HANGOVER

When Cassandra opened her eyes, she had that two-to-three-second grace period before she remembered who she was, and her body announced its condition. She was having a blinding headache, followed by a wave of nausea and the quivering of her fingers.

She didn't recognize the room she was in and tried to get up but the pain in her temples was so intense that she saw stars. She slowly eased out of the bed sideways, holding her head and almost fainted when she saw a man standing by the mirror, donning a suit jacket. She knew the man so well to recognize him even with his back towards her.

Eros Castillo!

What the hell was he doing here? No, the real question should be; where was she? She looked down at herself, her dress was still intact. As if on cue, he spun and met her eyes, making her heart spike by a hundred degrees, a cocky grin lit up his face.

"Estas despierto, tesoro," (You are awake, treasure) he said.

"Where am I and what am I doing here?" she asked but her voice came out hoarse.

He spread his arms. "Of course, you won't remember. Feel free and settle in well, I have work to attend to, I will see you when I'm back and we can have a proper discussion."

He didn't even finish when her eyes settled on some dresses laid out on the table, designer bags, shoes and everything a woman needed to live by. Is this her new room? If it was, what was Eros doing dressing up in her room?

"This is my room and it is also yours from today henceforth," Eros answered her question as if he read her mind.

"I can't..."

"It's not open for discussion," he interjected, putting a hand in front of him to stop her. "Bully will see to your needs. Here is a phone." He pointed to a phone by the nightstand. "You have my number, Javier and Bully's number stored in there. We are the only ones you are allowed to call, remember, no foul games."

What was this about? A second stage of holding her hostage? What of Apollo?

"Why did you bring me to your room? I am fine staying back where you had me and why in God's name do I have this dress..." Her words trailed off as the events of yesterday hit her.

She gasped and looked at Eros with wide eyes at the remembrance. He had a smug smile that told her that they really have a long discussion awaiting them. What has she done? She remembered slapping him.

"Alright, Tesoro, I have an interview to catch up. Breakfast or should say lunch is in the kitchen."

Lunch? What time is it? She glanced around for a wall clock.

"It's past noon. You can freshen up and move to the kitchen for lunch. Remember what you said last night? You are my acting girlfriend to clear your father's debts, so keep acting." With that said, he sauntered out of the room, leaving her helpless.

When he was gone and she was alone, she slumped on the bed, the foam felt so soft that she felt like crawling back into bed and sleeping for the rest of the day. But there were more trivial matters, she needed to speak with her fiancé, she needed to know what his countenance was like.

Using the opportunity, she took in the room. It was a large, luxurious room with dark elegance. There was a floor-to-ceiling window that was covered in dark heavy drapes, the walls were black with tinges of gold and a spiral chandelier spun from the ceiling. She sat on the bed and huffed, trying to put herself together. Everything would be alright, she tried to assure herself.

While eating with the devil, she had forgotten to get a longer spoon, now she was entrapped for sure. How was she going to cope with acting as this man's girlfriend without upsetting Apollo? It wasn't easy to get a man wrapped around your fingers while another sat back and watched and Eros was too arrogant a man to be joked with. He had indeed said he won't take anything she wasn't prepared to give, but does she even trust him?

The growling in her stomach reminded her how much she has missed food. She stood up from the bed and headed into the extravagant bathroom and was marveled at the size. There was a jacuzzi in the middle and the bathroom was bigger than her room back in her father's house while the room was bigger than their whole house.

She has dreamt of being in a jacuzzi since she became a teenager, and seeing one brought a smile to her face. Going back into the room, she went and checked the door, making sure it was locked before she started to peel off her clothes. She was going to bask in this luxury just for a short while.

She was naked by the time she was in the bathroom, her clothes and underwear scattered on the floor of the room. She didn't like the owner didn't mean she shouldn't enjoy an opportunity like this. Slipping into the jacuzzi, she closed her eyes and relished the moment.

When she tired herself out, she moved out of the bath, slid into the white bathrobe hanging in the corner and wrapped her hair with a clean white towel. There was a hair dryer, shampoos, creams and everything a woman needed on the top cabinet in the room. She didn't want to get ahead of herself thinking Eros got those things for her.

He must have kept them there for the ton of women that come and leave. She looked at the bed. How many women has he f*cked on that bed? Dragging her eyes and mind away from the bed and the nasty thoughts, she started to apply the cream to her body.

In less than an hour, she was ready to have that lunch. Her stomach was growing uncontrollably now. She wore a loose sundress, combed and tied her hair in a messy updo and started out of the room, but stopped when she got to the door. She looked at the phone Eros had given to her which was still on the nightstand. She was not foolish not to know that it has been tapped and every activity she does with it would be known by Eros.

Picking it up, she dialed the number saved as Bully. The big guy answered immediately as if he was waiting for her call.

"Hey, Panda...can you come over here and show me to the kitchen? I don't think I can find my way there."

"I will be there right away," Bully replied.

True to his words, he came a few seconds after the call ended, making her ponder if he was just outside the room all this while. He smiled at her, his smile made his eyes narrow. She smiled back.

"Drama queen," he called.

"What?"

He laughed and Cassandra smiled. She must have really acted real drama last night. She didn't remember seeing Bully anywhere last night, but then, she didn't even remember everything that took place last night.

He started to lead the way while she followed hot on his trail, waiting for the right moment to ask about Apollo.

"This is a new development," Bully said as they ascended the stairs.

"What is?"

"Eros Castillo has never cared for anyone in a long time, except himself."

She didn't know what to say to that, so she kept her mouth shut, but Bully didn't.

"I bet the man is totally smitten."

"Bully, I'm sure he has females at his beck and call, so it's nothing special."

"He has a lot of them, but none has he treated as special as you."

"Okay, I get it..." He paid you to say these things to me. "I don't feel special about whatever he is doing because I know what the price is."

Bully went into the kitchen and Cassandra followed him.

"Grandma Adella is back today."

Cassandra's heart leapt for joy. She can't wait to see the woman again.

"Wow, I can't wait to see her again!"

Bully chuckled at her excitement. Food was already set on the table when she got there. Bully pulled out a chair for her and she sat.

"Don instructed me to keep you company."

"What of Apollo, the guy that took care of me in there when you left?"

"That guy is suspicious. Eros is running an investigation on him, he doesn't trust him yet." Bully was dishing food on a plate for her.

"What?!" Cassandra coughed.

"Are you alright?" Bully looked at her concerned.

"Yes, yes. Why is he investigating the guy? Has he done something wrong?"

"Eros doesn't like the way he looks at you. Did he try to do anything to you in there? Eros regrets trusting you with him."

He is my f*cking fiancé! If anyone needed investigating, it should be that arrogant son of a b*tch!

"No, he didn't try anything funny with me." Cassandra tried to keep her face neutral.

This wasn't good, this wasn't good at all. Apollo couldn't get busted, she won't let the mafia consume her fiancé. Why did he come in the first place? She tried to will her mind away from the thought so that her anxiety won't show. Mafias have ways of finding things out. Eros must have found out that she is connected to Apollo or he might also suspect her. Any reaction from her would give her away. She has to play cool if she was going to win this game.