Page 48 of Malevolent Secrets

“I’m sure you did,” I say, my tone measured.

She meets my gaze, and then she smiles. It is so rare and so beautiful, I want to bottle it up and keep it with me at all times.

I admire her tenacity, but it also worries me. She’s diving headfirst into a world that could swallow her whole.

“Just remember what I said. Loyalty, obedience. Those are the rules.”

She nods, understanding the unspoken warning. “I understand.”

“Good,” I say, finishing my drink. “Time to go home. Get your purse.”

She nods and goes back upstairs to get her purse from her desk. I finish my drink, brooding about what comes next. The more invested I get in this woman, the more dangerous the game becomes for the both of us.

“Okay,” she says as she marches back up in her cute, practical heels. She tilts her head to the side and eyes me with a small half-smile.

“Remember what I said about the real work that needs to be done?” I ask her.

She frowns a little, her brows drawing down a touch. “I just worked a whole shift upstairs,” she points out.

I nod. “Yes, but the work you do here isn’t the only thing I expect of you.”

The frown on her face deepens. “Oh?”

I rise to my feet and reach out to touch her cheek again. Her skin is so soft. It makes me want to touch all of her.

“I own you now, we talked about this. It means that you come home with me and you take care of my needs each night. It’s the most important part of the job.”

She looks like she wants to step back, but she doesn’t. Instead, she lifts her chin and meets my gaze boldly.

“Fine,” she agrees. “However, I get to have the weekends to myself. I don’t work for you seven days a week.”

I ponder this for a moment, the silence stretching out between us. “Fine,” I agree.

“Good,” she says with a nod. She turns away from me and starts walking toward the door. “Let’s go.”

I watch her slim form marching ahead of me, her heels doing delicious things to her perky ass. I sigh inwardly.

Daniella Roberto may be a pawn in a larger game, but she is a pawn I intend to protect at all costs. Because in this world of shadows and secrets, she is a beacon of determination and strength—and that makes her worth fighting for.

She might think that I am trying to control her, to force her to sleep with me each night, but I’m actually trying to protect her. If she’s with me, I know she’s safe. I can’t say the same when she’s not sleeping under my roof, protected by my guards and security measures.

Because she’s more than just a distraction, more than just a beautiful woman in a dangerous game. She’s mine.

Chapter Fifteen

Daniella

“This way,” Carla says and I smile at her with gratitude. But alas, the universe decides that I haven’t exhausted my daily quota for awkward encounters.

We are walking down a long winding corridor when a stunning man appears from nowhere. It literally feels like he came from nowhere because I’m talking to Carla and the next thing I know, he’s in front of me.

“Jesus!” I clutch my chest and stumble back from the shock of his presence.

“H-hi. Sorry, I didn’t see you there.” He doesn’t say anything, just looks at me in a very unnerving way that makes me feel like he is seeing into my soul and knows all my secrets.

“I’m Daniella.”

Silence with this man is dangerous. I feel the need to fill it with words, anything to stop him from looking at me the way he is. I get the impression that he can wield silence like a weapon when he wants to. The fact that he is also incredibly beautiful doesn’t help my nerves.

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