My father sold me to the Mafia King

Chapter 354

Julie’s Point of View

I walked with calm steps toward the outer entrance of the house; the echoes of the previous violent knocking still vibrated through the hallway, breaking the heavy stillness. I extended my palm with a deliberate slowness, gripped the cold metallic handle, and pulled the door open as it let out a faint creak.

My eyes widened slightly in a sudden, quiet contemplation when I found Mike standing right before me. He was wearing a long, charcoal-colored coat that accentuated his athletic build, and a faint, warm smile was etched onto his lips, offering a pleasant welcome that completely pierced the charged, volatile atmosphere lingering inside.

"Julie... hello. I hope I’m not disturbing you at this hour."

I nodded my head with a freezing calm, running my palm in a familiar, mechanical motion along the edge of the wooden door to conceal my erratic breathing from what had just transpired inside mere moments ago. I spoke in a lowered tone:

"Hello, Mike... don’t worry about it. You aren’t disturbing me in any way."

Mike’s eyes traveled in a brief, rapid sweep toward the inner hallway, as if he were actively searching for movement or a human silhouette inside. He asked with casual curiosity:

"Is Jake home? I called his phone and he didn’t answer, so I assumed he was here."

I locked my sharp, cold gaze onto him to calculate his facial expressions, stating briefly and dryly:

"Yes, he is inside... in his room, to be precise."

He let out a faint exhale from between his lips, looking visibly relieved by his presence, and continued comfortably:

"Alright, that’s actually excellent... I came by to pick him up for a drive we had agreed upon yesterday."

I took a step back to grant him ample space to cross the threshold, gesturing with my palm toward the inner living room as I stated in a calm tone:

"Come on in, Mike. Don’t remain standing on the doorstep outside in this freezing weather."

Mike stepped into the living room with confident, heavy, and deliberate masculine strides. My hand immediately extended to point toward the wide, dark-colored sofa:

"Sit here and rest for a moment... I will go right away to knock on his door and inform him that you are here searching for him so I don’t keep you waiting for long."

Mike bent his torso and sat down with total ease on the sofa, while I turned my entire body and headed toward the hallway leading to Jake’s bedroom.

I stood before the thick wooden door, and I didn’t even bother with the trouble of knocking; instead, I lifted my palm and, with a dry, abrupt motion, pushed the door forcefully to swing it wide open.

My eyes immediately took in his miserable state inside; he was still completely naked, resting on the edge of the white bed with exhausted, pained features and shoulders that were entirely slumped due to the stings of the leather belt that were still burning violently across his skin. I fixed my eyes onto him with a blatant boldness and a deeply buried mockery, stating:

"Your friend Mike is in the living room... he is sitting out there looking for you so you two can head out."

His jaw clenched with immense annoyance and bitter malice. He lifted his exhausted, sweat-drenched head to spear me with a sharp glare, asking in a rough, rasped voice that barely managed to force its way out of his throat:

"And did you actually inform him that I am here?"

I curled my lips in an overflowing smirk, my shoulders relaxing with a calculated indifference as I stated:

"Don’t you want to see him and officially escape my madness? This is your way out."

He let out a scorching, burning exhale that mirrored a volcano. He shifted his torso with extreme difficulty, clearly displaying the intense spasms of his back and abdominal muscles, which were heavily lined with deep crimson marks.

He stated in a choked, commanding tone, desperately attempting to salvage the remaining scraps of his masculine authority:

"Fine... fine, I will put my clothes on immediately and follow you out... close the damn door!"

I didn’t move a single inch from my spot; I remained standing firmly at the threshold of the open door, my eyes greedily consuming every single detail of his massive, naked body with a strange contemplation.

In truth, I didn’t know what I was feeling deep down in my soul at that fleeting second, but the red welts and the raised crimson lines my cruel belt had left across his fair skin looked beautiful to my eyes morally warped, deeply exciting, and overflowing with a mysterious power of possession that made me feel like the absolute mistress of his fate.

He noticed my gaze frozen over his burning bruises, causing him to aggressively grind his teeth in suppressed fury. He snapped in my face, his features turning completely red with a violent flush:

"Go on... drop your eyes and get out of here this instant, and close the damn door behind you, for heaven’s sake!"

I let out a faint, mocking smile, taking a step backward in a hidden victory before pulling the handle and closing the door shut.

I returned to the living room where Mike was waiting, standing before him with an entirely serene face as I stated in a gentle tone:

"Would you like to drink something specific while you wait for him to come out, Mike? Coffee or juice?"

He turned his body toward me, a smile etching onto his features:

"A glass of water, please, Julie. That will be more than enough."

I nodded my head calmly:

"Of course, just a moment and you’ll have it."

I headed toward the kitchen, pulled a clean, transparent glass from the cabinet, and poured the water. I returned to present it to him with a steady hand. He took the glass from my grip with a word of thanks, the tips of his fingers lightly brushing against my hand in the process. I shifted my body to sit beside him, leaving a short distance between us on the same sofa.

I tilted my torso a fraction toward him, asking with a hidden curiosity:

"Are you two heading somewhere specific?"

He took a slow sip of the water, then calmly placed the glass on the small wooden side table nearby, stating in a calm tone:

"Not necessarily... just a drive through the city streets. We’ll cruise around the area for a bit to break the suffocating atmosphere and clear our heads."

I adjusted my posture, clasping my palms over my knees as I stated:

"Yes... I understand. That’s a good thing."

Mike went silent for a few seconds that were marked by hesitation and quiet. Then, he turned his head completely, looking directly and with a sharp depth straight into my eyes:

"Tomorrow is Saturday, Julie... will you be singing in the hotel hall?"

I shook my head in a cold negative:

"No... not tomorrow."

His eyes flashed with a sudden brightness at my words. He leaned his body slightly toward me, dropping all barriers, and asked with a slight hesitation and a lowered tone:

"What do you think then... what do you think about us heading out together tomorrow?"

My brows knit slightly in curiosity, and I asked in a calm, inquiring tone:

"Where exactly do you intend to take me, Mike?"

His breath moved with visible relief after his display of honesty, and he stated with a wide smile:

"Perhaps we can have dinner together at that quiet restaurant overlooking the lake."

I fixed my gaze precisely onto the lines of his face, trying my hardest to read the intentions and plans hiding behind his smooth words, and asked bluntly:

"And is Stella coming with us?"

He shook his head in a clear negative:

"No... she won’t be coming."

My pupils narrowed as I deeply contemplated his eager features, and I continued in a faint, near-whispered voice:

"Meaning... we will be completely alone, without anyone else?"

A faint smile curled his lips, and he looked into the absolute deepest point of my eyes, asking with calm confidence:

"And do you have any problem with that, Julie?"

I relaxed my tense facial muscles, stating with a firmness that hid a thousand thoughts behind it:

"No... I actually have no problem at all. I agree."

His smile widened significantly across his face. He adjusted his coat and prepared to stand up after catching the sound of movement in the hallway, stating:

"Excellent... I will come with my car to pick you up from here tomorrow at exactly seven in the evening. Be ready."

I nodded my head in agreement:

"Alright... it’s a deal, Mike."

In that fleeting second that was crowded with racing thoughts, Mrs. Sophia’s words began to flood my mind with a burning intensity; was it truly possible that the old woman was entirely right in all her predictions? Was Mike genuinely attracted to me, harboring deep, emotional feelings toward me?