Isabella: Our Adopted Baby

Chapter 22

Quinn had already made breakfast by the time I got downstairs. There was a plate in front of my spot with bite-sized pieces of waffle and cut-up sausage links. Along with it was a sippy cup full of what I assumed to be milk.

I sat down in my seat and looked at Quinn as she sat down in the seat across from me. "I can cut my food up myself. You don't need to do it for me."

"It was just easier for me to do it."

I sighed. She was never going to listen to me. She wanted to be in control so much that she was going to fight me on everything and anything until I gave in and she got her way.

Quinn picked up her coffee cup and took a sip. "I need to go grocery shopping today. I figured we could go after breakfast."

"I can't stay here?" I asked.

"No, you can't stay here. I can't leave you here alone."

"I'm a grown adult. I can take care of myself."

"I'm not risking anything happening to you. If we don't keep an eye on you 24/7, we'll be breaching the contract."

"Would that be the worst thing?" I mumbled.

Quinn sighed. "Isabella, it's our job to take care of you. We're paying you to take care of you. Just let us do that."

I really wished needing the money wasn't such a priority for me. Looking back, I wish I had said no and not signed the contract. Surely, I would have found another job that paid well enough.

I sat back in my chair, suddenly not too hungry anymore.

"Baby, you need to eat."

I looked at her over the table and the resentment I wanted to feel towards her wasn't there. "Can we just... slow this down? You guys are asking a lot of me."

"We could be doing a lot more than we already are. We've been trying to work with you but you need to work with us, too. We could make you use a pacifier or crawl around on the floor but we tried to limit what we asked of you."

"I'm sure if you wrote down what you were forcing me to do and what you chose to leave off, the list of things I had to do would be a lot longer."

"We're not forcing you to do anything. You signed the contract-"

"Giovanni made me! I wasn't given the choice."

She sighed. "You can keep harping on that all you want but it's not going to change things. You have what, twenty-six days left? Just get through them, get your money, and then... you can move on. No harm done."

No harm done? I wasn't sure how I was going to come back after the way they treated me. I was definitely going to need therapy when I was done.

I crossed my arms over my chest. "I feel like I should get compensated for the mental toll you're putting me through."

"What do you want? A car? A house? More money?"

"You'd give me more money? Giovanni said my amount wouldn't change."

"This is after the fact. After the contract expires. You know, for your compensation."

I narrowed my eyes at her, catching the tone of her voice.

Quinn took a bite of her food. "Isabella, eat. We're done talking about this."

They were never going to listen to me. If they really wanted me to stick around, they would try to meet me halfway and help me get more comfortable in their home. Forcing me to follow their rules without any reprieve felt like torture. Money or not, it wasn't an ideal situation for anyone.

—

Quinn pressed the button on the key fob to unlock the car. Quinn's car was similar to Giovanni's but didn't appear nearly as large. It was still an SUV but it wasn't as long as Giovanni's was. Hers was white whereas his was black.

She walked up to the back passenger side door and opened it. Inside the car was a car seat just like the one in Giovanni's car.

I scowled but Quinn didn't notice.

"Go ahead and get in," She instructed.

I walked past her and got into the car. I got into the car seat and crossed my arms over my chest.

"Bella, put your arms down."

"No."

She grabbed my arm and pushed it through the hole of the strap. She did the same with my other arm. Before I could fight her on it, she buckled the straps together so I couldn't just slide my arms out and undo what she had just done.

She wasted no time in reaching under me for the buckle between my legs. She put the buckles together and then tightened the straps so it was next to impossible to get out without unbuckling myself.

"Why do you insist on torturing me?" I asked.

Quinn sighed and took a step back. "We're not trying to torture you. We joined ASI because we wanted to start a family. You got connected to us and you signed the contract. By signing the contract, you agreed to our requests and our rules. You don't have to like them but you have to follow them. Otherwise, we have every right to punish you and, if we see fit, contact ASI to say you're breaching the contract."

"You two are the worst. I'm not staying after the contract expires."

"We never said you had to. We're just hoping you'll change your mind by then."

"Don't hold your breath."