Chapter 11 ۵ Obey

YARA'S POV

The next day felt heavy before I even opened my eyes. My head throbbed from a night of restless sleep, fragments of last night playing over and over in my mind like a broken record. Every scene, every word felt sharp, lingering just beneath the surface. I had barely made it through the night, and now, here I was, facing a new day, still haunted by the memory of Mr Moreno's piercing gaze and the way everything had spiraled out of control.

I dragged myself out of bed, the early morning light filtering through the thin curtains, doing little to lift the weight in my chest. My dorm felt suffocating, small and cramped. Heidi wasn't around—thank God. I couldn't face her questions or her knowing looks. She'd see right through me.

I stood in front of the mirror, staring at my reflection. Dark circles clung under my eyes, my hair a mess of tangles. I ran my fingers through it half-heartedly before splashing cold water on my face, hoping it would clear the fog in my head.

I needed to go. Class was waiting, and the last thing I wanted was to give Mr. Moreno any excuse to make my life worse. He already thought I was weak, desperate, as if my very presence was some kind of burden.

The thought of seeing him again sent a wave of nausea through me, but I knew I had no choice. I couldn't just hide forever. Not when everything was already so tense.

By the time I reached the lecture hall, the usual noise of students bustling about seemed distant, like a background hum. I walked in, keeping my head down, moving to the back row. As I sat, I scanned the room, almost unconsciously searching for him.

When he entered, it was as if the whole room shifted. His presence always had that effect, whether I wanted to admit it or not. He moved to the front of the class, his expression cold and unreadable, like last night never happened. He didn't even glance in my direction.

Good......

The lecture began, but I barely heard a word. My thoughts kept drifting, bouncing between what had happened last night and what might happen next. Was this just another game to him? Another way to control and manipulate? Or was it something darker, something I didn't fully understand yet?

At some point, I snapped back to reality, realizing the lecture was winding down. My pulse quickened. I needed to leave before he had a chance to catch me alone. I didn't trust myself around him, not after the way things had gone last night.

But as the students filed out, I felt the weight of his eyes on me. I tried to blend in with the others, but it was too late. He called my name, his voice carrying easily over the chatter.

"Yara. A word" I planned to ignore him and walk away but instead I found myself freezing in space. Every muscle in my body screamed at me to ignore him and bolt for the door. But instead, I found myself walking toward him, my feet moving almost against my will.

As I approached, his gaze hardened "My office" he said, turning without another word. It's like he knew I would follow him with no questions asked.

Mr. Moreno's office felt suffocating as I stepped inside, the air thick with the tension that always seemed to accompany his presence. He gestured for me to sit. I hesitated for a moment, scanning his face for any sign of what this was about. His features were sharp, as always, cold and calculated.

"Yara" he began, his voice low and controlled "I've been thinking about Elena" I immediately stiffened. His tone was softer than usual, but that only made me more uneasy. Whenever Mr Moreno acted like this, it meant he was planning something. I didn't trust it.

"Like you said yesterday, she's lonely" he continued "It's obvious. A girl her age......without a mother to care for her and with me working late hours, it's bound to affect her" he spoke whilst loosening his tie.

I attempted to wait and see where this was going "what does this have to do with Mr Moreno?" I said cautiously.

He leaned forward, his eyes narrowing. "Elena needs more than a few scattered moments of your time. She needs someone constant, someone who can fill the role of......a mother"

I blinked, taken aback "What?"

He didn't flinch "You've already been spending time with her. She's grown attached to you. It only makes sense that you continue to be in her life, but in a more official capacity" he spoke unfazed by everything coming out of his mouth.

"Official capacity?" I repeated, my voice rising "You want me to be......her caregiver?"

"No just that Yara. I want you to be there for her, guide her, look after her when I'm not around. You'll be paid for your time, of course" he spoke his voice becoming darker by the second.

I stared at him in disbelief, my hands balling into fists. "You can't be serious. I'm not her replacement mother. This isn't my responsibility, Mr Moreno"

"You didn't want to listen to me yesterday, in fact you humiliated me so badly yesterday. What makes you think I'd do anything for you?" I spoke rage filling me up.

His eyes flashed with something I couldn't quite place, a mix of anger and something else.....guilt? "What do you want me to fucking say Yara? I'm sorry for not kissing you back even though you're my bloody student?" He mocked me within a few seconds it was like I could never one up him, he's always find a way to shut me up.

"No......you just didn't have to make me feel like that" I murmured, playing with my hands in an attempt to stop me from crying.

"Look at me Yara" he commanded. I hesitated but did indeed look at him.

Mr Moreno's expression darkened, his tone hardening "I'm offering you an opportunity, Yara. To help Elena and to be compensated for it. If you really admired her as much as you act then you'd do this for her" his manipulating tone was making me contradict all of my decisions.

"B-but what about university?" He looked sternly at me.

"Nothing will change in terms of university, if you wish to carry on with your studies you can" he spoke looking at the time on his watch. It aggravated me how unbothered he was about all of this.

"How can I attend your lectures and look after Elena?" He looked at me a small sinister smirk appearing on his face "maybe you'll have to give up on one of them" it was a question of maybe and he knew that. Either my studies would go to waste or I'd never get to see Elena again. Why did he have to be so difficult?

I stood up, my heart racing "No. I won't be used like this. I care about Elena, but I'm not going to play along with whatever power game you're trying to pull. You're so fucking selfish Mr Moreno. I hate you"

His eyes turned cold, and his voice dropped to a whisper "you should hate me Yara. I advise you stop being so immature and put your childish emotions aside because Elena adores you" he spoke. I didn't know what to say I was just angry he gave me two options and both had consequences. What was I to do?

I couldn't take it anymore, he wasn't even looking at me, he didn't deserve my help if he was going to treat me this badly. I  stormed out of his office, anger pulsing through me. How dare he? How dare he try to manipulate me into taking on that role, to use Elena's loneliness against me?

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Days passed, and I kept my distance from the devil, but I could tell he didn't take my rejection to his offer lightly. I hadn't seen Elena for some time. No more texts, no phone calls, nothing. For all I know he was using this against me, probably finding ways to make Elena loathe me just as much as he did. I should've know he'd use her as leverage. And it worked. With every day that went by, the guilt gnawed at me. I couldn't stop thinking about her, imagining her sitting alone in that huge, empty house, waiting for someone to care.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, I caved. I couldn't stand the thought of Elena being punished for my defiance. I showed up at his office, ready to swallow my pride.

"Fine" I said, my voice tight with frustration "I'll do it. I'll look after her. But I'm not living in that stupid house. I'd rather die" I spoke crossing my arms. Okay maybe I was being a little bit dramatic.........

Mr Moreno looked up from his desk, a  smirk playing at the corners of his mouth. "You can drop that attitude act Miss Malik" He stood and walked around the desk, his eyes gleaming with victory. I hated every moment of this, his big ass ego was only becoming bigger  "But as for where you'll live-"

"I'm not moving in" I cut him off. "I'll take care of Elena, but I'm not living under your roof. That's inappropriate, you're my professor"

He laughed a mocking laugh "so kissing your professor is appropriate but not living with him? That's a weird way to go about things Yara" he smirked knowing he caught me out there. My face heated up but not because I was angry, because I was embarrassed. I knew he'd find a way to use that against me.

"That was different, I was in the right state of mind" I attempted to defend myself but had no luck. The look of mockery was still imprinted on his face.

He stepped closer, the air between us thick with tension. "If you're going to be responsible for her, you'll need to be there, in the house. She needs someone around, not someone who comes and goes"

My pulse quickened. "I can't do that. I won't. Besides my parents are paying for my dorm. What am I meant to tell them? To stop paying for my fees because I'm going to live with my professor" I rolled my eyes this time mocking him. I could tell he didn't take that lightly "tell them you got accepted into a scholarship. I'll pay for all the fees?" This was his plan.

"I'm not lying to them and besides I'm not making you pay for my uni fees" he lifted my chin up making me skin shiver "you hate me remember? You shouldn't feel bad for me paying then" he was right I shouldn't give a shit about him paying but for some reason I still felt beyond guilty.

He stared at me, his eyes hardening "f-fine" I did quite know what was about to happen or if I was even prepared for it.

His lip curved into a satisfactory smirk "Good girl, now pack your things I'll have someone escort you to my house tonight" ok maybe I didn't think this through as much as I should've.

As I left the room reality sunk in on me. I was moving into my professor's house.

What.....the fuck!

What was I going to tell everyone. All of a sudden everything became 50x more complicated than it should've. I scurried up to my room anxiety crawling through my body filling my mind with bad thoughts.

I loudly knocked on Heidi's dorm. Panic was rising and I needed someone comfort me. Why do I do things without thinking.

"Yara?" I grabbed her hand and took her back into her own room. I sat her down on the bed.

"I have a lot of shit to tell you"

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Later that evening, I stood in front of my closet, throwing clothes into a suitcase with shaky hands. The reality of what I had just agreed to was sinking in, and I felt a pit of dread forming in my stomach. Moving into that house meant putting myself under Mr Moreno's control, subjecting myself to his rules, his watchful eyes.

Heidi gave me a small bit of reassurance but my mind was still floating with bad thoughts.

I didn't like him. I never would. But Elena needed me, and for now, that was enough to keep me going.

As I zipped up the suitcase, I stared at my reflection in the mirror. My eyes were tired, my face paler. This was going to be a battle, one I wasn't sure I was ready for. But one thing was clear, my life was going to change.

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The night was still as I stood outside Mr Moreno's mansion, my heart pounding harder with each passing second. The air was cool, but the tension swirling in my chest made it hard to breathe. The grand iron gates in front of me were an unwelcome reminder of the decision I'd made, the one that had me standing here, ready to step into a life I wasn't sure I wanted. I was here for Elena. Only for her.

The door opened before I could knock, and there he was, Mr Moreno, eyes dark, intense, like he had been expecting me. He didn't say anything at first, just let his gaze travel over me slowly, taking in every detail. The way he looked at me wasn't casual, it was deliberate, and it made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.

"You're late" he said softly, his voice carrying an edge of amusement. I could tell he was beyond satisfied with the fact that I was obeying his every demand.

"Come" he said, stepping aside, but his gaze never left mine. The moment I stepped inside, the heavy door closed behind me, the world outside seemed to disappear. It was just me and him, in this cold, grand house where nothing felt safe.

"Elena's asleep" he said, his voice lower now, softer, as he moved closer. I could tell he was tired "You'll start tomorrow morning"

"I'm here for her" I managed to say, trying to push back the swirl of emotions. "That's it."

His lips curled into that cold, infuriating smile that I had come to hate. It was a smile that hid too much, that made me feel as if he was always five steps ahead, knowing exactly how this game would end. He stepped closer, his eyes darkening with something I couldn't read but didn't want to.

"Of course" he murmured, his voice dipping in a way that sent a shiver through me. He was standing too close now, and I could feel the heat radiating from him. "Are you sure you aren't here for me after that move you pulled at dinner?" He teased. My face was heating up I wanted to cry out of pure humiliation. My stupid actions are being used against me.....great!

A flicker of amusement danced in his eyes as he could tell he hit a sensitive spot. "I'm not doing any of this for you!" I whisper yelled. My nails were digging into my palms.

"You keep saying that" he murmured, his voice dark and dripping with menace. His hands reached down to mines whilst maintaining eye contact. He took my hands and unravelled my fists whilst speaking to me "But here you are, in my house, under my control. You can pretend you're not here for me, but you're already mine" he spoke his fingers grazing over the bloody cuts on my palms. I winced as he voluntarily caused me more pain by pressing down on my palms with the rough pads of his thumb.

I tried to step back, and pull my hand away from his torturing touch but he moved with me, his presence an inescapable force "Stop! What are you doing?" I said, my voice trembling despite my attempts at firmness. His lips curled into a cruel smile, and he reached out, his now bloodied fingers grazing my cheek in a touch that was disturbingly tender but laced with malice "you're so fucking naive Yara, so innocent. It makes me want to break every inch of you" his words made my skin crawl, he finally admitted his sinister little plan to me. His only intention was to hurt me and to leave me broken.

"F-fuck you! I should've never agreed to this" I spat trying to hide how deeply hurt I was. His fingers carried on bloodying my face.

"You think you have a choice?" he continued, his voice lowering to a dangerous whisper "You're nothing more than a pawn in my game. You can resist me all you want, but it won't change the fact that you're here, under my control. Listening to my every command" A wave of anger and desperation surged through me, but I couldn't deny the fear that accompanied it "You're manipulating me" I murmured, my voice strained.

He laughed, a sound devoid of warmth, and leaned in closer, his breath hot and oppressive against my ear "Manipulating you? No, Yara. I'm showing you the reality of your situation"

His bloody fingers tightened around my face, his grip so firm on my sore cheeks. The finality in his tone was chilling, and I felt a cold wave of fear wash over me. He was right, I was trapped, with no way out. He leaned in even closer, his lips brushing against my ear as he whispered "And if you ever think of disobeying me, just remember how easily I can make your life a living hell"

He released me suddenly, making me stumble back into the wall. I was left standing there, my heart racing, my body trembling. It felt as if the walls were closing in on me, what had I gotten myself into.

"Camilla with show you to your room" he said, before leaving. The moment got so intense that I failed to realise that the maid I had seen that day at dinner had seen everything. A gush of shame passed over me "Sir can be a bit a bit crude sometimes Yara. Don't take anything he says to heart" a smile crept onto my face. Poor Camilla she's had to deal with him a lot longer than I have.

"Thanks Camilla" my voice was quiet. She showed me to my room. I carelessly let myself fall down onto the bed. My mind was filled with so many thoughts I failed to realise the massive, elegant room I was put in.

My heart was racing with no intentions of stopping. I dreaded everything so much.......

A/N

enjoy! Xx