3§. Silence and Strength

Amelia's Pov

The next morning, I found myself assigned to clean Alessandro’s room. I paused at the entrance, feeling my heart race, and breathed deeply before stepping in.

His scent filled the room and I closed my eyes inhaling it. Stop thinking about him, I reminded myself, slightly shaking my head.

I tried to push the thoughts away, but they somehow came drifting back, his cold eyes, his smirk, his touch, seemed to be stirring something within me.

I was halfway done with making the bed when I heard the sound of the bathroom door creak open. My eyes instantly shut closed as I held the sheets tightly.

"Hello, Amelia." His deep and steady voice caused my chest to feel tight.

Turning slowly, my mouth hung open as I stared at him. Alessandro stood at the doorway of his bathroom, his eyes fixed on me. My eyes roamed his body and landed on the towel which hung dangerously low around his waist. Water dropped from his hair onto his abs, falling to his torso.

Fuck me!

My face grew warm, and I quickly turned away from him, tiding the bed.

Damn him for looking this good.

“You’re in early,” he said, his tone casual but his gaze sharp.

I kept my voice steady. “ Madam Serena told me to clean your room.”

He stepped further into the room, his wet hair curling slightly against his temples. “Does that include rummaging through my things?”

My face burned. “I wasn’t…..”

“Relax,” he cut me off, his lips curving into a faint smirk. “You’re too easy to rattle, dolcezza.”

The nickname made me clench my fists. I hated how it made my heart skip, even though I knew I shouldn’t feel anything but anger toward him. This was Alessandro Rossi, the man who had stolen everything from me. The man who had ordered my parents’ deaths. I wasn’t supposed to have anything but hatred towards him.

And yet I wasn't able to get a hold of myself. I stood there tracing the lines of his abs as he reached for a shirt on the dresser.

Get a grip, Amelia.

“I……I'll finish quickly and leave,” I stammered, trying to steady my voice.

“Stay.” His voice was calm but commanding, freezing me in place.

I turned back, my pulse pounding in my ears. He was watching me now, his dark eyes holding mine with a dangerous intensity. He wasn’t looking at me like I was just a maid. His eyes were filled with lust as he roamed my body.

But then his expression shifted, hardening. “Why didn’t you defend yourself last night?”

I squirmed, caught off guard by the question. “I didn’t think it would help,” I said softly.

“That’s a poor excuse,” he said, moving closer to me.

I backed away slowly, my heart pounding. “What would you have me do? Talk back? Get thrown out? You don’t know what it’s like no have no say in a foreign place. I’m just a maid, sir.”

“And that’s all you’ll ever be if you keep acting like this,” he said coldly.

I slowly looked away, avoiding his gaze.

“You wouldn’t understand,” I said, my voice trembling. “You’ve never been powerless.”

“Powerless?” He scoffed, his lips curling into a bitter smirk. “That’s what you tell yourself to justify your fear.”

Anger boiled in my chest. I hated how he always managed to tear me apart with just a few words. But beneath the anger, something else stirred—a feeling I couldn’t name.

He stepped closer, the distance between us thin. I could feel the scent if his cologne engulfing me, making it hard to think.

“You need to learn something, Amelia,” he said, his voice low and dangerous. “Silence doesn’t protect you. Obedience doesn’t protect you. Only strength does.”

His words stung, but I refused to look away. My breathing quickened, my hands trembling at my sides.

“Strip,” he commanded suddenly, his voice cold.

My heart stopped. I stared at him, not sure I heard him right. “What?”

“You heard me,” he smirked. “Strip. Right now.”

The air in the room changed. I instantly felt sick as my stomach turned, I searched his face, trying to understand why he’d ask something like this.

“Why are you…..”

“Do you think you have the luxury to question me?” he interrupted me. “You want to survive here? Prove it. Show me you’re not as weak as I think you are.”

I felt my heart drop at those words. Tears threatened to fall from my eyes but I blinked them back, fumbling with the zipper at the back of my dress. My mind was telling to stop, to do anything but obey him.

But Alessandro Rossi always got what he wanted. And right now, I was powerless to stop him.