Chapter 5

Before I could react, Lucio turned me around to face him. His side profile was crystal clear to me now, and I could see water droplets sliding down his face. I felt like someone had hit me over the head, causing my ears to ring. This face… It was identical to that of the man in the hotel that night. Dear God, please don't play such cruel tricks on me. "It's you?" My throat felt tight, and I didn't even sound like myself anymore. I'd slept with the man I rejected under the assumption that he was an escort, and I'd even left him a tip. I was practically the joke of the century. He'd already known about me! His actions at the bar that night had been deliberate! Be it the 500 million bounty or the ring, everything had been a trap! I struggled fiercely, trying to escape his grasp, but to no avail. He was too strong, and his grip was like iron. "Let go of me!" I yelled. "And let you slip away from me once more?" he asked, his breath hot and wet against the back of my ear. He tightened his grip, hugging me even closer to himself. There was practically no distance between us. "Once at the dock, once when you rejected my marriage proposal, and once at the bar," he continued in a low voice. "This is the fourth time you're trying to disappear on me. You're going to have to pay back what you owe me with interest, Elvira." My eyes widened. "The dock?" What was he talking about? Lucio stared unblinkingly at me, the emotions swimming in his eyes causing my heart to beat wildly. "Have you forgotten that you saved me? Do you know how long I've been searching for you? I've been looking for you ever since that day." I punched him in the chest. "Hey! You were clearly the ungrateful mutt who ran away from your savior the moment you woke up!" "There were people after my life, so I couldn't stay at your place," he explained, grabbing my hand and placing it against his cheek. "After I took care of the situation, I went looking for you, but you'd already moved out." Well, I had nothing to say to that. It was essential for a thief to stay on the move. He tightened his grip on me, his gaze growing more intense. "It took me a great deal of effort to locate you. I was over the moon on the day I found you. But what do you think happened? You rejected me, just like that, and ran off to some bar to hire an escort." He abruptly turned around and nibbled on one of my fingers, as if to punish me. "I'm against arranged marriages, especially one with my father's enemy." Although I spoke righteously, I didn't dare look directly into his angry, desire-filled gaze. Lucio's hand moved to the back of my neck. He squeezed it gently in a clear show of possession. "Speak out against it all you want. You're here anyway, so you can no longer escape." His Adam's apple bobbed slightly, and his other hand started wandering restlessly. "I caught you in my bathroom." Just as I was about to reply, there was a knock on the bathroom door.