After Stefan swiftly left the room, Lilly curled into a protective ball and cried for over an hour thinking about the traumatic events and confusing emotions of the day.
Her brother had shattered her peaceful new life in which although she wasn't happy she was content, She couldn't despite everything he had done hug her brother like she wanted too and tell him why she left London- because she was forced to and she was trying to protect him so Jason was angry and upset which hurt her, then to top off her pain her brother lied and
tricked her into becoming a Mafia Boss's prisoner and she was pretty sure he had no way of ever getting the money he owed (an eye-watering £100,000 and not the £10,000 he lied about) and he planned on taking the cowards way out by trying to run away which meant that at the end of the week she would not be set free but be murdered.
Lilly had mixed feelings about the whole traumatic and frankly f****d up situation, she felt stupid for being so soft-hearted to agree to help her
brother-she wanted to do as her mother asked in the letter and protect him and try to steer him back towards the right path, but how many times does she have to be let down and hurt by him before she can stop trying to honor her dead mother's wishes and do what's best for her?
She felt angry - she gave up her whole life in London for her brother and he repays her by stabbing her in the back, okay admittedly Jason didn't know she left London to protect him (Mr. Sinclair may have threatened to release her tape but she would have endured the humiliation if it meant still having her friends) but she had to wonder even if he did would he care?
She resented her brother too as he had tarnished her childhood, teenage years and now because of his greediness and cowardice she might not live long enough to enjoy life and do all the things she had been so desperately looking forward to such as going on holiday, saving up enough money to open her own bakery which was her mothers dream too, fall in love, get married, have children and make lots of happy memories with her family and friends and ensure unlike her that her children had the best childhood imaginable.
Although most of her emotions were directed at her brother and his actions she suddenly realized she had other feelings too - directed at Stefan. He was an enigma to her, one minute he looked at her and spoke to her almost in a caring way and the next his voice went cold and harsh and he was threatening to kill her! She had no idea how she felt about him really, as his soothing tones oddly at times made her feel safe despite his threats and the fact she knew he was not only a criminal but the leader of a huge criminal organization and that terrified her.
He was also the most handsome man she had ever seen and whenever she was around him she felt a weird feeling in the pit of her stomach that
made her feel giddy, nervous, and excited. She was so confused the more
she thought about it, she was terrified of him and yet strangely drawn to him at the same time- Lilly just hoped over the next few days her feelings became clearer towards him and that her brother didn't let her down so she would be alive to act on her feelings, since she doubted Stefan would break his word and let her live if her brother did let her down, despite the way Stefan looked at her lustfully and sometimes treated her kindly. It had been a terrifying, confusing day and exhausting day, so Lilly feeling overwhelmed and drained decided to do the only thing she could- to hope tomorrow would be better and rest so if it wasn't she had the energy to get through it, with that in mind she stripped to her underwear and climbed under the warm, silky and inviting sheets and eventually fell asleep dreaming of mesmerizing hazel eyes with golden specks.
It was about 3 am when Stefan had finished all his paperwork, he always worked late as it was hard work running not only a lucrative and powerful criminal empire but a legitimate Billion-pound empire as well.
He worked hard and was proud of all he had achieved, as he had every right to be, as being the head of two successful empires was a big accomplishment for a twenty-five-year-old.
He may have been born into the criminal world with his descendants being a founding family of the Italian Mafia and inherited the London branch of the Mafia when he murdered his father aged fifteen, after witnessing his father beat his mother to death (one of the main reasons why he installed a sort of moral code when he took over, by getting rid of s*x trafficking and enforcing the rule that women and children were not to be specifically targeted in any of the London Mafias criminal activity) but he had also built a legitimate billion-pound empire from the ground up by selling off his
families ancestral homes and investigating the money earned from that along with all of his inheritance wisely and then purchasing several small businesses that he had grew successfully and continued that process spilling tonnes of blood, sweat and tears along the way until he made the empire he had today.
There was therefore more to his character than just a ruthless criminal, he was also an intelligent, ambitious, and successful businessman and he wished more than anything to one day find someone who could see both sides of him and love him unconditionally accepting his dark and light side. When he first met Lilly he was unexplainably drawn to her and when she was lying unconscious like a sleeping angel a small voice in his head screamed at him that she was the woman he had been waiting for he, however, knew if that if he allowed her brother to go unpunished or her for her brother's deeds that he would be placing a huge target on his back as his enemy's- and there were a lot, from both of his empires would see him as weak and he wasn't going to make a sacrifice that big for a woman he had just met- no matter how fast she made his heartbeat or how stiff she made his c**k. At least that what he reminded himself earlier this evening before he ran out of her room in a panic after a voice inside his head told him she was his and he would cherish her as she deserved.
He couldn't believe how confusing today had been, one minute he was the Mafia King of London about to deliver Mafia-style justice on a thief, then he went into business mode and was a ruthless businessman making million-pound deals without breaking a sweat then suddenly he was obsessed over a woman he had only just met and began to feel an emotion he hadn't felt since his mum died- love. It had indeed been a really confusing day and he was ready to go to bed and put it behind him.
Lilly woke as the sunlight streamed through a large bay window and filled the room.
She yawned, rubbed her eyes then stretched in the ridiculously large bed that she was laying in. As well as being incredibly large the bed was also incredibly comfy, with a soft and thick mattress that seemed to mold to her body shape, duck feather fluffy pillows, and silken sheets it was the most luxurious bed she had ever slept in.
After another stretch, Lilly sat up and took in the surroundings of her room that she was too overwhelmed to admire last night. The room was
huge and had gold and black damask wallpaper, a black marbled vanity
desk and a black velvet couch. It was decorated in gold and black silk and velvet furnishings and had a romantic and elegant feeling- it was a room fit for a princess.
Her admiration for the room was interrupted by her bladder protesting and she reluctantly got out of the bed to make her way to the ensuite at the other end of the room that she spotted through a slightly opened door. After relieving herself Lilly was pleasantly surprised to find the bathroom had been stocked with toiletries, a fresh pile of towels, and a new dressing gown
and she couldn't resist the temptation so made use of them by showering in the spa-like bathroom.
Feeling refreshed Lilly exited the room and was as she did she saw clean clothes had been laid on the bed along with a note that read,
'Please get dressed and meet me downstairs for breakfast, Stefan
She hesitated for a brief second, sleep hadn't made her feelings any clearer and she wasn't sure if she was ready to face Stefan yet, her stomach, however, made her mind up for her by growling loudly so she threw on the clothes, blushing as she realized by the size and scent that they belonged to Stefan and made her way downstairs to face her attractive captor.
When Lilly made it down the elegant white marble staircase she noticed the man she met yesterday was waiting on her, " Good morning Miss Thompson, I don't know if you remember me after ... the events of yesterday but I am Marcus, Mr. Marconi's second." Marcus smiled at the young woman trying to ease her nerves and tried despite his own curiosity not to stare at her -Stefan had never let any woman wear his clothes before, was he declaring his claim on her?
Lilly took a deep breath, the situation was stressful and frightening but on her way downstairs she had forced herself to lift her head high and had told herself that ' this may be her last week to life so she wasn't going to waste it being scared, she was going to enjoy it as much as possible -given the circumstances.'
"Forgive me, I remembered your face but I did forget your name... in yesterday's events," Lilly said honestly and smiled at the man kindly - he after all gave her no real reason so far to fear him.
Marcus was captivated by Lilly's sweet voice and beautiful smile. She
was a rare beauty for sure and the Boss was a lucky man, he thought as he returned her friendly smile. " Given the circumstances, I won't hold a grudge." Marcus teased as he offered his arm "The Boss asked me to escort you to the dining room shall we?" Lilly nodded and accepted Marcus's arm, it was strange considering the circumstances and his profession but she sensed that they would become friends over the course of her stay here.
Stefan was drinking his morning coffee when he heard them walking down the corridor, was she giggling? He thought, although the sound was beautiful he began to feel anger and jealously build up inside him- how dare someone become friendly enough with Lilly to make her laugh- she was mine! A dark voice inside his head declared. His anger and jealously evaporated however as the dining room doors were pulled open to reveal Lilly dressed in his clothing which sent out a clear message that she was his and he realized it was Marcus who must have made her giggle and he trusted him.
"Good morning Stefan." Lilly boldly declared making eye contact with the deadly Mob Boss.
Stefan's c**k stirred at hearing her stay his name, god looking as beautiful as she did and dressed in his clothes a voice inside his head was urging him to stalk towards her and throw her on the table and make love to her over and over until she was screaming his name in ecstasy, he, however, fought the animalistic urge and decided to try and act gentlemanly. " Good morning... Lilly, please have a seat decide what you would like for breakfast and tell the servant to your right once you have and he will inform the chef, after breakfast, we will discuss your stay here for the next week." Stefan announced to which Lilly followed his instructions and tried to build up courage for the next part of her ' make the most of this week as it could be
your last plan!
After a delicious breakfast that Lilly thoroughly enjoyed the servant from earlier came to remove Lilly's plate with her eyes downcast with respect and fear. " Please ermm I am sorry I didn't catch your name?" Lilly asked the frightened girl who looked about her age.
The servant raised her eyes in shock, no one in high society circles ever bothered to speak to the help and certainly, no one in this household ever spoke in such a kind voice. After seeing Lilly's kind smile however the girl felt compelled to answer " My name is Gemma Miss," she replied as she curtsied respectfully making Lilly giggle and smile.
"There's no need to be so floral with me Gemma I am just a temporary guest here and no one of importance. Please tell the chef breakfast was wonderful and please thank him for me." Lilly said in her usual kind
tone.
Gemma despite wanting to comply with Lilly's request to be less formal looked across the table to Stefan who was watching the exchange between his woman and the help curiously. " That's very kind of you Miss but I am afraid I couldn't possibly be so informal, I wouldn't want to seem disrespectful towards Mr. Marconi's guest. But I will, of course, convey your gratitude to the chef as requested." Gemma curtsied again before looking at Stefan nervously and taking her leave.
Lilly sighed, she was hoping to make friends here during her short stay but she could understand Gemma's fear Stefan could be very intimidating- she however just decided not to let her fear show as she wished to enjoy her potentially last week.
After a long silence, Stefan finally spoke " Are you ready to discuss your stay here for the week?"
"Yes I am and I would like to go first as I have a few requests no
...demands," Lilly replied finally finding a backbone and deciding she had nothing to lose, what was he going to do if she angered him, kill her? He was going to do that anyway in a week's time as it was doubtful her brother
would hold up his end of the deal.
Stefan raised his eyebrows surprised by his angel's boldness... he had to admit her new-found confidence and attempt at dominance was very ...sexy. "Well then Angel, let's hear your demands, I am all yours."