Sold To Mr. Milano - Daniella Wright Page 0,37

to get me out of some machismo need to claim what he thought was his - like rabid dogs fighting over a slab of meat. But no. He had risked his safety and the well-being of his seedy empire to come and get me. Something about it was comforting and all the more unsettling at the same time.

The ridiculous dress the Mendozas had forced me to wear felt like it was getting tighter by the second. I fanned my flaming chest and cheeks as I tugged at the fabric squeezing around my ribs. “I need to get out of here,” I begged. “I can’t breathe. It feels like the walls are closing in on me.”

I said it all in vain, assuming Alberto wouldn’t care how uncomfortable I was or what I needed. He certainly hadn’t led up to that moment. So, I was surprised when he marched over to the side door and ushered me back outside.

“Let’s take a walk,” he suggested.

I agreed out of necessity, but there was no part of me that wanted to go strolling along the property in the moonlight with Alberto...as if everything was perfectly fine. I would never be free. The words echoed through my head over and over again, and it was Alberto who made them true. I couldn’t pretend he was some kind of decent man for saving me or for allowing me to take a walk. I couldn’t forget what kind of monster he really was.

“I saw everything you’re keeping in the basement,” I confessed finally. I blurted it out without really thinking. I didn’t know if I needed to say it out loud to remind myself, or if I honestly wanted some kind of explanation...as if there could be one. I knew better. Nothing could excuse hoarding all those unclaimed goods.

“The wine, the furs, the cars...all of it. I’m not an idiot, Alberto. I know why you’re keeping heaps of those things stowed away. You’re evading taxes. Money that is used to support poor families struggling in our country!”

He didn’t explode in the way I expected. He didn’t even seem angry. Instead, he continued walking in a steady stride and explained himself calmly. “The government steals money from its people all the time. You don’t think they’re lining their pockets with most of our tax dollars? They benefit from those payments far more than the poor do. The only way to help the impoverished is to offer them a job.” He waved his hand across his property. “Which you can see...I have done plenty of on my estate. I certainly don’t need this many people on a daily basis.”

I had to consider his argument more than I wanted to. It was true that he kept a huge amount of staff on hand, but I found it hard to believe that it was out of some sense of obligation or a desire to do any real good.

“You really expect me to believe that? That you’re employing so many people to help anything other than your own selfish needs?”

“I’m a businessman. I recognize the need for a thriving economy. The best way to do that is to ensure people have more than enough money to live off of...and therefore, money to spend.”

I stopped walking and turned to face him. My face was wrinkled as I studied him, desperately needing to know if he was telling the truth. His features were soft and blank, maybe even a little vulnerable looking. My gut told me he really was being honest.

“I can see your point,” I admitted hesitantly. “You’re not wrong.”

He laughed a little. “You wouldn’t dare say that I’m right. Just that I’m not wrong.”

“I’m still wrapping my head around you saying anything that sounds remotely good or honest.”

“Don’t sound so surprised,” he huffed with a subtle grin.

I narrowed my eyes, not liking the uncertainty of trusting him in this way. But then again, I had given in and trusted him with my body. I supposed I had to admit that trusting his words wasn’t so far fetched.

We stood there, facing each other in the darkness. It was uncomfortably quiet, leaving too much room for tenderness to sneak in. I decided to take the opportunity to defend my case.

“Perhaps if I can admit to the possibility that there might be some good in you...You can admit to the possibility that I’m not so unreasonable.”

He squinted and looked off in the distance as if he was thinking it over, and he didn’t look so convinced.