My father sold me to the Mafia King

Chapter 18: 18/Exchange Of Souls

Chapter Eighteen:

Julie’s Point of View

I raised my head slowly, trying to gather what remained of my scattered pride, even though my body was clearly trembling inside that oversized silk shirt.

I took a deep breath, filled with his scent that permeated the place, and launched my words like defensive cannons:

— ”She saw me yesterday as I was leaving your room, and she came now to ask me what I was doing there.. She wasn’t satisfied with mere curiosity; she began playing her ridiculous chatter in my ears, casting filthy judgments just like her.”

He moved from his spot, leaving behind a cold vacuum, circling around me with a haunting dignity until he was directly behind me.

I could no longer see anything but his shadows on the floor, and I could no longer hear anything but the rhythm of his steady footsteps, which beat in my head like war drums.

He whispered in a mysterious tone, as if coming from a deep well:

— ”And you.. with your usual intelligence, chose to answer her with this provocative lie.”

I felt my heartbeats accelerate, striking my chest violently like a trapped bird.

The lie I uttered was nothing but a desperate attempt to protect my dignity, but facing it now while trapped with him in this tight space made me feel the smallness of my resourcefulness.

I did not turn around; instead, I remained frozen in my place, taking my back as an imaginary shield, trying to convince myself that it was impenetrable.

— ”Because she provoked me with her words.. she thought that something had happened behind those closed doors.”

Then I added in a whisper,

”The fool thinks I am like her.”

His voice echoed from behind me, very close this time, increasing the intensity of the tension latent in my veins:

— ”Her provocation made you utter words that exceed your capacity for endurance, Julie.”

He paused for a moment, during which I felt his breath brushing against my wet strands of hair, then continued in a tone heavier than lead:

”Words.. whose bitter consequences you may not be able to live with.”

I clenched my fingers over the fabric of the shirt so hard that my knuckles turned white, trying to hide my fragility which was beginning to show.

My fingers were slipping on the silk as if my punishment had already begun from the moment I agreed to wear his clothes.

I gathered my remaining courage and turned slightly to throw my final card:

— ”Your supervisor harbors feelings for you, I believe, and because of her jealousy, she came to my room to hold me accountable.”

With a single step, he broke the distance between us until he almost touched me. He asked in a low voice, carrying a tone of genuine inquiry this time:

— ”And what is it to you, her feelings?”

His words felt like a slap, making me realize that I was interfering in his affairs.

I turned toward him in a burst of anger, but I hadn’t accounted for his proximity, and my body collided with his solid chest which felt like an unshakeable steel wall.

I took a stumbling step back and said in a voice trembling with resentment:

— ”I have nothing to do with you as a person, but your affairs are what invade my privacy and disturb me.. and since she has made me a target for her hatred, I have no choice but to confront her.”

Abruptly, he raised his long hand and touched a strand of my hair, ignoring all my angry rebellion.

He said with a calmness that did not fit the situation:

— ”You should not leave your hair wet like this.. the moisture will seep into your body and you will get sick.”

I looked at him in a shock that paralyzed my movement; how does he possess this strange ability to turn our heated argument about Olivia into a cold concern for my health? I pulled my hair from between his fingers violently, muttering sarcastically:

— ”And what is it to you?”

A mysterious smile spread across his lips as he put his hand back into his pocket, scrutinizing my appearance mockingly:

— ”Have you started stealing my vocabulary, Julie, just as you stole my pajamas yesterday?”

Then he added with a stifled laugh:

”My size does not suit you at all.. you look like a lost child in the middle of this shirt.”

I ignored his biting sarcasm and turned toward the mirror, sitting on the chair in front of the vanity, trying to pull the edges of the shirt to cover my bare legs.

I said in a dry tone while watching his reflection behind me:

— ”As you see, the clothes that were here are torn and your virtuous assistant refused to bring me other clothes.. I had no choice but to drown in this shirt that suffocates me with your strong scent.”

He approached the mirror, his gaze meeting mine through the glass.

He asked me in a mocking tone:

— ”So, Miss Julie needs clothes befitting her status? Is there another list of orders you wish to dictate to me?”

His tone did not suggest seriousness; rather, it overflowed with a vague sarcasm, but I decided to move forward with the game.

I said with a confidence drawn from my despair:

— ”I want a watch; for the real prison is the loss of time, and I want books to read so that the void does not consume my mind, and a television screen.. for the one that was here shattered, as you know.”

I remembered something important and added quickly:

”And a hairdryer.. for my hair is long and thick and does not dry easily.”

A heavy silence fell over the room, during which Robert stood still like the shadows that inhabit the corners.

I expected him to burst out laughing at my requests, or mock me for believing them like a fool, but he approached me with slow steps until his shadow covered my reflection in the mirror.

He whispered in his resonant voice:

— ”In my world, nothing is free.. every request has a price, so are you ready to pay the bill?”

A feeling of disgust rushed over me; how could a man who owns everything bargain over clothes and a book?

— ”I am a prisoner within your walls, deprived of everything, and you want a price from me for these trifles?”

He raised his eyebrow with icy coldness and answered bluntly:

— ”Books, organized time, and fine clothes.. these are not privileges granted here, Julie. Your obtaining them makes you a special case, and I do not grant distinction for free.. but, you can buy.”

I rose from my seat as if I had been stung, feeling the blood boil in my veins with anger. I stood facing him, ignoring the difference in height and strength between us, and said with blatant defiance:

— ”I have a poisonous curiosity to know.. what is the price that satisfies your greed?”

He replied to me in a confident tone, his eyes gleaming with a predatory spark:

— ”You will sing tomorrow.. on that stage.”

I froze in my place, feeling as though the ground were swaying beneath me. How does he dare ask me to sing before his scum customers?

— ”Have you lost your mind? Do you expect me to sell my voice and stand before those disgusting people in exchange for a piece of fabric and a book?”

He moved closer, besieging me with his overwhelming prestige:

— ”Your voice is not just melodies, it is a hidden jewel that should not remain silent in this room. I am not just asking you to sing; I will make you the star that will light up the darkness of this club.”

I laughed bitterly, a desperate laugh echoing in the place:

— ”A star? Ha.. there are no stars in the bowels of the earth, Mr. Robert. Here, there is nothing but utter darkness that swallows every light.”

He tilted his head slightly and said in a mysterious tone:

— ”The stars in the sky are mundane, everyone sees them.. but here, we make stars of a unique kind.. stars that only shine for those who deserve it, just like you.”

At that moment, I cursed myself because I had revealed that talent to him before.

I realized that I had gifted him the weapon he was slaughtering me with now.

But my instinct for defiance refused to be extinguished, so I raised the stakes of the bet and said with seriousness masking my features:

— ”Then, let’s play it as a business deal. My singing has a very high price.. if you want me to ascend that stage, you will grant me full control over my room’s lock. I do not want the door to be locked from the outside like a beast waiting for its turn for slaughter.. I want to be the one who decides when this door opens.”