Chapter 18: The Truth

Anastasia Honchar's POV

I gulped as I looked at his smirk. He was playing with me as I was his prey and he was the predator in this game. I need to think to escape him, fast.

"well, well, well. Isn't it just fate that I woke up and I was in your house? I was wondering where you might be, Princess," he whispered as he was pressing against me. I should be looked out for this psycho and be scared but for some reason, I was not afraid of him. I cleared my throat before I looked at him.

"Hello, Marco. I see that you have come to see me, again," I said as I was controlling my voice. I should not show fear to him but he smirked at me as he was caressing my cheeks. I did not flinch.

"well, I could say the same but apparently, I have some bad news for you, Princess," he said. My heartbeat was faster as I was looking at him. I cannot show fear to him. was I?

"what do you mean, bad news?" I asked him as I was smiling at him. He did not smile back but he was staring at me as his hand dropped from my face. I yearned for his touch now.

"well, when Marco Conti was sick, he saw you when you came unannounced at the house. I heard that you made porridge for him. But mysteriously, when he took a sip of your porridge, I felt like my mind was slipping away. So tell me, princess, what was that all about?" He said as he trapped me again in his arms, looking intensely into my eyes, deep into my soul. I gulped.

"I don't know what you're talking about," I said as I was looking intensely at him. He was not smiling nor smirking but he did take me by surprise as his face was inches from mine. Our hot breaths mingled and I hold my breath.

"if I know that you were working to get rid of me, I will find you even to your grave, do you hear me?" He said in a dangerously low voice. He was threatening me. I exhaled my breath as I can see he was liking my fear right now. He was smirking at me.

"so, let me ask you again," he said in that low voice, making my insides turned upside down.

"do you or do you now put any drug inside the porridge last night? And do not intend to lie to me. You know I smell fear," he said as he was keeping his eye contact me. I gulped before I blinked a few times. I closed my eyes before I bored into his emerald orbs. Goosebumps were on my skin before I held my chin up.

"I did not put anything in your porridge nor did I have any idea how to get rid of you," Lies. Of course, I have an idea of how to make sure that he will be silenced. It was not that hard to do it. He looked at me for a while as he was calculating my answer. And before I knew it, he was smirking at me.

"you lied. And I hate liars," he said in dangerous tone before he pushed me onto the counter, knocking the hot coffee and biscuits off.

"hey, I just prepared that!" I hissed at him. He did not laugh but he grabbed my wrists instead.

"you know I want the truth but you dare to lie to my face, now face the music, princess," he said as he was pushing my hands above my head as my breasts perked up. I cannot hide anymore if he came on top of me.

"what are you doing?" I asked him nervously. He smirked at me.

"what I should have when I laid my eyes upon you," he said and before I could protest, he dipped his head into mine. Words were lost in my throat as I was trying to process what was happening. His lips on mine. His hand was holding my wrist, the other was playing with my thumb. I was numbed as my eyes went big as a saucer.

Marco Thorn was kissing me. How do I make of that?

It was as if the time has been slowed around us and all I can focus was his lips were moving against mine. I did not respond to him before he groaned and broke the kiss.

"move your lips, woman," he hissed before he caught my bottom lips and pulled at it. I gasped before something stirred inside my stomach. I was overwhelmed by something that I would not usually have. Something like desire.

"Ahh!" I moaned before he pulled both of my lips into his and he kissed me. nope, scratch that. He was claiming my mouth like he fucking owned it. And he did own it, right now.

"Hmm," was the only response that I can come up with when his hands were roaming my body. My wrists have been let go but I still did not move my hands. His presence was overwhelming and my body was responding to it. I did not know what was happening right now.

"Touch me," he whispered and before I can be recovered, he pulled my hands to snake around his neck. I pulled him closer before we crashed our lips again. He was groaning and my nipples erected at that sound.

God, can this man be more dangerous than that?

I was pulling him closer as my core was throbbing with need. I wanted him. I needed him. god, I do anything to have him for one night.

"what are your thoughts, my love? Speak it so I can fulfill it," he said as he was staring at me. I was in a daze and I don't have any word to get out of my head.

"I…I…I…"

"yes?"

"I want you. Take me. Oh please, take me," I said. I cannot believe it I said that word myself. Marco smirked at me as he was kissing my lips again. I moaned into that kiss as I was wrapping my hands around his neck and pulled him closer. I was wrapping my legs around his torso as well.

suddenly, he stopped dead in his trace of exploring my body. I was still clinging to him as I looked at him, confused by his action.

"We shouldn't do this," he said before he was off my body. suddenly, I felt cold hit my heated skin as he was getting out of the kitchen into the living room. I was still high on that heated moment of our kiss before I ran toward him. He was pacing back and forth inside the living room.

"why you stop?" I asked before he turned sharply at me. He snickered at me.

"believe me, princess, I did not want to stop," he said as he took a seat at the sofa. I wanted to slip beside him before he stopped me.

"Don't come any closer," he snapped at me. I drew a sharp breath. He never raised his voice with me.

"unless you don't want me to lose it and take you on this couch," he whispered but enough for me to hear it.

"why is it matter? We both know that we wanted it," I said as anger was getting the best of me. Marco turned sharply at me before he stood up again and went closer to me. The heat of his skin brushed mine and I purred for his touch.

"can you see? They were playing with us. And I don't want to be anyone's pawn anymore," he said as he was running his hand into his hair. played? pawn? What was he talking about?

"what are you talking about?" I asked him as he was laughing bitterly.

"us, our fate that suddenly conveniently collide. Don't tell me you don't know about this…this arrangement?!" He shouted. I blinked my eyes as I did not hear what he just said.

"you will need to take out Marco Thorn as he was a threat to us,"

"We don't have anyone else. you are the only one that capable of this,"

Those words, that voice. That voice. It has been his plan all along. It was only a game for him to take his time to get out of prison.

"Do you know Alfred?" I asked him as I was standing still. He grimaced.

"he holds my fucking lifeline. If I don't deliver what he wants, he will have me turned to the proper authority," he said as he was running his fingers through his hair again. god, what would I do to feel that under my fingers? I cleared my throat.

"so, this has been all of his plans all along," I said stoically. I don't want to show defeat yet. Marco looked at me before laughing bitterly. He grimaced at me before he pointed at me.

"you, of all people, should know how that old man's mind works. We are in this mess because of you," he said as he was accusing me of not knowing the plan. I scoffed at him.

"well, excuse me, I don't have time to be in his presence. He fucking owned me too, alright?!" I said as I suddenly burst at him. Tears were streaming down the face. I was done being that good girl anymore. I wanted to live my life to the fullest with no worries that enemies might lurk around me. Marco grunted.

"At least we have that in common," he said before he turned to left the room.