Chapter 6: Confinement

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

I stood at the window and stared out at the scenery. Night had fallen, and the lights in the manor were on. Under the twilight, the sky-blue pool was tinted dark blue. My original home had a pool like this. If there were any happy memories in my childhood, it would be the feeling of serenity I felt when I dived to the bottom of the pool. I leaned against the window and stared blankly at the pool.

Ravi’s figure entered my field of vision. His upper body was naked, and from my angle, I could see his broad and thick shoulders. After the warm up, he took off his pants, leaving only his bathing suit pants around his waist. He dove into the water and swam at a fast pace. I had to admit, he was a good swimmer. I counted how many laps he swam. After about fifty laps, he gradually slowed down and swam to the edge of the pool. He wiped the water off his face with both hands and removed the goggles. With both hands on the edge of the pool, he adjusted his breathing.

He was standing in the pool at the moment. From my point of view, the proportions of his body seemed distorted. Coupled with his broad shoulders and muscular biceps, he looked quite comical. I smiled. Suddenly, his gaze shifted to where I was. Shit, he saw me. The unexpected eye contact startled me. Unsure of how to react, I stood by the window in a daze.

Ravi placed his hands on the deck and pushed his legs as hard as he could to sit on the slate floor by the pool. His feet were still soaked in the pool, and his hands were on the ground behind his body.

His breathing had steadied, because I could see that his chest was no longer heaving. His eyes were fixed in my direction, and I couldn’t read the emotions in them. He didn’t seem to reveal his emotions easily and he was always expressionless.

Just then, a voluptuous blonde woman in a bikini walked up to Ravi. She sat on the ground close to Ravi and said something to him. Ravi’s hand went around the woman’s back and rested on her waist. The woman turned her neck to kiss Ravi, and her head blocked most of Ravi’s face. I didn’t think I should keep watching, so I pulled the curtains closed. I showered, read, and slept.

I didn’t know how long I slept, but I caught a whiff of something sweet. What was it? Cheesecake! I suddenly opened my eyes and sniffled. I wasn’t dreaming. It was indeed the smell of cheesecake. I looked at the clock on the wall. It was ten o’clock. I slept for nine hours. I was so hungry that I could even smell the aroma coming from the kitchen from one floor away.

“Irina,” I heard Maria call to me quietly through the door.

I got off the bed and walked to the door. I answered, “Maria?”

“Yes. I brought you a cheesecake,” she said quietly, and then I heard her unlock the door with the key. I opened the door a crack, and outside the door, Maria was holding a small piece of cheesecake. “Eat it quickly. Ravi isn’t home.”

“Thanks, but I can’t eat. Ravi won’t let me eat.” I shut the door.

I heard the footsteps of Maria going down the stairs. She seemed to have forgotten to lock the door. I turned the knob and pulled it open. The door was indeed open. Should I sneak out? The villa was heavily guarded. Even if Ravi wasn’t here, I couldn’t escape. If I was caught, there would be worse punishments waiting. I knew the Mafia’s rules.

I closed the door and went to the table to take out the books. Out of the books the professor had given me, there were four I hadn’t read yet, and one that I hadn’t finished reading.

Before I knew it, it was three in the afternoon. I felt tired and leaned against the table to take a nap. In my semi-conscious state, I thought I heard footsteps. When I woke up, it was already evening and the lights were on.

I sat up and lifted the blanket covering me.

Wait. I was clearly dozing off on the table. How come I woke up in bed?

Maybe I climbed into the bed on my own. I stretched, got out of bed, and went to the window.

The scenery outside the window was still the same. A few bodyguards patrolled downstairs and talked to each other occasionally. I closed the curtains, took off my clothes, and went into the bathroom to turn on the shower. The sound of running water filled the entire space.

I stood in the bathroom with the hot water running. The steam quickly filled the bathroom, and the transparent glass was covered in mist. I wrapped a towel around myself and walked out of the bathroom. The water on my feet wasn’t dry yet, and I left a trail of wet footprints behind me. After wrapping my hair in a towel, I walked through the cloakroom to the bedroom.

Meanwhile, Ravi was sitting at the table with his legs crossed and he was reading my book..