C106 Feels Good To Know

As the sleek black car pulled up to Dante’s estate, Annabelle’s stomach tightened.

The sprawling mansion loomed ahead, its stone facade glowing under the late afternoon sun.

The place was imposing yet oddly familiar now, almost as if it had etched itself into her memory. She didn’t want to acknowledge the sense of comfort creeping into her chest.

She chafed at the unwelcome feeling of coming home.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sight of Dante’s staff and some of his men lined up near the entrance, waiting for their arrival.

A wave of embarrassment swept through her.

“It was almost like they were welcoming the lady of the house,” she thought, with a mixture of wistfulness and alarm.

Did he command this spectacle, or was it simply routine here?

Either way, she wished she could shrink into the car seat and disappear.

She glanced at Cathy, who, in contrast, lit up at the sight of Maria waiting near the door.

The little girl unbuckled her seatbelt and dashed out before anyone could stop her, running straight into Maria’s arms.

“Maria!” Cathy cried joyfully, clinging to the older woman like a lifeline.

Maria’s face softened into a warm smile as she hugged Cathy tightly. “Oh, my sweet girl. You’re back! I missed you,” she said, stroking Cathy’s hair.

Annabelle found herself smiling, faint though it was.

Maria’s presence was one of the few things about this house that didn’t make her feel entirely out of place.

Stepping out of the car, she felt the weight of Angelo’s gaze and nodded politely when he approached.

“Welcome back,” Angelo greeted her with a respectful incline of his head.

“Thanks,” she said politely, still grasping with her sense of…familiarness.

Before she could stop herself, her eyes flicked toward the garden.

It was a sanctuary that had quickly become her favourite spot during her stay.

The sight of the lush greenery and vibrant blooms stirred a pang of longing.

It unsettled her how familiar this place felt.

It was almost as if it had claimed a part of her, just as much as she had claimed it.

But the thought of home tugged her sharply back to Stoneraine.

Her mother’s face flashed in her mind, and with it came the same guilt that had followed her all the way to Acadia.

Annabelle clenched her fists as she tried to shake it off.

Maybe if she and her mother had parted on bad terms, this would have been easier.

She could justify leaving without feeling like she’d abandoned Mauve to fend off Patrick and Tad alone.

Cathy’s innocent question earlier.

“What will Mama do if both of them come back to the house?” had gnawed at her relentlessly.

Annabelle swallowed hard as her guilt mixed with anger.

Mauve was an adult, perfectly capable of making her own decisions.

Yet, Annabelle couldn’t stop feeling responsible.

Her mother was weak when it came to men, but she was still her mother.

“One day,” Annabelle thought, forcing herself to focus on the future. “One day, I’ll be strong enough to fix everything. Maybe she’ll even come here to stay.”

The thought consoled her, if only slightly.

But now that they were back, the weight of Dante’s presence was impossible to ignore.

She could feel his eyes on her during the drive, his gaze burning into her even though she refused to look at him.

He had a way of staring at her as if he could see every thought that crossed her mind.

She didn’t want to risk him guessing her guilt or mocking her for her weakness.

Still, her resolve faltered for a brief moment as she stole a glance at him while following Maria inside.

His dark, intense eyes locked onto hers, the possessive heat in his gaze stealing her breath.

She berated herself for giving in to the temptation.

He was the perfect picture of a man who commanded both respect and fear.

His dark hair was slightly mussed, and the faint shadow of stubble on his jaw only added to his raw, magnetic presence.

He looked like sin and power incarnate, and it was maddening how he made her feel both vulnerable and alive.

Annabelle quickly looked away, her heart pounding as she followed Maria and the staff carrying their bags.

Dante’s presence loomed behind her, an unspoken reminder of the deal they’d struck and the inevitability of what was to come.

Maria’s voice broke through her thoughts.

“Cathy, your room is ready. You’ll have your very own space now.”

Annabelle stopped abruptly, turning to Maria.

“What do you mean? Cathy is staying with me,” she asked, her voice sharper than intended.

Maria hesitated, glancing at Cathy, whose wide eyes darted between them.

“The boss arranged for Cathy to have her own room,” Maria explained gently. “And yours has been changed as well.”

Annabelle’s stomach dropped, but she forced herself to remain calm for Cathy’s sake.

She didn’t want to alarm the girl, who was now looking at her with concern. She forced a smile.

“I’m sure it’ll be beautiful,” she said, her voice steadier than she felt.

Cathy beamed, the tension dissipating as Maria led her to her new room.

Annabelle followed, dreading what she might find yet unable to stop herself from checking.

When Maria opened the door, Cathy gasped in delight.

The room was a dream.

It was the perfect child’s fantasy brought to life.

The pale pink walls were adorned with delicate floral patterns and a canopy bed draped in soft white lace reined towards the other end.

A plush rug that seemed to cradle one’s feet covered the floor while stuffed animals lined a shelf.

Beneath it was a mini library already filled with books fitting for Cathy’s age.

And a small desk sat by the window, bathed in sunlight.

Cathy made a beeline for one of the books and held it up to Maria as she exclaimed, “You remember I like Mathilda!”

She swung to Annabelle before Maria could respond and said, “She remembered!”

“Of course, I remember, “Maria said with a motherly smile. “You only need to mention what you like here, Miss Whitaker, and you can be sure to get it.”

Annabelle gave Maria a grateful look as her heart swelled, and the woman gave her an understanding nod.

“It’s… it’s like a princess' room!” Cathy exclaimed, spinning in place with wide-eyed wonder.

Annabelle’s heart clenched at her sister’s joy. “It’s perfect,” she said softly. “Do you like it?”

“I love it!” Cathy said, her voice bubbling with excitement.

Annabelle crouched to Cathy’s level. “If you ever feel lonely, I can sleep here with you,” she offered.

Cathy nodded, but it was clear she was eager to revel in her newfound freedom.

Annabelle kissed her sister’s forehead before stepping back, leaving Maria to help Cathy settle in.

Maria quickly followed her to show her to her room.

Annabelle couldn’t help but sigh with weary acceptance when she saw that it was next to Dante’s suite.

“I will be fine,” she told Maria when she heard Cathy calling out to her to ask her about something she seemed to have just discovered in her new room.

Maria told her to pull the bell if she needed anything and Annabelle nodded.

She faintly realised that no men were standing guard in the hallways or any part of the interior of the house like they had always done.

She didn’t want to think much of it.

Could it be that he took me seriously when I said the men standing around make Cathy nervous,” She wondered briefly.

The messy feeling welling inside her at that thought made her turn her mind away from it as she opened the door to her room.

The sight of it made her stop in her tracks.

It was expansive and luxurious in a way that felt overwhelming.

The deep, earthy tones of the decor were warm yet commanding, with a large four-poster bed dominating the space.

The linens were soft and rich, the furniture polished and ornate.

And the interior was done with the hint of the palest shade of purple that he liked too.

She couldn’t remember talking to Maria about that though.

She shrugged off the thought of it and just moved around to enjoy the feel of her new space.

As much as she could tell, this was going to be her sanctuary in the days to come anyway.

“Unless he changed his mind,” her subconsciousness whispered peskily.

Her heart sank when she noticed the door connecting her room to Dante’s suite.

“Of course,” she muttered under her breath, resignation settling over her.

It had begun.

She tried the door and, of course, it opened smoothly like an invitation.

Still, she couldn’t get herself to step over the threshold as heat suffused her insides.

The faint scent of him lingered here.

Even from where she stood, she could perceive spiced wood and something darker, more intoxicating.

She clenched her fists, willing herself to focus.

He would keep his end of the bargain, and she would keep hers.

That was the agreement.

She just hadn’t expected it to feel this… inevitable.

The door creaked softly behind her, and Annabelle spun around her pulse spiking.

Dante leaned against the frame of her door with his dark gaze fixed on her.

He looked past her to the connecting door as amusement glinted in his eyes.

Annabelle shut the door firmly and stepped back onto her turf.

“As if,” her subconsciousness seemed to be having a field day while her body was also speaking a language of hers.

“You like it?” he asked, his voice low, intimate.

Annabelle’s throat tightened as she guessed they were ignoring the fact that he could waltz into her bedroom whenever he wanted through the connecting door.

“It’s fine,” she replied, her tone clipped.

His lips curved into a faint smirk, and he pushed off the doorframe, stepping closer. “Just fine?”

She backed up a step, her eyes darting to the connecting door. “You didn’t have to move Cathy. She was fine where she was.”

Dante raised a brow. “Cathy deserves better. And so do you.”

Annabelle’s chest tightened. “Don’t make this about me.”

“It’s always about you,” he said, his voice dropping, heavy with meaning.

Her breath hitched as he closed the distance between them, his presence overwhelming.

She felt trapped, and cornered, and yet a part of her didn’t want to escape.

He stopped suddenly with his hands in his pockets.

But with the look he gave her, he might as well be stripping her right there and then.

“You can change anything you want. Here, Cathy’s or…any part of this house,” he said slowly.

What does that last statement mean? She wondered, but she didn’t blurt out her question.

She merely shrugged and tried to look nonchalant.

Then she said, “Thank you…for everything.”

“My woman doesn’t have to thank me for every damn thing, he said tersely.

“Can’t he just take her gratefulness graciously?” she wondered with a little frown and wanted to wipe that damn teasing glint off his eyes.

He looked reluctant to leave as he said, “I have some business to tend to. I’ll give you time to settle in.”

She nodded for the lack of a coherent response.

Then, unexpectedly, with his eyes burning into hers, “It feels good to know you are mine, Mia Bella,”

With that, he turned and walked away.

Leaving her heart racing and her resolve crumbling.