(Theme Song of the Chapter: Dollhouse - The Weeknd & Lily-Rose Depp)

Sophie◆Cruz

LOYALTY. SOMETHING THAT Walter said was my form of protection when it came to Aiden Accardi—If I continued to show my loyalty towards him I would be safe...he would keep me safe.

Whether this wave of wisdom from Walter was granted as some peculiar way to apologize for setting me up the other day, it still didn't appease me at any length.

I had kept my distance from Walter, whom I was beginning to grow fond of, and anyone that I deemed apart of Aiden's dangerous inner circle.

It was easier to avoid the criminal mastermind with my newly returned freedom, no longer being followed by his men, I was now able to live my life somewhat normally.

Though there were moments when our paths would cross at the estate, and each time he'd try to speak, words aimed to elicit a reaction, he was met with nothing but hollow silence.

And with every encounter, I could see the bewilderment in his eyes. So accustomed to our exchanges and our back and forth, now all he had was the sound of his own voice.

It unsettled him, and yet, I couldn't grasp why.

All I knew was that my silence had its purpose, for it was the only way to firmly disentangle his presence from my life.

As I sat in a diner with my friends, I found myself basking in their presence. My appreciation for them had certainly grown since my time away from them, and being able to indulge in a sense of normalcy as we chattered amongst each other was the epitome of peace.

"Sophie, where the hell have you been?" Samantha teased, her tone light, but with a touch of curiosity that made me stiffen in my seat.

"You got your fifteen minutes of fame and ditched us," Landon chimed in, smirking as he raised his coffee cup in mock toast. "She's got a rich, billionaire boyfriend now. Why would she need us?"

My hand tightened slightly around my glass at the mention of Aiden as my boyfriend. I forced a smile as I took a sip. "He's not my boyfriend."

Samantha raised her brows skeptically. "Whatever he is, don't forget where you came from. We still matter, bitch." She grinned, and despite the unease in my chest, I found myself laughing along with her.

But the guilt still gnawed at me. Samantha had been my best friend for years. I used to tell her everything, but now? Now, I was keeping secrets—big ones. Secrets I wasn't sure I'd ever be able to share. It weighed heavily on me, even as she joked and laughed, her tone lighthearted. I could sense something deeper, that deep down our growing distance bothered her.

I knew it bothered me.

After brunch, as we all headed out of the diner, Landon and Melody went to their cars, and Samantha and I made our way to hers.

"Thanks again for the ride," I told her as we approached her old Honda Civic.

My car, Brenda the Buick, had finally died on me yesterday. Whether it was from the countless late-night drives I had taken or the fact that she was over fifteen years old, I couldn't say. I was devastated to lose her.

"Of course," Samantha said as she unlocked her door, but then her eyes shifted over my shoulder. "Wait, you called Aiden to come get you?"

I frowned, spinning around to see what she was looking at—and there he was. The large man stood by his car, arms crossed, his black Bugatti parked at the curb, making him impossible to miss in this modest part of Miami.

My breath hitched for a moment, and I swallowed hard before turning back to Samantha. "Yeah... we have a thing. I forgot to mention it," I lied, trying to keep my voice steady.

She glanced between us, skepticism flickering in her eyes, but eventually, she relented. "Be safe," she said, giving me a tight smile before slipping into her car.

I made my way to where Aiden was parked as the man who sported a nude collared shirt that was rolled up a little exposing his toned tattooed arms, watched me from afar intently.

And there was something about his shameless state that made my body feel hot as I approached. But I was still beyond angry with him, angry with how he spoke to me the other day and enraged by the rough, unthinking way his hands sought to claim what they could not mend.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, trying to keep my voice steady.

He clicked his tongue, the corners of his lips curling into a smirk. "Came to see my sweetheart." He strolled over to the passenger side of his car and opened the door for me. "Get in."

I narrowed my eyes at him, standing my ground for a beat longer than necessary, but that smirk never left his face. His voice dropped an octave. "Get in the car, Sophie."

I sighed before sliding into the passenger seat. The high-tech interior of the Bugatti only added to my unease as Aiden closed the door behind me and walked around to the driver's side. He started the car, and we sped out of the parking lot, the tension between us alive with every passing second.

We drove in silence for a while, the hum of the engine the only sound.

"Ah, still giving me the silent treatment." He acknowledged almost to himself.

I couldn't hold it in any longer. "I want you to stop tracking my location," I muttered, staring out the window at the buildings passing by.

"You see what an addictive drug freedom is," his raspy voice rang in my ears. "I give you a taste and you ask for more."

I let out a quiet huff. "I have proved to you I won't snitch on you. And like you said—you trust that I will fall in line."

His laughter teased my ears, the pitch almost sounded amused. "I said I trust you'll stay in line," he replied, making a turn. "I never said I trust you."

Silence fell between us again, only broken when I noticed where we were heading—a high-end shopping district downtown.

I frowned in confusion. "What are we doing?"

Aiden parked the car and glanced over at me with a playful grin. "I'm taking you shopping."

I shook my head. "No, I don't need anything. I want to go back to the estate."

The sooner we were there, the sooner I could leave his presence and disappear somewhere in the 30,000 square foot property.

His eyes locked onto mine, and his smirk faded into something more sincere—yet still calculated. "I can't spoil my sweetheart?"

The warmth of his words washed over me, but I managed to stay grounded. Just a few days ago, this man had threatened my grandmother, and had made such disparaging comments about me. And now he wanted to play nice?

The last thing I wanted was to be his.

"Aiden, you're getting on my nerves," I said not caring if my words angered him. "I don't want to be around you. Take me back to the estate."

I was now faced away from him watching out the window as wealthy couples walked hand in hand looking happy as they came in and out of the stores. A small part of me wished that Aiden and I had met under different circumstances—perhaps then, everything would feel different, and maybe I could even enjoy this.

"Listen," his voice didn't hold its normal arrogant mask. "I was an asshole the other day. I just wanted to make it abundantly clear about us being what we both agreed this would be."

I gave him a bitter smile. "You say that like this is something," I muttered, echoing his words from the other day. "Don't flatter yourself, Aiden. Whatever we did before was so unmemorable, it barely even counts as an experience."

I could see his jaw flex. My words, though blatant lies, were getting to him, and that carefully controlled poker face of his was beginning to slip.

His voice dropped just enough to make the words run heavier. "Then explain why you were so wet both times..."

I froze in place. He got me there. My mouth could lie but my body was too honest.

"All I'm saying is that I know what this is...or was."

There would be no next time—because whatever happened in the past would stay exactly where it belonged.

Aiden hummed in agreement, his fingers tapping on the steering wheel. "Good. So we're on the same page."

I didn't say anything but ignored him. I was honestly still angry. This dance we were doing was exhausting, the constant back-and-forth of control and submission. All I wanted was respect—something Aiden seemed to think he could buy his way out of.

"You don't respect me. I'm not expecting us to be friends—hell even to tolerate each other but I am expecting the human decency of respect." I said determinedly.

He was quiet for a moment, and I felt a nervous flutter in my chest. I never knew which version of Aiden I was going to get—the charming manipulator or the cold, detached mob boss.

"I'm sorry," he suddenly said causing me to glance over at him just to check if it was still him. "I'll try—"

He cut himself off growing a little flustered and I could tell he was going through a mental battle with himself.

His chocolate brown eyes poured into mine and his large hand now rested on my thigh rubbing soft circles on my skin. I froze trying to stop myself from melting in his touch but there was something he was seemingly trying to communicate that he couldn't do verbally.

"I want to spend my money on you," His deep voice said, his eyes flickering with determination. "Please let me."

Was this his odd and dare I say surface level way of showing he was...sorry?

I snapped my head and looked at the Hermès store that was not too far away.

"Fine,"

What followed was a whirlwind of designer stores, one after the other. Aiden's black Amex card slid smoothly across every counter, each total more obscene than the last. He didn't bat an eye. He bought me anything I so much as glanced at, filling his car with bag after bag of luxury goods.

As I looked at Aiden, his natural confidence as he walked, how he ignored the people who stared and gawked at him in wonder, or the couple of paparazzi that would follow us whenever we would leave a store, I began to realize how easy it was for Aiden Accardi to appease the eye.

How easy it was to forget how truly dangerous he was when on the outside he was some tatted up handsome socialite that people seemed to wonder over.

"Whatever you want, baby," he murmured as he guided me into yet another store. His hand pressed against my lower back, possessive and gentle all at once. "I'll buy it. No questions asked."

And when we were finished with my shopping, with Aiden carrying dozens and dozens of bags and putting them into his car, I found myself dazed at all the money spent.

All his money spent.

After all this, I may have a closet that could compete with Chiara's.

"I heard about what happened to your car," Aiden spoke as he entered his car, putting his keys in the ignition.

I nodded. "Yeah, Brenda is officially gone."

Aiden shot me a look before his lips curled into a smile. "Brenda?"

"Yes, I am one of those peculiar people who name their cars. Sue me." I said with a mock sigh before a small chuckle escaped me.

Aiden's eyes hold there stare on me for a few seconds, his smile surprisingly not faded. His smiles, the ones where he showed his pearly white teeth, were normally short and sweet, but this one was still present on his face.

"I want you to join me for dinner tonight," he said huskily. "I can get us reservations at this one spot I think you'll like."

I narrowed my eyes at him, utterly exhausted from all the shopping. The last thing I needed was to attend some posh, overpriced dinner, being wined and dined by a billionaire who, surprisingly, had been less of a jerk today.

"Why?" I crossed my arms.

Aiden furrowed his brows. "We don't really know each other. And that bothers me."

I scoffed. "You just want to know more so you can control more."

Aiden gives me an an unexplainable look, there was a brief flicker of softness in his eyes. "If it was about control, there is nothing about you that I can't find out on my own."

He had a point.

"I wanna know you, Sophie." He said licking his lips. "A girl that has the boldness to attempt to take me down earns my interest—though you interested me before that."

He leaned himself closer to me to where his lips were near my ear. His thumb brushes against my lips before he whispered, "I still think about what those lips do."

And I heated up in the seat growing flustered. He studied me for a few seconds with a smirk before he created distance between us.

Maybe dinner was an opportunity. I could use the outing to distract him just enough, pretend to go to the bathroom, and leave him stranded by taking his car. I'd drive to the nearest airport, change my name in another state, and leave the country for good.

Somewhere he could no longer track me. Somewhere his charismatic aura and attraction would have no power.

But then again, what would become of Lola?

I coughed awkwardly, knowing my cheeks were probably growing red from his words. "Yeah, dinner sounds nice."

As his smirk deepened and his gaze lingered for a long moment, a faint chill crept down my spine. "I know that look all too well, sweetheart. Whatever you're plotting—or even just thinking about—you're smart enough not to try."

A flicker of something—both odd and intriguing—passed through his stare before he grabbed my hand, intertwining our fingers together slowly. "I can give you all the free will you desire, but it will never change that you are..." His baritone voice suddenly trailed off.

Suddenly, I felt cool metal against my thumb. I looked down to see one of his multiple silver rings now adorning it; he had slipped it around the only finger it would fit.

He leaned in closer, his breath warm against my ear. "Bound, baby."

I stilled. My mind began to warp in apprehension because the part of me, the part that terrified me, the part that was fooled by him just like the world was, the tiny and twisted part that almost relished in the words he spoke was alive and well—it was the opposite of me, immortal and impossible kill.

I tried to bury her in a casket but with the melody of his voice she came crawling out.

With that, he pressed his foot hard on the pedal, the roar of the engine swallowing the silence as we sped through the city, the lights blurring into streaks of gold and crimson.

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Hi, Loves! This chapter is a stepping stone to the next set of crazy events that will take place. I actually am almost finished drafting the whole story in advance and there is so much more in store that I can't wait to release. I'm so excited!

Thanks for reading! Please Vote, comment, and follow.
xoxo
-v

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