Andrea had seen enough which she was never supposed to see.

Blood on the floor. Alfonso standing there, unbothered, his shirt stained crimson, his face showed no emotions.

The man at his feet had begged, pleaded.

And Alfonso?

He had simply tilted his head, murmured something, which she didn't get and pulled the trigger without hesitation like its no big deal.

The air had a hint of gunpowder and horror, despite everything.

Whatever she had seen and all in the past collectively.

He had never hurt her.

Never forced her.

He was different with her.

And that scared her more than anything else because if he had been a monster to her, leaving would be easier.

But he wasn’t.

At least not with her.

But today, she didn't know what exactly would be going to happen.

And deep down, some part of her knew, there was no leaving a man like him.

Not really.

Not ever.

Everything the people around her said to her. All the conversation about Alfonso, the rumors, the whispers, came like a flash in her mind.

All proving themselves true.

She was not just scared, she was terrified. She wanted to run but her legs gave away.

Especially, when he had took a step towards her. Andrea’s breath hitched.

Then, Alfonso took another step towards her.

And that was all it took.

Panic surged through her veins like wildfire and before she could think, her body moved on instinct.

She stumbled backward, her legs shaking, her heart slamming against her ribs.

She was slowly moving backwards and she tried to run but she fell down.

The cold, rough ground scraped against her hands as she had landed hard, a sharp gasp leaving her lips.

The pain traveled through her body but it was nothing compared to the terror gripping her chest.

Then she looked at the back, but what she saw..

His men, already, standing a little behind her to block any possible escape.

Andrea’s breath came in ragged gasps as she looked around, her vision spinning.

No one around to help her, literally no one.

She was solely on his mercy.

And then, she tried to got up, but..

A shadow loomed over her.

She looked up, her body froze in its place as Alfonso took slow, deliberate steps towards her.

Behind her, his men were still standing, their presence steady as a rock.

There was no way out, nowhere to go.

Her pulse pounded as Alfonso finally crouched down in front of her, his elbow resting casually on his knees.

He was close but on his face, there was no anger. No annoyance. Just quiet, unsettling calm.

Andrea’s lips trembled.

" I...I didn’t see anything."

For a second, there was silence. Then, Alfonso chuckled.

Low

Amused.

" Is that what you think, princesa? "

His voice was smooth, as if this entire situation wasn’t terrifying at all.

Andrea swallowed hard, her breath still uneven.

He reached out, his fingers tilting her chin up, slowly.

She tried to back away, but his grip on her chin was firm, but not to hurt her then his thumb brushed lightly over her chin, he kept looking at her. Her eyes red, with tears in them, which were now rolling down one by one.

He wiped the tear that had just just fallen with the tip of his thumb.

He withdraw his hand and tucked a stray lock of her hair behind her ear before saying

" Don't be scared."

His voice soft but the weight of his words still sent a chill down her spine.

Andrea didn’t dare move.

Didn’t dare breathe, either.

But deep down, she knew. He wasn’t asking for her trust. He was telling her. She thought of fighting back. She thought of struggling herself free.

But resistance was useless.

She didn't say a word, Alfonso stood up after a while

" We’re leaving,"

He said in finality.

Her stomach dropped. "What? "

Her voice came out weak, barely a whisper, she looked around to see what that means not wanting her sixth sense to be true.

Andrea’s chest tightened. A terrible realization crawled over her skin, wrapping around her like a noose. This wasn’t just a sixth sense.

It was actually happening.

He was actually taking her.

" No,"

She gasped, scrambling back, her palms scraping against the pavement.

" No, no, no..."

She stand up slowly, to run but

Too late.

Hands grabbed her arms, firm but careful not to hurt her.

Andrea panicked. She thrashed, her body jerking violently in their grasp.

" Let me go! Let. Me. Go! "

She kicked, twisted, nails clawed into his face. One of the guard hissed in pain, but the grip didn’t loosen.

They weren’t hurting her. But they weren’t letting her go, either.

Terror gripped her throat, cutting off her breath.

This can’t be happening.

They never hold her roughly, when stopping her from escape but firm enough to make it clear she has no choice.

Her wide, desperate eyes locked onto Alfonso.

" Please! I won’t say a word! I swear. I'll pretend, I haven't see anything! "

Alfonso sighed. A slow, heavy breath, like he was being patient with a child throwing a tantrum.

Then, he crouched to her height, eye level with her.

Andrea backed away, her pulse hammering.

Too close.

Too calm.

" Princesa."

His voice was quiet. Smooth. Final.

" You’re wasting your energy."

Her vision blurred. Her limbs ached from fighting. But she wasn’t going to stop.

Andrea shook her head, wild and desperate.

" I'm not going with you! "

Something in Alfonso’s gaze shifted.

Colder. Darker.

A flicker of amusement.

A flicker of possession.

He leaned in, his voice a whisper

" You will now."

Her body locked in place. Every nerve screamed at her to run, but there was nowhere to go. There was no one to help.

She tried to run opposite, everyone alarmed.

She barely had time to run, before a quiet grip tightened around her left arm.

Andrea’s heart pounded like a drum.

She had turned to run, but before she could take a full step, a strong grip wrapped around her arm.

Not rough. But firm.

Her breath froze as she twisted, trying to yank herself free.

" Let me go! "

She fought, her body jerking, her nails clawing at his fingers, but it was useless. His grip didn’t bruise, didn’t crush, yet it didn’t even budge.

" Andrea."

His voice was calm, cutting through her panic like a blade.

" Don’t make this harder than it needs to be."

Her pulse hammered. Every instinct screamed at her to run, to get away, but she was trapped.

Her free hand swung, aiming for his face.

He caught her wrist midair, effortlessly

She stared at him. Alfonso sighed, when he saw, she was being difficult.

" Don't make me want to hurt you."

" Then let me go,"

She whispered, voice trembling.

" Not an option."

His thumb brushed over her pulse point, slow, calculated. Like he could feel the panic racing through her veins.

Her stomach twisted at the pain and she screamed when his thumb pressed at her wrist, to stop her from jerking violently which she did stop.

Without another word, he moved.

Swiftly, seamlessly, he scooped her into his arms.

A strangled gasp left her throat. " No! Put me down! "

She thrashed, fought again, every muscle in her body desperate for freedom.

But Alfonso carried her like she weighed nothing, his hold firm but careful.

The night blurred around her as he walked, straight to the sleek black car waiting at the corner.

Andrea’s panic reached its breaking point.

She tried to kick free, tried to twist away, but all it did, made his grip tighten just enough to still her movements.

She wasn’t getting away.

Ever.

The car door swung open. Andrea's blood ran cold.

" No...please...I "

She barely finished the words before he stepped inside the car, sitting next to her.

The door shut behind them.