Taken by the Heartless (HEARTLESS, Book 1) (NOW EDITING)

HANGOVER

   When Cassandra opened her eyes, she had that two-to-three-second grace period before she remembered who she was, and her body announced its condition. She was having a blinding headache, followed by a wave of nausea and quivering of her fingers.

     She didn't recognize the room she was in and tried to get up but the pain in her temples was so intense that she saw stars. She slowly eased out of the bed sideways, holding her head and almost fainted when she saw a man standing by the mirror, donning a suit jacket. She knew the man so well to recognize him even with his back towards her.

                           Eros Castillo!

    What the hell was he doing here? No, the real question should be; where was she? She looked down at herself, her dress was still intact. As if on cue, he spun and met her eyes, making her heart spike by a hundred degree, a cocky grin lit up his face.

       "Estas despierta, tesoro," (You are awake, treasure) he said.

     "Where am I and what am I doing here?" she asked but her voice came out hoarse.

  He spread his arms. "Of course, you won't remember. Feel free and settle in well, I have work to attend to, I will see you when I'm back and we can have a proper discussion."

     He didn't even finish when her eyes settled on some dresses laid out on the table, designer bags, shoes and everything a woman needed to live by. Is this her new room? If it was, what was Eros doing dressing up in her room?

     "This is my room and it is also yours from today henceforth," Eros answered her question as if he read her mind.

      "I can't..."

       "It's not open for discussion," he interjected, sticking out a hand in front of him to stop her. "Bully will see to your needs. Here is a phone." He pointed to a phone by the nightstand. "You have my number, Javier and Bully's number stored in there. We are the only ones you are allowed to call, remember, no foul games."

     What was this about? A second stage of holding her hostage? What of Apollo?

     "Why did you bring me to your room? I am fine staying back where you had me and why in God's name do I have this dress..." Her words trailed off as the events of yesterday hit her.

    She gasped and looked at Eros with wide eyes at the remembrance. He had a smug smile that told her that they really have a long discussion awaiting them. What has she done? She remembered slapping him.

      "Alright, Tesoro, I have an interview to catch up. Breakfast or should I say lunch is in the kitchen."

     Lunch? What time is it? She glanced around for a wall clock.

    "It's past noon. You can freshen up and move to the kitchen for lunch. Remember what you said last night? You are my acting girlfriend to clear your father's debts, so keep acting." With that said, he sauntered out of the room, leaving her helpless.

    When he was gone and she was alone, she fell back on the bed, the foam felt so soft that she felt like crawling back into bed and sleeping for the rest of the day. But there were more trivial matters, she needed to speak with her fiancé, she needed to know what his countenance was like. 

   Grabbing the opportunity, she took in the bedroom. It was a large, luxurious room with dark elegance. There was a floor-to-ceiling window that was covered in dark heavy drapes, the walls were black with tinges of gold and a spiral chandelier spun from the ceiling. She sat on the bed and huffed, trying to put herself together. Everything would be alright, she tried to assure herself.