Luca walked into his house,he found Maria sitting on a couch,he started to tiptoe,he wasn’t ready for her sermons.

“I know you are home,Luca.”She began.

He slowly turned to face her.

Maria stood up.”She’s just twenty-one.”

“So? I’m just eleven years older than her”He reminded, nonchalantly.

“She had nothing to do with the money Edward borrowed”She pressed on.

“I can see that you had some chit chat with her and what do you hope to change?Maria, you have never been interested in any of my women,you always despised them,why are you suddenly interested in her?”

“Cause Aryann’s different and she doesn’t want to be here”

“There’s nothing she can do about this,her father gave her to me,she stays in this house as long as I want her”

“Her stepfather.”Maria corrected.

Luca frowned,no wonder Edward had convinced him to take Aryann,he didn’t want him to take his real daughter.

He shrugged.”She’s still like a daughter to him”

Maria sighed.”Did you threaten to kill the entire family?”

Luca grimaced slightly.”I didn’t,I just wanted to wreck the house down,you know.Edward needs to know that he can’t mess with me.”

Maria figured Susan had said that to make Aryann agree to this.

“Luca,let her go, please”She begged.

Luca walked closer to her.

“I’m warning you for the last time, mind your own business.No one tells me what to do and I’ll let her go when I get tired of her,till then, don’t you ever tell me to let her go”He warned, sternly.

Maria swallowed and nodded,she stared at him as he walked away.she slowly sat back on the couch,she felt sad that she couldn’t do anything for Aryann.

*********

Aryann slowly turned over the next page of ‘Jess Promise’.Novels always made her forget about her problems.Someone barged into her room,she looked up to see Luca.

Doesn’t he know how to knock?

“I’d appreciate it if you stop whining to my housekeeper”He said, angrily.

Aryann gulped,she silently hoped that Maria wasn’t in trouble because of her.

He placed a laptop and some pills on the bed.

“I’m not sick”She snapped.

“And I don’t care if you are”He retorted.”Those are birth control pills ’cause there might be times when I don’t feel like using protection”He explained and smirked on seeing her cheeks grew crimson.

“Let me get some things straightened out here, your father or stepfather or whatever is the reason why you’re here not me.So if you’re angry, your anger should be directed towards him not me but if you’re angry at me that’s your problem.

You should be proud that someone like me was your first time, I’m sure I made it perfect for you”.

Aryann huffed.”Indeed.”

Luca shot her an angry look.”Are you talking to me?”

She quickly shook her head.”No.”

“I thought so, let’s continue.You’re not to leave this house without my permission and secondly, I don’t like the clothes on you”

“Am I trapped in here?”She asked, lividly.

“Yes”

“For how long”

“Till I get tired of you”

“When will you get tired of me?”she asked, impatiently.

Luca frowned.”That’s not up to you to decide.Now back to what we were saying, what’s with you and your clothes,are you trying to hide yourself from me or some shit.You should be proud that someone like me wants you in bed”

Aryann stared at her clothes, she was wearing an anorak sweater and plain blue jeans.

“There’s nothing wrong with my clothes”She defended.

Luca scoffed and marched towards the closet, opening it,he gasped.

“What are these?”He asked pointing at the clothes.

“Clothes”She replied, calmly.

He pulled out two long skirts and threw them at her.

“Do you know what century we are?who wears long skirts these days?Were you gonna be a nun or something?”

“Probably”She snapped.

“Hey,you should talk to me with respect, okay? I’m not an ordinary man”He warned.

“Yes,Mr Herron”she replied, nonchalantly.

“I didn’t mean you should call me that.Luca is fine by me but when you call my name,call it with respect”

Aryann frowned.”proud peacock”She thought.

“So as I was saying, your dressing issues would be sorted out tomorrow.”

There was no way she was gonna stop dressing this way.she would never dress like a whore to please him.She stared at the laptop.

“Why are you giving me a laptop?”She asked, curiously.

“Well,you need to know how to please me,there are some movies in there, watch and learn, I’ll give you tonight to do all the learning you need,by tomorrow, I want an experienced woman”

Aryann swallowed hard,no one needed to tell her the kind of movies he was talking about.He ran his eyes over what she was wearing again in total disgust then he walked away.

Aryann stared at the laptop, angrily.

“I’m not watching anything!”She declared.

********

The morning sun woke Aryann up,she slowly stood up and had a quick bath,then she put on jeans and a faded check shirt.

Her stomach grumbled as she made her way downstairs.

She found Maria in the kitchen setting the table on the breakfast bar.

“Morning ma’m”She greeted, politely.

Maria smiled on seeing her.”You don’t have to call me ma’m,dear.Maria sounds better to me”she replied.

“Alright ma’m, I mean Maria”Aryann corrected and smiled.

Maria loved that smile,she stared at what Aryann was wearing, she really couldn’t be like Luca’s past women,she recalled Ava always walking around the house in just her bra and panties.

“Luca left already”She announced.

“Thank God”Aryann thought and sat on a chair.

“He allows you to call him Luca?”

“Yes and he’s not as mean as you think he is.”

Aryann started eating.”He isn’t just mean, he’s evil, heartless, proud……”

She choked,Maria quickly gave her water.

“Be careful”She warned and sat down on a chair adjacent to Aryann.

“Thank you”she muttered.

“I know Luca is very narcissistic but I do believe that one day,he’ll change”

Aryann swallowed the food on her mouth before talking.”It’s like saying the devil can become a saint”

Maria grinned.”He wasn’t like this before.”

“How long have you known Luca?”

“Since he was five, you see his mother was very promiscous, she was hardly at home to take care of him so I was like a mother to him. I had wished Luca was my son,you know.He was such a sweet little boy.His father loved his family alot especially his wife,he always forgave her each time she cheated but she kept on using that against him.

When Luca was twelve, his father changed,he became a drunk and he’d always beat up Luca,it was as if he was the cause of his mother’s wrongdoings.

On that fateful day,they were going to visit his grandparents, According to Luca,he said he parents were having a heated conversation.His father was distracted and didn’t see an incoming truck,they ran into it.His parents died on the spot and he was in coma for almost two months.When he finally woke up,he was devastated. I and Harry,his bestfriend were the only ones who could go close to him.He was consumed by anger and he shut everyone out of his life.”

Aryann sighed deeply.And she thought she had gone through hell in the hands of her family.It was nothing compared to what Luca had been through.

“How did you manage to cope with him?”She asked, curiously.

“Well,it wasn’t easy at first since he didn’t want anyone around him. I couldn’t just leave him alone,he didn’t want to stay with any of his relatives,he was young and bad-tempered.Every little thing made him mad and he’d start breaking things.When I got to understand that he wanted everything done his own way,he didn’t want anyone to tell him what to do,he wanted people to be scared of him so that no one would dare to step on him.l accepted the new Luca,it wasn’t his fault, I guess he didn’t want to turn out like his father.”

“He became too evil, I know he went through alot but he’s just so mean”Aryann said.

“I know,dear.I’ve tried to talk to him but he doesn’t listen.”

“Has he hurt you before?”

Maria gasped.”physically, no.But he had said hurtful words to me,he doesn’t mean them”

“He does” Aryann argued.

Maria grinned.”Well,I’d like to believe that he doesn’t mean them.He turned out a great man, inheriting his father’s companies at eighteen.He’s so skillful,he has branches all over the globe, I’m proud of him”Maria said, proudly.

Aryann didn’t want to voice out her thoughts.Great?He was callous,he oppressed the weak.He might be filthy rich but she’ll prefer to be with a barrista who was nice than to be with an evil billionaire.

She couldn’t wait for him to get tired of her.She felt warm hands on hers snapping her out of her thoughts.

“Everything would be okay again”Maria said with an encouraging smile.

Aryann nodded,if someone like Maria wasn’t in this house,she just couldn’t imagine how she’d get through this.

***************

Luca slowly took off his suit jacket,as he undress,he thought about tonight,he couldn’t wait to have her again,this time,he will make sure it lasts longer.He didn’t expect her to be that good already but she might’ve learnt some moves.He wore a short and sweatshirt then slipped into a pair of black flip flops.He badly wanted to feel her mouth wrapped around his cock.

He strode towards her bedroom,he held the doorknob but the door was locked.What the hell?Was she actually trying to get away from him?

His fists clenched.she had forgotten who the owner of the house is.He quickly hurried back to his bedroom,he grabbed a bunch of keys.They were spare keys for each rooms in the house.He walked back to her bedroom.

After trying different keys unsuccessfully,a key finally fit in and open the door.

He walked in and saw her lying on the bed with the duvet covering her body Christ!Does she really have to fucking pretend to be asleep every damn time.He hurried towards her and tossed the duvet away from her body.

Aryann tensed,she had heard him trying to open the door some minutes ago,she met his eyes and quickly looked away,he was angry.She slowly sat up.

“Why did you lock the door?”He asked, lividly.

She gulped.”I saw….I saw a rat”Aryann murmured.

“A rat?In my house?Is that the easiest lie you can come up with?”

She suppressed her lips in a tight line not knowing what to say.He held her hand and pulled her up to stand in front of him,he instantly despised the clothes on her body,he had been too busy to take her to the mall today,he wouldn’t let it exceed tomorrow because he couldn’t stand this clothes.

“I’ll overlook what you just did if you prove to me that you’re worth it.”

Aryann frowned but kept on staring at the floor.

“How?”

Luca’s teeth clenched,why was she so clueless?

“Well,for now, let’s see what you learnt yesterday”He announced.