Chapter Twenty-Four

PERLAH'S POV.

Antonio sat lurking over me, irritated. I tried to move, but he held me firm, pinning me down on the sofa.

"Don't touch me until the deal is done Antonio, we had a deal," I blurted out, fighting the urge to spit on his face and kick his ass.

"Hm, I just needed to check out what I'm purchasing. You give yourself to me just because you want to get back at him. What exactly did he do to you?" He asked and smirked.

"Focus on what concerns you and not what concerns me. You are not worth knowing my reasons," I retorted.

"Ha-ha, I can't wait till I own you; I'll see if you can still talk like you are doing now. You won't even be able to walk properly," he responded, laughing sarcastically.

"We will see about that," I blurted out. Getting up to leave.

Datu came forward to drag me backward.

"We will be getting Rodrigo today," Datu announced.

"Okay, and how do you plan on doing that?" I asked, triggered.

"I'm afraid I can't tell you that. As you know, I don't trust you. Just wait here, and we will bring him to you," he blurted out.

"I don't want any scratch on him," I blurted out.

"Didn't you say you were going to kill him?" Datu asked with raised eyebrows.

"Yes, I still am. But you need him alive to get the will, right? Do not cause him any harm. Once you get the will you get lost," I retorted.

"I can't promise you that he isn't going to come willingly, so he might get hurt," Datu announced.

I looked away in doubt, then looked back to look at Datu.

"Okay," I declared.

"I will see you later mine," Antonio blunted out, following Datu out to get Rodrigo.

Once they were out, I puffed out a sign of concern.

Walking around the living room anxiously biting my fingers.

RODRIGO'S POV

Hours became days of thinking of a lot of ways to get to Perlah and speak to her, but it all turned out fruitless, she was nowhere to be found.

"Perlah where are you?" I murmured.

One of my men rushed in trembling.

"What is it?" I asked in a panic.

"We need to get you out of here immediately," he blurted out.

"Why?" I asked.

"This place is on fire sir; bullets are balling everywhere in the building. I think they are here for you," he hastily replied.

"Okay," I calmly replied.

"Sir, did you not hear me, we need to hurry," he said again.

Harkening to my cell phone ringing, I quickly picked it up, ignoring one of my men who stood there trembling.

"Sir, I couldn't find the location of your wife, but I hacked her phone and traced her recent calls to your brothers, both of them. You are right, she wants revenge," the agent declared.

"Okay," I bluntly replied, hanging up. I turned to look at one of my men standing there still waiting and trembling at the sound of a gunshot.

"Go! Save yourself, I will stay here and let them get me."

"I'm sorry in advance Sir, but are you out of your mind?" he asked, shocked.

"If that is what you call it, then yes. That's the only way I can talk to Perlah," I responded.

"You could lose everything you have been fighting for Sir," he blurted out.

"I know, but I don't care. Now, hurry and save yourself," I retorted. Noding, he left.

PERLAH'S POV

It was dusk, and still no news of either of them. I know Rodrigo is hard meat to catch, but I didn't expect it to take this long.

"What's happening?" I thought to myself, panicking.

Soon, Datu and Antonio walked in with Rodrigo unconscious.

"Why is he unconscious?" I yelled out.

"Because I knocked him out, I shot him in the arm," Antonio replied.

"How dare you? I told you not to hurt him, call the emergency number," I yelled in anger.

"No, you won't! I'm a wanted man, Perlah, so you can't call an emergency. And don't tell me what to do. I have been controlled all my life, I wouldn't let you do so now," Antonio retorted.

"Tie him to a chair in one of the empty rooms," Datu commanded.

I stood there frozen and scared.

"Rodrigo got shot," I murmured, confused. Immediately, I ran to search for the first aid box.

"He's losing a lot of blood, he could die," I said to myself, trembling.

Once I got the first aid box, I ran to the room Rodrigo was kept in.

After making sure he was no longer bleeding, I puffed out a sign of relief and proceeded to leave the room when I heard my name.

"Perlah," Rodrigo weakly called.

I stood there quietly ignoring his call, resuming to leave the room, when I heard his voice again.

"I didn't kill your brother; I didn't do it. You have to believe me, I came here to tell you that," Rodrigo wimped out, groaning in pain.

Tears fell in my eyes, as memories of my brother lying there dead on the street flooded in.

"I knew you wanted revenge on your brother, I couldn't find you to explain. But I got your phone hacked and knew you recently contacted my brothers. I came here on my own," he murmured, breathing heavily.

"Perlah, I love you. I wouldn't hurt you or your family, deep down you know it. I am not scared of death; I just wanted you to know I didn't kill him," he muttered, loud enough for me to hear.

I caught a tear falling from his eyes. I was shocked because that was the first time I would see him cry, but I didn't know what to believe anymore.

Datu walked into the room.

"Why is your face like this, fix that face? I thought you wanted him dead," Datu's voice rang out.

Antonio also joined him, his smile towards me was annoying, but I was just too exhausted to know it was annoying.

Antonio came closer to me, his left hand on my waist and his right hand on my face, closing in for a kiss.

"Do not touch her," Rodrigo yelled out in anger, making Antonio stop his motive, grinning shamelessly.

"Look here, Rodrigo, I am here for what legally belongs to me as the first son of the family. I want you to sign over everything our father gave you to me," Datu blunted out.

"Okay, if you want the will, I will give it to you. Bring the papers you took to my home, and I will sign over everything to you." Rodrigo calmly replied.

I stood there watching as Rodrigo weakly signed everything. He owned to Datu.

"I have gotten what I came for, waste him however you want. If you want to kill him, please do it before morning. I'm talking about experience," Datu blunted out, grinning happily.

I looked at Rodrigo from where I was standing, he wasn't looking good.

Walking over to the kitchen, I grabbed some water and went back to the room to feed it to Rodrigo.

"Perlah, I know a part of you wants to believe me. I didn't kill your brother," Rodrigo muttered, staring at me.

Ignoring him, I stepped out of the room. 

I walked into my room heartbroken, trying to come up with a reason why terrible things kept happening to me.

The dim glow of the bedside lamp cast long shadows across the room, highlighting the dust motes dancing in the air.

Antonio walked into my room, shuffling towards the bed. A tired sign escaped his lips.

He sank onto the mattress beside me, his hand instinctively reaching mine.

I flinched, causing him to stop. His hand hovered in the air for a while before landing awkwardly on the bedspread.

He cleared his throat, the sound echoed in the quiet room.

"Rough day?" Antonio asked, his voice laced with a forced cheerfulness.

 I didn't respond, my gaze was fixed on a spot on the ceiling.

Antonio shifted closer, the mattress dipping with his weight.

"Come on, babe," he murmured, his voice husky. He reached out again, this time brushing his hand against my arm. The touch sent an annoying shiver down my spine, It was a cold, unwelcome jolt that prickled my skin. 

I forced a small smile, turning slightly away from him.

 "Yeah, long day," I mumbled, my voice strained. Antonio's hand lingered on my arm for a moment before dropping back onto the bed. 

A heavy silence settled over the room, broken only by the rhythmic rasp of Antonio's breath.

Moments stretched into a silent eternity. Antonio shuffled closer again, the heat of his body radiating against mine. He leaned in, his lips brushing against my ear.

 You okay, Perlah?" he whispered, his voice thick with unspoken desire.

I swallowed hard; the taste of dryness thickened in my throat.

"Just tired," I managed to speak, my voice barely above a whisper.

 Antonio didn't seem convinced. He nuzzled his face into my neck, his touch sending goosebumps erupting over her skin. 

"Come on," he coaxed, his voice a low murmur.

 "You are all mine."

 I squeezed my eyes shut, the familiar weight of obligation settling in my chest. 

This wasn't intimacy, it was a chore, a duty I felt obligated to fulfill. 

With a deep breath, I forced myself to relax, pushing down the wave of resentment that threatened to engulf me. I couldn't say no. Not again. Not tonight.

 I turned slightly towards him, offering a forced smile. 

"Alright," I whispered, the defeat was heavy in my voice.

 Antonio grinned, his face lighting up in the dim light.

He didn't see the flicker of sadness in my eyes or the way my smile never quite reached them or, probably, he chose to ignore it.

As he pulled me close, the weight of his touch felt more like a burden than a caress. Tonight, unlike so many nights with Rodrigo before, intimacy would be a performance, a carefully crafted act devoid of genuine desire.

I woke up the next morning with all my body aching, unable to move. The feeling of dirt and disgust crawled into my skin. I was limping in extreme pain into the bathroom, he cared less about how I felt and just slammed violently inside me.

"I have gotten myself tangled with a monster; would it be possible to be free from this monster?"