Jessica's point of view:
I don't know for how long I've been locked in here with the dead body. I can't tell if I was here only for hours or more than a day. The thing is that the dead corpse of the man started smelling like a death, and I was feeling sick.
I think if I stay here for more hours, I would die too.
I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn't notice that I was no longer alone. Until I felt myself being carried by someone.
I cared less about who was the person as long as he was going to take me out of here.
The icy breeze that hit my skin informed me that I was out of where they brought me. The one holding me didn't speak. So, I wasn't sure if it was Luca or Marcos, and I didn't care as long as I was away from the dead body.
I was placed on what seemed to be a car seat, which meant that they were taking me somewhere else. I started losing it again. So instead of keeping quiet, I decided to speak again.
" Who … are you? " I could hardly speak, yet I refused to keep in the dark. My entire energy was drowned since I spent hours crying while begging anyone to get me out.
" You can't keep quiet even when being like that." The chuckles belonged to no one but Marco - I concluded.
A weird silence consumed us as he didn't speak after—well, not for too long. The least a normal person would like to know is where he or she's been held captive. That's why I asked again.
"Where are you taking me?"
"Home!" That was all he said.
For a while, I thought that I heard it wrong. Not believing what my ears heard, I decided to ask him again.
"Did you say home?"
"Yes, Red." He answered right away, not wasting time. My heart rejoices for a while. I mean, after all that I've been through, I was finally going home.
What on earth happened, so that Marco decided to send me back home? Could it be that my father brought him back whatever he had taken from him?
Knowing my father, I can swear that this won't happen, even over my dead body.
There was something weird happening, and I wasn't going to say a thing this time. I'm afraid that anything I would say might change his mind.
My body was feeling exhausted, and I didn't know how it happened, but after a short while, I fell asleep.
The shining light forced my sleepy eyes open. I don't know for how long I slept, yet my entire body feels more than just exhausted.
I pushed myself up to be surprised that I wasn't in my room.
"Where am I?"
"What is this place?"
"How did I get here?"
All these questions were raining over my head, and I was helplessly roaming with my eyes as I was trying to discover the area I woke in.
It was a vast room, the same size as my normal room. Still, it was uglier and lifeless. All the materials in the room seemed to look expensive, yet, none of it looks like something I would choose for a room.
I started feeling a weird headache that caused me to scream unconsciously. " Ahh!"
It all started running down my weak memory. My hands were free, and I immediately started searching on my face, not believing that my eyes weren't bandaged anymore.
My hands were still where they were.
My eyes were fine.
All my body parts seem to be placed where they're already supposed to be
I was so distracted searching if anything happened to me, and I didn't notice that someone was approaching me.
"What are you doing?" He asked, and I answered.
"Nothing! I'm just checking if any of those cannibals stole anything out of my body."
Only after answering that did I come to notice that I wasn't alone, and I was sharing a small talk with Marco himself.
Blood runs cold inside my body. The last time I angered him, I ended up being locked by the side of a dead corpse. If I do it again, I might be the next corpse.
I looked at Marco who wasn't looking happy with my answer, and then I tried to face an innocent smile since I didn't know what I had to say after what I've said.
"Seems like you didn't learn from your last experience. If you want to keep alive until the upcoming sunshine, you need to learn respect." His voice was low, yet his tone was harsh.
I nodded my head, since I didn't have anything to say, and I was also afraid of making it only worse if I spoke again.
Well…
I should've kept quiet, but I didn't. I've had something in mind, and I couldn't keep up without speaking about it.
"How can someone known as a man of law commit so many crimes in just one day? I mean, you've broken into private property, then kidnapped me, and you killed someone as if all you've done is not enough."
Meanwhile, I was having difficulty breathing while counting all that he did yesterday. His face wasn't showing any emotions or feelings; even his answer showed nothing more than how cruel such a person can be as he states.
"That says a lot about the kind of person you're dealing with. Until I get back what your father stole from me, I suggest you behave. I might even consider sparing your father for what he did."
Though my father is the reason I'm stuck with this jerk, I can't bear the thought of anything happening to him. I must be careful to protect those I love. Lost in thought, his voice suddenly pulled me back to reality.
" Take a bath and change into something decent. You have everything you need in the room, I'll come to take you down in a matter of an hour..." I couldn't wait for him to finish what he was saying, and I jumped into making a conclusion.
"Take me where? Take me home as you promised?"
All the excitement I was feeling faded up as he started speaking.
"Sweetheart, until I have the 'Lion's eye,' this is your home."
His words left me speechless—this man has no sense of logic. If I keep dealing with him, I might lose my mind. Running a hand through my messy hair, I tried to figure out what to do next.
"What is it? I'm being generous to you—giving you a warm house to call home and food—yet you don't seem the least bit grateful. Maybe I should've thrown you in a cell, as Luca suggested," he said with irritation.
His words angered on me, but I knew there was nothing I could do.
"Sixty minutes," he continued, ignoring my silence. "If you're not ready in an hour, expect the worst from me."
He stepped closer, gripping my chin tightly.
"Such a pretty face… it's worth good money. I'd hate to ruin it—at least not before I get my money back."
Simply like that, he left, and I was alone.
The weight of his words hung in the air, suffocating me. For a fleeting moment, I was tempted to cry, but instead, a shocking realization hit me—I couldn't believe I was seriously considering running instead of staying and working for him as a… I couldn't even finish the thought.
That idea really grossed me out. No. I had to escape. I couldn't let him break me, and I needed to get out of here as soon as possible.