Page 5 of Owned
Finally, we reach an enormous villa with multiple floors, made from whitewashed stone. It has a clay-colored roof, flowers spilling out of window planters, a prominent terrace, and an infinity pool that overlooks the ocean.
Adrian gets out of the car and comes around to open my door for me. "Welcome to Villa Marchetti," he says, a thread of what I can only identify as triumph in his voice, "This, princess, is home.”
3
ADRIAN
Despite having slept most of the night on the flight over, Elena still looks like a stiff breeze could knock her over, so the first thing I do after giving her a house tour is show her the guest bedroom that she can call her own. If I were a less understanding man, I'd tell her she'd just be sharing my room, but Elena needs to rest and come to terms with her fate before I start to seduce her.
It wasn't my plan initially, but the longer I'm around her, the more I'm sure that I want Elena not just because it's the sweetest imaginable revenge, but simply because I desire her to an almost painful degree. There's something ironical about the fact that the woman I want more than anything else on the face of the planet just so happens to be the daughter of my sworn enemy, but I can roll with it. Elena's last name only matters as far as proving to her father that I'm the one in control. It doesn't bother me that I'm already making mental plans to take a Moreau as a wife. In fact, it's just another way of taking everything from Laurent.
He took my father's legacy, so I'll take his in the form of his daughter.
That daughter, though, is braver than I expected her to be. There have been some tears, but she didn't need to be dragged into the villa, and she seems charmed and even in awe at her new home. She doesn't say it out loud, but I know she must be feeling some relief now that she doesn't have to marry an old man she barely knows, especially now that she's aware of the breadth of her father's treachery and lies.
My blood runs hot as I see her take a seat on the bed in the guest room, kicking off her dirty shoes and gazing out the glass doors that lead to her balcony. Elena isn't looking at me, but she's all I can see.
"You have free rein inside the villa. If you need to leave, you will inform me, and I will escort you. Believe it or not, I don't want you to feel like you're a prisoner. This can be an enjoyable time for you...if you behave." I try to make my voice sound casual, but there's an edge to it that I can't quite hide. I'm not used to this, this feeling of wanting someone to like me.
She turns her head, her blue eyes locking onto mine. "And if I don't behave?"
My lips twitch into a smile. "Trust me, Elena, you'll find there are plenty of perks to being good while you're here with me." I let my gaze sweep over her, slow and deliberate, leaving no doubt in her mind what kind of perks I'm talking about. "Get some rest. We have a busy day tomorrow."
I close the door behind me, leaving her to her thoughts. I need a drink and a plan after my impulsive deviation. I want her. All of her. Her mind, her body, her soul. I want to strip away everything her father has ever told her and build her back up asmywoman.
Elena doesn't appear for dinner. That's alright for today, she’s tired, confused, needs rest, but tomorrow she'll be taking meals with me.
I spend the rest of the night in my study, a cavernous room lined with books that have been in my family for generations. I pour myself a generous measure of aged scotch, a single malt, and stare out at the moon-drenched sea, my mind racing. I need to be careful. One wrong move and I could lose her. I need her to see me as more than just her captor. I need her to see me as her savior. Her protector. Her future.
The next morning, I find Elena on her balcony, her hair tousled from sleep, her body wrapped in one of the silk robes Maria had delivered. Elena is staring at the sea, and she looks so damn beautiful it makes my chest ache. She doesn't hear me approach, and I take a moment to just watch her, the way the morning light catches in her hair, the gentle rise and fall of her chest, and the fact that she's braless beneath the silk isn't lost on me. I want to go to her, to wrap my arms around her and inhale her scent, but I hold back.
"You're up early," I say, my voice a low rumble.
She startles, turning to face me with wide eyes. "I couldn't sleep."
"Is the bed not to your liking?"
"It's...fine. It's just...a lot to take in."
"I understand." I join her at the railing, fighting not to look down at her chest and the way her nipples have hardened in the cool morning air. "But I hope you've realized by now that you're not in any real danger." I reach out and tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear, my fingers lingering against the soft skin of her cheek. "Not from me, at least."
"Then why am I here, Adrian?" Her voice is barely a whisper. "Why did you take me?"
"I already told you. Your father took everything from mine. I'm taking back what he stole, with interest."
“So then, I’m just...interest?"
I don't like the hurt in her voice, "You're his only child. His legacy. And his way out of all the mistakes he's buried himself under. By taking you, I take his hope. It's just a bonus that it also frees you from having to spend the rest of your life with Charles fucking Beaumont."
"I could have said no to the marriage," she insists, but even as the words leave her lips, I can tell she doesn't believe them.
"Could you? Really? After seeing the proof of your father's desperation? He would have found another way to use you. This way, you're with me and…safe."
"Safe?" She scoffs, turning away from me to look back out at the sea. "You're the head of a crime family, Adrian. You kidnapped me. Nothing about this feels safe."
That's fair. She needs to see, not just be told. So I change tactics. "Alright, princess. Time to go shopping. You can't spend your days here in a robe and you can't keep wearing that stained gown." I gesture towards the dress she wore last night, which is now a crumpled heap on the floor of her closet. "We'll go into Positano. Get you whatever you need."
Her eyes widen. "Go out? In public?"
