Chapter 98. Simple Instruction

Chapter 98: Chapter 98. Simple Instruction

Chapter 98. Simple Instruction

Time passed. Moments later, Don was done eating. He wiped his hands, cleaned his lips, and then turned to look at Rosa. She was still sitting rigid in her chair, a deep grimace carved into her face, her arms tightly folded as she stared down at her half-eaten food.

He raised an eyebrow. "You know it’s going to get cold. You should at least eat well in preparation for the next four days—when you won’t be able to eat anymore," he said, his voice laced with faint amusement.

She slowly tilted her head, glaring at him from the corner of her eye.

Don chuckled and ran his fingers through his hair, his lips twitching uncontrollably against a smile. He pushed himself up from the table with his plate, walked around, and headed into the kitchen. Rosa’s eyes tracked him until he vanished inside and the door shut behind him.

She scoffed loudly, looking back down at her food. What the hell is the deal with him? she thought, frustration simmering beneath her skin.

Pulling out her phone, her thumbs flew across the screen as she sent a frantic message to Mia.

ROSA: I need help!!!😭😭😭😭

Mia’s response came almost instantly:

MIA:🤔🤔 You need help with what?

ROSA: I’m going to sue you in court for this defamation of character! You are heavily going to be punished for this. You assured me that stepping into this apartment was going to be a blessing, but it’s literal hell.😭😭😭😭😭

MIA: 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 What the hell do you mean?

The clear amusement practically radiated off the screen.

Rosa glared at her phone like it had personally offended her.

ROSA: Who the hell punishes someone with food just because they are offering them formal, basic respect? He is still insistent on removing the "mister" whenever I’m addressing him formally. Now he is punishing me with it. It’s not my fault I’m respectful. What the hell am I supposed to do about that? 😩😩😩😩

MIA : Then you should learn not to be formal with him. I mean, it’s what he wants, and moreover, he is someone really, really close to you. I mean, look at me. I am older than you. Have you ever, for once, ever thought of addressing me formally?

Rosa read through the text and scoffed.

ROSA: You are my best friend. There is a big difference.

MIA: I don’t see the big difference in that. 🤷🏼‍♀️🤷🏼‍♀️

Rosa sighed in exasperation. Her fingers flew rapidly across the phone.

ROSA: Forget it. There’s no use talking to you.

She tossed her phone onto the table, folding her arms again and staring straight ahead, sulking in the glare of the room.

The kitchen door opened. Rosa glanced back to see Don casually stepping out, a towel draped over his shoulder, whistling softly to himself as the door shut behind him. He paused and turned to look at her, his dark eyes darting between her face and the food in front of her.

He chuckled and shook his head. "Still making a big deal out of this, aren’t we?" he asked.

He sauntered over and stood directly in front of her table. Rosa glared at him, clearly revealing her frustration.

Don smiled, that wicked edge returning to his expression. "Well, since you don’t want to eat..." He stretched his hand out to take the plate.

Rosa’s hand instantly shot out and grabbed his wrist.

The moment her fingers wrapped around him, her breath caught. She felt the dense, solid muscles beneath his skin—the sheer sturdiness of him. Jesus, he feels like iron and flesh, she thought, her heart giving a sudden, violent thud against her ribs. The contact was electric, shooting a sudden warmth straight through her veins.

Don froze. He stared down in subtle shock at her smooth little hand gripped against his large wrist.

Rosa froze too, realization crashing over her. She quickly jerked her hand backward, her eyelids blinking uncontrollably as she avoided his gaze, staring fixedly off to the side. "I will eat," she grumbled.

Don looked back up at her face. He chuckled, then stretched it back over toward her, folding his arms. "Then eat," he said, staring down at her with a raised eyebrow. "If you want more, I can bring more for you. You have to be properly well-fed so that you will be able to survive the next four days."

Rosa gritted her teeth, sinking deeper into her seat. "God, I hate you right now," she murmured under her breath.

He chuckled. The smile—that wicked smile—was still firmly there, and he didn’t move an inch.

She looked back up at him, her defenses crumbling into desperation. "Please," she murmured.

Don raised an eyebrow.

" Please... just let it go. Spare me this once."

He scoffed, tilting his head to the side. "You’re wasting your time, Rosa—"

He couldn’t complete the sentence before he heard the chair scraping backward. He turned just in time to see her stand up and stretch her arms wide, revealing those cute, big brown eyes. Her lips contorted into a powerful pout. She stepped closer toward him, leaning in so close that he could feel the radiating heat of her body.

Don’s heart thudded in his chest. His eyes widened as she pressed her palm against his chest.

"Donnie," she said, cooing softly in that childish, light voice that always seemed to get to him.

He swallowed hard, staring down at her face, his eyes tracing hungrily over her features. He scoffed in disbelief and tore his gaze away from her face. "What the fuck are you doing right now, Rosa?" he murmured.

"I’m trying to plead with you," she said softly.

All of a sudden, she wrapped her arms tightly around his waist, pressing herself flush up against him.

Don groaned internally, every muscle locking up. He felt the warm curve of her—her chest, her stomach, everything pressed tightly against his body. It felt like a searing heat, burning through his senses and through his skin, driving him to his absolute fucking limits. He clenched his palms into tight fists at his sides, fighting the urge to pull her closer.

Oh my fucking God, he thought.

He looked down at her. She didn’t rest her chest against his; instead, she pressed her jaw against his chest, tilting her head back to look directly up into his eyes. That dramatic pout and those big, round, cute eyes were staring right up at him.

"Please," she pleaded softly. "Pretty, pretty, pretty please, Donnie," she said, increasing the pout.

He scoffed in disbelief.

"I will do anything you want, Donnie," she said. "Just spare me this once." She tilted her head to the side, then began batting her eyelashes up at him.

Don couldn’t hold it back anymore.

"Okay, fine," he choked out. He caught her hands and pulled her gently away from him. "Fine! Yeah, right... whatever. You’re forgiven. I’ll let it go," he said quickly.

Rosa grinned instantly. "Really?"

He looked back at her with a helpless grin. "Yes. You got what you wanted."

She smiled brightly. "Oh, thank you so much, Donnie!"

She turned around, sauntered back over to her chair, and happily began to eat.

Don stood to the side, staring at her in absolute disbelief. A smile he couldn’t help expanding across his lips. Then he chuckled, tilting his head to the side as he ran a hand through his hair.

Oh my lord, he thought. This girl is going to be the absolute death of me.

Time moved past in a blur. Rosa spent the rest of her day in the music room practicing, playing solos and filling her ears with the soothing melodies—all the things she loved doing best.

By the time night began to fall, she was exhausted. She checked the clock on the wall to see it was exactly a few minutes after eight. She crashed back against the chair before the piano and breathed out heavily. "I guess I’ll call it a day," she said to herself.

She got up from the chair, turned around, and stepped out of the studio, shutting the door calmly behind her. She was about to turn in the direction of her room, but then she froze.

Turning her head, she glanced down the long corridor, tilting her head slightly to look toward the dark room where Don said he kept his ’pets’. She blinked once, blinked twice, and frowned.

Bad idea, Rosa. Just walk away, she thought.

She shook her head and turned around to walk in the opposite direction, but something stopped her. Was it curiosity—that genuine, stubborn curiosity she had never been able to discard ever since she was little? Everything about this place just didn’t make sense. She needed to figure out the facts.

She frowned, looking back at the door, and shrugged. Well, I’m not actually stepping in. I’m just taking a look around, she thought.

She looked around to ensure Don was nowhere in sight, then she began to tiptoe down the long corridor, her bare feet silent against the plush rug.

She finally reached the door and stood before it. Her eyes darted left and right, taking in the entire structure. Everything about the door clearly showed just how dangerous whatever was lurking inside could be. The wood was raw and weathered, as though an earlier door had been broken down from the inside and Don had been forced to resort to this rundown, makeshift barrier just to keep it locked. The whole thing looked like it could give way at any second.

It was a stark contrast to the rest of the mansion.

Her heart was racing uncontrollably in her chest. She swallowed hard, lifted a trembling hand, and ran her fingers over the rough surface of the wood. Leaning in close, she pressed her ear against the door, holding her breath.

There was complete, total silence from within.

She pulled away from the door and looked at it with a raised eyebrow. So what? Around midnight, this beast is just going to go feral? she thought, staring at the barricade.

She brought her hands down and folded them behind her back. I really wish he would just explain things clearly to me. How am I supposed to stay in this place with any peace of mind, having to bear endless mysteries and roars every single night?

"What are you doing here?"

A sharp, deep, familiar voice she didn’t expect to hear slammed straight into her ears.

Rosa gasped and spun around, crashing backward from the sharp jolt of fear that roared through her nerves. She staggered back, and her back slammed against the door, forcing it to rattle loudly against its frame.

She jerked away from it instantly, staring at the wood with wide eyes, her heart pounding so violently in her chest it felt like it was going to explode. She braced herself, expecting growls or wild thuds to come from within, but there were none. No sound came from behind the door.

Breathing hard, her chest heaving, she slowly turned her gaze toward Don.

He was shirtless now, dressed in only his dark trousers. A towel hung loosely over his shoulder, and wet strands of hair fell across his eyes from his recent shower.

Her eyelids fluttered. She placed her hand over her mouth and cleared her throat nervously. "Hey, Don," she said with a weak, strained smile. "I was... just checking things out."

His face was completely blank. There was no light, no warmth in his dark eyes as he stared down at her. Gradually, his eyes narrowed into cold slits.

"You clearly do not know how to listen to simple instruction, do you?"