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"Expecting someone else?" he asks, his voice silky smooth yet laced with menace.
I shake my head, trying to suppress my disappointment. Alejandro pushes me inside, and I stumble, but he doesn't care.
"Close the door," he tells me, and I do, though I'm nervous. He can sense it; I can see it in his predatory grin. "Relax," he says, as if it's the easiest thing in the world. "Come and sit next to me."
Reluctantly, I make my way over to him and sit on the opposite side of the couch. The cushion sinks beneath me, but it offers no comfort. My leg bounces with anxiety, and I force myself to take deep breaths, trying to steady my racing heart.
"Isn't this cozy?" Alejandro purrs, his eyes never leaving mine. His gaze is like a spider's web, ensnaring me and refusing to let go.
"Very," I reply, my voice barely a whisper, hoping he doesn't notice the tremble in my words. All I can think about is how different this is from when I was with Giovanni, and the stark contrast between these two men makes my stomach churn. But I have to be strong, for my family and for myself.
"Come here," Alejandro orders, his voice laced with a sinister sweetness that sends chills down my spine.
He grabs my arm and pulls me over to where he is. I can feel the heat radiating off his body as he starts to touch me, rubbing my shoulders in a way that feels more like a threat than a caress. It's odd because when Giovanni kept me prisoner in his mansion, I never had a problem talking back to him. But with Alejandro, talking back could be downright dangerous. It's unsettling how different these two men are.
"Relax," he says smugly, "you're so tense." His fingers dig into my muscles, and I bite back a whimper of pain. "I want to treat you for your last day as an unmarried woman and as a virgin."
"Wh–what do you have in mind?" I ask, my voice barely audible.
"Taking you right here, right now," he replies, waiting for my reaction. When I don't give him one, he laughs cruelly. "You're so cute when you're uncomfortable. We'll save that for later."
"Where are we going?" I ask, hoping to change the subject.
"Does it matter?" he retorts, his eyes narrowing slightly.
"I guess not," I mumble, feeling defeated.
Alejandro herds me into a limo, and suddenly we're driving through a really bad area of town. The streets are littered with trash, and the buildings look like they've been abandoned for years. My nervousness grows with each passing block, a sense of dread gnawing at my insides.
We arrive at an old warehouse, its exterior covered in graffiti and crumbling bricks. The smell of rust and dampness hangs in the air, and I can hear the distant sound of water dripping somewhere inside. Alejandro ushers me in, and I'm immediately struck by the dimly lit room, the shadows clinging to every corner like veils of darkness. The smell is even worse in here, like something rotten and decaying.
"Look," Alejandro says, flipping on an overhead light.
The room is suddenly illuminated by the harsh glow of the overhead light, casting eerie shadows upon the horrific scene laid out before me. My breath catches in my throat as I take in the pile of lifeless bodies, their cold, unseeing eyes staring blankly at nothing. Beneath them, bags of cocaine are scattered across the floor, a cruel reminder of the deadly trade that binds us all.
"These were some of your father's men," Alejandro says, his voice dripping with disdain. "They tried to smuggle drugs into the country but didn't get the message that I've taken over the drug trade now."
Tears well up in my eyes as they bring out Carlos and Javier, both gagged and bound, their faces bruised and battered. Panic rises in my chest like bile. "What is the meaning of this? Why haven't the other bodies been buried with respect?" I demand, my voice trembling.
"Respect?" Alejandro laughs cruelly. "There's no respect due to any of these men, including Carlos and Javier."
"What did they do?" I ask, my heart pounding in fear for their lives.
"Nothing really," he replies with a chilling smile, "other than being loyal to you and your father."
Anger flares within me, despite my terror. "The whole point of us getting married is so there will no longer be a 'you and me,' but an 'us.' There don't need to be questions of loyalty anymore."
"Ah, but I wanted you to see firsthand just what I can do," he says menacingly, "and what I'll continue to do if you don't go through with the wedding."
"I haven't given any indication that I won't," I retort, my voice shaking. "This entire situation is unnecessary."
Alejandro smacks me hard across the face. The sting brings tears to my eyes, but I refuse to cry out. He seems to take notice and smacks me again, harder this time. Still, I hold back my cries. But when his hand connects with my cheek a third time, the force dazes me, and I crumple to the ground.
"Ah, that's better," he says, breathing in the foul air as if it were the sweetest perfume. "You should learn your place and accept the lessons I'm giving you. If I want to show you the corpses of your dead men, then you will look at them and not question me. Understand?" he snarls, kicking me viciously in the ribs.
Through gritted teeth and tears, I manage to cough out a weak, "Yes."
Lying on the cold, damp warehouse floor, I force myself to look up at Carlos and Javier. Their faces are twisted in a futile attempt to mask their fear. I wish I could offer them comfort, but Alejandro's presence looms over us like a dark cloud.
