brown hair with matching brown eyes, high cheekbones and a pointed nose, slim lips with a pointed chin.
She had to admit that he was actually hot.
"How do you plan on continuing in this weather?" "I have my means of transportation outside the neighborhood, in case of times like this"
"So you like going out?" he smirked playfully, "Depends on my mood though"
"So if your mood permits, would you like to go out with me this weekend, say Saturday night?"
She laughed internally. He just met her some minutes before, and now he was asking her out on a date.
"That won't be possible" she replied, trying to mask her smile and hide her laughter.
"When can it be possible then?" he was adamant on this date issue.
"It can't ever be possible" "Why not?" his brows pulled together.
She was about to say that she was married, but she remembered it was a fake marriage, and going out with him would be a perfect way to get back at him for the time she saw him and Camilla kissing in his office.
A bright light bulb lit in her head.
"I'll think about it," she said and flashed him a flirtatious smile.
She brushed her hair out of her face and looked back to the road.
She could feel his eyes on her even as she was looking at the road.
"I can feel you staring... Never seen a lady before?"
"I've never seen one as pretty as you are. I like you"
"Thanks, I like me too" she replied with a cocky tone.
He chuckled and turned back to the road.
"This is my stop" she announced. He brought the car to a halt and unlocked her door.
"Thanks for the ride, Mr. Handsome Flirt" She gathered her things and pushed the door open.
"It's Alex, and I don't mind driving beautiful girls around" he licked his lips and pulled his lower lips into his teeth.
"Mr. HF sits better with me" she added and got out.
"See you when you make your mind up".
She sighted her waiting cab on the other side of the road and crossed over to the other side.
"Hey, wait" he called just as she had opened her cab door.
"I never got your name or your phone number".
"Anaya" she answered with a mischievous smirk before she slipped into the back seat of the car and ordered the driver to drive off.
"Mysterious lady" he muttered to himself as he watched the cab disappear into the distance.