Anger is moving through me, and so should fear, but it doesn’t. This man knows every place I have been. It’s very possible he may have been in my apartment. More than once. But if he had any intention of hurting me, he would have done so a long time ago. So, what’s the purpose of all of this? It’s definitely not to harm me.
“I can see your mind working overtime, Arabelle,” he says. “I want you. I always have.”
“You’re stalking me.”
“I am.”
As I slide my chair away from the table, the sound of its legs scraping against the floor fills the air. When I try to stand, he firmly grasps my arm, preventing me from getting up. His grip isn’t tight, but it’s firm enough to keep me in my seat.
Even though I know I should be scared, fear never comes, but I am pissed. I’m angry he believes that it’s fine for him to invade my privacy.
“Please stay.”
“The roses and the notes have been beautiful and have brightened my days more than once,” I confess, not to excuse his behavior but to tell him the truth. “However, you were in my apartment without my permission, Florian. And, according to my neighbor, it’s been multiple times! I thought she was going crazy.”
“I know, Arabelle. I understand what I did wasn’t right and an invasion of your privacy. I would never claim that it was the right thing to do, but what else was I supposed to do?”
A flicker of something almost like fear passes through his eyes before he hides it away.
“Maybe approach me like a normal human being instead of sneaking around doing stuff like a crazy person!”
“I want you, Arabelle.” He sighs like he’s got the weight of the world on his shoulders, and it’s hard to discuss this with me. “But I’m a dangerous man. I have many enemies, which has kept me single for a long time. However, when I saw the opportunity to have you in my life for real, not just from the shadows, I took it. I’m not the prince in the fairy tale. I am the Beast. I take what I want. And what I want is you. So, please stay.”
“Why should I stay?” I ask, not sure I want to hear his answer, but the need to know or hear him say it is overwhelming.
“Because I’m never going to let you go, Arabelle.”
“What?”
“You’re mine now, and I plan to cherish every moment with you.”
I relax in my chair even though I know I should run as far away from this man as I can possibly get.
“And why does my father owe you money?” I ask, my voice filled with suspicion.
“As you know, he has a gambling problem, which you’ve been saddled with taking care of for a long time.”
“You’ve looked into me?”
I should have expected it, but it’s still difficult to listen to him discuss my family problems.
“I have. Just as you’ve looked into me,” he says, giving me a pointed look. “I gave your father a loan, and he put his company on the line as collateral. Then, he failed to repay the loan plus interest when it was due. I gave him an opportunity to settle his debt in another way, which I don’t do with any of my clients, and he took it.”
He should have just said that my father sold me.
“You’re a loan shark?” I ask, staring into his eyes, trying to gauge his reaction.
“Among other things.”
He takes a sip of wine, and I’m taken aback by his lack of denial, leaving me in disbelief. The rumors swirling around about him being connected to organized crime might actually hold some truth.
“And you just wanted me as payment?”
Shocked doesn’t even describe how I feel right now. Sold by my own father, I now find myself seated beside the man who purchased me, who claims he’s fixated on me and has admitted to stalking me.
“I’d much rather have you than any fucking company, that’s for sure.”
“Lucky me,” I mumble.
