Maria.

My chest was still rising and falling unevenly as I stormed away, anger burning through me like wildfire.

Aidan’s words, his touch, the way he had looked at me...It all lingered, refusing to fade. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

"Mate..." I scoffed under my breath, quickening my steps.

None of it made sense, none of them made sense and yet... they all kept saying the same thing.

My head was spinning with it when...I collided into something solid or rather...Someone. I stumbled slightly before steadying myself, my breath hitching as I looked up.

"Daniel..."

His name slipped out before I could stop it and for a split second, something flashed across his face, surprise, then it was gone, replaced with that same calm expression he always wore.

"You’re here," he said, his voice smooth, almost casual. "I was just about to come look for you."

My heart skipped.

I forced my expression to stay neutral, even as unease curled tightly in my stomach.

"Really?" I asked, tilting my head slightly.

He nodded.

"I want to speak to you about something..." he added, studying me carefully. "... But Naoh didn’t let me then. Are you okay? Is anything bothering you?"

I swallowed slowly.

So he noticed.

Of course he did.

"I’m fine," I replied quickly, offering a small smile that didn’t quite reach my eyes.

His gaze lingered on me, searching as if trying to read through me.

"You don’t look fine," he said quietly.

I let out a soft breath, pretending to hesitate. "I just...I don’t know... but I really am fine," I murmured.

His expression softened slightly.

"Come," he said, gesturing toward his room. "You can stay with me for a while...I have something to explain to you.."

For a moment, I hesitated, my mind screamed at me to walk away, to leave, to not follow him back into his room, to not step back into that room.

But another part of me...the curious part, the part that needed answers...Won.

"Okay," I said softly, following him back towards his room.

The door closed behind us with a quiet click.

I moved toward the bed, sitting down slowly, my movements careful, controlled. My heart, however, was anything but steady.

Daniel stayed standing for a moment, watching me and after what took like eternity, he finally spoke.

"You didn’t see anything strange, did you?"

My fingers tightened slightly against the fabric of the bed.

There it was, what I have been avoiding.

Was this "the" something important? He caught me already?

Was he going to hurt me if I said yes? What if I say no will he try to torture me?

I looked up at him, feigning confusion.

"See what?" I asked.

His gaze sharpened slightly, then, just as quickly as it came, it softened again.

"Nothing," he said after a brief pause. "Just making sure you’re okay."

I nodded slowly.

"Yeah... I’m okay," I replied.

A beat of silence passed.

Then I stood up.

"Well... I should probably go," I said, forcing a small smile.

He didn’t respond immediately, instead, his hand shot out, grabbing my wrist.

My breath caught.

The air seemed to vanish from my lungs in an instant, leaving me frozen in place, suspended in a moment I hadn’t been prepared for.

Before I could react—before I could even think—his hand tightened around me and he pulled me back, straight into him.

"Daniel..."

His name barely left my lips, soft and uncertain, but I didn’t get the chance to say anything more.

His lips crashed against mine, hard, sudden and possessive. The impact of it sent a jolt through my entire body, my eyes widening in shock as everything inside me seemed to freeze at once. My mind went blank, unable to catch up with what was happening.

For a second...Just a second...I couldn’t move, then instinct kicked in.

I pushed lightly against his chest, my hands pressing against him as I tried to create space between us, to break free from the unexpected closeness.

But his arm wrapped tightly around my waist, pulling me closer instead of letting me go, holding me firmly in place as the kiss deepened, demanding and unyielding, like he wasn’t asking, like he wasn’t going to stop.

"Daniel... stop..." I tried to speak, the words muffled and uneven, slipping weakly between us.

But they didn’t reach him.

Or maybe he just chose not to hear them.

Because the next second, his lips found mine again, silencing whatever I had tried to say.

My heart pounded violently against my chest, each beat loud and chaotic, drowning out every clear thought. Confusion swirled through me, mixing with shock.

His grip tightened slightly, his arm secure around my waist as he pulled me closer, as though he was afraid I might slip away if he loosened even a little.

"Maria..." he murmured against my lips, his voice low yet rough and almost desperate.

And at that...I stilled.

"Listen to me..." he continued, his forehead pressing lightly against mine for a brief second before his lips brushed against mine again. "I want you."

The words sent a shiver down my spine.

"No matter what you think you saw... no matter what you hear..." he added, his voice rougher now, more intense. "It doesn’t change anything."

I stared at him, my breath uneven.

"Daniel, I..."

He didn’t let me finish as his lips claimed mine again, cutting me off, totally silencing me.

"I love you," he said in between the kisses, the words slipping through like something he couldn’t hold back anymore. "And I’ll take care of you... no matter what."

My mind spun.

"Just... come with me," he whispered against my lips. "Trust me."

I opened my mouth to respond, to question him, to ask if this was all part of their play, to use me as bait. I needed to demand answers.

But once again, he didn’t let me.

His lips crashed onto mine again, swallowing every word before it could leave my mouth.

And this time...I couldn’t even find the strength to push him away.