Page 11 of The Villain's Beloved (The Villain's Duet 2)

His every word crawled down my spine, the thought of seeing doctors and getting counseling making me feel sick to my stomach.

The door slammed shut, and I heard Gianni’s footsteps. “Look at me.”

I clenched my jaw.

“Elijah, I said look at me.”

I lifted my head, my gaze slowly slipping to where he sat on the couch, elbows on his knees and clutching his hands together.

“We need to talk, but first, you need to dry those tears and get control. Otherwise, talking won’t do us any good.”

I remained silent.

“Okay?” he urged, and I swallowed hard before wiping the tears from my face. Angry tears. Hopeless tears. My tears.

“Now,” he inched to the edge of his seat, “are you ready to hear what I have to say?”

I bit my lip and nodded, pulling my legs closer against my chest.

“I believe you.”

My heart hiccupped. “You do?”

“I do. I believe you have a little sister and that her name is Ellie. I also believe that those monsters who did such a piss-poor job raising you tried to take her away from you.”

I wiped my nose with the back of my hand. “Why? Mr. Russo doesn’t believe me. Why do you?”

“Because I’ve seen her. I’ve seen Ellie.”

I leaped to my feet, my heart about to tear through my ribs. “Do you know where she is? Is she okay? Can we go get her?”

“Calm down, boy.” He held up his hands. “It was a while ago, and unfortunately, I don’t know what they did to her. But I promise we will figure it out. If she is out there, I will do everything I can to help you find her. Okay?”

I rubbed the back of my neck, casting my gaze down to the hardwood floors, a single moment of hope causing an avalanche of disappointment.

“Elijah. I swear to you, if she’s out there, I will find her. But you need to do something for me first. Now, look at me.”

I did, and the second I looked into his eyes I could see his determination. I could see the trust, the belief, the bond.

“Sit down and listen to what I’m about to say.”

I took a seat across from him, curious and scared at the same time.

“Sometimes, we need to give the world what it wants in order to get what we want.”

I frowned in question.

“Manipulation, if you want to call it that.” He shifted. “You want to stay here with me, don’t you?”

I licked my lips, my heart beating incredibly fast. “Yes, sir.”

“You want to find your sister?”

“Yes. Sir.”

He tilted his head to the side, his salt and pepper hair touching the top of his ear. “Then you give Mr. Russo what he wants so you can get what you want.”

“I don’t understand. How—”

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