● AUTHOR'S POV

His jaw clenched, gripping Ava's collar he pulled it, bringing her face closer, and making her look at him in shock. "I guess you do need to be disciplined personally, little mouse." he whispered, making each word sound like a lethal poison taking over Ava's existence.

His words were threatening and made Ava fear for her life, as the one standing infront of her wasn't someone whose words could be taken lightly. It was only her intense urge to survive, that made her go against him, his name alone was enough to make people tremble in fear, as this man, Xanthos Aldine, really was the devil's incarnation.

Ava kept staring at his cold green eyes, that had turned two shades darker than before. His broad and strong shoulders refrained Ava from being able to see anything across them.

She was trying to not fall back into the snake pit she had just escaped for the third time, because she knew, she knew that being caught trying to flee for the third time, was really testing the devil's patience.

And being the person to do that was not someone she fancied being, but she had to fight for her life, she had the right to live the way she wanted to, have her sunny days and her rainy days below the sky she would breathe under without any constraints, so she ended up becoming the one to defy the devil.

"This is not fair." Ava made an inaudible whisper looking down, and her eyes met his neatly polished black shoes, which were shining as if they had never been worn before, and Ava thought how the shoes seemed to be in a better condition than her.

Ava's voice sounded too small for someone who had been looking strong and ready to fight for herself all this time, it was as if she had realized how tiring life had been for her, since the day she started to make sense of the world around her.

She just wanted to live, but even breathing freely at her own will seemed too far fetched of an idea now.

One would think that her remark of not being fair was for the emerald eyes staring deeply at her, but in reality she intended it towards her fate, how could it be this cruel? how could it keep breaking her resolve as if it was toying with her? and how could she still be alive and wanting to live after being downtrodden upon by this wretched world innumerable times?

"Don't ever willingly succumb to this world, it will step on you every chance it gets, it's your decision whether you let it step on you and move on, or prick thorns into its feet and give it a good fight."

These words suddenly rung in her head like a loud bell, waking her up, and she felt as if she remembered again why she had been struggling for herself all this time. The words came shattering her weakened resolve and seeding a much more stronger one in her, making her decide, if she really was to die at the hands of the devil, then atleast she wouldn't make it easy for him.

Ava was done being sensible, waiting for opportunities and being blamed for others' mistakes. It was only fair to be punished after doing something wrong. If truly becoming a defiant was something she had to do now, she will.

Why bother being afraid and try to make things work when they won't work no matter how hard one tried. She had decided to atleast die with the satisfaction that she fought, even if it meant being a rebel and reaching extremes.

With a little fire sparking inside of her, Ava raised her head and stared back at the sinful green eyes. "Well, then let me give you a reason to discipline me." Ava said and within a split second she pulled back her head only to headbutt the charming face infront of her right in the nose.

The sudden and heavy impact right on the nose made Xanthos let go of Ava's collar, and lose his balance causing him to tumble back a few steps, covering his nose with both his hands.

He had never imagined a man to do something of this sort to him, let alone a hand tied girl who was at his mercy. The being head butt in the face scenario took him by surprise and his focus from the girl went to the sudden and sharp pain he felt in his nose and even across his temples.

Taking advantage of the situation, Ava raised her leg to kick Xanthos in the crotch, only to get caught just in time and getting flipped around she ended up falling onto the ground.

Xanthos had her pinned against the floor now, as if trying to tame a wild cat. Ava was facing the floor and Xanthos holding her down not allowing to move even a muscle in her body.

She tried struggling but Xanthos was built like a sturdy wall, which made Ava think, how was she able to headbutt him in the first place.

"I do not enjoy the idea of manhandling women, don't make it difficult for me than it already is." Xanthos whispered in Ava's ear from behind, and with one clean sweep he had her thrown over his shoulder, and was making way towards a red tinted door in one corner of the grand space they were in.
It wasn't the door Ava was brought in through.

Upon passing through the red door they entered a room, but Ava was still too lost in struggling to get off of and away from Xanthos to realize how luxuriously the room had been furnished.

From the expensive rug to the embellished cieling, everything screamed luxury. There was a king-sized bed right in the centre of the room on which Xanthos lightly plopped down Ava.

To her surprise he wasn't physically harsh with her and his calm demeanour had returned.

Ava decided to settle down for the moment, but not a drop of weakness or frailty visible from her, instead she seemed much more focused and determined than before, which was something that Xanthos had also taken account of.

He took off his crimson hued coat, tossing it over to one of the velvet high-back bedroom chairs, he loosened a little his black tie resting on his creaseless white shirt. Uncuffing his sleeves he made his way to the velvet sofa, sprawled over the soft rug, right infront of the bed Ava was sitting on and silently studying his every move.

She had somehow managed to sit up after being plopped down on the bed. Ava noticed that Xanthos had neither a bump on his nose nor was it bleeding, which was upsetting to Ava as headbutting came with a cost of pain in one's own head as well, it was slightly red but that was it.

"I'm not that fragile sweetheart." he smirked as if noticing Ava's visible displeasure seeing him absolutely fine.
Ava cursed his accuracy of judgement that she had already witnessed a couple of times now.

Xanthos rested his back against the rich velvety backrest of the sofa, crossing his legs he placed his elbow on the armset whilst his chin rested on the back of his long slender fingers.

"Tell me Ava, tell me exactly what you're looking for?" Xanthos asked and Ava scoffed at it, as if not buying him faking being oblivious of why she kept trying to escape all this time.

"To live--" but before Ava could speak she was cut off mid sentence.

"To live freely in the world where the countless loan sharks after your father, now after his tragic death, are waiting to hunt down his one and only daughter?" he questioned with a hint of sarcasm in it and raised an eyebrow. "Or to live freely in a world where you know, that one foot out of here and in there will get you nothing but your head on a platter." he further added taking Ava aback.

"C-countless..?" Ava questioned in shock as she was clearly not aware of what her father was exactly upto for the last 16 years, as he had left them when she was 7, like any other alcoholic gambler who's into nothing but himself and rid of all responsibilities.

Xanthos sighed and straightened his back. "Ava, do you really believe that I'm the only man whom your father owes money?" he said, a certain serisousness lacing his voice.

Ava's once firm stature drooped like a wilting flower after hearing that her father, even after his death, had left nothing but troubles and miseries for her.

'How foolish' she inwardly damned her resolve. Ava thought how idiotic her determination was, the sky she wanted so freely to breathe under, had nothing but more wolves waiting to pounce on her, once she set her foot out there.

She felt dumb and betrayed, betrayed by life and how unfortunate her fate was. The whole scenario was another example of how she tries to stay strong, and stand up for herself, only to get wrecked once more. Everytime Ava tried to be happy, life would line up revelations that she was better being unaware of.

"Ask, and you'll get it." Xanthos politely said noticing Ava's clear despair, only to have her look at him through her watery brimed eyes.

She didn't know what he meant, so she kept staring at him through her tear blurred vision.

"Help." Xanthos replied realising Ava's confusion.

Ava couldn't help but be in shock at his words, even though she wanted to doubt and think of it as a trick, she just couldn't. Somehow the tone of his voice had some genuineness, to which Ava thought if she had been hallucinating all this time.

Author's Note
Helloooooo! this is the second chapter, see, I'm being regular with my updates, I'll try to keep that up. A question, can you guys see my book under my profile as well, or is it not showing up there? Hope you enjoyed the chapter, leave your thoughts in comments.
Thankyou.