A Taste of Darkness

Chapter 19: Worth It

Julio

I am fucking pathetic.

I stand outside Scarlett's friend, Elena's door, debating whether I should actually ask her what I want to ask her and knock my pride down to the ground, allowing me to feel utterly embarrassed and defeated, or to just give Scarlett whatever I find in the kitchen and continue the role I am supposed to play being a mafia boss, one I would rather keep playing because it doesn't have any negative consequences for me.

For some odd reason, I go with option one.

I knock on her door and wait for her to open it so I can ask this ridiculous question. Thankfully she answers quite quickly.

She opens the door and the second she sees me, she jumps while her eyes widen in shock, she most likely thought that it was Scarlett knocking on her door, and I was probably the last person she was expecting. This is also the last thing I was expecting myself to do.

Although she tries to hide it behind a straight stance and raised head, I can see the obvious fear in her eyes, her fear of me. And just like that, I could tell that she was the complete opposite of Scarlett. For some reason, that turned me off. Scarlett didn't look at me like that, she looked at me as if she wanted the fire in her eyes to transfer onto my body and burn me alive. It entertained me, made me smile.

I liked it.

I decide to get straight to the point, even though I find myself struggling to get these humiliating words out. "What's Scarlett's favourite food?"

Her eyes widen in shock once again before her eyebrows scrunch themselves together, showing her confusion. She's not the only one confused. I'm fucking confused. Why the fuck am I doing this?

My dignity has flown out the window.

"Why?" she asks softly, treading very carefully around me. I can imagine that ever since she saw me shoot that pathetic excuse of a man yesterday, she believes that I would have no problem doing the same to her. Fortunately for her, she hasn't pissed me off yet, while that idiotic man who stupidly spoke about Scarlett pissed me off on a whole other level. Plus, she's safe from my wrath since she's a friend of Scarlett's, I don't think Scarlett would be very happy if she died.

That doesn't mean I can't scare her into answering my question without questioning me, even though I won't actually carry out my threats, but she doesn't know that.

"Don't question me, it ends with consequences you wouldn't like. Just answer my question," I demand, making her bite her lip in fear and regret while her eyes form 'O's. How amusing.

"Ice cream," she answers in a quiet voice, telling me that the fear she was feeling before has just quadrupled in power. However, I'm not happy with her answer, "ice cream" isn't very specific.

Well, my dignity has already disappeared by now, may as well finish the task.

"What kind?" I push further, I couldn't just give Scarlett some random type of ice cream, it had to be the one she liked most.

"Cookie dough," she replies nervously, starting to pick at her nails and fidget with the hem of her shirt. If she gets this scared around people like me, she's going to need a lot of training and getting used to this world.

"Good, you can now go back to doing whatever you were doing before I came here," I say, leading her to nod anxiously and almost instantly shut the door, however she makes sure to do it quietly without making any banging sound. She probably thinks I'll kill her for banging a door, funny.

I walk to my office and call one of my members, telling him to quickly buy this cookie dough ice cream Scarlett likes and bring it here. I could feel his confusion through the phone, making me pinch the bridge of my nose in shame and aggressively tell him to not ask questions and just do what I tell him to do before abruptly hanging up. But some little unwanted voice in my head told me that if it was for her, the humiliation would be worth it.