Three weeks left.

The past week had been as uninteresting and repetitive as it could get, doing the same things over and over again but that was a good thing. After going to the event, I needed some time and space to gather my thoughts and that was exactly what I received.

After I had sex with Vince.

My dad had been pissed off for quite some time but I had managed to get a hold of him and explain everything. Truth to be told, there really wasn't anything to explain. There were only lies that I fed him to help tame his rage and it worked. I obviously couldn't tell him that I had slept with Vince or else he would go blind with rage.

With each day that passed, the closer I was to finally leave this place. Or dying.

I wanted to believe that Vince wouldn't actually kill me for the money. After the month I spent here, I knew that he wasn't that kind of person. Maybe he only used that as a threat in his scheme with no intentions of actually committing murder. Or maybe I was being too optimistic.

Either way, my dad had assured me that he had borrowed some money from a couple of people to pay back Vince, except this time, he would return the money to the people once he would. He said he would pay back Vince in no time, maybe even before the next three weeks, I had left.

I had just woken up a couple of minutes ago, still trying to go over all the things that had happened the past month.

Laying on my bed, I looked out the large window. It was mid-December and it had started to snow. Frost had started to build up around the edges of the window. If you paid close enough attention, you could see the pattern of the snowflakes that were stuck on the window.

I was never a big fan of the cold but since I couldn't go outside and the heater was always on, I didn't mind.

I climbed out of my bed, walking towards the window. The snow was pretty, coating the other buildings with a thin layer of white. I glanced down, watching the busy city. Everyone was so invested in their own lives, buried in their own problems while I had mine.

A sharp knock on my door cut me out of my thoughts.

"Come in,"

The door opened to reveal Vince. He had been coming out of his office more often instead of working every second of the day. Sometimes he would even attempt to have conversations with me.

"Good morning, Darcy." He began walking over to the window and then stopped next to me. As usual, he was already dressed up and ready for whatever he had to do.

"Good morning," I replied, diverting my gaze away from him and looking back out the window. "Do you need anything?"

I was starting to grow fond of the window in my room as the weather got colder and the sun wasn't as bright.

"Viola is coming next week for Christmas."

"Oh," I muttered back.

Even though Christmas was only in a couple of days, I had completely forgotten about it. I usually liked the holiday because of all the decorations and gifts but this year, I wasn't too ecstatic about it. I was glad I was going to get to see Vince's little sister before I had to go. She was a really sweet girl who only had her older brother.

We stood there in silence, watching the snowflakes fall from the sky. It was a beautiful sight, romantic even. If I met Vince in different conditions, I definitely would've still found a way to his bed either way. There was no denying that he was ridiculously attractive even though the conditions we met under were the farthest thing from normal.

I didn't blame him for what he was doing. My dad had borrowed money from him and had no intentions of returning it at all. Kidnapping me was a little extreme but it was the only way that my dad would have even agreed to pay the money.

Vince had lent him a huge amount of money, blindly trusting my dad to pay back the money. It couldn't have been just that. There had to be more. Vince wasn't one to trust so easily so why did he trust my dad?

I eyed Vince, who was standing next to me, too preoccupied with looking at the busy city below to notice.

"Why would you give my dad 50 million?" I finally voiced.

He continued to look out the window, unmoving. "He needed money to open t-"

"No, that's not what I'm talking about." I cut in. "It's not like you to just let someone borrow that big of an amount of money and pray for the best."

His jaw ticked but his posture didn't falter the least bit. He remained silent so I decided to continue.

"You're paranoid, Vince. I've stayed here over a month and yet you still double-check you've locked the front door even though you already have two bodyguards right outside. After sex, you never sleep in and I'm assuming it's because you think that I might try something."

I stared at him as he glared straight ahead, at nothing in particular, avoiding my eyes on purpose. He pressed his lips together into a firm line, knowing I had him backed in a corner.

I went back to my original question. "So, why did you lend my dad 50 million?"

He turned his head sharply, his eyes meeting mine. They had darkened and there was a glint of anger inside them. I took a step back, caught off guard.

"Has anyone told you that you're incredibly nosy?" He snapped, irritated as he clasped his hand together in front of him. I frowned at his comment.

I usually wasn't the type to pry but I had been thrown right into this little feud of theirs and had been kept in the dark for too long. I deserved at least an explanation.

"We're talking about my dad here so I have the right to be nosy." I defended myself, crossing my arms across my chest.

The corner of his lips twitched, almost as if they were making fun of me. He shoved his hands in the pockets of his pants and didn't say anything for a long moment.

"Your dad was once close friends with my father." He began.

Close friends? My dad kept a lot more things from me than I'd originally thought.

"So you trusted my dad because he was friends with yours?" I asked slowly, still not understanding how our fathers being friends changed anything.

Vince sighed, rubbing the side of his neck. "No, your dad helped my family when we first moved to the United States."

I pursed my lips, still trying to make sense of his words. That was when everything started to click in place.

My dad helped his family into the States and never asked anything before because they weren't nearly as rich then. Vince had felt in debt to my dad even after his own father died but there hadn't been a way he could repay my dad then.

It wasn't until after he had taken over his father's company and grew it to the size it was now, that he finally had some extra cash. Then my dad decided to take advantage of that and ask to borrow 50 million with no intent to ever pay back the money.

Oh, how the tables have turned. Now my dad was the one scrambling to find enough money before the next three weeks.

"I'm sorry," I said, beginning to fiddle my fingers, jittery. "I'm sorry for what my dad did."

"You shouldn't be the one apologizing," Vince replied calmly as he took a small step towards me. A hint of a smile settled on his face, not the least bit disturbed. He gently brushed the back of his hand against my cheek as I watched him, unable to focus on the present.

Something was missing. There was something he was holding back from telling me.

He seemed to sense the concern on my face as he tucked a lock of hair behind my ear.

"What is it?" He questioned, his fingers trailed down my jaw, holding my chin.

"There's something you're not telling me," I concluded. A look passed his eyes and he let go of my chin, taking a step back. Picking at my nails, I waited for his answer.

He turned his head to gaze out the window again, a blank expression on his face before he sighed.

"When my mother went into labor, I couldn't make it in time." He stated. "I wasn't there when she died."

My brows formed a crease in confusion as I tried to think about what he had said. What did that have to do with anything?

He opened his mouth to continue. "But your father was there."

A long second passed. My dad was there when—

I froze when the realization finally hit me.

"Oh." I mouthed out, my eyes widening in shock. Vince gave me a sideways glance, lifting a brow at my reaction.

My dad was there when Vince's mother went into labor when Vince couldn't be there himself. When his mom died after giving birth to Viola, my dad was the one that was there. Not him.

Just when I had thought things couldn't get any crazier, it did. It was upsetting that I was just learning about any of this just now. If I hadn't moved to New York, I would've had no clue who Vince was, much less about my dad's debt of 50 million.

"I'm sorry." I apologized again, lowering my gaze to the floor. I heard a low humorless chuckle come from him and I glanced back up, confused.

"Lending your dad money was a mistake." He declared. "One I won't be making again."

I gave a short nod, unsure of what to say. I tore my eyes away from him and gazed out the window. Each silent second ticked by, almost suffocating.

"By the way, how is your dad managing?" He asked, breaking the silence.

"He's managing fine," I replied, having a feeling that wasn't what he wanted to know.

"How is he getting that large of an amount of money?"

"He's borrowing from a few friends."

"Let's hope he returns the money this time." He murmured. I didn't miss his snarky tone.

"He will," I affirmed, narrowing my eyes. In all honesty, I wasn't sure if my dad would but I could only pray he learned his lesson from this time.

"I'm sure he will," Vince added, sarcastically. He then sighed. "He doesn't deserve you, Darcy."

"What do you mean?" I asked, even though I knew exactly what he meant. I began to mindlessly trace my name on the window as a form of distraction.

"He locks you up like a prisoner.

"Isn't that your fault?" I said, snorting. The whole reason my dad had been so overprotective of me was that he was afraid something like this would happen.

"No, it's not," Vince replied, curtly. He took a step back from the window before turning around to saunter across the room. My eyes followed him, waiting for him to continue.

"It is your dad's fault that he failed to pay back the loan he borrowed from me. He knew there would be consequences and he tried to avoid them by protecting you but miserably failed. The problem is that he practically ruined your life in the process.

He stood by the bed, running his hand down and over my unmade bed. I pursed my lips, knowing he was right.

"He's my dad. He only wants to protect me." I muttered, weakly.

"Why are you defending him? You may be young but you're shrewd, Darcy. Deep down, you already know that he is the one at fault here."

I didn't respond as I walked towards my bed and sat down. Pulling my knees to my chest, I watched Vince who was next to the bed.

Once again, he was right and for some infuriating reason, it ticked me off. It ticked me off that every bit of what he said was true. I wanted to be on my dad's side but I simply couldn't. Although Vince's way of getting my dad to pay up his debt was a bit too extreme, he wasn't the one in the wrong.

...

I took a step back, admiring the delicious masterpiece in front of me. I had spent the past couple of hours making a large meal consisting of roast beef, mashed potatoes, and other dishes. Everything was perfectly set up on the table and ready to eat. I had been careful with everything, making sure I didn't mess up anything.

I had already told Eliza, who usually brought up all of our meals to take a break for the rest of the day since I had planned on making tonight's dinner. I had expected her to say no but surprisingly enough, she agreed.

I adjusted the napkins and the silverware, making sure they pointed the perfect angle. Despite how tantalizing the food was, I withheld from eating any waiting for Vince to come home.

The past couple of days had flown by, faster than ever before. Viola was coming tomorrow and Christmas was in two days so I had made a "pre-Christmas" meal for Vince and me.

Suddenly remembering that I had forgotten something, I went back into the kitchen, into the pantry to grab a bottle of wine and two wine glasses. I set them on the table and a small smile grew on my face at the final touch. Now all I had to do was wait.

Vince had left early this morning and was going to be home any minute now. Almost right on cue, the front door opened and Vince walked in. He locked the door behind him before he turned his head to the dining room once he smelled the food I had made.

"Welcome home," I said, smiling.

He raised a brow, still not completely sure what was going on. I motioned for him to come into the dining room and he paused for a moment before hesitantly walking over.

As he made it to the table, he glanced over the food I had made and set up.

"Did you make this?" He asked, still looking at the food while loosening his tie. I studied his face but his expression gave away nothing.

"Yeah, I did," I confirmed. My smile widened even more, proud of how appetizing the food looked. The bright lighting from the chandelier that hung over the dining room table made the food look even better.

Walking over to one end of the table, I pulled out a chair and sat down before gesturing to Vince to do the same. He slowly walked over to the other end of the table and took a seat.

A hint of a smirk tugged at the corner of his lips, amused as if he didn't expect me to do something like this.

"Let's eat," I said, almost nervously as I began to dig into my plate of food.

What if he doesn't like it? What if he was deathly allergic to beef?

Normally I wouldn't be so doubtful of myself, especially not my cooking. I had much more time than I needed in my hands at my dad's so most of the time I was bored, having nothing to do. I developed more hobbies than I could keep count of to help solve my boredom and cooking was one of them.

Since no one else was around to eat my cooking, usually the bodyguards would and I would always receive compliments on my cooking, which boosted my ego more than enough.

My thoughts came to ease as Vince picked up his fork and began to eat. I had stopped eating to watch him, waiting for his reaction.

As he continued to chew his food, I drummed my fingers on the table, restless. The anticipation was killing me and he was taking his sweet time.

"What do you think?" I finally said, not able to wait any longer. He glanced up, still chewing his food. He slowly swallowed before answering my question.

"It's... nice."

He grabbed a napkin next to his plate to wipe his lips.

"That's it?" My lips turned into a scowl. "I spent all day making this food and it's just... nice?"

I took another bite of the food before exaggeratedly moaning aloud. This food was amazing. Wonderful. Out of this world. Out of all the other words he could have chosen, he chose the word nice to describe the food I went out of my way to make.

"Mhm." He mumbled, beginning to cut out a piece of the roast beef. My frown deepened.

And the way he had said the word nice. Like the food was bad and he was just complimenting me to make me feel better.

"Don't lie to me, Vince." I snapped, convincing myself that he was lying. "This food is the best you have ever had."

I was sure he was lying. The food had to be good, right? Or was I in denial? I forced a boastful smile as a form of self-assurance, even though his words had already taken a hard blow on my ego.

Vince tilted his head up, giving me a look. The side of his lip twitched as he tried to hold back a smile. I continued to watch him, waiting for a response. He stared back, slowly chewing his food, continuing to take his time.

I sighed, growing impatient as he finally swallowed the food.

"The food is marvelous, Darcy." He stated, gesturing to his plate. "Although... I never pegged you to be so good at cooking."

The frown on my face was quite literally turned upside down.

Man, did his words boost my ego.

"What can I say? I'm full of surprises." I said, unabashedly, unable to hold back the smile that appeared on my lips. Vince chuckled as we both resumed to eat.

"How was work?" I asked him, cutting into the roast beef on my plate with the knife in hand. He reached for the bottle of wine and then poured himself a glass.

"As usual." He took a sip from his glass before elaborating further. "Attended several meetings."

I merely nodded wordlessly, my mouth too preoccupied to reply.

The next couple of moments were quiet as we silently ate our food. It wasn't an awkward silence, more of a peaceful one as we enjoyed the dinner.

His life seemed so boring. Work was the only thing he did all day. How did that not get tiring?

I inaudibly sighed, beginning to finish my plate.

What was I doing playing housewife? Here I was making him a nice little dinner like I was his girlfriend when whatever we had was the furthest thing from that. I wasn't even sure what to call the relationship we had. I knew at this point it had grown to be more than just casual fucking whether I'd like it or not. I had let myself go too far, knowing I was becoming attached but I chose to ignore it and allowed myself to.

Although neither of us set down ground rules, we both knew that neither of us was supposed to feel anything towards each other.

He only saw me as a sexual release and that was all we were supposed to be to each other.

There were plenty of much hotter and sexier women that would have loved to sleep with him. The endless amount of fan pages on the internet were proof of that. He could've slept with anyone else but I just happened to be there.

Vince was just so perfect and so... tempting, I just couldn't help myself. If he hadn't been so damn good in bed, none of this would've been a problem.

And now I was blaming him. It was my fault. I was the one who dragged myself into this mess. He had done nothing wrong, even when he had kidnapped me. He just wanted my dad to give back the money.

In less than three weeks, I was going to leave. I had expected myself to be ecstatic to finally leave this place but I wasn't. What I felt about leaving wasn't joy or excitement even though joy and excitement were what I wanted to feel. Instead, I felt... dread.

Why did I feel like this? What was that horrible longing feeling inside my chest?

"Darcy?" Vince said, cutting me out of my thoughts. My eyes snapped up, realizing I had zoned out completely.

"Huh?" I said, confused, feeling like an idiot. A humorous look passed in his eyes, amused by my obvious confusion.

"Thank you for making dinner."