Hayden continued to watch me closely from across the table. I could feel his bright blue gaze burning into me. With a resigned sigh, I started scooping random mix of food from the dishes onto my te. I wasn’t even interested about what had been served. All I wanted to do was shove enough food into my mouth and down my throat so that Hayden would be satisfied.


    After that, I’m going to squeeze some answers out of him and get my ass out of here!


    I munched on the food without tasting it as my renewed determination started taking over. After eating more than decently enough, I picked up the ss of water and gulped down its entire content. I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand like a barbarian before cing the ss back down on the table with a loud thud.


    "I’m done eating. Can we talk now?" I announced as I stared back into his cold blue eyes.


    "What do you want to talk about, Malissa?" Hayden asked emotionlessly.


    As if he doesn’t already know what I wanted to talk about. Where should I even start?


    "You called the school and told them that I was sick? You had my sses cancelled for the day…" I said, astounded by the ridiculousness of his actions.


    "So, what if I did?" Hayden replied without a care.


    "That’s crazy. You shouldn’t have done that. I need to work. My students were waiting for me," Iined.


    "That doesn’t matter anymore," he muttered passively.


    "Of course, it matters. It may not matter to you, but it matters to me!" I cried out loudly.


    "Why does it matter?" Hayden asked coldly.


    "Huh? Of course, it matters. I have a life and a future that I’m working hard to build. Why can’t you understand that?" I snapped.


    How can he not understand something so simple?!


    "You chose a life associated with the mafia. How long did you think you could go on teaching those young kids?" Hayden asked as his eyes narrowed at me.


    "What? That has nothing to do…" I mumbled.


    Honestly, I have never thought about it that way at all. I just thought that choosing to be associated with the mafia meant that I could be together with Hayden. No one ever mentioned giving up my job or my interaction with other people…right?


    "It has everything to do with it. Would the parents of those cute and adorable young children want you around their children if they knew about your association to the mafia? What do you think?" Hayden asked as his eyes begged me for an answer.


    "That’s…anyways, you cannot keep me locked up here!" I yelled across the table.


    "Why not?" Hayden asked as if he really didn’t get it.


    "Isn’t it supposed to be obvious? You can’t just lock people in and hold them against their will…" I shot back as my anger started to take over.


    Why is he acting like I’m the one that doesn’t understand anything here? I was sure that my logic was right. It wasmon sense. Everyone has been taught this. It is thew for crying out loud so why do I have to keep repeating myself like this? How many times do I have to say it for him to get it?


    "Is that the rule that you live by?" Hayden asked beforeughing softly.


    "It’s not just a rule. It is thew, and everyone lives by it," I stated firmly.


    "Everyone? Then let me ask you this. Do you think thew and the rules that you mention would really apply here? Does it apply to this mansion and the people inside? Do you honestly believe that thews apply to anything that I do?" Hayden challenged before he grinned at me.


    "What do you mean?" I asked suspiciously.


    "I asked you to make the choice and you decided to be part of the mafia world. In our world, we have our own rules and our ownws. It applies to our territories and our people," Hayden stated before pointing at me.


    My eyes widened at his words, and it was like my heart was about to stop beating.


    "You are one of us now. Some would say that you always were…" Hayden said calmly.


    I didn’t know what to say. It was true thatrge gangs like the Torex gang lived above thew or more like there were parts of their organization that hides away from thew.


    Once again, Hayden red at me and shook his head as if he couldn’t believe how I didn’t understand something so simple.


    "Sweetie listen, if the normalws applied you and I wouldn’t be in this situation. Your parents wouldn’t have died like that. Your life wouldn’t be a mess and you wouldn’t have to make the choice that you’ve just made. You’re part of this world now, Malissa, and there is no turning back…" Hayden said before he smiled charmingly at me.


    "Let me out…I want to go outside…" I pleaded.


    "There’s everything that you need in here. Why would you need to go outside?" he asked as he cocked his head to the side.


    "What?" I mumbled.


    "If there’s something that you want, you can let Auntie know and she’ll get it arranged for you. I already instructed her to make you feelfortable here. I doubt that you would want something that my money cannot buy," Hayden said with a carefree shrug.


    "That’s not the point at all. Hayden, let me out of here!" I cried out desperately.


    "That’s not possible right now," I stated without any empathy.


    "Why? Why are you locking me up in here?" I asked again.


    "Don’t you already know the answer to that?" he asked as he raised an eyebrow at me.


    "Is it because I met Ethan?" I said softly.


    "Good. So, you do know," Hayden affirmed.


    "I told you that I didn’t want to meet with him. I didn’t do it on purpose…" I began exining again.


    "It doesn’t change the fact that you met him, and he started giving you ideas…" Hayden replied passively although his words cut pretty deep.


    --To be continued…