Chapter 7 Meeting Clarissa

MIA

I was transferred to a much bigger room with actual windows, and thankfully, the bald dude never returned.

A few times, I considered making an escape through the window. But after taking a closer look at the distance between my room and the ground, I quickly abandoned the idea. Even if I somehow managed to jump without breaking both legs, there were thousands of suited security guards patrolling the property. I probably wouldn’t make it past the gardens before someone caught me.

So, I stayed put.

The door to my room opened, and a young woman I have never seen before walked in. Two other female staff followed behind her, each carrying several designer bags.

Without saying a word, she pointed toward my bed.

The staff walked over and dropped the bags on the mattress. They gave her a small bow before turning around and leaving the room, closing the door behind them.

The woman’s eyes slowly traveled over my body before she leaned against the vanity table and folded her arms across her chest.

“I’m Clarissa.”

Well, Clarissa clearly doesn’t look like she likes me very much.

“I’m Mia.”

She rolled her eyes slightly, then glanced down at her perfectly manicured fingers. “I know who you are.”

She gestured toward the bags on the bed.

“Adrian wants you to change into one of the dresses for breakfast and keep the rest.”

My brows pulled together as I looked at the expensive bags.

Her gaze moved over me again. “It seems you’re going to be here for a long time.”

Before I could ask anything else, Clarissa pushed herself away from the vanity and slowly sashayed toward the door.

“Are you the one in charge of me now?” I called after her. I need to know what I’m dealing with.

She stopped with her hand on the doorknob and glanced at me over her shoulder. “You think I’m that jobless?”

I almost scoffed, but somehow, my fifth sense warned me against pushing her too far. There was something about Clarissa that told me she wasn’t someone I wanted to piss off.

“What about the bald dude? I haven’t seen him in a while.”

Her eyes narrowed immediately. “Are you trying to piss me off? Because it’s working.”

“I’m stuck in a strange house with strange people, and you think what I want to be doing is piss you off?” I asked, staring at her in disbelief.

She let out a short, humorless laugh. “No wonder Louis beat you up. You have a sharp mouth, and you clearly don’t know when to shut it.”

My jaw tightened.

I didn’t do anything wrong! I only asked about a man I am wary of. If she doesn’t want to answer, then she can shove the truth up her ass. It’s not as though knowing the truth will change anything for me.

“If you must know,” she finally said, “he earned himself a bullet between his eyes.”

My eyes widened.

For a moment, I couldn’t breathe. I staggered back a step, my mind struggling to process what she just said.

“You’re just trying to scare me.”

A small chuckle escaped her lips. “You think me telling you that Lious got shot, is me trying to scare you?”

She sucked her teeth before letting go of the door handle. She leaned against the frame, watching me with an unsettling calmness.

“How about I tell you that he was killed for something that many people would consider unreasonable?”

I swallowed hard.

Killed.

I had been afraid of that man. I hated seeing him walk through my door. But somehow, knowing he was dead didn’t make me feel relieved.

It made everything worse.

“You want to know who killed him and why?”

I shook my head immediately. “I’d rather you keep that information to yourself.”

Any reason they have for keeping me here is already bad enough. I don’t need another reason added to the list.

Clarissa’s lips slowly stretched into a smile, and if anything, it made her look more deranged than amused.

“Whether you have that information or not, it’s not going to make any difference.”

My heart sank.

“You already saw Adrian kill someone, and that is going to make your leaving here very difficult.”

Rose and Ethan will come for me.

Rose will fight to find me until the end of time. She won’t stop looking for me, no matter how long it takes.

At least, I have to believe that.

“Don’t piss Adrian off during breakfast with him,” she advised, the crazy look on her face slowly disappearing, replaced by a cold, stoic expression. “If he killed Louis, who has worked for him for many years, over something as unreasonable as him lifting his hand against you, then how much more a woman who got him abducted and shot?”

I froze.

Adrian killed the bald man because of me?

I am responsible for a man’s death?

My stomach churned violently, and before I could stop myself, the remains of my dinner from last night rushed up my throat. I spun around and dashed into the bathroom, barely making it to the toilet before I bent over and emptied the contents of my stomach.

My body shook as I gripped the edge of the toilet, coughing and trying to catch my breath.

Behind me, I heard Clarissa laugh, followed by the bedroom door opening and closing.

It took me a while before my stomach finally settled. When I was sure I wasn’t going to throw up again, I flushed the toilet and slowly got to my feet.

I rinsed my mouth several times, splashed cold water over my face, and stared at my reflection in the mirror.

I looked pale.

Terrified.

After cleaning myself up, I returned to the bedroom and looked at the designer bags sitting on my bed. I didn’t even bother going through everything inside them. I simply reached into the nearest bag and grabbed the first piece of clothing my hand touched.

I changed quickly, not caring much about what I was wearing, then headed toward the door.

I slowly turned the handle and to my surprise, it opened, but then I figured Adrian knows I wouldn’t be able to get far even if I decide to escape.

There are security guards everywhere. I have no idea where I am, and I don’t even know which direction leads out of the property. Running blindly would only make me an easier target.

Halting by the stairs, I sucked in a deep breath, dreading my breakfast with Adrian, a man who clearly holds no regard for human life.