Elodie had passed out.

Again.

It was starting to become a habit.

Streaks of sunlight peirced through her irises when she managed to open her eyes sometime later.

Wincing, she rolled over onto her side and buried her face in the soft pillow beneath her head. It smelled nice and clean.

After a while of inhaling the clean scent, Elodie finally rolled onto her side and forced her eyes open.

She was back in her old room, if the shower sitting in the middle of the room was any indication. And there was also the matter of the double-French door balcony.

No voice could be heard from below this time. Everything was as quiet and as still as water.

Knowing what she would find, but unable to resist finding out anyway, Elodie let her fingers trail up be bare stomach, through the valley between her breasts, stopping when her hands snag on the clasp around her neck.

She'd been chained back to the wall.

Then, she began to take inventory of her injuries.

She ached everywhere.

Her limbs, her vagina, her whole body.

And after what she'd gone through, Elodie expected to reek of sweat and filth, but she also smelled clean.

"Good morning, ma'am," said a soft feminine voice.

Without moving her body, Elodie's gaze tracked all over the room, then stopped when they snagged on a tall leggy blonde clad in a knee-length silky white dress. Her orange lipstick was so bright that Elodie blinked twice at it; it was a citrus-y kind of colour that didn't work on most people, but it did on her.

Elodie remembered her encounter with the woman she (almost) killed yesterday, and kept her mouth shut. Opening her mouth had only gotten her in trouble with Mercedes, and the woman was either dead or severely injured if Angelo had to bring in another woman.

"I'm Hana, your new assistant."

Hana looked like a half-korean half-American woman, and she was flawlessly beautiful. Her make-up was minimal, and the way she stood reeked of elegance.

"Mr. Angelo told me that you'll need assistance this morning with something, so don't hesitate to tell me what you need."

Elodie closed her eyes, sighing as she turned to bury her face into the pillow.

Anything I need but my freedom, I could bet.

"Besides, you have to get ready for your date with him this morning."

That had Elodie sitting upright in bed.

She winced, sucking down the cry that almost escaped her parted lips by biting the inside of her cheek so hard until she could taste the coppery, tangy taste of blood.

After her smarting muscles dulled into a faint throb, she asked, "A date?"

Hana's lips shifted into a faint smile. "Yes. But we have to get ready on time." She checked her gleaming wristwatch with a faint line between her brows. "Well, we have about an hour."

Elodie's stomach growled loudly, interrupting whatever the other woman was about to say.

That damned smile never left her lips. "Oh. I'll head out and get you something to eat, in the meantime why don't you take a bath?"

Hana didn't wait for a response before leaving just as she came.

Elodie noted that she didn't lock the door behind her like Mercedes did, but she knew better than to risk it again.

Angelo had probably set a trap and she'd fallen right into it.

Dragging her aching body off the safety of the mattress, she made her way to the walled bathroom in the middle of the room, and stepped in.

She turned the shower to the hottest temperature, reached for the loofah hanging from one of the hooks and the body soap, then began to scrub vigorously.

The events of yesterday played in a fast reel in her mind.

I stabbed someone.

She scrubbed harder at her fingers, hoping to wash away the invisible stain of blood underneath her fingers.

Angelo forcefully took me.

She scrubbed her body harder, tears leaking out of her face and mixing in with the rivulets running down her body.

By the time she finally shut off the tap, her body was so red and raw, and everything hurt: her mind, her body, her soul.

Hana was waiting with a trolley littered with plates that held eggs, toasts, oatmeal, berries, and a glass of juice and water.

Elodie took a toast and began to munch on it, eyes straying to the flock of birds fluttering about the tree a few feet away from the balcony.

"Is Angelo picking me up?"

"No. But he ordered that a car be waiting for you when you're ready."

She turned around, facing Hana who was watching her with that small smile. "You do not have to stay and watch me eat."

Hana raised a brow. "That's kind of my job as your assistant. I must make sure you eat, no matter how little."

Elodie followed her gaze to the barely eaten toast in her hand, and she quickly dropped it onto the plate with the others, then took the glass of water and sipped from it.

"I'm done."

Hana's lips parted like she wanted to protest, but then she snapped it shut, nodding. "I'll have someone clear that out. Now that you've eaten, let's get you dressed."

Elodie pivoted away from her, unable to stomach going back into the closet after yesterday. "I'll wait here."

Hana's footfalls couldn't be heard, but she did hear the closet door woosh open.

Instantly, her mind began to wander; was there still blood on the floor or had someone cleaned that out? Did the blood arc, spilling out and staining some of the very expensive materials she'd seen yesterday?

Before she could spiral into her dark thoughts, Elodie escaped to the bathroom to brush her teeth. The packaged electric brush she found in the cabinet under the sink was her only option.

When she got back, she examined the outfit her assistant had laid out for her.

It was a pant with ironed creases. "Do I have to dress up?"

"Yes, ma'am." Then, she went back into the closet.

It was useless arguing, so Elodie pulled on the outfit. The midnight-blue linen pants wrinkled on contact with her skin, and she instantly stained the white silk top with her fingerprints and immediately had to change to the other option.

Since she trusted Hana just about as much as she trusted rattlesnakes, Elodie refused to let her near her head. So, she combed her fingers through her hair and finally weaved it into a single plait she threw over one shoulder.

"I came to see if you're done." Hana, who'd never apparently heard the word privacy, returned, arms folded just above her waist, staring at the plait with a lopsided smile.

Elodie kept her hands by her side, refusing to be intimidated. "Uh, yeah, thanks."

"Please come into the closet with me," she said, then backed out of the room and into the closet.

Elodie followed her.

So, Hana set out doing her make-up, which necessitates a raft of expensive products to achieve a smooth skin and pretty smoky eye. The vibrant red lipstick she applied glided like a dream, then she went over the edges with a lip pencil before blotting it out and reapplying it again.

Elodie stared at her face in the mirror.

She looked so different, and it'd been a while since she had that much color on. Even Boss's hired make-up artist didn't work perfection like Hana did.

Hana must have caught her focus on the shade of lipstick, because she said, "This is Chanel Rogue Allure in Pirate. It brings out the focus of your eyes."

Then, she set out studying Elodie's face, peering closer and turning her head this way and that, pursing her lips occasionally.

It was hard, but Elodie forced her shoulders to relax slightly.

"Sun damage." Hana kissed her teeth, then proceeded to conjure an iPad from thin air, made a note on it, then peered at her face again. "We need a brighter concealer. And a waxing kit," she added, then reached over to drag a mannequin head from a top shelf where several were neatly arranged. "Here. Put this on."

An electric blue shoulder-length wig was on the mannequin's head. Elodie poked at it, brows raised. "Is this real hair?"

She wouldn't put it past these people to scrape off someone's real hair and pass it off as wig.

Hana did something with her plait despite her protests, slapped on the wig, brushed it with some spiky like thing, then stepped back.

This time when Elodie checked the mirror, she was taken aback.

How could she look so much like herself and different at the same time?

Hana tilted her head this way and that, nodding when she was satisfied. "Now for your shoes..."

Elodie stood up from the chair she'd been directed into for her glow-up, watching as the other woman went to take down a red box from another shelf that housed heels on racks and other similar boxes.

The Balenciaga red-bottom heels gave Elodie an height different that made her feel so tall.

The matching purse that held lipsticks with brand names that made her eyes water, power compacts, an eye-pencil and a tiny box of tissue was thurst into her hands.

Hana surveyed her work once again, then clapped her hands with a delighted smile. "Let's go, then."

*

The drive down to the Marina was smooth, and Elodie at least got the opportunity to study the road down there.

It was impossible, but Angelo's marina was private and sectioned off, meaning he owned the whole thing, and she knew this because on the way there, she saw no soul in sight.

It was no wonder he found her so quickly that night.

God, was it day three already?

The car came to a halt, and before she could reach for the door, a man in dark suit and low buzz cut was already reaching for the handle.

He stood silently to the side while she climbed out of the car, Hana following the other side.

"After you, please," Hana said, standing two feet away behind her, clutching her iPad and purse.

Elodie's heartbeat began to race as they drew closer to the familiar yatch.

Each step she took was measured and slow, and she kept glancing over her shoulders to make sure Hana was still there. While the other woman wasn't to be trusted, she'd not treated her the way Mercedes had so far, so that gave her a little bit of comfort.

Finally, they were stepping onto the yatch where several men in suit, earphones and dark sunglasses were loitering about, facing the open waters as though a threat would come from there without them seeing it first.

Like a moth to flame, Elodie spotted Angelo instantly in the midst of three men with shoulder length hair.

He was wearing an ash-colored patterned double-breasted suit, navy blue tie, and dress shoes.

If she didn't know better, Elodie would think him a capable businessman and not the murderer and rapist that he truly was.

Then, he turned his head slightly, his gaze capturing hers.

Elodie watched as the side of his lips tilted up into a smile.

Her chest began to rise and fall as her breaths began to escape in rapid, and shallow paces.

She smoothed her hands down her thighs, watching as he made his excuses, broke away from his companions, and stalked toward her.

The memory of the day before began replaying, and all she could see was him chasing her, holding her down and forcing pleasure and pain on her.

By the time he stopped in front of her, Elodie's face was white, and her fingers were buried deep into her palm. She felt no pain, though, just dread of what he was planning to do to her.

Angelo raised a hand, aiming for her face, but halted its movement midair when she flinched, taking a step back from him.

He raised a brow, but dropped the hand. "Good. Your fear is good."

She swallowed, throat bobbing with the movement, eyes sharp and body taut as tight as a bow string.

"Come," he said, holding out the crook of his elbow. "There are people I'd like you to meet."

Elodie slipped her right hand through the space he'd created, and fell into step beside him as he directed her back to the three men he'd been chatting with.

All three of them turned to the both of them, face deviod of any expressions.

"This is Elodie, my escort for the day," Angelo said, waving a hand in her direction. "Elodie, this is Fabian, Luciano, and Emilio."

Emilio, the one with graying full beards and shifty dark eyes, held out a hand to her expectantly.

Skin crawling, Elodie slipped her free wrist into his waiting palm and resisted snatching it back when he leaned forward to kiss the back of her hand, holding her eyes all the while.

"Affascinato," he murmured, as he released her hand and straightened.

Fabian only nodded at her.

Luciano also gave her wrist the same treatment.

Elodie promised to scrub her hand with soap plenty of times if she ever got the chance to escape to the bathroom.

"Now that we're complete, why don't we shift this meeting to the dining area? My chef has prepared the most delicious delicacy for us."

Although it was worded as a request, Elodie was sure that it was anything but.

The three men fell into step behind Angelo and Elodie, keeping a respectful distance between them, leaving no room to doubt who the boss was.

Angelo leaned down, pressing his lips to the shell of her ear. To their three companions, it must look so intimate, but the words he whispered were not, in fact, intimate.

"Unless you want a repeat performance from yesterday, this time with an audience, keep your mouth shut, and don't speak unless you're asked a direct question. Do you understand?"

Elodie had no doubt that he'd carry out his threat.

"Yes, I do."

"Good."

A/N:

Not much of a cliffhanger, but still, there's the lunch business to get through, and knowing Angelo, he probably has something up his sleeves.

Meanwhile, no excuse whatever for the delay in updates, but I did say it was going to be slow because I'm working on another one for Wattys.

In the meantime, I've seen many of you readers.

Thank you for taking a chance on this book.

Also, someone left a comment about me promoting Violence which had now be deleted, but I can't believe that I have to do this again, but please and please, I already mentioned that this book contains violence.

I said it several times, over and over.

If you can't stomach it, please leave.

Now that we have that out of the way, let's get to the Q&A:

What's your thought on the new chapter?

Do you think Hana is better than Mercedes?

Why did Angelo invite Elodie to the lunch with those three men?

Don't forget to vote, comment and share.