Chapter 15 ۵ Punish

YARA'S POV

After Alejandro's chilling confession, I couldn't bear to stay cooped up in my room any longer. I needed air, fresh air, away from the suffocating confines of his control and the oppressive silence that filled the house. He wanted to break me, the thought of him doing so sent chills down my spine. He was almost there but I wouldn't let him fully reach his goal.

In a moment of defiance, I slipped out of the mansion, making my way out of the massive driveway.  I had informed Alejandro of my leaving, this way he wouldn't have something else to hey annoyed about. The crisp autumn air greeted me like a cool kiss, a temporary reprieve from the stifling atmosphere inside. I wandered aimlessly, trying to clear my head and find some semblance of normalcy.

The forested areas were beautiful, filled with vibrant flowers. I wandered further, losing track of time and direction, until I realized I had ventured too far from the house. The maze like area surrounding the house now felt like a labyrinth, and I found myself unsure of the way back.

In a panic, I pulled out my phone to call Mateo or Camila for help, only to find that my battery was nearly depleted. I cursed under my breath, frustration mounting as I wandered through the winding paths, the once-beautiful garden now a foreboding trap. I was scared as to what would happen when I get black, Alejandro would definitely be angry at me and I couldn't face that. After all how was he going to break me if I had ran away? My heart raced as I tried my absolute hardest to trace my steps. The house was secluded from all other houses, meaning there were no cars coming in or out so basically I had no chance of someone coming to help me.

ALEJANDRO'S POV

A few hours had passed since her leaving. She was meant to be back by now. I paced in my office, paperwork spread out on my desk but that was the least of my worries right now.

She didn't show up for lunch.

I called her phone a few times, no reply.

I walked out of my office informing Mateo and Camilla of her disappearing. I watched as Camilla analysed my face, noticing my shift in demeanour. She couldn't have ran away, no she wouldn't have. She's too scared of me.

I couldn't help but bark orders at Mateo and my other workers to go out and look for her.

"Camilla" I sensed the fear in her eyes. "I told you to fucking see where she goes, so where is she? I don't pay to go fuck all" she looked down at her hands.

"I-I'm sorry sir I don't know anything like this would happen" she spoke, her voice quiet, almost a murmur.

"Make sure Mateo is searching inside the forested area" I pinched the bridge of my nose demanding results.

I hated this girl, I hate how shy and innocent she was, I hated how she faked her confidence. I hated her, I wanted to break her, rip her apart, make her suffer but for some reason the thought of losing her tormented me.

Camilla hurried off to find Elena and keep her somewhat occupied, i gulped down my whiskey, lighting a cigarette.

I can't lose her

YARA'S POV

Just as desperation began to set in, I heard the faint sound of footsteps approaching. Chills ran down my sign, I could be kidnapped right now. I turned, my heart racing, only to see Mateo and a few of the house staff emerging from the garden. Relief washed over me. But most of all embarrassment. Because of me they had to trek through the muddy forest.

"Miss Malik" Mateo called out, his voice filled with concern. "We've been looking for you everywhere. Alejandro is.......well, he's quite agitated" fuck. I almost didn't want to go back, I couldn't face him scolding me.

I nodded, exhaustion evident in my features as I nervously followed Mateo back toward the mansion. The walk back felt like an eternity, each step weighed down by the worry of what Alejandro's reaction would be.

When I finally returned, escorted in by Mateo, Alejandro's anger was palpable. His eyes were dark and stormy as he approached me, fear set up inside of me and all I could do was back away. I could feel Mateo and Camila's worrisome eyes on me but they could do nothing to help.

"Where the hell have you been?" He snapped. Cornering me into a wall.

I looked down, my face was pale and my body was beyond exhausted. I didn't have the energy to full on plead my case "I lost my way. I didn't mean to-"

"Not another fucking word" Alejandro interrupted harshly. His jaw clenched as he looked at me

"I trusted you to go outside, turns out you aren't dependable. From now on you won't leave this property without permission. Understand?" My brows furrowed, who did he think he was?

"No I don't understand, you can't just lock me in this house, I have a life and I'm not wasting it in this house" I spat.

"You don't have a choice princess" he mocked, making tears brim in my eyes. Alejandro's anger was raw, his concern twisted into punishment. I watched as his orbs turned dark and deadly. He grabbed my arm roughly, practically dragging me. I wanted to protest but I knew I couldn't make a scene in front of Camila and Mateo. Although they probably already knew how badly he treated me.

"I should have known better than to give you a semblance of freedom" he said, his voice cold "You need to understand the consequences of disobedience" his words sent shivers down my spine, what was he planning on doing to me? Whatever it was I didn't want to find out.

He led me down into the most bottom layer of the house. With a key he opened the door to a room. It was empty, the walls were dark grey, there was no furniture, no decorations in the room, not even a glimpse on sunlight.

Reality sunk into me, he was going to put me in there after this disturbing realisation I attempted to pull myself away from him. I want staying in there. The thought of sitting down in a pitch black room with no one but me scared the living shit out of me.

"I'm not going in there" he turned to look at me sinisterly.

"Is that so?" He spoke caressing my face.

"Please, I'll do anything else.....please Alejandro" my tears were already falling this was my worst fear. He only chuckled, he chuckled at my terrified state.

How heartless was this man?

Without a second thought he threw me into the room, locking the door. Now i had no chance of escape. I got up from the floor where I had previously fell because of his roughness and without a second thought I banged on the door, so hard I could feel my hands already bruising up.

"Please let me out! Please Alejandro!" I screamed at the top of my lungs.

After an hour there was no response I slid down onto the floor, my back against the door. I sobbed into my arms. The silence was eating me alive, with shivers running down my skin.

🎀🎀🎀

It felt like it had been hours. My voice was strained and my eyes were beyond tired. I heard footsteps approaching but I didn't even have the energy to be excited.

"Miss Malik" it was Camila, her angelic voice bought a slight hint of happiness in me.

"I'm sorry Miss, I'm so sorry, you don't deserve any of this" she spoke through the door. I couldn't reply, I couldn't even lift my head to speak.

"Sir wanted me to inform you that they are going out of the country for the upcoming holidays for Elena" she spoke "He wants you to go with them"

I looked up, my eyes wide with shock "I don't want to go" I croaked out painfully.

"But Miss it'll be fun you'll get to leave this house" I went back to my old state with no replies. I waited for her to leave after getting no response from me.

The idea of traveling with Alejandro was daunting, but I knew I had little choice. The reality of my situation set in, I was entangled in a world that was beyond my control, bound by invisible chains I couldn't escape.

It had been hours now, I had no food, no water, no one to talk to and the worst part was my mind was too paranoid to let me go to sleep. All I could do now was wait.

🎀🎀🎀

My hands bruised and sore. The silence pressed down on me, heavy and suffocating. Just when I thought I might drift into unconsciousness, I heard a key turning in the lock.

The door creaked open, and light flooded the room, momentarily blinding me. I squinted against the brightness, struggling to see Alejandro's silhouette framed in the doorway.

"Get up" he commanded, his voice cold and detached.

I tried scrambling to my feet but failed. My legs were weak and I was about to fall back down again when Alejandro's arms supported me. He waited for me to gain some strength back before letting go

"You're coming with me" I hesitated, taking a step back. "Where are we going?"

"Not your concern" He reached for my arm, his grip firm yet unsettlingly possessive. I felt a shiver run through me as he pulled me toward the door.

The moment we stepped out, I was hit by a wave of fresh air, so different from the stale confines of the dark room. I took a deep breath, but it was laced with anxiety.

As we walked through the hallway, I could feel the weight of his gaze on me. "You need to learn obedience, Yara. This is your chance to prove you can be trusted"

"Trust?" I scoffed, my voice shaky. "You don't trust me. You want to control me"

He stopped abruptly, turning to face me "And you need to understand the consequences of defiance"

I swallowed hard, my heart racing "What happens if I don't?"

His lips curled into a cold smile "it's simple, I'll only punish you more"

"I didn't do anything wrong. It's not my fault I got lost and my phone ran out of charging" I crossed my arms.

"Well maybe you should've use your brain and charged your phone before leaving"

"We maybe I was that eager to leave so I wouldn't have to spend time with you" I spat in an attempt to bring down his ego.

He stopped in his tracks and turned around almost making me collide into him "watch that little mouth of yours, Yara" he spoke.

We arrived at a spacious room filled with Elena's luggage. Elena was there, excitedly chatting with Camila about her upcoming trip. The vibrant colors of her holiday clothes contrasted sharply with my somber mood.

"Yara" Alejandro's voice broke through my thoughts "You're coming with us to Spain"

I froze. "What? No. I can't- I don't want to. I'm not going"

He stepped closer, the air thick with tension "You don't have a choice. You're going because of Elena, if be perfectly happy with leaving you here" he jeered.

"You can't just decide everything for me!" I rolled my eyes.

"Yara, I can't believe you're coming with me and dad" Elena's angelic voice spoke as I was about to walk out. I turned around, my eyes finding Alejandro eyes. He knew he had one and now I was going to have to go no matter what.

He leaned down, his face inches from mine "what was that about you not going?" He smirked. I was about to reply when Elena's voice beamed "Daddy's about to kiss Yara.....gwoss" she giggled out, making Camila look slightly shocked. I immediately backed away from him, crossing my arms.

Well this was embarrassing.

"Elena, go play outside with Camila" his rough voice demanded.

After they left my throat tightened as I searched for words, but nothing came out. I felt trapped, caught in a web of his making.

"I don't want to go" I spoke looking into his eyes, hoping that maybe for once he would feel sorry for me.

He caressed my face "I know Yara. But if you don't go I'll have to ensure that next time you'll be punished with something much worse than that room"

I nodded slowly, defeated.

"Pack your things. We leave tomorrow"

🎀🎀🎀

The morning sun streamed through the mansion's grand windows as I hurried to pack my bag for Spain. Maybe I should've done this last night but I was too sleep deprived to stay awake. I grabbed the suitcase given to me yesterday only to realise it was already packed. My clothes were gone from the cupboard too, Camila must've packed my bag. The trip felt surreal, especially after everything that had happened. I was both anxious and apprehensive about what awaited me there. But at least I was able to get out and not have to worry ass much.

The three of us go dropped off to Alejandro's private jet, the atmosphere was charged. Alejandro was already on board, exuding confidence in his black suit. The air hostess greeted us with a bright smile, her gaze lingering a moment too long on him.

"Welcome aboard, Mr Moreno" she said, her tone flirty "Can I get you anything?"

"Just some water" he replied, barely looking her way. Me and Elena on the her hand didn't get offered a single thing to drink.

Watching her fawn over him sparked a mix of annoyance and insecurity within me. It wasn't like I had any claim on him, but seeing him charm stung.

The plane ride wasn't quiet but that was only because Elena managed to bring something up every two seconds. Her excitement made me happier than ever.

Once we landed in Spain, the sprawling landscape before me was breathtaking, but my mind raced with the tension that had been building. A driver escorted us to a massive house. A maid inside opened the door for us, taking our luggage.

"Wow.....this so big dad" Elena looked around in awe.

I watched as Alejandro reached into his pockets "Fuck! I forgot to bring all of the room keys" he stated but didn't look too frustrated "I only brought two" he spoke.

"Elena, go ask that maid if she has spare keys" Elena came back with the information that there were no spare keys.

"Great" I spoke, arms crossed "So what now? I guess one of us will have to sleep on the sofa"

"Not me, how about I get my own room and you and daddy can share a bed?" Elena suggested innocently. If only she knew how much we truly hated each other.

"No way" I spoke.

"I'll just take the sofa"

"No Yara, your back will hurt if you sleep on the sofa, I mean you're dating my dad anyways so it doesn't matter" I could help but smile at her concern for me.

"We aren't dating Elena" I spoke whilst Alejandro texted a few important people.

"So you're married......" she pouted out of confusion.

"I would never marry her Elena" came Alejandro's voice. Hatred slipping from his tongue.

"Now go to your room, don't lose the keys" Elena happily slipped away up the stairs.

"You aren't sleeping on the sofa" he insisted. His fake concern was back.

"Well there's no other options" I spoke.

"Sleep with me. I won't touch you" he suggested. I was tempted to say yes but I couldn't give in that easily.

"No way. I'm not sharing a bed with you. Besides if you hate me so much you shouldn't care where I go to sleep"

"Yara, you don't have a choice. It seems you always forget that" he said, a smirk playing on his lips.

As night fell, I reluctantly accepted his offer. The idea of sleeping next to him was infuriating, but I knew it was safer and comfier than being alone on some sofa that was going to make my body ache in the morning.

I entered the room, I immediately got into the shower, wanting to spend minimal time with him. Alejandro was in one of the bathrooms downstairs. I changed into my night clothes and dried my hair. When I left the bathroom I saw Alejandro there on the bed. His arms resting under his head, he had a book in his hands and his reading glasses on. I shyly walked over to the other end of the bed. I could feel him staring daggers into me.

My only goals here was to put as much distance as possible between us. The silence hung heavy in the air, my heart racing with the tension. I was sleeping on the same bed with him....what was going on?

A few minutes went by and I struggled to sleep. I closed my eyes shut trying to block out the thoughts in my head when suddenly I felt an arm wrap around my waist and without giving me a second to process what was happening Alejandro pulled me into his chest.

"Get off of me! You said you wouldn't touch me" I spoke, of course he was lying.

"Just stay still" he murmured, his voice low and firm.

The warmth of his body enveloped me, and despite my best efforts to resist, I couldn't deny the strange comfort in being close to him. My heartbeat quickened, mixing anxiety with an undeniable thrill. The warmth of his body brought me so much comfort to the point where I felt like I could fall asleep in a second.

"Why do you have to be so difficult?" he whispered, his minty breath tickling my ear.

"Well this wouldn't have happened if you remembered to bring the keys" I shot back, though my voice lacked conviction.

"Maybe I didn't bring them on purpose" my eyebrows furrowed, that does make sense I mean Alejandro isn't stupid enough to only remember to bring one key.

"Why would you do that Alejandro?" I spoke in frustration but the fact that he had done this on purpose made something in me flutter.

"Goodnight" he whispered in my ear placing a kiss on my forehead. This was probably the nicest he's been to me, but I wasn't going to complain. Anything was better than Alejandro hating me.

Before I knew it I slowly fell asleep in his arms.

A/n

ENJOY