Claimed by The Rogue Alpha
Claimed By The Rogue Alpha Chapter 43

=Olivia==

I peeled my eyes open, just in time for sun rays to stream in. I squinted, hugging my pillow tightly. I wished I could stay in bed forever, but for some reason, I rose. I yanked and stretched my body, and for some time, I stared blankly.

I, however, soon jerked out of my lazy gaze and walked straight to the bathroom to go through my morning routine. It didn't take long for my stomach to give a loud groan, making me yawn a second time. I hadn't had dinner last night, so now, I could really deal. I got hold of some clothes before walking to the door. I pulled it open and just then, my gaze fell on the stuff lying the floor. A white shopping bag. It had the name Durrell printed on it. I looked around, wanting to spot whoever it was had dropped it. I crouched down and grabbed the bag before getting inside. What is this? I dug my hand into the bag feeling the items inside. They were wrapped in what I supposed was polythene. I drew up one piece and my eyes widened when I saw it was.

I tore off the wrap and carefully unfolded the dress to reveal a red silk dress with a huge slit by the side. I almost laughed. What in heaven's name was this?

I emptied the bag, bringing out the other items. One was a georgette evening dress without sleeves. The other, a thigh length gown with an A-line. What in f**k's name?

What was I supposed to do with this? I had complained earlier about how weird the clothes I had were, now this? This just made me look like a whore and I couldn't go about dressed like this with Matteo around. At the mention of Matteo, my heart skipped. Was he the one that got me these? Of course, it had to be him. I sighed.

Anyway, I wasn't gonna let that get to me. There was no way in the world. No way in the whole wide world I was gonna wear these. And so, I packed them up and tossed them into the closet.

I made it out of the room and got to the dining. The table was set. I took my seat and was prepared to have my meal when I realised that Matteo hadn't showed up. This would make it the second day after the incident we hadn't eaten together. But at the same time, I was relived he wasn't here. It wasn't as if we had a nice meal time or anything similar. The guy...he just was cold. Totally unpredictable. One minute he engaged me in a conversation and the other, he behaved as if I didn't exist at all. I was so done with that. I ate my food in silence. And when I was done, I returned to my room. But then my interest or rather my amusement created by the sorry item Matteo had got me made me walk to the closet and fish out the bag. This time I went through every item. In total, there were ten dresses. All gowns. And like I had feared, each one of them was flimsy. Seriously, what was Matteo driving at? I couldn't help but wonder. What was his motive in all of this?

But just as I began shoving the items back into the bag, an idea clicked. The idea that brought a smirk to my face

You know you're pathetic. My subconscious told me.

***

==Matteo==

Done rinsing my hands, I turned off the tap. I dried my hands using a hand towel, then placed the towel neatly on the rack. I opened the door, stepping into the sun lounge. My butler stood at the other end of the lounge. " Good morning, sir," he said.

I walked straight to where my sit was and sat down.

"We were able to tow the car, sir."

I didn't say anything, instead helped myself with the cup of tea before me.

I took a sip, looking straight off.

"We came upon some furs." When he said that, I gazed sat him. Now, that was something of note. He went for the stool which stood at the corner he had been. There was a box atop it. He lifted it and presented it to me. I gave him a go-ahead for him to open it. There, I saw it. The tuft of fur. Its silver colour couldn't be mistaken. It belonged to the guy that had accosted me.

I stared at it, but didn't pick it up. "You know what to do."

My butler nodded. And truly, I didn't need to say much. He knew just what to do. Whoever it was, I promised, was going to have it hot. After I'd had the fur scanned, I could know who that fucker was. I waved my butler off, while I relaxed back into my seat. A part of me suggested I sit back and ignore what had happened. After all, this was Brookehurt. There were a lot of crazy dudes out there. However, at the same, time I couldn't shake off that feeling from me. That feeling that something just wasn't right. Wait. Could it be that my secret is out? At that instant, my heart leapt. Apprehension seized me. I mean, that appeared to be the only logical explanation for this. Could it be? ==Olivia==

Lunch time it was and I stood in front of the mirror, staring at my reflection. I did look different. The dress highlighted my every curve. The curves I didn't know I had. Literally jaw dropping, that was how I looked. Because of how thin the material was, my boobs appeared much bigger than they actually were.

I ran my hand down my hair, making sure there were no knots. I took one more look at the mirror, then I walked straight to the dining. From the corner of my eyes, I saw Matteo take his eyes from his meal. I tried not to smirk as I walked to the sit opposite him. Also, I tried not to fidget. Being in close proximity with Matteo while dressed this way was nerve-wrecking. I picked up my cutlery and began working on the steak. I noticed Matteo shifting uncomfortably in his seat. Then all of a sudden, he stood up. Is he going to... is he gonna do what I'm thinking? But then, Matteo didn't walk up to me. Instead, he left the dining. My heart sank and I looked around to know if anyone had seen what had happened. And of course, there was a guard stationed at a corner in the dining. Pure embarrassment wrapped me up. I felt like smacking my cheeks. Look what a fool I'd made myself to be in front of everyone. What the f**k is wrong with me? I sighed. No wonder Leah always said I could be petty. It wasn't farther from the truth. I couldn't stay here to eat anymore. I stood up, picked the tray and began walking out of the room. Then, just as I was about crossing the threshold of the dining room, something bumped into me. And just like that, the tray fell to the floor and in the process, the contents spilled on me. I gasped, as I stared down at myself. My dress was badly stained. I looked up to know who had bumped on me. Alas, it was no other than Matteo. The cleaners appeared immediately and began cleaning the place. I pulled away and began walking to my room. I had to get this dress off.

Footsteps echoed behind me and before I could make any assumptions, his voice erupted.

"Olivia."

As much as I wanted to, I didn't turn. I wanted Matteo to crawl on his knees. He'd hurt me. And I wasn't gonna be the fool I'd been all this while.

I was still making decisions on whether I should answer him or not when he gripped me and pulled me to face him. Such arrogance. I yanked my hand off. A glare on my face.

"Leave me alone!" I blurted out without thinking. My yell, reverberating.

Once again, he didn't react facially. But rather pulled me by my arm and began heading to my room.

"Hey," I shouted, but he wasn't listening. He barged into my room, closed the door with his legs, and slammed me on the wall.

I gasped and before I knew it, he slammed his lips on mine. Catching me off guard. I received his kisses with so much enthusiasm, completely letting go of my resolve to be hard. He pushed me further to the wall and I shot my legs up. He grabbed it, making me raise the other too. I was now straddling him; I could feel his hard boner against my groin.

His hands cupped my cheeks, deepening the kiss. Then abruptly, he stopped. I caught myself, looking into his eyes, wondering, asking myself what had caused him to stop. I was still straddling him, so we were centimetres apart. Our lips were really close. He drew nearer and I closed my eyes, prepared to have him kiss me.

"Open your eyes."

I did. And man, Matteo's husky voice made me shiver. I swear I had picked the Italian tint in it.

His gaze was intense. "Did you enjoy the kiss?"

I gulped.

"I bet you did," he said this and set me on the floor. My arms slipped from his neck as he retreated. Without saying a word, he walked to the door. Again, he was abrupt in cutting his steps. He turned to me, his face as emotionless as a robot. "See that as a compensation for the other day. Don't go about with a chip on your shoulder like an entitled girlfriend."

Moments after he'd said that, moments after he'd left, I still stood, staring at the door. They said, once bitten, twice shy. But no, my dumb brain couldn't learn lessons. My dumb self didn't take corrections, and I kept taking in bullshit.

I had let Matteo insult me. Not once, not twice, and certainly not thrice. And for what? For what exactly.

A lone tear escaped my right eye. It fell, landing squarely on my foot.