Only His ✔

Chapter 22

ALICE POV

I woke up to the sound of low murmurs and whispers that were in the room. I slowly sat up and rubbed my eyes. People. There were people in the room. I cautiously pulled the comforter up to my chest whilst I scanned through the crowd of strangers. There were two woman, one dressed in Antonio's maid staff uniform and the other just in normal clothes. There were also two men, both dressed smartly.

"W-who are you?"

My voice still sounded tired from my sleep as I asked the question. One of the woman stepped forward and answered with a thick Italian accent.

"We are here at Mr. Marino's request to help get you ready, Miss."

My eyebrows knitted together in confusion.

"Ready for what?"

They glanced nervously at each other, unsure what to say in response. Instead I was just handed a letter that was addressed to me, so I tore it open and unfolded the piece of paper that lay inside the envelope.

Alice,

You will obey the staff and do exactly as they ask of you. All of their orders come directly from myself. I will be alerted immediately if you show any resistance. They have their instructions so I suggest you do as your told or there will be repercussions.

Antonio.

I practically threw the letter to the other side of the room as if it had a disease. My heart rate had gone up dramatically since reading his note. Why was everyone acting so strangely? I could be in for anything from simply going for dinner or maybe Antonio was finally bored of me and had decided to sell me off to someone else. That was possible for someone like him, he had power and connections. Would that be better or worse? To be shipped off to some random person would mean escaping Antonio but maybe falling into the hands of someone worse.

Upon inspecting the room further, I noticed that there was plenty of makeup and hair tools laid out on the desk and a rack with a large outfit that was packed inside of a protective sleeve, meaning I couldn't see it.

I hesitantly climbed out of the bed and was soon taken into the bathroom by a maid who had already drawn me a large bubble bath. I felt awkward undressing in front of her but there was nothing I could do about it but soon relaxed when the warm, sweet scented water and bubbles washed over my body. The bath had been infused with essential oils and even flower petals! Maybe this was just Antonio's way of apologizing to me after all. Never the less, it was worth enjoying while the amazing treatment lasted.

I leant my head back so it hung over the edge of the tub. What I hadn't expected was for the movement to trigger the same maid to come and put some sort of mask on my face. I couldn't help but moan in satisfaction as she rubbed the product into my face in circular motions, spreading it out. She also placed some soothing pads on top of my eyes. For the first time in a very long while, I felt completely relaxed. It was almost as if I could sense all the tension leaking out of my body and into to water around me. I hadn't even noticed that I was falling asleep until the maid helped me out and wrapped my body in a warm, fluffy towel.

Half an hour later, I was perched on a chair in front of a huge vanity. I was wearing a thin, silk dressing gown and stared at my reflection while tuning out anything the staff were saying. Not that I could even understand them. They were only communicating to one and other in Italian, clearly to shield me from the truth. I still had no idea what was going on.