Olivia?” Alessandro's inquiring voice disrupted my ominous thoughts.
“I'm not sulking. I'm just tired,” I said in an emotionless tone. “It's been a long night.”
“The night is far from being over, tesoro,” he murmured, taunting me. “As a matter of fact, it has only just begun.”
The underlying message didn't escape me. I wrapped my arms around myself in an act of self-preservation. I didn’t want Alessandro to use me. Not when I was this distraught. My feeble mind couldn’t handle it. I could feel his eyes burn on my skin, and I met his gaze. He smiled with a clear sense of triumph, reminding me once again he was the one who pulled all the strings.
“Please, Alessandro,” I voiced my thoughts in a broken whisper. “Not tonight.” I didn't know what possessed me to plead with him like that. I had given up on begging a long time ago because he always had his way with me, regardless of my pleas. Alessandro said nothing to address my words but only gazed at me in that strange, deeply mesmerizing way. Then, he looked away and the rest of the ride went by in deafening silence.
When we entered the house, his phone rang and I took the opportunity to flee to my bedroom. I could feel his eyes boring into my back, but I hoped he would show me some mercy and leave me in peace. I had no such luck. Only moments after, he appeared in my room as I stood by the vanity, taking off my jewelry. I remained paralyzed, as he strolled behind me and laid his hands on my shoulders. I waited for him to say something hateful. I waited for him to reach out for the zipper of my dress and hurt me in the way only he knew how.
“Relax,” he whispered against my skin, as though he could taste my fear. “That's not what I'm here for, piccola.”
“What do you want, then?” I spoke to his reflection.
“I want to know what you thought about the fundraiser.” He planted a gentle kiss on my neck, and met my gaze in the mirror. “That's all. No need to be afraid.”
“Did you really mean all those things you said about helpless children?” I demanded in an uncertain voice, attempting to play along and distract him.
“I did,” he said without hesitation, and observed my stunned expression in the mirror. “Is it so difficult to believe I’m capable of kindness just as the next guy? “
I fought to keep an even expression on my face. “It's not difficult to believe,” I lied, and blurted out. “It just made me wonder...”
“Wonder about what?” he asked, laying soft kisses down my neck. It was the most affectionate gesture he had shown in months, but it had a countereffect. Instead of helping me relax, it made me rigid and all the more frightened.
I wheeled around abruptly and collected the courage to speak. “About my little sister,” I said in a strangled voice.
Something shadowed his gaze and he seemed lost in thought. “May?”
Hearing her name roll off his tongue made it difficult to breathe because it stirred all those bad memories within me, but I forced myself to nod. “Yes. May.”
He let out a sharp breath. “What about little May?”
“All those videos I saw tonight reminded me of her,” I confessed, and opened up to him against my better judgement. “She lost her mother...and my father is a drunken gambler. He can’t take care of her. I just know she’s somewhere all alone and frightened.”
I searched for a trace of compassion in his expression, but found none. He was as unmoving as a brick wall, but I couldn’t resist the urge to probe further. “She has no one to take care of her and...” I hesitated.
“Get to the point, tesoro,” he urged softly, emanating a rare show of patience.
“I'm afraid to ask,” I admitted in a shaky breath.
“Why be afraid when we both know the question,” he murmured with a slight tilt to his head. “Your actions are rusting up on their shock value as well, piccola...especially when it comes to your baby sister.”
“I’m all she has left,” I muttered, attempting to keep my voice even. “Please...”
“I assume you want to be reunited with her, don't you, Olivia?” he inquired softly.
I nodded. “She must be thinking I’ve abandoned her. I just need to make sure she's okay.”
Alessandro's face hardened. “I suppose it’s only natural you’d want that. Do you think a lot about her?”