8 Chapter Eight

|| Eugene Roussos||

He was now heading straight back to his villa. The meeting was scheduled for only one week but unfortunately, the Italian Chef that he scheduled with, caught a fever and wasn't able to make it. So for the last couple of weeks that he was in Italy, he met with one of his old friends who introduced him to a new Italian Chef. Along the way, he also saw Mellissa being attacked by paparazzi asking her questions about what happened in their relationship. He was lucky that he spotted it earlier and found a different exit out of there. He pulled up his car in the driveway and while exiting out of his car, he heard loud screams coming from the back of the house. He rushed inside and out into the pool area where he spotted Mellissa cursing and the same housekeeper that he told to keep watch on Liliana was running towards him. "Please save Miss Magnusson!" She screamed in Greek as he finally registered what she was saying. He looked down into the pool and spotted Liliana falling deep down in the pool. He jumped right in and swam as fast as he could. It felt like she had sunk all the way down. He grabbed her waist and pulled her back up to the surface. He carried her out of the pool and laid her down on the pavement. He screamed her name but she laid there as if she was already dead. He performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). While he was giving her a third rescue breath, she coughed out water and was breathing heavily. He breathed out a sigh as he wiped the water that she coughed out. He lifted her up in one swift and turned to look at Melissa with disbelief. He told the housekeeper in greek to kick her out. As he walked into her room it was filled with a bunch of sketches everywhere so he headed straight to his room. He set her down on his massive silk black bed. He looked at her but she had already passed out looking lifeless. He told his housekeeper to fetch for a physician and to change her clothes. He went into his closet and quickly changed into a casual outfit. He walked out into the living room and saw Melissa sitting with her arms crossed against her chest. " Why are you still here I told you to get the hell out!" He practically screamed at her as he was getting irritated. She picked up the clutch that was sitting beside her and walked towards him. " She was so weak and pathetic and she even claims to be your wife?" Melissa laughed, feeling satisfied. " She is my wife and if I were you I would walk out this minute before I physically drag you the hell out of here." Melissa's eyes open wide as she was shocked that he was actually confirming that he has a new wife within a snap. "I know you're only pretending, drop the act already sweetheart." She clapped both her hands together applauding him for his fake act that failed, as she knew he was still in love with her. "Act or No act, you lay your finger on her again, I will kill you if it is the last thing I do." He looked her straight in her eyes with an intense cold glare. He was not in the mood for her mood swings. One minute she acts as if she was still his and then the next she acts as if he was the worst thing that happened to her. " We'll see about that my sweetheart." She stormed off, her heels hitting the hard floor every time she took a step. But she couldn't hide the fact that she was surprised and frightened at the same time, while walking out, trying to maintain a good posture. The physician came out with the housekeeper as they were discussing something that started to irritate Eugene. He was eager to know Liliana's condition. "How is Liliana?" He asked in greek while trying not to kill anyone around him as he was still mad at what Melissa did. "She hit her left ankle, which is now twisted and swollen, it'll take a few days to heal, other than that she is very lucky to have you saved her in time, but for the time being she needs rests." Eugene felt his shoulders relaxed and feeling much lighter as he heard that she was going to be okay. The housekeeper led the physician out while he headed back to his room. He closed the door quietly behind him not wanting to make any sound. He sat on the bed and pulled the silk blanket to cover her. He felt bad that Liliana had to be in this state and it was all because of him. He should have known that Melissa would have come to his villa and made a scene. Seeing her again made him feel pain. It's like a nightmare that he can't seem to run away from. He decided to look over the work that he did not finish in his study room to burn down the anger that now turned into pain. After reading the same document for the past two hours he felt the need to stop burying himself in work and to let the emotions that he has been holding on to, to burst out in the open so that he can grieve over everything that has happened. He grabbed a bottle of pinot grigio and sat at the armchair by the window. The sweet white wine burned down every time he took a gulp of it. How can Melissa do this to him? He gave her everything she wanted. Hell, he would've traded his life for hers and all he gets in return was this heartache, which seems to not understand the part of healing. He set the bottle of wine down as he knew if he drank more of it, he would not be able to handle the consequences the next morning. He was about to let sleep take over as he didn't want his mind to think anymore, but he quickly sat straight up on the armchair as he heard quiet sobs. He slowly walked down the hall and heard the quiet sobs turning into heavy panting. He stopped in front of his bedroom door afraid of what was happening behind the door, but at the same time concerned if Liliana has hurt herself. He opened the door and saw her lying on the ground with her eyes shut and breathing unevenly.

||Liliana Magnusson||

Her eyes slowly fluttered opened as her right hand touched her forehead as it was burning hot. She can feel the aching pain coming from her left ankle as she tried to roll over to get up. The only light that was shining through the room was the bright full moon outside. She slowly sat on the bed as she brushed her hair away trying to figure out where she was. She moved the blanket off her and felt the cold breeze touched her skin. She noticed that she was no longer in her blue jeans and a white shirt but in a black short that exposed her legs and had a cotton oversized tee-shirt on. She blinked a couple of times. She figured she was not in her room as the bed was soft and silky which she liked very much as it was very comfortable. As her feet touched the cold floor she could feel the pain from her left ankle making it impossible for her to get off the bed. She pushed her hair back again as it kept covering her face while she was bending down touching her ankle. It was swollen and bruised. If there was enough light in the room she would assume that her ankle was in every shade of purple and green. She took a deep breath as she can feel the pain striking up her leg again as she tries to stand. She sat on the bed feeling hopeless. She decided to use the nightstand beside her. At first, it was going well as she made sure to not apply pressure on her left foot, but she lost balanced while her right foot stepped on the silky blanket that had somehow dangled half onto the floor. She winced and let out a small cry as she landed with her right arm hitting the silk blanket first on the cold floor. She closed her eyes shut as her right arm was now starting to ache in pain while she laid flat on the ground. She tried to calm down her breathing as she knew it was going to be impossible for her to get up. She felt a pair of strong arms lifting her up. She shot her eyes open lightning fast as she felt the warm contact of her legs touching the warm strong arms that were holding her legs insecure. He slowly placed her on the bed and switched the lamp on the nightstand on, which also turned on the rest of the lights in the room as the lights in the room were connected as one. "Are you okay? How are you feeling?" He asked in perfectly fluent English. She sat up and blinked a couple of times as she was not prepared for the bright lights that have blurred her vision. "Exhausted and a bit in pain" She replied not wanting to make eye contact. His intense stare sent lightning sparks throughout her body. "Let me grab you a bag of ice." He left in one swift movement while she let out a breath that she didn't know she was holding inside. What happened to me she thought as she had a quick flashback of her being pushed into the pool by the tall blonde-haired women. She honestly thought that she was going to drown to her death. Who the hell is that women? It was quite obvious that the person who carried her up from the ground was Eugene Roussos. The only reason why she knew what he looked like was because of his portraits that were hung on the walls throughout the villa. He came back with a bag of ice and some medication. She swallowed the medication that he gave her and drank the water that he offered her. "Thank you, I should probably head back to my room now." She tried getting off the bed while holding the ice pack in her right hand. He scooped her up in one swift and she let out a small shriek as she felt mini sparks through the contact of her skin against his. " I can manage on my own, you...you don't need to.." She got cut off as he carried her to the other side of the bed and laid her down. "Look, I have my own room, I can manage on my own perfectly fine." She looks straight into his deep green eyes that seemed to be filled with concerned...and pain? Was he in pain? Like emotionally? She thought while waiting for his response. "I understand that you are not fine, physically, as you and I can both see, and your room is filled with your sketches, how can you possibly sleep in that, and plus you can't manage on your own and we both know that." On the other hand, he was right. She couldn't manage on her own but the intense stares that she has been getting from him can probably freeze the whole town by now. "I'm fine." She moved off the bed only to be stopped by him as he sat her down and this time he sat down in front of her. The bag of ice slipped from her right hand as he forced her to sit, holding both of her hands down with his hands. She tried to free her hands from his but his grip only got tighter. Not only did he hold her hands down but his eyes seemed to be wandering at her exposed legs that made her feel ten times more uncomfortable. " What do you want Mr.Roussos? " At this point, she was annoyed with him. She was exhausted and wanted to rest her head against the soft pillow. " I will let go of your hands only if you go to bed," There was a pause.." in this bed, I will keep a watch on you until you fall asleep, I don't want you tripping and falling and injuring yourself because of your stubbornness." She threw an annoyed look at him. "You know that's blackmail, right." He merely shrugged as he seemed to be enjoying this moment. She tried to get her hands freed again but the results were useless. She let out an irritated sigh. If he won't let her go to her room then she had no choice, it's not like she cared much as she was very exhausted. "Okay fine, but on one condition." She paused as his left eyebrow twitched up and a smirk appeared on his lips. It was not impossible to deny the fact that he was strikingly handsome. His eyes seemed to be the spark that can literally steal any woman's heart. " Go on." He replied not letting his gaze off of her. Her mouth opened but then closed as she couldn't tell him that she was not going to keep her promise with him. How can she sleep in a room while a guy she barely knew was keeping watch on her? She knew that she probably was overthinking but still, she never had slept in a room with a guy let alone shared a bed with a complete stranger. What if he does something to her while she was asleep? Okay, maybe she was overthinking too much as she remembered that he helped her up. She looked on the bed and saw the bag of ice that had already started to melt. "Can you bring me another bag of ice?" She showed no expression on her face as she was planning on escaping to her room. She can't possibly sleep in this bed since it wasn't right. She was only pretending to be his fiance, and if her sister does get located, okay nevermind screw that she thought as she was waiting for his response, she just doesn't want to sleep in his bed as it wasn't a proper thing to do and she felt uncomfortable as her legs were exposed to his view. He stared at her and squinted his eyes but replied back with a yes as he released her hands and grabbed the bag of ice that was now half melting. As soon as he was out of her sight, she took a deep breath and started walking towards her room. The pain was striking up her leg and was aching so badly that she had to bite her bottom lip from letting out any noise from the pain. Her room was quite a distance walk but she managed to make it to her room and locked the door behind her. She walked as fast as she can to her bed as she let out a small whimper cry as she sat on the bed. Hell, she was paying for the consequences but she didn't mind as long as she didn't have to stay in the same god damn room as him. She pushed her sketches off onto the ground as she didn't care if it got ruined since none of the sketches was the final sketch. She laid down onto her bed sideways since she didn't care what position she was as long as she was on her bed that was the only thing that she cared about. She was about to let sleep take over as her eyelids were getting heavy but heard the sliding door to her room opened than closed. Oh crap, she completely forgot to lock that door. She decided to act as if she had fallen asleep already to avoid talking to him. Has he ever heard of privacy and knocking before entering? Just because it was his villa it doesn't mean that he has the right to enter her room whenever. What if she was changing and he barged in? The thought of it made her want to cringe but she stayed still as to not ruin her act. She felt her bed sinking down as she felt a heavyweight sitting on her bed. She can smell the strong wine smell as he let out a small sigh. She assumed he was facing her since his breathing seemed to be near her face. "Looks like Miss Stubborn forgot to lock the sliding door." She can hear the amusement and laughter from his response. Great, so not only did he know that she lied and tried to escape to her room but that she was also lying about being asleep, that's just great, she thought as she tried to breath at a normal pace as she realized that she was breathing heavily as she felt his hot breath getting closer to her face. She turned around quickly as she could while still keeping her eyes closed. Her back facing him. She got stiff as she felt his hot breath by her right ear. " You do know that there are punishments when lying, right?" Her breathing became uneven as her brain started to get clouded with his words. Punishments? Is that a threat? She badly wanted to challenge him but didn't want to let him get the satisfaction of being right, that she was only fake sleeping to avoid talking to him. " The bag of ice is on your nightstand, good night Miss Stubborn." She heard the sliding door open and quickly turned to face his back as he was about to take a step out. "Thank you for the ice." He turned back and locked his eyes with hers. She turned back around quickly as she could while trying not to put pressure on her ankle. This night has to be the worst night ever written down in her life. Okay so maybe that wasn't such a good idea, she thought while clutching the blanket. "Goodnight." Was the response she heard before hearing the sliding door closed. She sat up and looked at the sliding door as he was now gone. She fixed herself on the bed, elevating her ankle on some pillow with the bag of ice cooling down her ankle. She turned off the lights, closing her eyes to get some rest as she tried to forget his warm words that he whispered in her ear. Just thinking about it made her shiver. God, was she going to last until her sister was located? She tried to stop her mind from thinking as she realized how much her body ached and needed rest.