back to present time
After dinner last night, Isabella had sworn it to herself a hundred different ways that she would hate Rafael for the rest of her life, she swore that she would bury him under that hate and she had always hoped and imagined that one day she would kill him and then slip away so far and so clean that no one would ever find her again, those promises were what kept poor Isabella going.
Weeks blurred into the same small motions, wake up, eat what they gave her, lie on the bed, listen to footsteps above etc although she noticed that Rafael's grip on her life had loosened just enough and it has all been because of Niko; he had been a buffer between the Alpha and her; where Rafael shoved and struck, Nico softened and stood in the doorway like a shield for her.
Although It didn't change what she felt, she still hated Rafael with everything in her. he had taken EVERYTHING from her; Her job at Voss Pharma, the job she'd been so proud of getting meant nothing now, her best friend Rosa had disappeared from her world and Isabella had no idea where Rosa was or if she was even safe.
One morning without warning, Rafael barged into her room in the basement, he didnt knock, he thought why bother with the courtesies of men who felt any mercy or remorse?
When he barged in, Isabella was wearing bumshorts and a skimpy top that showed the pale curve of her stomach, she felt exposed with him seeing her like that.
He stopped at the foot of her bed and looked at her but she ignored his presence and acted like he didnt even exist.
He smirked "nice PJs."
Disgust warmed like bile in her throat, she quickly snatched a towel from the chair and wrapped it around herself, tucking it tight.
"What do you want?" she said aggressively.
He moved closer and his height made her look up at him, Rafael took her face in one hand and gripped her jaw, she felt the weight of him leaning over her, his golden eyes bored into hers as if he could mine her thoughts.
"what?…youre not going to spit on me today?" He asked while still holding her face.
She did not answer and her palms were flat against her legs so she wouldn't make a sound that would give him the satisfaction of noticing.
"silence…thats new coming from you" he retracted and asked her what she wanted and that he would grant it to her seeing as he was in a good mood.
Isabella let out a dry cough and lifted her chin until she was looking straight into the fire of his stare.
"my wish is for you to die, can you grant that?" She said.
He laughed, the sound of his laughter was more of amusement than a threat "you`re funny."
For a small second, a flash of something like hope swept across her face, she imagined that maybe if she wished to be let go, he would let her but the hope died when he continued speaking,
"Tell you what, how about I allow you to leave this basement?" His voice had a smoothness to it,
Her eyes lit up in excitement and desperation to leave that basement and for a beat she forgot to hate him.
"Seeing as your eyes have just lit up, I hope you dont think im letting you go? Youre not that naive" he said.
Cold dropped back into her bones.
"As I was saying, feel free to walk around the foyer, your movement is restricted to here, the basement and the first floor…never come to the top floor, thats MY floor" he said, his words were precise.
He didn't wait for a response or give her time to argue or bargain and with the same composed air with which he had entered, he looked at her once with a smirk and said, "you're welcome."
Then he left.
That morning, even with all the hate and the plans of revenge swirling in her head, Isabella couldn't deny that it felt good to move beyond the walls of that basement, a tiny ounce of freedom was still freedom and she was ready to take it.
She had showered and slipped into a loose white silk dress that brushed the tops of her knees, It wasn't fancy, but the fabric caught the light when she moved. Her golden hair hung down her back, she looked ethereal.
When she climbed out of the basement and stepped into the foyer, she walked farther, barefoot on the cold marble, until she found a small hallway and what she saw at the end of it was a new door, she opened the door and froze from what she saw;
It was an arcade, glowing machines lined up, she blinked at it and a laugh escaped her before she even realized she'd made the sound.
She played everything, every game she could reach and as she played these games, she realized how happy she felt and couldnt remember the last time she had felt such calm and happiness...not even with her own family.
What she didnt know was that the arcade had never existed there before, Rafael had it installed recently, just for her amusement; oh and...she had no idea that she wasn't alone.
At Voss Pharma, Rafael's office two men (Niko and Rafael) watched the 'home' cameras in silence.
Niko leaned forward in his chair, squinting at the screen "That arcade wasn't there a few days ago, you had it installed for her, didn't you?"
Rafael's jaw tightened, his eyes were still fixed on the monitor "No, brother, the house needed to become a bit more fun, hence, I had to get creative."
Rafael's lie was too smooth but niko knew better, he turned back to the screen, catching the small involuntary smirk that tugged at Rafael's mouth while Isabella twirled in front of one of the machines, laughing like a child and that small smirk bothered Niko, It bothered him more than it should have; He wasn't sure if it was because he feared Rafael's curse or because the thought of Rafael feeling something for Isabella made his chest twist in agony.
Ever since Niko had first seen her, the night he dragged her in from her uncle's house, he hadn't been the same, her intoxicating scent had hooked into him and he had spent every day since fighting it, he told himself that it was better this way and that it kept everyone safe but watching her laugh while Rafael smirked stirred something ugly in him.
Because if Rafael fell in love with Isabella, she would die, the blood oath curse would make sure of it.
Back in the arcade, Isabella finally ran out of breath, her cheeks hurt from smiling...she sat on the floor for a moment, catching her breath, then looked up at the staircase leading to the first floor.
She remembered that Rafael had said she could explore the foyer and the first floor, It wasn't breaking any rules and she was curious, so she went.
The first floor was beautiful, wide open spaces, tall glass windows, sunlight pouring through sheer curtains. Everything looked unreal especially compared to how wretched looking her uncle's house was.
She reached the kitchen and opened the fridge, she surprised by how fully stocked it was, she pulled out a drink, twisted off the cap and took a small sip,
thats when she heard the sound of someone punching a code into the door.Beep. Beep. Beep.
Her heart jumped for a second but she thought maybe it was Niko, since Rafael was still supposed to be at the office and somehow, the idea that it might be Niko made her… happy.
The door unlocked with a soft click but the person who stepped through wasn't Niko.
A woman entered, tall, with long black hair that shimmered like ink and a sleek black two-piece that clung to her curves, she had this piercing look.
Isabella froze with her drink still in her hand, the woman looked familiar, but Isabella couldn't place her.
"I'm sorry, who are y—"
Before she could finish, the woman moved with an inhuman burst of speed, In one motion, she crossed the room, grabbed Isabella by the throat, and slammed her against the wall...the bottle hit the floor and rolled away.
Isabella's feet dangled as she caught herself against the wall, her fingers clawed at the woman's wrist as air burned in her lungs.
"You bitch!" the woman spat.