FRAGILE : A Lovestory

Gentleman - 11

Trigger warning: Depiction of strong language, abuse, sexual assault, violence.

"Where do you think you're going?" he asked in his raspy voice, propping his head up with his hand. His messy hair fell across his forehead, partially obscuring it.

"What?" I asked, my heart racing as if I'd been running all day.

He chuckled, his eyes sparkling with amusement. "Little missy, you're quite the rule-breaker. You established the rules and conditions yesterday, yet you broke one of them already; It seems you're not very good at following your own rules."

I widened my eyes, covering my mouth in shock.

"What do you mean? Did we-"

"No, we didn't," he interrupted, his smile laced with sarcasm, "but we still slept together, right?"

But I felt a wave of relief wash over me, grateful that I hadn't lost my virginity unintentionally. "Oh, thank you, Lord," I whispered, pressing my hand to my chest.

"Why are you thanking your Lord for?" he asked, his eyebrows scrunched in suspicion.

"For not sleeping with a jerk like you," I retorted.

He sat up, folding his arms across his chest. "Oh really? Why am I a jerk?"

"Because you must be sleeping around a lot, considering your wealth and status" I said, my tone laced with accusation. "So you're a Je-"

He cut me off with a raised hand. "No thanks, I don't fuck around people just for fun."

His expression turned resolute. "I've never been, nor will I ever be, interested in girls or women." He finished.

"Oh, so you are gay." I said, clapping sarcastically before turning to leave.

"HEY! I AM SERIOUS-" Christian shouted, but I closed the door behind me, eager to escape. Christian's shouted protest was muffled by the door.

I stretched my body from head to toe, feeling a mix of discomfort and relief as my sore muscles cracked. The satisfying crunch was followed by an unsettling crash.

I turned to my left to see Maria standing amidst a scatter of glass pieces, the coffee tray lying broken on the floor.

"Tia, are you okay?" I rushed towards her, concern etched on my face.

Maria nodded.

"What happened? How did you drop this?" I asked.

Maria's shaken expression transformed to smiley face.

"I'm just not used to seeing Master Christian do romantic things," Maria said, her voice filled with surprise. "He never lets any girls come over to his house, let alone into his room"

"He's always kept women at arm's length" Her eyes sparkled with amusement. "I was thrilled to see you coming out of his room, all stretched out and relaxed! But I'm happy for you!"

When i realised what she meant by this, i quickly shook my head with a desperate 'NO'.

"NO! WE DIDN'T DO ANYTHING!" I shouted, and Christian echoed from behind me.

I turned to see him emerging from the room, his glare fixed on me.

"What's all this?" he demanded, his voice stern.

Maria trembled, apologizing. "I'm sorry, Master. I'll clean up fast." She said panicking, but what she saw send her even a great state of distress.

Her eyes widened as she noticed my foot. "Mam, you're hurt!"

I followed her gaze to see a shard of glass lodged in my foot. The pain hit me, and I winced.

"Gosh, Why are you so clumsy?!!" Christian sighed, swooping me into his arms.

As he carried me back to his room, I glanced over his shoulder to see Maria smiling, then hastily returning to clean up the mess.

Christian POV :

I scooped her into my arms and brought her back to my room. As I laid her on my bed, she was about to speak something.

"Shh, stay here" I whispered, hurrying to fetch the first aid kit.

When I returned, she was wincing in pain. I knelt before her, gently placing her foot on my thigh for support.

Why was I doing this? It wasn't as if I cared. I was simply being kind, considering she would soon be my contract partner, I told myself, unsure if I believed my own words.

I applied the ointment to her foot, carefully cleaning away the blood. She hissed, clutching the nightgown so tightly that her knuckles turned white.

I continued my task, gently taking her hand in mine. She looked up, her eyes brimming with tears as she struggled to bear the pain.

"You should be able to endure this much pain, considering your involvement in the underground world," I said, attempting to reason with her. "Of course, I'll protect you, but I won't always be there. You need to learn to rely on yourself."

As I spoke, I wondered where these words came from. They seemed to flow naturally, as if driven by a concern I couldn't quite explain.

She nodded slowly, her eyes cast down. I placed her hand on my shoulder for support. "I'll be gentle," I reassured her.

Her face flushed suddenly, and she looked away, embarrassment radiating from her. So this kitty got a dirty mind, huh! I chuckled, amused by her unexpected reaction.

"Have you ever done this for anyone before?" she asked suddenly, her voice softer than usual.

I looked up to her, after wrapping her foot in a white band-aid. "What do you mean?" I asked, meeting her gaze.

I sat beside her on the bed, my eyes locked on hers. But she drifted into thought, lost in her own world.

Isabella POV :

"Have you ever done this to anyone?" I asked, out of nowhere. This was the very first question came into my mind. This man treating my wound while kneeling down infront of me, even if he have maids assigned to do work like this.

I would be lying if I say, my heart didn't skipped a beat.

He finished wrapping up the bandage, and looked at me, straight into my eyes. The way he looks at me with an determined and confident look that never seems to fade away. He still looks so familiar but I can't recall where have I ever seen this man.

"Ella?" He called out, I was pulled out of my thoughts. I looked at him, my cheeks probably getting heated up, since my body can't hide the fact that I'm attracted to this man.

"Why are you so kind to me?" I asked again, I don't know why I am asking this much questions but they kept popping up. He's so mysterious.

"kind? No I'm just helping my mutual partner" he denied almost immediately, "with no strings attached" he again mumbled the last part slowly. I heard it and it hurt me.

I just gave him a small smile, and nodded at him.

"Excuse me, I'll see you later then" he said and got up. I nodded again.

With that he left.

Filling my heads with all sort of thoughts.