He knew that what happened at ROYAL had deeply hurt her, and it was impossible for her to just forget it in the short term.
His room was directly above hers, and several times he had heard her crying, as clear as if it were right beside him. He would go downstairs, intending to knock on her door and take her upstairs to sleep with him, but he would hesitate for a long time and eventually give up.
She was averse to his proximity, let alone cuddling with him in the same bed.
For someone with light sleep, once awakened, it's hard to fall back asleep. After returning to his room, Capone would often sit up smoking, spending the entire night this way.
He noticed that Sophia Diaz didn't look well during the day; the deep dark circles under her eyes suggested she was likely awake and unable to sleep at night. However, she usually stayed hidden in her room and did not come outside, making tonight's activity unusual.
Capone became alert. Holding his gun, he descended the stairs, and from a distance, he saw a figure standing in the middle of the living room, crouched on the floor, searching for something. He approached quietly, without turning on the lights, using the moonlight from the window to keep his gun aimed directly at the figure.
"Stand up and slowly turn around!"
He commanded. The person on the floor was clearly startled but slowly stood up, still clutching something in her hand.
Sophia Diaz?!
It was indeed her! Capone lowered his gun and turned on a spotlight in the living room, clearly seeing her pale face staring coldly at him.
"What are you doing here in the middle of the night?" Did she not realize she looked like a ghost? He could have ended her life with a single shot!
"I can't sleep!"
Sophia replied bluntly, but she instinctively tried to hide what she was holding behind her.
Capone noticed and said in a deep voice, "What are you holding? Hand it over!"
Sophia shook her head, trying to sidestep Capone and run back to her room, but he firmly held her back.
He pried open her hand and discovered it was a pack of cigarettes and a lighter. It was a brand favored by Joey and Cronus, probably accidentally left behind during the day, and she had grabbed it.
"You smoke?" Capone's anger erupted like a mushroom cloud, the very thought making his mind buzz.
He had seen many alluring women, and a spark of interest often added to their charm. But that had nothing to do with Sophia Diaz! She was a girl who would frown at the smell of smoke, a wealthy young lady who prided herself on her purity and cleanliness. When did she start smoking?
"You have no right to control me!" Sophia wriggled free from his grasp, confirming his suspicion with her actions.
She had never imagined she would smoke. She had taken nutrition courses and knew the dangers of smoking to the body. But she couldn't stand the nightmares and insomnia that plagued her every night! She wanted to find a way to calm herself down, but every time she closed her eyes, she was haunted by humiliating scenes and the thought of Capone giving her to other men to be abused. She was terrified of falling asleep, fearing she would wake up in that den of vice, becoming a captive plaything.
The cigarette Lucas gave her the other day, as Diana said, contained a special hallucinogen, a sort of soft poison. That was why it triggered her painful memories of her first night and caused terrifying hallucinations where she thought she was being abused by men. But it was also because of this that she later saw her parents and brother in the hallucinations, crying and seeking comfort in their arms, thinking she was finally rescued and could go home!
"I can't sleep!"
Sophia replied bluntly, but she instinctively tried to hide what she was holding behind her.
Capone noticed and said in a deep voice, "What are you holding? Hand it over!"
Sophia shook her head, trying to sidestep Capone and run back to her room, but he firmly held her back.
He pried open her hand and discovered it was a pack of cigarettes and a lighter. It was a brand favored by Joey and Cronus, probably accidentally left behind during the day, and she had grabbed it.
"You smoke?" Capone's anger erupted like a mushroom cloud, the very thought making his mind buzz.
He had seen many alluring women, and a spark of interest often added to their charm. But that had nothing to do with Sophia Diaz! She was a girl who would frown at the smell of smoke, a wealthy young lady who prided herself on her purity and cleanliness. When did she start smoking?
"You have no right to control me!" Sophia wriggled free from his grasp, confirming his suspicion with her actions.
She had never imagined she would smoke. She had taken nutrition courses and knew the dangers of smoking to the body. But she couldn't stand the nightmares and insomnia that plagued her every night! She wanted to find a way to calm herself down, but every time she closed her eyes, she was haunted by humiliating scenes and the thought of Capone giving her to other men to be abused. She was terrified of falling asleep, fearing she would wake up in that den of vice, becoming a captive plaything.
The cigarette Lucas gave her the other day, as Diana said, contained a special hallucinogen, a sort of soft poison. That was why it triggered her painful memories of her first night and caused terrifying hallucinations where she thought she was being abused by men. But it was also because of this that she later saw her parents and brother in the hallucinations, crying and seeking comfort in their arms, thinking she was finally rescued and could go home!
A dream within a dream, but some things are real. She didn't understand why she felt such pain. In the quiet of the night, the pain intensified, and she thought of the tobacco scent she had inhaled that day.
Joey and the others would casually toss their cigarettes onto the coffee table, and when she couldn't sleep at night, she would secretly take one or two to smoke. Although she didn't know how to smoke and would always cough from the irritation, it didn't cause hallucinations. It did numb her pain, so she didn't suffer as much after nightmares.
Unfortunately, after only a few attempts, Capone found out.
Capone, furious, found her explanation laughable in his rage. "There's nothing in this house that I can't control! Hand over the cigarettes!"
He reached for the cigarettes in her hand. Sophia resisted, so he had to pull her into his embrace, pressing his chest against her back and gripping her arms to wrestle the cigarettes away.
In the process, he felt her body was ice-cold, and she was wearing only a cotton nightgown on such a cold night.
To make matters worse, she wasn't wearing any shoes!
Ignoring her desperate attempts to reclaim the cigarettes, Capone hooked his arm under her knees and picked her up, carrying her upstairs without hesitation.
Diana also lived in the house, and Sophia opened her mouth to call for help. But Capone lowered his head and kissed her forcefully, silencing her cries.
Sophia didn't expect him to kiss her suddenly. All her attempts to shout were stifled by his kiss, and she could only make muffled sounds.
Although the lights were off, his face was so close that she could clearly see his features. She widened her eyes in fear, but he kept his long lashes lowered, his gentleness hidden.
Sophia wanted to escape but had no place to go. In his embrace, her slender body felt no heavier than a kitten. Even though she kicked and pushed at his shoulder, she couldn't stop his steady steps up the stairs.
His embrace was so tight it was painful, and his familiar scent filled her senses. As soon as her tongue touched his, she wanted to escape, but he relentlessly sought her out, his tongue skillfully entwining with hers, biting her lips as if drawing all the air from her chest.
She felt as if she were suffocating, her body taut and weak.
He carried her back to his room, shut the door, and threw her onto the bed. Only then could Sophia breathe freely. He stood by the bed, still clutching the pack of cigarettes.
Sophia propped herself up with her elbow, no longer concerned with the cigarettes. The situation felt so dangerous that she wanted to leave immediately. She had no desire to stay in this intimate space with him, wanting only to run away.
Capone knelt on the bed, pulling her back, and leaned over her, waving the cigarette pack. "Aren't you scared and restless at night? I'll stay with you so you don't need cigarettes. This isn't something you should be touching. You're not allowed to smoke anymore, understand?"
With her limbs pinned down, Sophia could only watch as he crumpled the cigarette pack and threw it aside. He then covered her lips with his, resuming their earlier kiss.
It felt like he hadn't kissed her like this in a long time. Her lips were still as soft as before, and his tongue could easily slip into her mouth and dominate it with minimal effort. When she resisted, she desperately tried to push him away or hide, unwilling to follow his lead.