Chapter 10

A/N

I have very important news about the cast written below. Please make sure you read the Authors Note at the end of this chapter. Without further ado, the very delayed chapter 10.

So far my life goals were on track. Everything I hoped to achieve was successfully falling at my feet.

Move back to my home-city-- check.

Work for one of the richest and most influential men in the world - check.

Discover that the same man was secretly the worlds most notorious criminal leader - check.

Live with that same bi-polar piece of shit - check.

"Waw Eliyanna," I patted myself on the back, wrapping the aquamarine towel around my soaked body. "You really know how to live it up, don't you?" Stepping out of the bathroom, I entered the same room I tried to sneak out of days ago. Funny how life kept slapping me across the face.

Turn one cheek - WAM!

Turn the other cheek - WAM!

No mercy, this world and I was frickin' sick of it.

I don't mean to sound ungrateful; yes, I knew it could've been worst. But life did not give me lemons either -- hell, if it did, I would've squeezed it in Roman's eyes, ran out of the mansion and drove to Washington at the speed of time -- but at least I was still alive.

On another note, I slept peacefully without any nightmares since the incident. I guess that was one thing to be thankful for despite the heavy, heavy irony. Even though it should've lessened my bad mood today, it barely scraped it.

As I stood there staring at my packed bag, my mind shot back to last night. Something Roman said kept nagging at me. It was a question I wanted to ask but didn't know how to. Well, I knew how to, I just didn't know how to ask without getting murdered.

"Ugh," I grunted, falling to my knees and opening my suitcase. "It's better to be safe than sorry."

My bag was understandably filled with wrinkled clothes; I packed like a mad woman yesterday. Finding something decent to wear proved a little difficult, but soon enough, I grabbed a purple peplum top and paired it with white skinny jeans. After tying my hair in a neat pony tail, I stood at the mirror, again feeling myself zone out.

Knock Knock!

I don't know what I would do when I come face to face with Julian again. Last night, my bones felt like Jello when my eyes landed on him. The warrior inside me wanted to charge, attack, tumble him to the ground then punch the sh*t out of his smug face. However, the wimp inside me cowered away like a little bitch. A scared little wimpy bitch! Ugh, this was not me. What was it about Roman that makes me cowar away even if I didn't want to?

Probably the fact that he's a criminal mastermind so notoriously wicked the world actually doubts he exists!

Yeah, that was probably the reason.

Knock, Knock!

"Ms. Holland?" I jumped a little and looked toward the sound. "Are you there?"

"Aurora?" I asked, my heart beating a million miles per hour.

"Yes."

I peeked through the door, my lips quirking up at her cheerful face and my mood lifting just a little bit. "Come in. And please, I told you, Eliyanna's fine. Ms. Holland sounds way too formal."

With bouncy blonde curls that framed her round baby face, Aurora had to be at least one or two years older than me. Yesterday she tried her best to make me feel comfortable; offering to unpack my bags, wanting to make me food at the middle of the night and sitting next to me as I bawled myself to sleep.

"Whatever you want," she smiled back. "How'd you sleep last night? Well, considering the circumstances."

"Weirdly, okay." Clearing my throat I awkwardly sat on the bed. "And... ah... sorry for using your nightgown as a handkerchief. I can wash it for you."

"Nonsense," she smiled holding my hand. "What are nightgowns for?"

"Not nose-blowing," I chuckled, wrinkling my nose in disgust.

Aurora laughed, her blue eyes brightening as she sat next to me. "You're gonna be fine, you know. They're not as bad as you think." My eyes narrowed an inch at her statement, making her laugh again. "Seriously, you'll get used to it."

"Well, I heavily doubt that, but thank you." Her face noticeably turned from cheery to guilty. She squirmed on the bed and began taping at her knees nervously. "What is it?"

"I hate to do this but, um, Mr. Alexander and his lawyer are waiting for you downstairs."

Deep breathe in, deep breathe out.

Deep breathe in, deep breathe out...

Yeah that wasn't working.

"You're gonna be fine," she smiled apologetically, rubbing my back.

In other to gather strength, I closed my eyes and counted to ten before hastily standing on my feet. "Okay. Let's go. I wanna get this over with."

"Okay."

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Aurora led me to a beautiful turquoise patio next to a large pool. Roman was seated casually, exchanging papers with an Indian man who must've been his lawyer. And judging by the suit he was wearing, he was damn expensive.

Because they were deep in conversation, they didn't notice me approaching them, but boy did I notice a shirtless-Roman. How could I not? I was female after all! Plus, it wasn't entirely my fault. I mean, the stupid rising sun shone against his toned, wet body giving him a halo instead of devil horns. And to add insult to injury, his pool shorts hung perfectly, giving the world (more specifically mortal females, also aka me) a peek-a-boo glimpse of those lines that connected him; if you know what I mean.

Look away Eliyanna! The devil is a deceiver.

My eyes - my damn eyes - just couldn't stop staring!

Girl! Looks away!

Agh! Stupid traitor eyes.

After gathering the strength and convincing myself - and my eyes - that this was an evil, evil man, I finally looked away from his perfect abs to his face, finding his amused eyes and questioning brow already on me.

A sudden chill took over my body and I quickly realized that the cause of this sensation, wasn't Roman's frosty eyes but my body suspended in space and time. I could feel it, literally, I knew I was about to fall. One misstep to try to save my face from connecting with the floor, caused my ass to take the fall instead.

Pun fricking intended.

Looking up, I prayed that no one saw me, but alas! there was no such luck. In fact, the definition of bad luck was now seconds away from where I shamefully sat on my ass. Bending to my level, Mr. Alexander's lips curved to a smirk as he tilted his head to the side, "Well, good morning to you too, Ms. Holland." He extended his hand, offering me assistance. Assistance? Hah! Could you believe that?

Scowling my face, I flicked his arm away and tried to stand up by myself. "I fine Mr. Alexander, thank you." After watching my pathetic attempts at regaining footing, he gently re-positioned his hands on my arms and yanked me from the ground.

"You're welcome." I averted my eyes and tried to stay cool, but my quickly reddening face was quickly giving me a way. I stood shooting daggers at his retreating back before following behind him.

Staring at my feet, so I didn't have to stare at anything else, I sat at the seat which was opposite and furthest away from him. "Good morning," I grumbled, still trying to recover from the overwhelming embarrassment. I knew my face was still tomato red. I just knew it.

"Morning," they said in unison.

"Eliyanna," I finally looked up. "This is Mr. Kapoor, my lawyer. Mr. Kapoor, this is Eliyanna."

"Nice to meet you," he said, extending an arm. I studied Mr. Kapoor's weirdly small hands compared to his larger frame before hesitantly shaking it.

"Nice to meet--. Umm... It's a plea-- ?" God, this was so awkward. Even though I wanted to say it back, I couldn't do it.

One: His grumpy face and glaring eyes read the opposite of his words.

Two: It wasn't nice to meet him nor was it a pleasure.

Three: If you hadn't noticed, I woke up on the wrong side of the bed today.

So, I settled on a smile instead.

"Okay, here is the contract. Read it over and sign the very bottom of the page," he explained, pointing at a blank space next to him and Roman's signatures.

"Okay."

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This Nondisclosure Agreement is entered into by and between Mr. Roman K R Alexander ("Disclosing Party") from now on referred to as the 'DR' and Ms. Eliyanna Nicole Holland ("Receiving Party") from now on referred to as the 'RP', for the purpose of preventing the unauthorized disclosure of Confidential Personal Information defined below. The parties agree to enter into a confidential relationship with respect to the disclosure of certain proprietary and confidential personal information.

1. It is duly noted that the RP is fully aware that the Garza Organisation exists. It is also noted that the RP is the only link to the DR's life as the CEO of RomeTech and his life as the leader of the Garza Organization. Therefore, by signing this contract the RP has agreed to a second job as the DR's personal assistant and barrier. The purposes of the aforementioned job will include but are not limited to the following:

-Being the intermediary, answering telephone calls and delivering messages specifically from the Garza organization members to their leader, the DR.

-Keeping in touch with the Garza organisation's People's Affairs Manager and reporting back to the DR.

-Organizing and maintaining diaries and making appointments.

-Liaising with suppliers and other staff.

- Deputizing for the DR, making decisions and delegating work to others in the DR's absence.

-Travelling with the DR occasionally so the RP can keep in touch with the Garza Organization in other to report back to the DR when he's busy.

2. RP shall hold and maintain Confidential Personal Information in strictest confidence for the sole and exclusive benefit of the DP. RP shall not, without prior written approval of DP, use for RP's own benefit, publish, copy, or otherwise disclose to others, or permit the use by others for their benefit or to the detriment of DP, any Confidential Personal Information. RP shall return to DP any and all records, notes, and other written, printed, or tangible materials in its possession pertaining to Confidential Personal Information immediately if DP requests.

3. The RP shall show respect, obey and make herself available to the DP anytime of the day and do as he pleases.

4. The DP will be pay the RP $75 an hour for her second job as his PA, excluding the RP's job as an finance trainee at RomeTech. The DP will also be responsible for the RP's full cost of living including but not limited to: shelter, nutrition, fuel, travel tickets and all other necessities. The DP is also responsible for keeping the RP safe at all costs and is also obligated to let the RP visit family anytime she pleases and become friends with anyone she pleases after a thorough background check is conducted. The DP also agrees to respect all hard limits of the RP when she voices them out.

These terms are mutually agreed to by the affixing of the respective signatures below.

Mr. Roman K R Alexander

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Ms. Eliyanna Nicole Holland

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Mr. Rajeesh Kapoor

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"Oh, hell no!"

"Watch your language--" Mr. Kapoor scolded.

"Oh, I'm sorry," I chuckled, turning to face him. Stay calm Eliyanna. "Let me rephrase it: With all due respect sir, f*ck no!"

Okay, maybe I didn't know how to act calm in this situation. In my defense though, there's no life lesson that teaches one how to act around dangerous criminals. I mean, I've used the F-word more times since I met Roman, than I did my whole life... literally! Something about him just triggers my "curse-button".

Mr. Kapoor opened his mouth to speak again but Roman lifted his hand. "Give us a minute Raj."

The suited man reluctantly got up, throwing back the daggers my eyes were aiming at him. He adjusted his suit and left the patio to sit at a nearby pool chair. However, when Roman pointed to the furthest one, Mr. Kapoor was soon out of earshot. "So, I take it you want to discuss some things?" He asked, finally turning his attention to me.

You haven't signed the contract yet, Eliyanna, your life's still in dange---

OH F*CK THAT!

"Um, yes please, Mr. Alexander, I would like to discuss not being your slave, please!" I answered, with no attempt at hiding the sarcasm dripping in my tone. "This contract is more than just an "extended" version of the deal." I shook the papers vigorously. "If I sign this - this -- bullshit -- it's basically like giving myself to you."

"Is it?" Roman answered calmly. "'Cause if I can remember, you said, and I quote: 'I'll do anything you want.' This 'bullshit' is what I want."

My eyes widened as I recalled last night. I did in fact say that, but this was not what I meant and he fricking knew it! "If you would've proposed this last night I would've-"

"Preferred death?" Taking a sip of his orange juice, he added, "I highly doubt that."

God, I hated him! He was right, but I still hated him. "I would like to discuss somethings." I demanded through gritted teeth.

Where did the fear of him go you ask?
Out the gaddamn window!

"Ms. Holland, this is not--"

"Sir, there are something's I'm not comfortable with."

He adjusted on his seat crossing his right ankle above his left knee. "I'm all ears."

"About the you feeding me---"

"No. "

My mouth dropped open as I stared at this -- this -- man-beast! "Y-you didn't even know what I was gonna say."

"You're right, Eliyanna. That's my bad. What did you want to say?"

I cleared my throat and sat upright. "I don't feel comfortable allowing you to buy me food or clothes. I can take care of myself."

"No."

I blinked once. Then twice. "With all due respect, sir, I make enough money working for you. I have no problem going out to eat or buying my own groceries. I just have to live under you; that was the deal."

"The deal was whatever the fuck I wanted the deal to be. You're under my roof so you'll eat my food. If you don't like something made by the cooks you ask them for something specific. Period."

I felt my blood boil as my glaring match with Roman intensified.

"Mr. Alexander, this is not up for negotiation."

"Correct, it's not up for negotiation. Next question, please."

My jaw; I was pretty sure it reached the floor. The nerve of this man! By the look in his eyes I knew he wasn't going to let it go and I had a lot of question to ask. Brushing it off, I sat upright, letting him win this round.

Girl please! He RKO'd you to the ground.

I rolled my eyes at the stupid voice in my head and focused on the contract.

"I never signed up for a double job," I protested again.

"What's the problem? Do you want a higher pay?"

"No, Mr. Alexander, I don't want to work for you literally every second of my life, if that's okay."

"$85/hour, $95--"

"No... No," I shook my head. "It's like you're not hearing me!"

"Because I'm not. Your paycheck can be higher if you want it to be, but the job is already yours whether you like it or not."

"Mr. Alexander, this is illegal."

He chuckled and leaned in closer, "Not if you sign those papers."

"You're blackmailing me."

"Does it look like we live by the law? Eliyanna, don't be stupid."

Round three of our glaring match intensified as we both refused to break eye contract .I knew he wouldn't budge on the work issue by looking at his stubborn face. He hated being questioned or defied, I could tell. I could feel it. Signing the stupid contract meant I could tell him how I really felt without the fear of being killed right? I mean, it did say he had to keep me out of harms way at all cost. "$150 an hour then." Pissing his arrogant ass off and getting paid a buck load of money would simply be a bonus.

He let out a chuckle and sat upright. "Is that it, Ms. Holland?"

"Yes."

"Disappointing. Next question."

"I can't talk about you to anyone outside your organization."

"Correct."

"My best fri-"

He lifted his hand, cutting me off mid sentence. " Absolutely not. We have a therapist at the Garza Mansion. You can talk to her. She'll help you get over," he twirled his right hand, as if trying to find the right words. "Your little emotions."

"Do you go see her?"

"No. I don't need it--"

"You don't need it?" I cut him off, giggling. Therapy was probably made for psychopaths like this man and he didn't need it. How rich was that? "Oh, god."

"Are you done?"

"What?"

"Are you done laughing?"

"Yeah."

"Then sign the fucking papers before I lose my shit."

"I'm not done, though."

"I think you are," he got up from his seat and sat next to me, purposefully trapping me between the arm of the chair and his body. Passing me his and Mr. Kapoor's copies, he repeated through greeted teeth, "Sign the fucking papers."

I could tell that he was at a ticking point when his baby blue eyes turned dark. But I was at my ticking point also. I refuse to let fear cloud my judgement this time around, especially because the last question was the most important of all. If I didn't clear the air on it, I would live in constant fear of what might happen. I've been in that situation before and I will not be there again... at any fricking cost. Gulping back my doubts, I sat straighter from my cowering position and shook my head, "No. I have one more question."

For a moment he looked taken aback - I'm guessing he'd never heard the word "no" before.

Shit! Shit! Shit!

What did I just do?

Is he finally gonna kill me?

Did I push him too far?

What if I---

Roman crooked his head to the side, before his lips turned to a smirk.

Huh... wasn't expecting that.

"You want to know what 'doing anything I want' entails, don't you?" It was my turn to look taken a back.

How did he know that?

I could literally feel the blood rush from my neck to my cheeks. Yes, it was funny to me how out of character I get when discussing S.E.X. It made me squirm-ish, and very uncomfortable and something told me, Roman knew.

Re-positioning himself on the seat, he raised his eyebrows and smirked at me - I could tell he did that when he was amused. Couldn't he just laugh or smile like a normal person? "What, Ms. Holland? Cat finally caught your tongue?"

"W-what does that entail, Mr. Alexander?" I asked, trying to stay calm.

Where should I put my hand? On my lap? On the armrest? Should I hold it with my other hand?

Obviously, staying calm wasn't working; if Roman's eyes following the different positions of my hand, was any indication.

"Contracts can be very... tricky, Eliyanna. It entails a lot of shit. Be specific and tell me what you don't want me to do to you."

I hacked my brain trying to find the right phrase but lamely came up with, "Nothing physical," before my brain stopped my mouth.

His body shook with silent laughter as he crossed his arms on his chest, causing his muscles to budge upward.

Oh sweet lord, my eyes are at it again.

"In other words, you want to know if the contract allows me to fuck you, Eliyanna."

My eyes shot up to his face just in time for more heat to shoot up my face - if that was even possible.

Did he have to be so blunt?

Roman raised an questioning brow when I didn't answer for a while. Narrowing my eyes so I didn't have to look at him, I nodded, "Yes."

"Do I look like a blackmailing rapist to you, Ms Holland?"

I looked at his abs then my feet. Of course, he didn't. His hand lifted my face until I was looking deep into those baby blues. "Hmm?"

I shook my head and gulped. "The contract states that I can't hurt you in anyway," his voice got lower as he stroked my hair. "Pain and pleasure come hand in hand baby, and f*cking is no exception. As much as I wanna tame that smart mouth, you aren't ready for me." With that he got up from the seat and dropped the contract in his place. Taking a cigarette from the packet on the coffee table, he lit it before commanding, "Sign."

With shaky and uneven breathing, I did as told and handed them to him. If there was a literal meaning to a deal with the devil, this had to be it. It had to be.

He took one last huff before turning away. "And Kitty," he warned, turning his head sideways. "If you keep looking at me like a lollipop and biting that lip, ready or not I will fuck up this contract and do the same to you." With that he matched out of the patio without so much of a second glance. The same couldn't be said about the heat rising up my face.

Was that a sexual threat?

A/N

Hi there cookies and cupcakes! It's been soooooo fricking long. I'm so so sorry for being AWOL but I'll try my best to make it up to y'all. I haven't been able to update because my laptop had to be reset to factory settings. I lost almost all of my data, including advance chapters on Roman's Reign. It was so devastating that I just didn't have the motivation to start writing again. Thankfully I'm in the right mindset now, so hopefully you haven't lost interest.

What did you think of this chapter?

Please comment and vote, if you liked it, don't be silent readers. Your support will give me the motivation to keep writing especially now that I'm just starting to find my motivation again.

PS. I have decided to change the person who plays Eliyanna Holland and Roman Alexander. I promise this will be the last change LOL. Instead of Taylor Marie Hill, Valerie (Val) Mercado is now Eliyanna Holland. A picture of her is both above on the media thingy and down below.

Instead of Gui fedrizzi, Fabricio Zunino is the new Roman Alexander. Here's a picture of him below.

Tell me what you think of the cast please.

Xoxo... Tima