Temptation of her Flame ✔️

chapter ten

i'm so excited to write the next chapter i can't even

i'll change the song to taylor's version when it comes out don't come for me pls

(i did something bad by taylor swift)

ARIA

"What's with the guards?" I asked right as Vincenzo parked the car back at his mansion.

Our little breakfast went as smoothly as it could have, without much information given or disruptions. Except for that one phone call Vincenzo received, but he returned two minutes later with a polite smile.

I liked getting ready and dressing up. I hope he could bring me out more so I could receive another makeover.

"Work-related. It's nothing important," he replied, and instantly I knew it was extremely important. A liar could recognise a liar. Still, I nodded and went to Emma's room on the third floor, only to find it closed.

Then I heard voices, or more precisely, sounds. I stepped away from the door, lips thinning into a line. I would imagine I looked like the neutral face emoji, just with a bit more irritation in my eyes.

Just yesterday, Emma talked about Damon's beard and how much she liked it. When I told her to confess, she went on to say that he was disgustingly vile and she would stay away from that 'walking red flag' for as long as she could.

She was now fucking that 'walking red flag'.

That girl had no help whatsoever.

I returned to my—Vincenzo's—room to wash up then picked up my phone. I hadn't been using it much recently because talking with Emma was entertaining enough. But I figured I should call the friend who stuck alongside me through my darkest days.

We had the type of relationship where we would stop communicating for a good month, then return to speaking as if we'd spoken every day of our lives. My mother had loved him.

I only spoke to him in the later days of abuse, and he'd force me to accept a thick wad of cash to leave or report to the authorities. By that time, giving up sounded much more appealing than owing a friend, but he was a reason I made myself run as far as I did after escaping.

Then I woke up on a billionaire's bed, and I was so tangled up in my circumstance that I hadn't told him about the good news. I was alive, and I finally left.

He picked up the call on the first ring.

"Holy cow udder, Aria, you little booger. Get out of that place, seriously." He didn't sound very happy. In fact, he was fuming.

"I'm all over the news," I told him.

"I know. I'd been trying to call for like, what, four days now? What's going on?" A pause, then he whispered, "Is he with you right now? Are you being held for ransom? I swear to God, I'll carry you out of there myself. Just give me a moment. I'm working on it."

"No!" I said, snorting the word. "I haven't been using my phone much, and I'm so so sorry. I didn't think to look at my missed calls. But I swear, you have nothing to worry about."