Stop Struggling
"I'll take a shot after you've had twenty, just for encouragement." Ryan said, mockingly.
Extinguishing his almost finished ciger butt on the ash tray, Roman picked up a shot and gulped it down, his face having no reaction as he gulped down another shot again.
....
It was well past 1 am, and Alana was still wide awake. She had put down her phone a while ago, tired of watching TikToks after Jane said goodnight and left hours earlier.
Alana turned to her side, clutching a pillow to her chest as she closed her eyes tightly, hoping that sleep would come at last.
Just as her mind began to drift into a hazy state of sleep, the sound of breaking glass jolted her awake.
Alana jolted upright in bed, her heart pounding in her chest at the sudden noise that shattered the silence. Her eyes wide with alarm, she strained to listen for any more sounds, her senses on high alert.
Another crash echoed followed by unmistakable sound of footsteps.
Alana panicked as she realized that someone was in the house. She assumed that it couldn't be Roman since Jane informed her that he was not returning that night.
Without a second thought, she slipped out of bed, her bare feet making no sound as she moved swiftly towards the bedroom door and stepped out as quietly as she could.
The source of the noise seemed to be coming from the living room, as Alana could hear strange muffled sounds and the clatter of objects and the lights were also on.
A huge wave of shock hit Alana when she saw Roman roughly making out a woman.
The both of them looked like they were starved and simply wanted... No, needed to devour each other.
Roman had a tight grip on the woman's blonde hair as he continued to kiss her while one of his hand explored beneath her panties.
The woman, already in her underwear, moaned desperately against this lips as she tore off his shirt, the buttons flying towards different direction.
Alana was frozen in place. She wanted to leave, but she couldn't bring herself to move.
"Get on the floor," Roman commanded the woman, his tone hard and emotionless.
The woman smiled and obediently got on all fours, but Roman grabbed her by the waist, forcefully turning her onto her back.
She gasped and chuckled as Roman knelt down, positioning her between his legs, his crotch dangerously close to her eager face.
He started to undo his belt. Alana snapped out of her daze, her eyes widening as she realized what he was about to do.
Alana quickly turned around and left, returning to the bedroom. She shut the door quietly and softly walked to the bed, slipping under the covers.
She squeezed her trembling fingers, not understanding why her heart was still pounding furiously.
Was she still shocked or was it something else.
She exhaled deeply, using a pillow to cover her ear as moans and screams reached her from the living room.
The sounds made her wonder what Roman was doing to the woman that caused her to scream as if she was in pain.
Alana had witnessed her stepsister making out with boys before, but none of them had kissed her in the intense and passionate way that Roman was kissing that woman.
'Maybe he's just skilled,' she thought innocently, knowing nothing about intimacy.
Alana shut her eyes tightly, attempting to sleep, but found it impossible in the midst of such disturbing noise and thoughts.
Groaning in frustration, she pressed the pillow even harder against her ears, trying to block the disturbing noises.
....
The morning sun shone on her face, casting a warm glow on her delicate features as her eyes fluttered slowly and tiredly.
Turning her face away from the sun, she tried to shield her weary eyes from the bright light.
She had been fortunate enough to have fallen asleep around past 4 this morning, thus giving two whole hours to rest.
Her alarm blared loudly, the aggressive sound causing her face to scrunch up in annoyance.
Reaching out towards her phone to silence the alarm, she accidentally knocked the buzzing device to the ground.
Groaning in frustration, she got up and picked her phone, turning off the alarm before heading to the bathroom for her morning routine.
After getting dressed, she sat in front of the mirror, her pale face with dark circles around her eyes staring back at her.
She frowned. It was all Roman's fault. Thanks to him she barely had any sleep. He just couldn't take his activities to a hotel or at least use one of the other rooms.
She applied a light makeup to her face before releasing her cascading hair, which she had previously tied up.
At times, managing long, wavy hair could be a bit tiresome and time-consuming, but she didn't mind at all. She adored her locks.
After playfully brushing her hair into waves, she grabbed her purse and phone, exiting the room.
Pausing in her tracks, she pondered whether Roman and the lady were still in the living room before continuing her stride.
The sight of clothes on the floor was the first thing that greeted her when she entered the living room.
There was no sign of either Roman or the woman from last night. She heard Roman's voice coming from the kitchen; it seemed like he was on the phone with someone.
She wanted to leave right away, but she couldn't do so without eating anything, so she decided to enter the kitchen.
He looked irritated as he spoke to the person on the phone. Taking a large gulp from the glass of milk in his hand, he glanced at Alana when he noticed her.
Alana mouthed 'good morning' to him, but he did not react. Instead, he stared at her as if trying to process something before walking out of the kitchen.
Settling in, Alana began to enjoy her bowl of cereal.
Can you drive any faster? I want her out of my house in the next five minutes," Roman said to the person on the other side of the call before ending the call.
He returned to the kitchen but stopped at the entrance, observing Alana as she ate with a calculating look in his eyes.
Alana paused mid-spoonful and reached for her phone in her bag on the table.
She stared at the caller's ID for a moment with a distant look before dropping the phone on the table.
The incessant ringing persisted, the vibrating sound of the phone slightly irritating her ears. Alana let out a sigh of frustration and picked up her phone to put it on Do Not Disturb mode, putting an end to the calls.
"Ex-boyfriend?" Roman asked from where he stood, nearly causing Alana to choke on her food.
Alana glanced in Roman's direction, a small frown on her face as she coughed gently.
Roman straightened up from where he had been leaning on the wall and approached her, taking a seat directly opposite her.
"It's none of your business," Alana replied curtly, causing Roman to raise a brow at her.
"That is a very rude way to speak to someone who is planning on offering you a ride this morning," Roman said.
"I don't need your ride. I will take a taxi," Alana said as she cleared the empty bowl.
"But I insist," Roman insisted.
Alana sighed. "Unless you plan on dragging me to your car, though good luck with that, I am not going with you in your car," she said.
Roman smirked, his handsome face taking on a more gorgeously sinister look.
"I love a good challenge in the morning," Roman said as he stood up, causing Alana's frown to deepen even more, her eyes narrowing as she wondered what the man could be up to.
Before she could even react, Roman effortlessly lifted her and threw her over his shoulder, causing her to gasp in shock.
She squirmed and protested, pounding her fists against his back, but his grip was strong.
"Put me down this instant!" she demanded, her voice a mixture of shock and boiling anger.
Roman said nothing and showed no reaction to her protests as he started walking towards the living room, heading for the elevator.
"Put me down, Roman. You're making a terrible mistake," Alana warned, her voice filled with desperation as she tried to persuade Roman to release her.
Roman scoffed. "What are you even saying? Stop struggling before you end up shifting your gown and revealing your underwear."
Alana's eyes widened, and she immediately ceased her struggles.
The elevator doors opened, revealing Eren holding a few bags in his hands.
The shock on his face was evident upon seeing Roman carrying Alana over his shoulder.
However, he quickly reacted by stepping out of the elevator to make way for Roman to enter.
"Get her bag and phone from the kitchen on your way out," Roman instructed Eren as the elevator doors closed.