CHAPTER XLVI
~~~
SOPHIA SLID THE business card in her trouser pocket as she walked out of the mall. The moment her eyes fell on the spot where their car had been parked, she froze.
The man that she was thinking of betraying stood there, staring right back at her while Valerie, Alessandro, and the others weren’t there any longer.
She gulped. Had he seen her keeping the business card in her pocket? Was it all a trap to test her? What if Chase owned Claudio’s loyalty and was using him to test her?
There were no answers to her unasked questions.
“What are you waiting for?” Chase’s voice broke her out of her daze. “Come here,”
She managed a small nod before walking towards him. “You -“She looked around the whole surrounding for a sign of Valerie and the whole team she had been with before looking back at him. “Why are you here? Where are the others?”
“I sent them back home,” He passed her his boyish smile, and her heart skipped a bit. “I came to pick you up myself,” He then pushed a strand of her hair behind her ear. “I hope you enjoyed the shopping?”
“Uhh -“Sophia’s eyes flickered to his dark ones, and she nodded, seeing the light gleam in his eyes. “I did. I enjoyed it,”
Reluctantly, Chase pulled away from her. “That’s great then. I always want you to be happy, Gattina. Anything for you,”
{“Kitten”}
Just as he was about to get into the car, Sophia clutched onto his suit jacket. Chase turned. “Do you want anything in there?” He jutted his chin towards the mall.
“If you want to see me happy, then please let me go,”
Chase’s jaw ticked, and just like that, his mood was sour. “Get in the car,”
From the corner of her eyes, Sophia caught sight of Claudio, staring at them, from a distance
“Do I need to drag you into the car?” Chase snapped at her.
Sophia flinched, blinked, and then parted her lips. “I-I’m sorry,” She didn’t like it whenever he was in a bad mood. It scared her.
Slowly, she got into the car as the driver opened the door for her while Chase slid in beside her.
~~~
Sophia stared out of the window of the car, feeling Chase’s intense gaze on her. Her mind was solely focused on Claudio’s words, and she resisted the urge to ask Chase who Claudio was. She really wanted to know why he took so much pleasure in murdering people and taking them away from their loved ones.
“Gattina,”
{“Kitten”}
Sophia blinked away her thoughts and turned to Chase. “Hmmm,”
Chase leaned in and pulled her on his lap before burying his face in the crook of her neck, inhaling the sweet scent of coconut on her. He placed a peck on her neck. “What are you thinking about?”
Sophia gripped his suit coat tighter in her fists. “I-,”She shook her head. “Nothing,”
Chase looked up at her and combed his fingers through her locks. “You’re lying,”
She bit on her bottom lip, and that had Chase flickering his eyes to her lips. “I-I’m not lying,”
Chase averted his eyes from her lips and settled them on her freckles. “I love your freckles,”
Sophia said nothing. She only stared at him blankly.
Chase locked his eyes with her almond shaped ones. “Won’t you say thank you?”
“Th -thank you,” She managed a small smile.
Satisfied with that, Chase brought a few strands of her hair to his lips and pecked it. “I love your hair too. A lot,”
Sophia let out a shaky breath. “Thanks,”
He again leaned in and pecked her button nose. “Even your nose. I love it too,”
“Thank you,”
Chase smiled and kissed her slowly. It was a short but sweet kiss. “I love your lips and everything about you,” He whispered against her lips. “Every fucking thing about you is perfect. Fucking perfect and I’ll do anything for you. Anything, but never ask me to let you go. I won’t ever let you go and even if your happiness depends on that, I’d advise you to find something else to make you happy because I won’t give you your happiness that way,”
Sophia shuddered in fear and whispered out. “Chase -”
He ignored her. “Anything but that. Anything but letting you go,”
Sophia fisted her hands into a tight ball, clutching his suit coat. “Chase, I-I want to see my Nana,”
Chase stilled and pulled away, staring into her eyes. His eyes didn’t have that softness it had in them earlier. They had turned stone cold, and it scared Sophia. The way his eyes looked had fear coursing through her veins. “No,”
Sophia’s heart dropped in her stomach. “W-why?”
“Must I give you an explanation on why you mustn’t see her?” He snapped, and she flinched. When he saw her reaction to his sudden mood, Chase closed his eyes shut to push back the emotions he was suddenly feeling before opening back his eyes with a soft look in them. He caressed her left cheek softly. “You’re still a captive, Gattina. Have you forgotten that?”
{“Kitten”}
Sophia sighed lowly, and her head dropped while her shoulders sagged. Maybe she’d have to maybe call Claudio then.
~~~
Once Sophia and Chase stepped foot into the house, something small ran towards them and curled up into ball at her feet, making her stop.
Her eyes fell on the animal’s fur and instantly went on her knees to pick it up. She then looked up at Chase. “It’s a cat. How did it get here?”
Chase wrapped his arms around her shoulder to pull her up, flashing her his mega-watt smile. “I got it for you,”
Tears blurred her vision, and she whispered. “Why?”
“I always knew you loved cats, so I got her for you as a surprise. You can play with her all you want as long as she’s helping to kill that boredom you feel in here. If you’re tired of her, I can get you another one,” Fuck. He sounded so cheesy and it made him cringe internally. He was never like that.This belongs to NôvelDrama.Org.
“Really?” Sophia smiled. “Thanks a lot,” She then hugged his torso with her small arms while her head rested on his chest. That took Chase off-guard. She had never been the one to initiate anything with him and that was her first. If only he knew getting her a cat would coerce her like that, he’d have done it ever since she moved into that mansion. “Chase, thank you so much. I really love the cat,”
Before Chase could wrap his arms around her, Sophia pulled away and he pinched the bridge of his nose. What the fuck was he thinking? How could he have tried to hug her back? “It’s good you love the cat,”
Sophia stroked the cat’s fur as it leaned into her touch. She smiled and looked up at Chase. “What should we name her?”
“Name her whatever you want,” He said.
“No. I want us both to name it together, “She smiled at him.