She sat up to look at the woman who had tied her up yesterday. She wasn't going to think about what she just dreamed. Nope, not at all. She turned and realized that Emma wasn't there.
"Good m.."
"Where's Emma?" She cut in.
The woman only gave her a thin smile and continued, "Good morning, Miss Verena, nice to meet you again. I am Grace. Emma is well taken care of, I assure you". she said, her British accent a kind of whip in the stillness of the room. "I've been assigned to guard you as per Mr. Cassio's orders."
Verena scoffed at the sentence unable to believe her ears. Just yesterday she was free woman now she was on the whim of Cassio's orders. Did he truly doubt her ability to protect herself? The thought irritated her. She was one of Dominic's best killers. But she held her tongue, it was obvious he didn't think women were capable. The only way to prove him wrong was to show him.
With a nod of dismissal, Verena watched as Grace took a post by the door, a silent guard, no, more like warden, in the beginning of a beautiful morning.
"Really?"
She groaned and dove back into the red covers of her bed. She wasn't an early riser, that's why she always had afternoon shifts, and she didn't intend to start now. She closed her eyes to sleep and just as she was about to resume her early morning duty another maid entered the room,
"Oh for shit's sake, can't I just get a moment of sleep?"
"I'm sorry miss but boss has ordered you to join him for breakfast" the maid replied solemnly, looking at her with disdain.
"Order?" She asked with a credulous look on her face.
This is it! She could take no more of that bastardo's attitude, he seems to think she was one of his men. Deliberately, she followed the maid back to the dining room in her night robe. She was about to give him a piece of her mind when she barged in but stopped when she saw Emma at the table. Was this what Grace called 'well taken care of'?
The words died in her mouth immediately as she walked towards the table. A glint in Cassio's eye made her realize that he had purposely done this. Directing a glare at him, she sat opposite Emma which was a few seats away from him.
"Hey Emma, did you sleep well last night? She asked sweetly, taking note of the fact that she was in uniform
"It was the best night ever, the bed was so big
She replied eagerly holding her hands apart to show how big the bed was, "and he gave me lot of chocolates" she added, pointing at Cassio.
"That's nice of him, Em" she said, a smile on her face as she turned to him. If smiles could kill Cassio would be dead a thousand times over.
Then he spoke, "now Emma, remember what you promised me" he said to the girl who nodded her pigtails bound with blue ribbons enthusiastically.
"Bye V" she said, getting off from her chair and walking to a woman who had been standing there the whole time. The woman held her hands and they walked out of the room.
Verena stood up to follow them but was stopped by Cassio
"Sit Verena!"
"You think I am just going to watch some strange woman take my sister away?"
"She is taking her to school"
"School? In the midst of all this?"
"Two of my men will make sure nothing harms her"
"Wow, you've got everything planned, don't you? Without caring to ask for my opinion?" She asked angrily.
He dropped his fork and cleaned his mouth with a serviette, "I made myself self clear yesterday and I am not going to repeat it" he said, "I am the boss of this familia and you are under its protection so you obey me" he finished looking at her sternly.
The air was thick with tension as she tried to stare him down, her will clashing with his words and his piercing gaze boring into her.
"And I am going to forgive you for the silly game you tried to play last night, but I won't be so merciful the next time," Cassio's voice was a low rumble, his eyes flashing with a dangerous intensity. "You would do well to remember that."
Verena's jaw clenched as she complied and sat down on her chair.
"I should be allowed to carry a weapon too like you" At the lift of his eyebrow she added, "you think I didn't notice the knife in your pockets last night when I tried to seduce you?"
"Knife?"
"Why are you trying to pretend otherwise? It was poking me yesterday when I was near you and that time you kissed me against the wall"
"Are you trying to make a joke?" He asked in unbelief.
"Do I look like I am joking?" She replied, swirling the wine in her cup gently, then she changed the topic because care he didn't want her to know he had a weapon. "So what do you want me to do? How am I going to bring down Dominic, should I pretend to be your girlfriend?"
"We are going shopping today to buy you some clothes"
She spat the wine out. "Wait a damn minute?! Am I really to pretend to be your girlfriend?" She asked, looking at him.
"Of course not. You are to be a honey trap for everyone I am going to bring down"
She wasn't even irritated at the fact that he didn't think she could be his girlfriend. She was only thinking of the last part of the sentence. As a knot formed in the pit of her stomach and the realization of the situation she found herself in sunk in.
She paled,"Honey trap? Like some kind of slut?"
"Yes" he replied coldly.
She gripped her knife tightly as she nodded
"Okay, fine. I will do it"
"Like you have a choice?"
She considered stabbing him. "When are we going shopping?".
"Now" he answered, standing up from his seat.
The servants cleared the table even though she wasn't done eating.
" And unless you want to go out like that, I suggest you dress up and meet me in the garage in the next fifteen minutes" he said, leaving the room with hands inside the pockets of his dark suit.
A maid entered to led Verena to her room so she stood up and hurled insults at him in Italian. Her mind began to plot plans of escape and they all ended with Cassio catching her. The maid left after she entered and she took a quick shower. She wore the modest clothes she could find in the closet and they were a perfect fit. If not for the fact that she knew he hated her, she would have pegged him a stalker so the clothes were a coincidence.
And they must have been for his sister, she told herself, because no woman would ever want to put up with his narcissistic attitude but who was she kidding? It was obviously the clothes belonged to one of his mistress.
She bound her hair in a ponytail and opened the door. As one of his men led her to the garage, she decided that the best escape plan was to pretend to go along with his plan for now. She really hoped she was a good actress.