SWEET, SWEET, NIGHTMARE.

CHAPTER TWELVE.

  DANIELLE'S P.O.V.

    I woke up with a start.

   The disturbing sound of footsteps made my sixth sense kick in. I slowly climbed out of my bed, opting not to put on my bathroom slippers to make tiptoeing easier and noiseless.

  I wondered who in the world could be in the house by this time of the night. I had been sleeping alone in the penthouse for the past two weeks because my new groom, Adrian, had been a no show since the night of our wedding. I had no idea where he was, what he was doing, and how he was doing; and I honestly couldn't care less.

  Alisia usually made my days in the house more cheerful and fun filled; she was especially helpful and assisted me with solutions to my hunger problems by bringing various dishes cooked by the Valentino family chef, on the orders of Alvida, my mother in law.

  Sadly, my evenings became dreary once she had to leave me on my own. Sometimes, to alleviate the boredom e, I would take my car out for a spin, an activity that gave me immense joy and satisfaction, but no matter how much I wished for my time with the beautiful car to never end, I could only drive around New York for a while.

   This night,the footsteps jolted me awake and I was extremely apprehensive of being in danger.

  Who is this intruder, and what do they want from the house?

  Thoughts of the possible reasons for a break-in begin to float in my head.
 
  Am I being robbed?

  That's impossible. Adrian's apartment is located on the 12th floor of an apartment building with strict security protocols and systems; there was no way a thief could get through the tight security unit downstairs without being confronted by them.

  Then am I being kidnapped?

  That doesn't sound like a feasible idea either. How would the kidnapper carry me out of the building without being spotted.

  Is it possible that I am about to be murdered?

  The thought of that made chills run down my spine.

   I haven't offended anyone, have I?

  I did not think I had, but my paranoia was not appeased. I had seen several movies where the characters got killed for more reasons than one. It could be because Dad or the Valentinos got into a shady business and killing me would be the revenge plot. Or maybe I had a stalker that had decided to cut my life short in vengeance for getting married to Adrian.

  I looked around my room in search of a make shift weapon with the thought that if I were to be attacked, I would have to be prepared to inflict wounds on my attacker also. I spotted the lamp that sat on the bedside table and I swiftly detached the lamp from it's holder then slowly made my way to the bedroom's door.

  After gently easing the door open to avoid making any sound, I tiptoed into the hallway in search of the source of the disturbance. I went to the living room and I immediately knew that I have an uninvited guest. Although the room is empty of a human or any signs of one, I knew someone else is in the apartment with me because the living room's lights, which I had put off earlier in the night before going to bed, were on.

  To determine how the intruder must have had access to the house, I checked the intercom and door handles but everything seemed fine. There was no interference with the apartment's security system.

  Harmed with the fact that the intruder had possibly let themselves in with a key, and the lamp holder which I wield like a sword, I slowly headed for the kitchen but it was also empty.