Page 77 of Sinful

“I believe he had a hand in the matter,” she murmured.

I snorted derisively as I fished a white tablet out of my pocket. “Take this,” I commanded. “It’s medicine to make sure you don’t get infected.”

She regarded the tablet with suspicion, but then she took it and swallowed it without argument.

“So, little Rosebud,” I said, casually sinking onto the end of the bed. “We need to talk, don’t we?”

“About what?” she asked. “Master,” she added hurriedly as I slid closer.

“About all the things you said yesterday,” I said, raising my brows. “Before you fainted.”

Rose lowered her gaze to the thin blanket. “I don’t recall.”

“You said what happened to my mother was your fault. Then you said you deserved the punishment. So you obviously know quite a lot about that night, despite your very young age at the time.”

She was silent for a moment. Then she slowly shook her head. “I’m sorry. I honestly don’t recall saying any of those things.”

I stiffened, eyes narrowing on her pretty face. Just when I thought we’d finally made some progress, we’d gone right back to square one. She was lying to me again.

For fuck’s sake.

Perhaps that annoying voice in the back of my head wasn’t so treacherous after all. Perhaps it was correct—the best course of action was to make Rose fall for me.

After all, as long as I was cruel to her, she would hate my fucking guts and continue to view me as a so-called ‘dark spirit’. She was mentally tougher than I initially perceived her—tougher than she even seemed to realize herself—so even if she outwardly obeyed my commands, she would more than likely continue with her stubborn internal holdout, never fully letting go in her mind and therefore never truly submitting to me. Then I’d probably never get the whole story out of her.

But if I changed tactics and made her fall for me… it could be a different story. She could slowly start to trust me. Then she’d start to like me, eventually falling all the way. From there, she’d finally submit to me. Mind, body, and soul.

Then I’d get the answers I needed.

I smiled faintly at her, reaching one hand forward. She flinched, clearly thinking I was going to hit her, but she relaxed when she realized I was merely rubbing the side of her arm.

“It’s okay, baby girl,” I said. “You were a bit out of it. Slurring words, saying all sorts of strange things. I’m not surprised you don’t remember it.”

Her eyes widened. “You… you’re not angry with me?”

“I’m frustrated, but I can’t be angry at you for telling the truth, can I?” I said. “Especially when you’ve lied so much in the past. I guess this is progress.”

I added the sardonic comment about her lying because I knew she’d get suspicious if my behavior suddenly oscillated from ‘malicious asshole’ to ‘kind, understanding friend’. I had to strike the right balance if this was ever going to work.

A hint of annoyance and anger flared in Rose’s eyes, as I expected, but she simply pressed her lips together and nodded slowly. “I see,” she murmured.

“Come with me.” I rose to my feet and extended my hand again. “I have something for you.”

20

Rose

I staredat Sebastian’s outstretched hand, bottom lip trembling. “I… what, Master?”

“Get up.” He snapped his fingers and stepped forward. “Come on.”

“Please, Master,” I said in a hollow voice, shaking my head. “Please don’t take me back there.”

“I’m not taking you to that room,” he replied. He dropped his hand, gesturing to the shirt and pants I’d left folded on the end of the bed. “Put those back on. It’s cold outside.”

My eyes widened. “You’re taking me outside?”

“Yes.” His eyes narrowed with impatience. “Go on. Before I change my mind.”

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