Chapter Four

جنت على نفسها براقش الجهل شر الأصحاب

Ignorance is the most terrible acquaintance

Rose

He grips me hard, pushing me down the hall—making me stumble down onto the ground. I look around at my surroundings, realising that I don't know where I am nor do I remember what happened before. My eyes widen once I see men holding their guns as they look down at me; their faces held no emotion.

Darkness is all I see.

My head is throbbing with unbearable pain as my vision prevents me from seeing things too clearly. All of a sudden, I feel someone holding my chin up and I come face to face with a middle-aged man who eyes my features endlessly. Who is he? I blankly stare at him.

''She looks young, where did you find her?'' He looks up at one of his men.

''Down the street. Someone probably left her there.'' Someone answers.

The middle-aged man looks at me once more, softly caressing the side of my cheek, ''She'll be good, one day.'' He whispers into my ear before picking me up—taking my weaken body out of the room. Then, all types of whispers come rushing in my ears; it is as if I'm passing through time.

Darkness is all I see.

Blinking, I find myself on the ground, my elbows supporting my weight as someone shouts at me from behind. My eyes are filled with tears as my back burns in pain, ''You're a fucking bitch, you should remember who brought you in!'' He shouts louder, this time he grabs onto my hair, pulling my head back—making me cry in pain.

To my surprise, he slaps me across the face before kicking my abdomen in anger. All I can sense is anger, dissatisfaction and denial radiating from him—which explains why he acts this way. All because I didn't give him what he wanted, all because I denied.

I remember all of this. Years of suffering, years of pain—it couldn't get any better unless I obey their rules. The older I became, the more I see. They taught me things that I never thought I would be learning; they taught me how to please someone. To please their customer.

Deaths.

Number of deaths that I see increases from day to day. The girls that I come to know were brutally killed without a single sympathy—I was lucky I'm even alive. I was lucky that they didn't go that far with me. I was lucky I obeyed their orders.

Gonzales once told me that I have come of age—that it was time for me to start doing the good things for him. Little did I know that he means selling me for money, for his own good. The bitter memories are still fresh in my mind, it feels impossible for me to ever erase it from my existence. It has been burning deep into my whole system; I was considered as nothing.

I remember.

The stranger pushes me against the wall, roughly kissing me on the lips before ripping my tight black dress off of my body. I try to free myself from him but he's too strong for me—his strength is undeniably stronger. He runs his lips down my neck, biting harshly which causes me to scream out in pain but he ignores my sudden outburst.

He picks me up the waist before throwing me on the bed, untying his belt. I continue to shake my head as I let out endless tears. This man is going to hurt me, he's going to leave a deep impact and I know he won't stop. He paid for me. He paid to own me for one night.

''Stop, please.'' I plead as he pushes both of my hands up near my head before locking them in place. My eyes widen in surprise as he forcefully thrusts himself inside me—making me scream in pain. The pain won't stop as he continue to thrust himself, faster with each push. ''No, stop, please, don't.'' I mutter, breathlessly.

Tears are streaming down my cheeks, hoping that this would come to an end soon. I couldn't stand the way he's handling me and the way he's forcing himself on me. They are treating me like a whore—which I clearly see that is who I am. My scream becomes louder as soon as he thrusts deeper, it feels like my whole body is breaking.

''Stop!'' I plead once more.

He slaps me, ''Shut the fuck up.'' Then, he goes faster and faster without even thinking of the pain I'm going through. Within seconds, I manage to remain calm—without me even realising why. As soon as he pulls out of me, I feel like a lifeless body; as if I've lost my soul. As if I've lost my mind.

That's when it all started.

Ever since then, I became numb. All I know is that I have to find a customer and satisfy them. I was getting good at this—I learned from one of the girls—they taught me how to be good, how to be in control. There was this one time where I had forcefully pretend that I have a great time; so that the he won't complain to Gonzales or I'll get beaten up.

I was beaten up with the first one.

This one, at least he was pretty decent.

I remember.

He pushes all of his things on the counter before placing me and kissing me on the lips—passionately yet rough at the same time. I wrap my hands around his neck; pulling him closer towards me. My whole body feels like I'm trembling with pleasure as he moves down to my neck and trails soft kisses. I immediately unbutton his shirt, running my hands on his toned body.

Maybe this is what it feels like. Once you're used to the pain, you feel like you're not worth anything.

I moan near his ear as he unzip my dress and quickly throw it down on the ground—leaving me here half-naked in front of him. My heart starts to beat faster as soon as he touches me there, building pleasures and I can't seem to find myself anymore. He bites hard onto my neck, causing me to pull his body closer.

He pushes me around before pulling my hair roughly, whispering dirty things into my ear—making me smile in satisfaction. Within seconds, he is already inside of me, thrusting deep and fast; probably thinking that he's giving me the feeling that he expects. I pretend to enjoy this moment when I'm actually just... pretending.

My voice becomes louder as soon as I feel the pleasures that's building up and he seems to enjoy this. I hold tightly onto the counter—trying to support myself when I feel my legs weakening and just like that, everything ends.

I'm at this stage where I barely even care about myself anymore.

I blink a few times, staring at myself in the mirror—mesmerised by the beauty of the navy blue dress. The way the dress fits my body perfectly, showing off the right curves, I fall in love with it. The length of the dress also defines my height; which is pretty great.

My lips curve up into a small smile as I run my hand on the material. Elia has given me this dress earlier today but as usual, he doesn't have guts to come and give it himself. He asked Alfred to give me the dress—which was nicely placed inside a light pink box. Alfred also told me that Elia will be seeing me tonight, at the event.

I don't know what kind of event but somehow, he makes me feel special. No one has ever given me anything—he's the first. I can't help but smile one more time as I turn around, eyeing the dress from the side. My cheeks flush red as soon as I imagine Elia smiling back at me; making me tuck a strand of hair behind my ear.

There is also a makeup kit in the box which I guess he wants me to look pretty decent. I sit down on the bed, eyeing myself from the makeup table before starting my makeup. Using a makeup brush to lightly add some foundation to my face—so that it would match my whole skin tone. Then, I draw a small line with the eyeliner before curling my lashes and contour my face I finish off with a nude coloured lipstick—which enhances my blue eyes.

I am actually surprised by the fact that I somehow look beautiful. For once, I feel like my past didn't matter—like I'm actually starting fresh. I immediately turn to look at the door as I hear someone knocking on the other side, ''Rose?'' Elliot pushes the door open, he eyes my face before looking down at my dress.

All of a sudden, he smiles—more like in awe. My cheeks start to heat up as he quickly regain his consciousness by clearing his throat, ''Hans is already waiting for you downstairs.'' Then, he quickly close back the door; disappearing from my sight.

As I step out of my room, I see Elliot from behind. He starts to breathe out a few times, rubbing his temples before running his fingers through his hair. I keep quiet as I continue to eye his every movement—somehow feeling impressed by his reaction. He turns around, catching me off guard and his cheeks redden immediately, ''I didn't see you there.'' He says.

''Of course you didn't.'' I reply, smiling.

Then, he nods, ''I think we've had this conversation before.''

Shrugging, I walk down the stairs, leaving him there, chuckling. I step out of the house for the first time and I finally feel like I'm breathing a new fresh air. Hans—I assume, looks at me with a smile on his face before opening the car's door for me. I enter and he closes it slowly.

Glancing at the car's window and I see Elis standing quite far as he holds a glass of water. From afar, I can still see that he's looking straight into my eyes—as if he could see everything including my soul. I look away immediately, not wanting to feel intimidated by him but I fail as I turn to look at him once more, seeing that he's nowhere to be found.

''I can tell that you're starting to trust him. You don't even know him, you don't know what he does for a living, you don't know what he did in the past and you surely don't know anything about him. Why are you here anyway?''

''Like I said, Rose, you barely know anything about Elia Dominic Morello.''

His words seem to haunt me—what he said was the truth. I barely know anything about Elia but I don't know why I keep on wanting to figure him out. I haven't even find out why he bought me and now I'm going to an event just because he wanted me to?

What is actually going on with my life?

I thought that my life could be normal, that I could get away from men like Gonzales and even men like Elia. They are two powerful men—I shouldn't get myself involved. It is as if I've escaped a lion's den but I'm actually getting into a bigger trap by escaping. I immediately look down at the dress I'm wearing and out the window, what am I even becoming?

There are so many unanswered questions.

I lean my head back on seat, feeling a slight headache. Maybe my whole existence was a mistake. For years, I've thought that my family never really wanted. That's the best conclusion that I can come up with. Why would Gonzales's gang members find me on the streets anyway? In the dark alley? It's clear that someone didn't want me and left me there.

''Miss.'' I look up, seeing that Hans has already opened the door for me.

Looking around, I also see that we've arrived at our destination. I slowly step out of the car, fixing my dress as I look up—seeing a beautifully designed mansion. Hans closes the door, giving me his hand and I take it, smiling slightly at him; I don't even know if coming here is a good choice.

We stop walking as he gestures for me to walk in all by myself. I continue to walk and as I keep on walking, the noises start to get louder—as if inviting me to quickly get inside. As soon as I step inside the mansion, I am greeted with the cold breeze touching my bare skin. The chandeliers hanging up on the ceiling, making the whole room looking extravagant.

My eyes wander around at the people in here and I see a few looking at me. I quickly look down—feeling slightly uncomfortable. I shouldn't be here. I'm not made for places like this. Thus, I feel like I should leave, walk away while I still have time but I fail to do so as I continue to walk down the stairs, eyeing everyone.

I look straight up and my eyes widen as soon as I see Elia standing a few feet away from me—in the crowd. His lips are curve up into a smile after eyeing my dress. To my surprise, he says something to the man that he was having a conversation with before walking towards my direction. I continue to look at him, not bothered to look away because he's looking absolutely... mouthwatering.

Without me realising, he is already standing in front of me. His brown eyes seem lighter in this lighting as he continues to stare at me—not even caring that other people are actually looking at us. Elia looks down at my lips before leaning in and placing his lips on my cheek; making me close my eyes, savouring the moment.

He holds onto my waist, pulling my closer towards his before pecking one last time on my jawline. I open my eyes as soon as he backs away slightly. Before he could say anything, someone interrupts us, ''Bello vedervi qui, Dominic.'' Elia turns to look at the man, nodding his head and smile.

''Sì, come stai?'' Elia asks, shaking hands with him.

The man chuckles, ''Buona. Grande per vedere ancora una volta.'' Then, they start talking but Elia's hand on my waist never loosen so I just stand there awkwardly looking around—trying to ignore the stares that I'm receiving. Probably because they have never seen me here before and especially because they have never seen me with Elia.

I look up at Elia and I see that he is focusing on the man in front of him as they continue to have a conversation. Elia looks down at me for awhile before smiling and looking back at the man—I just tuck a strand of hair behind my ear, breathing out.

''Rose.'' Elia calls out my name and I look at him; realising that the man had left. He touches the side of my face, caressing my cheek with his thumb.

Then, he looks up at the entrance before frowning his brows in disagreement. He starts to pull my hand as we enter the crowd, leaving me confused by his sudden act, ''What's going on?'' I ask, trying to catch up with his pace.

We walk into a different room and I look behind to see that two men are looking at our direction before quickly making their way towards us. Are they after us?! I thought. Elia stops for awhile, walking up the stairs with fingers still entwined with mine, ''Cazzo.'' He mutters under his breath as soon as he finds someone running after us from three o'clock.

''Elia.'' I call out his name but he immediately take a sharp turn, pressing my back against the wall. My eyes widen as soon as he takes out a gun from his suit's pocket, earning a sigh from me. ''What is going on?'' I ask one more time—he only look into my eyes before loading the gun. As I was about to cup his face and ask him what the hell is going on, he quickly pull my hand—pushing one of the doors open and I realise that we're in a different room.

He locks the door, taking a few steps back. I watch his every movement and I immediately know what he's thinking as soon as he unlocks one of the windows, peeking down to see the height. ''I'm not going to do it.'' I quickly say, earning a chuckle from him.

''I want you to jump.'' He says and I shake my head in disagreement.

''No! Are you crazy?'' I run my fingers through my hair, ''This is insane. Will you tell me what the hell is going on? Who are we running away from? Did you do something wrong?'' He continues to look around the room—probably searching for something.

Elia breathes out, ''I've done a lot of wrong things, mio amore. Unfortunately, I can't tell you what the hell is going on nor who the hell we are running away from but I want you to jump out of the window right now or both of us are going to get killed.''

I furrow my eyebrows, ''I can't. I'm afraid of heights.'' I lie, smoothly as I continue to look at him.

He rolls his eyes at me, pointing at the window, ''No you're not. You need to jump now, amore.'' Then, he pulls me towards the window before picking me up and placing me right near the window but he drops me as soon as I start fighting back, ''Rose.'' He says my name, impatiently.

''I'm wearing a dress, Elia. I can't jump!'' I state but he quickly tear the dress—making it short up till my knees. My eyes widen in surprise but he just acts casually, as if it wasn't a big deal.

The knocks on the door starts to get louder with every thump. Elia sighs before looking at me with some sort of meaning, ''I'm sorry, mio amore.'' Then, he pushes me down the window—making me scream. I feel my body floating in the thin air, waiting for myself to hit the ground, to receive a great impact but I feel absolutely nothing. Am I already dead?

Opening my eyes, I see that Hans has already caught me before my body could even hit the ground. I immediately wrap my arms around his neck; wanting to make sure that I'm still alive and uninjured. I hear people screaming in the mansion as soon as they hear guns shooting from upstairs. Hans quickly walk towards the car—putting me down.

''Apparently, I can't ask what the hell is going on because no one is going to answer that.'' I say, sarcastically as I lean against the car; waiting for Hans to unlock the car.

All of a sudden, Hans shout in pain as he holds onto his shoulder. I immediately take a few steps back at the sight of his wounded shoulder, no no no, did he get shot? Hans take out his gun before pointing at someone behind me, ''Run!'' He says, loudly, making me run away towards the other direction.

''This is not happening.'' I mutter under my breath as I continue to run.

Kicking out my heels, I start to run faster. When I hear footsteps behind me, I quickly glance behind to see someone wearing a black suit. My legs weaken immediately, feeling afraid if he might catch me. Without me realising, I trip down on the ground—groaning in the process, seeing that my knee is already bleeding.

This is how I'm going to die. I should have just killed myself if I know that someone might end up killing me.

He stops in front of me but the dim lights prevent me from seeing his face clearly. As soon as he crouches, I close my eyes in respond—only to feel him injecting something into my neck.

Well shit.