A Dangerous Captive (Completed)

9. Thin Ice

Song: Demons- Hayley Kiyoko 

(edited)

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Adelaide

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"Adelaide, wait." He called after me, but I ignored him, quickly opening the door and finding my way to my room.

I sat back down in my chair and let out a long sigh.

What the hell just happened?

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Ever since the scenario in the training room, I had been avoiding Romano as if he was an STD. 

In meeting with the team, I wouldn't spare him a glance, only speaking with Jaekyung and, much to my distress, Jamie. 

According to Jaekyung, the first time Romano led me to our meeting room, he took multiples diversions, making the walking time much longer than it should've been when in fact, There was a lift just down the hall from my room that took you directly to the meeting spot.

In my spare time, I had gotten to know the various types of people that worked for Romano, including the woman that dropped off my clothes on my first morning in the house. 

She went by the name Lissa and had gotten the chance to work as a maid for Romano after she lost her job at a hotel she was employed in. 

That was all she was willing to tell me.

Even after the conversation we had, she scurried off, sweat lining her hairline again. 

She was still scared. 

From what I could tell, there were only two employees in the house. Lissa, who cleaned the entire house and a gardener. 

I guess Romano has trust issues.

Other than my brutal training sessions, my favourite activity was to walk around the gardens that surrounded the Acerbi mansion. 

The gardens closely resembled the french garden aesthetic, neat and proper, nothing out of place and the fact that all of the gardens were very meticulous made me love them even more. 

My favourite place was a small bench, located directly under a tree.

When sitting there, I often closed my eyes and let the wind whisper in my ears, listening as they spilled their secrets. 

It was my little haven in the mansion I had grown accustomed to. 

That's where I first noticed the gardener, tending to a rose bush.

He looked to be in his early thirties with brown hair and tanned skin, likely to have taken many beatings from the rays of the sun. 

I quietly mused to myself why I had not seen any other gardeners except for this one man. 

He couldn't possibly be tending to the large expanse of greenery by himself, could he?

"Are you enjoying the gardens, miss?" He asked me.

The first thing that struck me about his voice was the accent that resided there. 

It was odd, forced, even. 

At first glance, it seemed to portray itself as Italian but I couldn't help but notice that there was something else lingering in the background. 

He looked like a stereotypical Italian man but then again looks can be faked, alongside accents, I should know.

"Very much so, do you tend to them alone?" I kept my answer short and sweet, not wanting to give him any information about me but still curious about his employment.