Page 30 of Greed
I follow the same routine the next day, and the day after that. Five days tick by, and I’m going fucking crazy. I need out. I need fresh air and freedom. Fuck I need to bake something. That’ll calm me right down.
I wonder if I can convince the goon to take me to the kitchen. There must be something I can do aside from being in this room. The door opens, and I turn to ask Maria if I can go to the kitchen, but I freeze.
Matteo stands there, looking at me with those dark, sullen eyes. My gaze falls to his hand, which still has a bandage around it, and I snicker.
“Jeez, I must have got you good if it’s still bandaged five days later.”
“Now, now, Gia, don’t ruin my good mood or I won’t allow you the little glimpse of freedom I was coming to give you,” he says with a scowl. “If you don’t want more freedom, I can always leave you for another five days in this room.”
My mouth dries. The fucker is toying with me. He knows I’m going insane in this room, and now he’s fucking around with my sanity. He’s good, too good.
“No wait…” I say as he turns to leave. “What is it you’re offering?”
I try to sound nonchalant, but honestly I’ve perked up at the idea of being allowed in other parts of the house. Maybe there’s a home theatre, or a gym. Maybe I can try out the pool; he must have a pool.
“Well, why don’t you tell me what you like to do and we’ll take it from there?” he says, leaning back against the wall and crossing his arms.
I frown, then force a smile. “I like to vlog my cooking and baking. I have a channel, and I’m sure my followers are already missing me because I post every day.”
“Well, we can’t have them missing you,” he muses. He gives me a strange look. “You like to cook and bake?”
“Why is that so surprising?” I ask. “It wouldn’t surprise me if you thought a kitchen was a woman’s place.”
“Well, then you should be surprised because I don’t believe that, just ask my sisters.” He chuckles softly to himself. “If you ever see them, they’re always off partying. They think they’re socialites.”
I roll my eyes. “Showing off their money are they?”
He shakes his head. “No, they just like being social. It’s their thing. Now, you want to film yourself cooking and baking, and you want to post it to your channel?”
I nod, lifting my chin to meet his gaze. I’m confident in my decision. It will let me keep sane, and it’s fun to do, and my channel won’t die a cruel death while I’m being held captive.
“I’ll let you do that,” he says. I smile, but he holds up a finger. “But if you say one thing wrong, one thing about you being held against your will, or give away any clues as to what you’re doing or where you are, I will have you in the cellar permanently for the rest of your life.”
My smile falters, but I nod. “Fine then. I don’t want to mention you on my channel anyway. You’ll probably kill the vibe.”
“The vibe,” he scoffs. “What kind of vibe could a silly girl's cooking channel have?”
I glare at him, but he waves me off.
“Come on then, let me show you where the kitchen is.” As we walk, he continues to speak. “I’ll arrange for my guys to bring some filming equipment for you. Anything in particular?”
I give him a brief description of my needs…but the expensive, overdone version.
We go downstairs, and he leads me into a well-equipped kitchen. My mouth opens slightly at the state-of-the-art equipment and marble surfaces. Maria is there with another girl, busy preparing lunch, no doubt.
I look around and notice two exits. Two chances to escape.
My hopes are quickly dashed when a guard stands at either entrance.
CHAPTER TWELVE
MATTEO
Andrea texted to confirm that he’s off the listing. I don’t want him going back on, so I’m holding onto Gia for now, something he isn’t very happy about.
But I don’t care. I’m in a fantastic mood. Gia also seems happier now that I’ve allocated the kitchen as somewhere she can be. As the day drags by, I pass the kitchen to check in on her now and then.
I can’t believe someone so feisty and athletic also likes to cook and bake. It seems like such a delicate thing for her to be into.
