Chapter 2

Cecilia felt a slight headache as her eyes tried to adjust to the light when she opened it. She could hear voices—an unfamiliar voice at that—and, feeling the soft mattress under her, she realised that she was on a bed. The headache was interrupting her thoughts, messing them up, and making her unable to remember where she was.

"Did you hit her?" She heard someone say, and as fast as a light, everything came back to her. She immediately raised her head up with enough force that caused her to sigh at the sudden pain and held her head that was now raging, probably due to how fast she had moved.

"Go get her some medicine now." She heard his voice before she saw him. A voice that was so smooth and captivating, like a melody floating in the air. The voice was deep and velvety, with a hint of huskiness that adds an extra layer of allure.

The few words he spoke sent a tingle down her spine, and she couldn't help but be drawn in by the sheer seductiveness of his voice. It was like magic, casting a spell on her, making her heart skip a beat.

"Are you okay?" He asked her again as she finally opened her eyes; her eyes had already adjusted to the light, and what she saw took her breath away. The man with the seductive voice had a face that perfectly matched the charm and allure of his voice. He had strong, chiselled features and a jawline that could cut through steel.

His eyes were deep and mysterious, sparkling with a hint of mischief. His lips—oh, his lips—were full and inviting, with a mischievous smile that could make anyone weak in the knees. He bent his body down as he stared into her face, making Cecilia get a better view of him.

His perfectly groomed facial hair added a touch of ruggedness to his overall appeal. Cecilia could not stop staring at him, and she was almost sure that she would catch a drool at the side of her mouth if she checked.

"Don, here is the medicine." A scary-looking man came into the room, a rather familiar face to Cecilia at that point. It was the man who had carried her over the shoulder, and he had just called the man that she was drooling over, Don.

"Do... Don Santiago." The word left her mouth in a quiet whisper. She could not believe that the man she always heard about was not an old man but rather a man who looked like he was in his early thirties.

"You must have heard of me then," the man said, confirming what she already guessed. He took the medicine and the water from the scary-looking man and stretched his hands to her so she could take them.

"What do you want from me?" Cecilia asked him instead of taking it, leaving his hands hanging. "Just take the medicine," the man said, the voice that was like music to her ear suddenly turning annoying to her as she realised that he was the one who was about to destroy her future.

"Do you know what you are doing is kidnapping? You have no right to take me here against my will," Cecilia said, not caring that the person she was talking to was one of the most dangerous men in the city. "I paid in full," he said.

Cecilia took a while before she realised that he was talking about paying for her while the man gave an expressionless face as he placed the medicine in her hand and stretched the glass for her to take.

The shattering of glass was heard next. The scary-looking man made a move to where Cecilia was, but Don Santiago stopped him with just a wave of his hand in his direction.

"Go get someone to clean this mess up," Don Santiago told the scary-looking man, who did not look like he was so happy with the order, but he left anyway. Cecilia watched as his eyes morphed into something different.

Something scary and predatory as he looked into her eyes and spoke with a deep, smooth timber that sent shivers to her body, but not because she found it attractive this time around; it was because it sounded like the devil himself was giving a warning.

"I would let this slide for now, but any more disrespect from you would not be tolerated," he had said. Now, she understands why he was feared. For the first time in her life, she was afraid to speak because of the power he wielded with just his words.

She had always believed herself to be someone who could never be intimated, no matter the situation, but this time she was not only intimidated but scared.

The man who had a 'God-like' face spoke to her in that tone for his, which made her believe that it was not just an ordinary warning but something that he would most definitely do.

"That's a good girl," he said, slightly ruffling her hair before someone came in. It was a young girl that looked slightly older than Cecilia, and Cecilia could see the gaze she gave Don Santiago, one of pure respect and adoration, like she worshipped him.

Don Santiago left her room with a promise that he would be back when her headache subsided. That was when Cecilia saw the medicine that the man who left to call the girl was holding. He dropped it at the bedside before also leaving.

The girl cleaned up the mess with an unkind look on her face whenever she looked in the direction of Cecilia. It seemed like she already held a grudge against Cecilia. As soon as the girl left, Cecilia decided to take her medicine, as she was just doing it herself if she did not take it.

Plus, the headache looked like it was returning. But she knew she had not accepted her fate, though. She was still going to find a way to get out of this place sooner or later, and a headache would just be an added burden. With the way Don Santiago left the room, it looked like they had an urgent meeting to attend to, and that would be perfect for me to escape.