96

After her beautiful words, we finally arrived at my villa and I looked deep into her eyes one last time before I got out first and then gave her my hand.

"Wow," she breathed, impressed, as her curious gaze fell on my large villa and even the twins standing at the front door couldn't take their attention away from the bright facade. "It is wonderful."

"It's just a house," I replied, unimpressed, and immediately she gaped at me, eyeing me skeptically.

"Just a house? This is more than a house. Emilio, this villa is your home and it's just huge."

"No, Isalie," I contradicted her cautiously, putting my hands gently on her cheeks. "There's more to a real home than just four walls and a roof. It needs warmth. A place where you feel comfortable. A woman who awaits you with a smile in the evening. I don't have any of that. This house is huge and yet it's just a cold prison for me."

She immediately avoided my gaze dejectedly and I didn't know for a moment if I might have said something wrong, so I gently put my fingers around her sweet chin to lift her face a little again.

"I know what it's like when home doesn't feel like a safe place anymore," she breathed tears in her eyes, and it wasn't until I looked at her violet that I remembered what that bastard had done to her.

Not only had he broken her in her own way, but he had also taken away the only place in Spain that meant home to her.

Ohhhh how I'm going to enjoy slowly and painfully making his life hell.

"You're safe with me. Always and everywhere. That's a promise, mariposa."

"Mariposa?" she breathed with wide eyes and looked at me so sweetly that my heart immediately warmed from her sight.

"That means butterfly," I whispered softly against her lips and then very gently and tenderly touched mine to pull her into a fleeting but all-encompassing kiss, from which she suddenly broke away abruptly.

"What about Arco?" she asked with wide eyes and I just looked at her questioningly until it was Hektor who just got out of the limousine and spoke up.

"I'll go right back and take care of it," he smiled at Isalie and looked at me expectantly until I nodded and he disappeared back into the car while we made our way inside.

Arriving in the large entrance hall, she let go of my hand and stood right in the middle of the room, slowly turning in a circle and admiring everything.

Just the way she seemed to inspect every corner made me realize just how different she was.

Many women have come and gone here, but not one has ever taken the time to admire the bright wallpaper or the marble floor.

"May I?" she asked, pointing to the dark chest of drawers at the edge of the entrance hall, where I immediately noticed that there was a picture of me and my father.

He had put it there and in the end it was just still there because I hadn't noticed it.

I nodded to her and she immediately padded over to the dresser, but to my amazement she didn't pick up the framed photo but rather the clear bottle of my own perfume, which my father forced on me as if it was my duty to wear.

With an amused grin, she brought it lightly to her nose and sniffed it, only to suddenly start giggling and looking at me.

"The famous Torres smell," she smiled and briefly turned the bottle in her fingers before she put it down again and looked at me expectantly.

"I don't like having my own brand on me. It's such a burden. Like I have to repent for every penny I make from it," I explained, gazing into her eyes and she immediately seemed to agree understand what I meant by that.

"My father works in a company that he says makes ugly watches. He still wears them because he has to represent them. Sometimes you might have to do things that you don't like. It can feel like a burden, but you have to see the big picture."

"And that would be?" I asked immediately, slowly walking towards her, which seemed to make her nervous.

"Well, look around Emilio. All this for having to wear a scent? I think that's a fair deal."

"And do you believe that I would give it all up just to have a moment of freedom to make my own decisions?"

I stopped right in front of her and she looked up at me thoughtfully, but it wasn't long before she nodded in agreement.

"Yes, I believe you," she breathed now with melancholy in her voice and I carefully took her delicate hands in my own to change this terrible subject while I smiled at her encouragingly.

"You wanted to take a shower," I then repeated her statement from an hour ago, and after she hesitantly returned my smile, I slowly pulled her up the stairs to the first floor, where we took a few steps through the dark hallway before we stopped in front of one of the dark wooden doors.

"Is there a shower behind it?" she asked curiously, squeezing my hand nervously while I laughed and shook my head.

"Much better," I grinned, anticipating her reaction, and opened the door, then leading her in first.

"Emilio," she breathed, impressed, and looked around the large bathroom, which I hardly ever used. I handed the small adjoining bathroom to my bedroom.

Isalie walked to the center of the room and admired the large jacuzzi that was right in front of her. She didn't miss the TV on the wall either, and I took a deep breath as I fleetingly remembered that Alba had chosen and installed it.

"I've never been in a jacuzzi," luckily my butterfly snapped me out of my gloomy thoughts and when I looked up at her again, my eyes widened immediately because she hadn't wasted any time turning on the water and taking off her bathrobe .

My heart pounded so hard against my ribs when I saw her exposed breasts that I thought I was about to pass out. Just what was it about her? How could one person get so nervous and yet make me so insecure at the same time?

"Please don't look at me like that," she suddenly whispered and my eyes immediately sought hers, after which I realized how red she was already.

"How am I looking at you?" I tried to appear calm and controlled, but when she said the following words, I couldn't help but grin stupidly to myself.

"As if you want to explore every corner of my body and here in the light I'm sure not all parts look good, so eyes up."

She suddenly grinned just as stupidly as I did and while I wanted nothing more than to keep looking at her, I kept my eyes level with her beautiful face so she could feel comfortable and safe with me.

"Good is not the word I would use to describe you, rather unique and beautiful."