Chapter 16: Chapter 16

The game was over. After saying my goodbyes to Neo and Renae, Stefano led me out of the warehouse and to the car. My body thrummed with relief. If this was how all five games were going to be structured, then I really didn’t have anything to worry about.

Stefano opened the door to the back seat for me before walking around the car to join me from the other side. I sighed in relief once the driver pulled us away from the warehouse.

“Your results are in,” Stefano said, looking at his phone.

I looked at him in confusion. “Results?”

“The game isn’t over yet, so we’ll have to wait until the end of tomorrow for the full set of scores, but you’re currently in the top five with a total of fifty points.”

“Fifty points?” I echoed. “These games have a point system?”

He nodded. “They do. It’s easier for us to track your performance this way. This game was judged on five categories: courage, duration, critical thinking, leadership, and charm. You scored tens across the board. You’re currently in third place.”

I grew even more confused. “If I got perfect marks in all five categories, why am I in third place?”

“The duration time,” he explained. “Although you ended the game within the required time frame, thus earning the full ten points, there were two others who completed it faster than you.”

“Ah, so that’s how it works.” I nodded my understanding.

“Good job. I’m proud of you.”

“Mmm.” I turned my head to gaze out the window, then remembered the old woman’s request and turned back to him hesitantly. “Since I did well…can I get a reward?”

He chuckled. “You’re loving this reward system, aren’t you?”

I shrugged. It was a good excuse, I couldn’t deny that.

“The old lady I played with. Her name is Miranda. She doesn’t have much longer to live, and she would like to spend her remaining time with her grandson. Can you rescind her banishment? Also, she wants her prize money deposited into an account that only her grandson can access when he’s old enough, if that’s possible.”

He paused for a moment. “Hmm, is this your request as my wife?”

~Well, future wife, if we’re being technical.~

I wanted to roll my eyes, but this was too important, so I fought the urge. “Yes.”

“Then it’s a simple task. I’ll arrange for someone to make it happen.”

I breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank you.”

“Can I get a reward for being good?”

I snorted a laugh. “Sure. What reward do you want?”

He tapped his lips, his eyes gleaming with mischief. His cheeky smile wasn’t something I’d seen often, especially recently, and it sent ripples across my still heart.

I suddenly felt the urge to tease him, so I leaned across the middle seat to place a small peck on his lips before quickly pulling away. “Thank you for your generosity.”

His dissatisfaction was clear on his face, and I had to bite back my smile. “What? You don’t like your reward?”

He raised an eyebrow. “Am I your charity case? What was that?”

I laughed and opened my arms to beckon him in. I only planned to give him another peck, but he seemed to have predicted that because his arms quickly formed a cage around me.

The next thing I knew, I was maneuvered out of the seat and onto his lap.

I yelped in surprise as I stared at his face, which was coming ever closer toward mine. His mouth abruptly claimed mine with a heated eagerness that had me gasping.

My hands clenched the fabric of his shirt as our kiss deepened, and his wandering hand quickly climbed my thigh.

Heat pooled in my lower stomach as my pussy throbbed in anticipation. The air was hot with tension as our tongues fought a battle I wasn’t sure who I wanted to win. I felt his arousal under me, and my eyes clouded with desire.

He pulled away, and I bit down lightly on his bottom lip to tease him.

“Fuck,” he swore and leaned down until our foreheads touched. Our breaths smothered what little space there was between us. “Do you know what you do to me?”

My eyes twinkled. “Lots.”

He chuckled and pulled back. I moved off him to find my seat again as he adjusted his pants.

During our little tussle, his phone had slid across the seat, and I picked it up, my mind immediately turning to my sister. It had been a week since I’d last spoken to her.

I’d called her mere hours before I was taken. I’d been walking in the park after work, trying to decompress from a difficult shift, and I’d reached out to her on a whim.

Listening to her babble about her classes and the new friends she’d made was better than any therapy.

After we’d hung up, I’d made my way to my apartment, but I’d dropped my phone when a dog escaped its owner and plowed into me. The phone was shattered and unusable. I’d planned on stopping at the store the next morning to replace it, but…well, I was kidnapped and thrust into this unfamiliar world.

And since then, my focus had been on the games and doing everything I could to survive them. I’d completely forgotten to ask Stefano for a new phone.

I was sure Selena was too busy with her assignments to even notice I hadn’t called, but I worried about her. And now I felt guilty for not calling.

“Can I use your phone for a sec? I broke mine, and I want to check in on my sister,” I asked Stefano.

“Do you need me to get you a phone?”

“Please.” I readily nodded. With the chaos my life had turned into, I would feel better being able to call Selena regularly.

He sighed dreadfully. “I hope you don’t mind waiting a while. I’ve been struggling a lot lately to pay the bills. Most of my money went into saving up to get us a bigger house for when we start building our family. It’s been really hard on me.”

I was shocked into silence. There was no way the heir to the Roscotto family couldn’t shell out the money for a new phone.

Stefano laughed at my expression, and I quickly swatted his arm and glared. “A river will have to dry up before you ever go broke.”

“That’s true. I am pretty resourceful,” he gloated.

I rolled my eyes as he passed me his phone.

“The passcode is 0908.”

I dialed Selena’s number from memory and placed the phone to my ear. The second I heard the line pick up, relief flooded through my system.

“Hello?”

“Happy feet.” Her nickname rolled off my tongue as I tried to keep my voice from shaking. It was so goddamn good to hear her voice. I’d missed her.

This was the first time we’d ever been apart for so long. With our aunt missing, Selena was the only family I had left. I’d done everything I could to take care of her these last few years.

“Lina? What the hell? Where have you been? I’ve been trying to call you for days! I thought something bad happened to you.”

“I’m sorry to make you worry. My phone shattered, and I haven’t replaced it yet.”

“I’m on the other side of the world, and you didn’t replace your phone the minute it broke? Why don’t I believe that?” she scoffed.

I sighed. She was right. I should have asked Stefano to replace it right away. “I’m sorry; it’ll never happen again. I’ve been a bit busy and forgot. Have you missed me that much?”

She snorted. “I attended three parties in your absence.”

“At least you admit it.”

“So, what’s up? Where’ve you been?”

I leaned back and sighed, glancing at Stefano. He was staring out the window, seemingly lost in thought.

“Well, I don’t have a phone yet, but I plan to get one tomorrow. I’ll call you immediately so you will have my new number. Right now, I’m using a friend’s phone, so I can’t talk long. I just wanted to call and check in on you, and essentially let you know that I’m all right.”

“Hurry up and get that phone. Are you truly all right, though? You sound a bit tired. Work?”

I was tired? I guessed I did feel a bit lethargic. My nerves had kept me up most of the night, so I’d barely gotten any sleep.

“No, I’m fine. I just took your advice. I’ve been going out more, meeting new people and making friends. It’s been fun, and I can’t wait for you to come back so I can introduce you to them.”

That was a blatant lie, but I didn’t want her to worry, and I especially didn’t want to tell her what I was up to over the phone. She was in for a shock of her life when she came back from France.

“You’re going out? That’s surprising. I thought you’d still be moping around the house, depressed over that bastard.”

I stiffened. Was this a good time to mention that the bastard was back in my life? I didn’t think so. Right now, he was on Selena’s blacklist. She’d riot if I told her we were back together.

“I’m just happy you’re having fun,” she continued. “Everything is going fine here. Midterms are coming up, so I’m just trying to catch up on a few assignments I’ve been neglecting.”

“Late-night parties?”

“Late-night parties.”

“Selena.”

“I know, I know. Work first, fun later. That’s why I’m doing my work right now instead of going out. You should praise me.”

I chuckled. “I’m proud of you.”

“As you should be. I’ll talk to you tomorrow, okay?”

I raised an eyebrow. “Are you running out on me?”

She faked a gasp, and I could picture the way she dramatically placed a hand over her chest. “Never,” she replied. “I’m simply excusing myself from the conversation so I can go study.”

I shook my head as a genuine smile bloomed on my face. “All right, you can go and ~study~.”

“I will. Love you.”

“Always.”

I hung up the phone and handed it to Stefano. He took it but grabbed my hand at the same time.

I tried to pull my hand back, but his grip was strong, and my hand ended up plastered against his chest.

“Why don’t I get smiles like that?” he asked, seemingly disgruntled.

I rolled my eyes. “That was a sibling smile. Do you want me to smile at you like I smile at my sister? Wouldn’t that make us related? Do you want to end up behind bars?”

“As long as you’re the one who sets me free. Do you feel this? My heart’s beating faster because you’re so damn hypnotizing that I want to stop this car, pull you out, and have you right on the side of the road so everyone who passes by can see that you’re mine as I am yours.”