Sophia’s POV
The rest of the day passed in a blur. I slept in after the talk I had with Ivan. He had to attend to a business so he had left. And true to his word, I wasn’t a prisoner anymore. I mean, I’m still being held hostage, I’m just allowed to leave my room and move around the mansion.
Which was ridiculously huge.
After a quick shower, I got dressed. I was in the mood for something sweet so I went downstairs to the kitchen. I opened the fridge carefully and scanned its contents, I found a mixed-flavored ice cream-cotton candy and vanilla and I smiled to myself. Knowing Ivan put it there cause I’d told him I had a sweet tooth. I put a reasonable amount into a cup.
The door to the kitchen opened. “Hello, Sophia.” I turned to see Mila smiling at me.
“Hey, how are you? I haven’t seen you around.” I shoved a spoon of ice cream in my mouth.
“It was my day off, I had to go home to my family,” she says happily.
Must be nice to have a family that makes you happy. I’ve never had that with dad and I’ve never known my mum so…
“I can see you and the boss have gotten considerably closer, I was right after all,” she said calmly, arranging some stuff into the kitchen cabinets. But I could hear the smile in her voice.
I immediately felt embarrassed. I was aware the guards and others knew what I and Ivan were getting up to, we weren’t exactly quiet or subtle. But it still sounds strange coming from Mila’s mouth.
“I-I uh, well…” My face felt hot.
She chuckles, “There is no need to be embarrassed dear. Nothing wrong with a little fun now, is there?”
I laughed nervously, “You’re… you’re not judging me? I mean we both know our relationship is fucked up and weird.”
She is quiet for a minute and I’m wondering what she has on her mind. “I don’t think I’m in a position to judge you, dear. But how do you feel about all this? Do you hate it?”
I can’t believe I’m having this conversation.
I inhaled sharply as I searched for the right answers to give her, “I know this might sound twisted and fucked up but I don’t hate it, not all. I just wished we met in different circumstances where we weren’t a captive and a captor or where he wasn’t my father’s enemy. I’d have liked that very much.”
“You have feelings for him.” She wasn’t asking, she was telling me.
I paused the spoon of ice cream I was about to eat, in mid-air. “W-what? N-no, no, I don’t of course not. Why’d you say that?”
“Oh, forgive me if I assumed wrongly, you just seemed like a girl with a crush,” she smiled.
“I’m a woman,” I grumbled, avoiding what she had pointed out entirely. She bursts out laughing, it’s the first time I’ve seen her laugh and it was contagious. Soon I joined her in laughing.
After our laughter died down. “If you’ll excuse me, dear. I need to check on something,” she said as she turned to leave the kitchen.
Once the door was closed shut after me, I chuckled before dissolving into helpless laughter, but there was nothing remotely amusing about this situation.
Was I truly half-infatuated with a mafia boss who wanted nothing but sex from me and perhaps, revenge? Did I have a silly little crush on a man entirely wrong for me?
No, that can’t be it. Maybe it was Stockholm syndrome.
“Yes, that is what this is, the only sensible explanation. This was nothing but Stockholm syndrome,” I muttered under my breath.
It has to be.
In the following weeks, nothing changed-and yet, at the same time, everything did. My days still started and ended with Ivan, that hasn’t changed. I mostly always sleep with him in his room seeing as we were incapable of being in the same vicinity without fucking like animals in mating season.
But things felt different.
Now that we’ve kind of gotten closer and also the fact that he trusted me enough to open up to me about his past, I’ve learned to trust him as well. He’s gotten better after his last breakdown and I’m glad that he’s okay. Thankfully, his mum has been doing okay-at least for now.
I’ve decided not to give a fuck about how we met or how our sexual relationship started. I didn’t want to keep feeling silly for enjoying myself despite my situation. I allowed myself to kiss and touch Ivan whenever I wanted-and I wanted it often. Even when we weren’t fucking. Luckily, Ivan hasn’t pushed me away, not once.
That would have killed me because I sure was attached to him. He’s turned me into a clingy monster. Dear God was this what Stockholm syndrome feels like?
“Princess, I’m busy right now. I don’t have the time,” Ivan said, without looking away from his MacBook. We were at his study/home office. He had been working all day and I was starting to feel lonely.
I sighed dramatically as I moved to sit on his lap, and laid my head on his shoulder.
Yep, I’ve gotten bolder also, apart from being clingy.
“Don’t do that,” he gritted out as I grind down on his hard-on, imitating a lap dance.
“But I’m not doing anything,” I said innocently, toying with the collar of his green button-down shirt. I moved my mouth, placing kisses on his neck and jawline.
He groaned, “You’re a distraction.” He moved one hand to my left breast and squeezed it. Pulling a moan from me.
He moved his other hand to my back and slid down until he got to my pussy, he let out a groan of satisfaction. “Hmm, you’re so wet.”
“I-” His phone rang, he reached for it, glanced at the screen, and frowned.
“Give me a minute,” he says as he stands up and walks outside.
Ivan’s POV
“What do you mean she’s gotten worse? It’s been only six weeks since she told us about her diagnosis and I saw her two weeks ago. She was doing well.”
Fuck, it is too soon. It’s too soon to say goodbye, I thought she had a few months.
I could hear Sasha sniff on the other end of the call. “I don’t know how it happened, brother. Her doctor said she needed to be moved to a hospice, she’s rapidly deteriorating and doesn’t have much time.”
Shit!
“I’ll be on my way as soon as I can. We will take her to the hospice. I need you to calm down, don’t inform Ania of this, she has an upcoming exam, okay?”
“Yes,” she sobbed. “I’ll be waiting.”
The call disconnects.
I paced about in the hallway, grabbing my hair until it stung at the root. I tried to calm down and act rationally, but it was harder than I thought. Even for someone like me, who’s never out of control.
Now isn’t the time for me to break down, I needed to get going. I thought to myself as I opened my phone to dial Maxim’s number.
It connects.
“Hello? Ivan.” Maxim’s voice boomed from the other end.
“Get the private jet ready, we are going to Norway. We will be gone for a while, not sure how long. If there’s a pressing need while we are away, you’ll come back and handle it.”
He let out a long exhale, “Sure, I’ve got you, everything will be fine.”
I nodded, even though he couldn’t see me. “Thanks, I’ll be waiting.”