Cursed Passion

Meeting Part 2

Amora: 

"You're an whore!  An shame! I wished you never- never fucking born!" 
With every word, my stepfather hitted me. Hard.

I fell to the ground coughing blood. I looked up and saw that Neil (My stepdad) was holding his pocket knife. "No. Neil. Please." I tried to get away but he took my leg and pulled me to him.

"It's your own fault, Amora." He said when he stroke with the knife over my arms. I screamed from pain.

I woke up. I was breathing heavily and I sat up in my bed. I grunted and went with my hands through my hair.

I looked at the time. 9.45 AM. 

 I got out of bed, even though everything hurted. Where the fuck was I? I walked slowly out of my room, downstairs. I walked past the kitchen.

Lorenzo leaned against the opposite end of the kitchen island, his sharp gaze fixed on her. 

"So, you're finally awake," Lorenzo remarked.

I rolled my eyes. "Thanks for stating the obvious."

Lorenzo chuckled. "You're welcome. How are you feeling?"

"Like I got hit by a truck," I admitted. "But I'll survive."

Lorenzo's lips quirked into a smirk. "Good to know. You're tougher than you look."

I scoffed. "Is that supposed to be a compliment?"

"Take it however you like," Lorenzo replied nonchalantly. "You know, you never did tell me your name."

"Amora," I replied, crossing my arms over my chest. "And you are?"

"Lorenzo," he answered cold.

I raised an eyebrow, studying him. "Lorenzo, huh? What do you do for a living, besides playing host to random strangers who stumble into your villa in the dead of night?"

Lorenzo's lips twitched with amusement. "Let's just say I dabble in various business ventures."

"Vague much?" I retorted, my sarcasm lacing my words like venom.

Lorenzo shrugged, his expression unreadable. "I like to keep things interesting."

Before I could press him further, Lorenzo's phone went off.

"Speak of the devil," Lorenzo murmured under his breath before turning his attention back to me. "I have some business to attend to. Make yourself at home."

He paused in the doorway, his gaze locking with mine as if trying to read the thoughts swirling in my mind.
"Everything alright?" he asked, his voice a mere whisper against the backdrop of silence.

I forced a smile. "Just my head hurts."

Lorenzo arched an eyebrow, clearly unconvinced by my facade. "If you say so."

"Listen, Amora," Lorenzo began, his tone surprisingly gentle. "I have to take care of some things today, but you're welcome to stay here as long as you need. Consider it a token of gratitude for last night."

I blinked in surprise, caught off guard by his unexpected generosity. "I-I don't know what to say."

Lorenzo offered me a faint smile. "No need to say anything. Just make yourself at home."

And then he left. That son of a bitch just left, leaving me in his enormous villa.

And what now? I didn't want to go home. To my stepfather. Who would punish me, for not coming home last night and- I shoke the thought away. 

Lorenzo invited me to stay, and even though I didn't want to use someone, especially not some strangers, I absolutly didn't want to go home. So, I decided to stay here. Just for an day.

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The hours passed and it was 11 PM. I was sitting in the couch, with an blanket over myself, watching something on TV. 

I didn't notice Lorenzo standing in the doorway.

"Couldn't sleep?" he asked, his voice cutting through the silence like a knife.

I shook my head. "Too much on my mind."

Lorenzo leaned against the kitchen island. "Care to share?"

I hesitated. Then I decided to just tell him something obvious, something that wasn't really going on in my mind. I didnt knew if I could trust him enough."I can't stop thinking about last night. About how you saved me."

Lorenzo's expression softened, a flicker of something akin to empathy passing through his eyes. "I didn't do it out of the goodness of my heart, if that's what you're thinking."

I raised an eyebrow."Then why did you do it?"

Lorenzo hesitated. "Let's just say I have a vested interest in keeping certain people out of trouble."

I frowned. "And what about you? Are you in trouble?"

Lorenzo chuckled darkly."Aren't we all, in one way or another?"

I studied him intently. "You're not like other people, are you?"

Lorenzo's lips curved into a wry smile. "Define 'other people.'"

I rolled my eyes, unable to suppress a smirk. "You know what I mean. You're different. Mysterious."

Lorenzo's gaze softened, a hint of vulnerability shining through the cracks in his armor. "We all wear masks, Amora. Some are just better at hiding them than others."

I nodded in understanding. "I guess we all have our secrets."

Lorenzo offered me a faint smile, a silent acknowledgment of the bond that had formed between us. "Indeed we do. But some secrets are worth sharing, if only to ease the burden of carrying them alone."

"And let me guess, your secret isn't worth sharing?" 

He chuckled slightly. "No. Indeed. You're a smart girl, Amora. And curious." 

I rolled my eyes. "I've been told." 

"So, Amora," Lorenzo began, "Tell me more about yourself. What brought you to that club last night?"

I sighed, running a hand through my hair, "It's a long story. Let's just say I found myself in a bit of trouble and needed a place to forget."

Lorenzo nodded in understanding. "I see. And what kind of trouble are we talking about?"

I hesitated, unsure how much I should reveal. "It's not important. Like you said, some secret's aren't worth sharing."

Lorenzo's eyes narrowed, a flicker of concern flashing across his features. "Are you in danger?"

I shrugged. "Maybe. But I can handle myself."

Lorenzo's lips twitched into a wry smile. "I don't doubt that for a second."

It became silent again. Then I yawned. "I'm going to bed. I'm tired." I mumbled. 

Lorenzo chuckled. "Tired? You've been sleeping for 12 hours straight." 

"So?" 

He rolled his eyes. "Alright then. Let's call it an night. Follow me." And he brought me back to my guest room. At the door I turned around.

"Hey, Lorenzo?" 

He turned around. "Yeah?" 

I hestated for an second. "Thank you for letting me stay here." 

"Any time. Good night, Amora." 

"Good night."