Page 85 of The Devil's Fire

So, I kicked the door. Hard.

“Fuck!” I erupted in a whisper as pain shot up through my right foot.

twenty-seven

Althaia

I walked towards the elevator fast, or as fast as I could. My foot was still throbbing, and every step I took in my heels was agony. My anger towards Damiano was so intense that I couldn't bring myself to speak or even make eye contact with him. Since he wasn’t trying to talk to me, it was an effortless task. But I could feel his gaze on me at times.

The only sound during the ride down to the underground parking was the hum of the elevator, making it feel like an eternity. Despite feeling Damiano’s eyes burning into the side of my head, I refused to look away from the closed elevator doors, a frown still on my face.

The moment the doors opened, I stepped out towards the SUV where Antonio was. My eyes darted around frantically, searching for Luca, but he was nowhere to be seen. Just as I was about to turn around and confront Damiano about it, Luca stepped out of the driver’s seat. A wave of relief washed over me, and I exhaled a long breath.

I ignored Antonio when he opened the car door for me and made my way around the car to Luca.

“You’re not hurt, are you?” My eyes swept over him, searching for any visible wounds. Luca shook his head with a reassuring smile. “Did he rip your tongue out?!” I panicked when he didn’t talk.

“My tongue is intact. Don’t worry.” His lips curved up, looking slightly amused by my reaction.

“Thank God.” I let out another breath of relief before sliding into the car.

The car ride was silent. No one was making any conversation, and the only sounds were coming from the radio, playing softly in the background. I rested my head against the window, sighing as I looked out, and carefully tried to move my foot to ease the pain. It wasn’t much of a help and only seemed to make it worse.

The silence was broken by the sound of a tinted window rolling up, dividing us from the front.

“What’s wrong with your foot?” Damiano broke the silence. I ignored him and resumed looking out of the window. “Althaia.”

“I don’t know. Why don’t you assume what’s wrong?”

“Let me see.”

“Nothing’s wrong with it. It’s fine.” I snapped, and I was immediately hit with regret. I closed my eyes to keep my frustration from controlling me.

We went back to sitting in silence until I couldn’t take it anymore.

“You don’t trust me.” I slowly stated. I didn’t have to look at him to know his attention was already on me.

Five heartbeats later, he finally replied.

“I do.”

“No, you don’t.” I faced him. I haven’t laid eyes on him since he rudely shut the bathroom door in my face, and he looked irresistible in his black three-piece suit.

Damn him for looking this good.

“You sent him to our room to keep an eye on me, which means you trust him enough to do his job.” I continued.

“It’s not like that.” Damiano’s brows furrowed.

“Please, enlighten me then.” I mocked a sweet smile.

“I don’t like you close to other men.”

I looked at him dumbfounded, waiting to see if he was joking, but he was serious.

“They work for you! Shouldn’t I get to know them if I decide to stick around?” Now it was my turn to frown. “It’s not my responsibility to fix your trust issues. Either you trust me, or you don’t.” I simply told him.

Damiano’s amusement was clear in the way he arched an eyebrow.

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