Highschool Clichés

~Chapter 17~

I was burning.

Burning from his unflinching gaze that seems to see right through me. The exhaustion, anger and hurt... How do you deal with the sudden course your life has taken in such short time? The abrupt change, the weight of secrets, the sudden realization of how fake the people you held dear are...What do you do? Run from it? Or do you gain the courage to fight even when it's a loosing battle?

To think that I was considered the plain girl in the background, the quiet girl who followed the out going red head around. The very same red haired girl I thought was my friend and was trying to protect. Is this my fate? A constant battle of what my life has come to? Nothing seems right anymore, not that it was to begin with.  

"What do you want from me?" I asked, just about tired of the bull I've been getting since day one. I've asked this question so many times that it feels as if it really didn't matter what answer I got. I'm tired. Tired of the confusion my mind seem to be in all the time. I need to know what's so great about Raven Abner that a billionaire would try so hard to get my attention. 

"Leave us." I stare at the scar free face of the gorgeous man as he demands his brother to leave. His voice comes out as a powerful rumble, deep within his throat and I shiver at the strength of his masculinity. Who is the actual Dimitri Luciano, multi-billionaire, mob boss?

Scar face stands to leave, but just before he does, he turns to look at me. The smug look on his face was making me a little scared and I find myself wondering what had him so self-satisfied. "I look forward to seeing you again, amore," and with that, he was gone.     

It feels a lot more real now that it was just the two of us left in his office. We stare at each other while my nerves continue to build at each passing second. I swallow back my anxiety and try to keep my face a calm mask of indifference, but for some reason I get the feeling that the man sitting before me effectuating so much dominance, could see that I was scared shitless. Where did all my confidence go? 

I watch as Mr. Luciano leans forward in his chair, looking every bit of a regal, business tycoon. "My name is Dimitri Luciano, and the man you've met happens to be my twin brother, Domani Luciano." I listen closely as he speaks, trying to keep my apparent shock from showing on my face. 

That explains why I couldn't find any picture or a background story online explaining about a scar on his face. I was researching about the wrong twin. But the more things start to reveal its self, the more I find myself confused. If he's Dimitri Luciano, why did everyone refer to his marred face brother Domani as Dimitri? Did Naomi know he has a twin brother? Did anyone even know?

"But Naomi said--" He swiftly raise his hand for me to stop and I instantly clamp my mouth shut. This is the man who demanded your respect whether you liked it or not, and something tells me he doesn't take too kindly to any form of disrespect. Dimitri's dark eyes identical to his brother, gives me the chills as he assesses my hunched formed sitting in the chair. 

"Miss Archer knows nothing about me," he says standing from his chair and walking over to the mini bar, "And you would be wise to keep it that way." I suck in a sharp breath at that, his message coming through loud and clear.

Naomi doesn't know about him having a twin brother and if she somehow finds out, there'll be hell to pay. 

 I watch him pour a dark, amber-colored liquid in a glass and I take that moment to really study him. Dimitri Luciano is a very handsome man no doubt about it. He looks around early thirties with rich, raven hair that looks so thick, yet soft with attractive curls at the ends. The light stubble on his jaw just adds to his rough, dominative aura that makes him the epitome of all male. Then there's the eyes, a deep, dark, caramel tone that seems to hold the kind of intensity that keeps you in place. 

My eyes trail down the length of his body, noting the strain his muscles seem to be flaunting through his suite. This man is the definition of beautiful and dangerous and my mind finds it hard to process why I'm on this man's radar in to begin with. 

The realization I had about him knowing me from Brenna helped a little, but not much. He knew about me before he even met me, which means it wasn't because of my involvement with Naomi that this man is now apart of my life. It's so much deeper than that, but what? What could I have done that made this powerful, dangerous man aware of my presence when everyone else sees me as an invisible speck?

I watch Dimitri's mouth as he takes a small sip of his drink, and I quickly look away when I see his mouth starts moving, "The reason your here, is because of your mother." The knowing look in his dark gaze let's me know that he caught me staring at his delectable mouth and my cheeks instantly starts to feel hot.  

My mother? What the hell has she gotten herself into now?

"What does my mother and you have to do with me?" I'm surprised my voice came out so strong, but I'm not exactly a fan of my mother and her choices. I'm both curious and scared to hear what he has to say, because as far as I know, my mother and I aren't exactly a team in whatever game Mr. Luciano is playing.

"Your mother has been stealing my products and selling them with the help of someone who I will not disclose," he walks back over to his desk and sits at the edge of his desk. His expensive cologne waft through my nose, dulling my other senses with it's pungent smell and I find myself leaning in a little. I have a pretty good idea what 'products' he's talking about. 

"Now this is where you come into the equation. I could have simply killed your mother for what she's doing to my business, but I couldn't pass up the offer she made," he takes another sip of his drink, never breaking our eye contact, "She thought the best way to pay off her debt, is to give me her beautiful, profitable daughter to use at my leisure to earn what I have lost ."

All the breath seems to leave my lungs. My mother sold me? She fucking sold me to a mob boss?!

I didn't waste a second; jumping out of my seat and rushing to the door. I should have found it weird that he didn't chase after me, but I wasn't thinking about any of that. All my mind seem to scream at me is to get the fuck out of here. I pull at the door handle, but found it was locked. I scream in frustration, puling with all my might, but the door wouldn't budge. 

My eyes blur with tears as I start beating down the door like a mad woman for help, when deep down inside I know it's a useless attempt at an escape. 

"The door won't open, il mio tesoro." The way he said it so casually, so thoughtlessly, made me cry even harder. I ignore him and continue to bang on the door shouting at the top of my lungs, "Help! Please, anyone, help!"

"Enough."

My hands fall to his command with my back still turned to him and I sob at the drastic turn my life has come to. How could she do this to me? I know that our relationship isn't the best, but to throw me away to the dogs like this was  cruel of her. This was the woman God blessed me with as a mother.

I turn around to face him with tears running down my cheeks like a river. He's still in the same position I left him in, with the liquor glass sitting on his desk, taunting me to take a drink to wash away my problems.

"Now, come sit." I gingerly walk back to my seat and sit, feeling lost and weak. My eyes stay glue to my lap as he speaks, "Your mine now, tesoro," a sob makes it way pass my lips, "You work for me, but I like a good challenge. I will not take you until you are finished with school." My head snaps up to his so fast it hurt. 

"Please, just let me go." My voice sounded weak. It was a futile attempt, but it was something. Dimitri gets up and walks around the desk to his seat, looking like a king, "Once you graduate, you start working for me," he says ignoring my plea. I watch as he he presses a button I didn't notice at his desk and gestures to the door, "Now you can leave." 

I look into his dark eyes, trying to see if my pleading ones could sway him, but his face remains as emotionless as it was at the start of this dreadful conversation. He simply stares back at me, unmoved by my display of mercy and I reluctantly get up to leave, but just before I do, his next words stops me in my tracks and made my blood run cold.

"If you speak about any of what we discussed to anyone, tesoro, I will find you and I will kill you."