Submitting novel Chapter 11

I hated the way his lips slyly twisted into a smirk. 

Hands in his pockets and form leaning against the doorframe of the room he came out of while his eyes shining like the scales of a snake stared at me intensely, enjoying the situation that has come forward as a perfect opportunity to toy with me. It's funny how delusional I was to consider him a friend and let him stay over the night, meet Liza, and wreck my life from the shadows. 

Ivan turned out to be one of the biggest regrets of my life.

"Is our poor little Rosie lost in this huge mansion? This place is marvelous isn't it?" He pushed himself off the doorframe and started walking deeper into the house. A sigh of relief was just about to leave my lips when he stopped midway and turned his head to the side slightly dropping enough hints that it was far from over. 

I followed his footsteps as he walked in front of me slowly, taking his sweet time to enjoy the uncomfortable heaviness in the air and the dominance he had in the situation. As long as he liked to believe so. 

The knife in between the layer of clothes sat heavily on my hips. There was no better place to hide it nor the worst either. What if it drops down through my trousers? Or what if they find out that my choice of weapon is missing from the kitchen?

He turned around abruptly with that coy smile still smug on his face and placed his hand on the smooth door handle to twist it smoothly and open it to reveal an adequately lit, strip of light, shining on his pale face and lean form. His eyes shining like that of a snake.

"After you, madame." His humourous English accent doing nothing to make the situation seem less tense as he stepped aside, giving me the space to walk into an unknown room which I have never seen before. 

It took some time for my eye to adjust to the brightness in the room illuminated by the vintage chandelier above which even if dim was a huge difference to the darkness that shrouded the hallways. A few lamps coinciding with the general theme was placed here and there, namely the huge dark wood desk in the center of the room and in two corners adjacent to the door. 

The leather seat that was placed behind the desk looked something that reminded of him. Dimitri. As the minimalist design and dark rich leather with it's mate shine loomed over the other two smaller chairs placed opposite to it on the other side of the desk. One of which I was ushered to by the movement of Ivan's hand as he himself went around the desk and plopped himself carelessly with his feet lifted up on the desk, ignoring the carefully placed, rare, and lesser-known stationeries which seemed difficult to use yet provided pleasure to someone with select taste. 

He sat up excitedly, perhaps prepared beforehand before he saw me in front of my escape.

"Twenty questions of course! I ask you a question and you answer. You ask me a question and I answer. We take turns and stay true to our promise of answering questions no matter whatever it is. Deal?" I could clearly see the excitement he felt as he smiled broadly with his hand lifted forward in the form of a handshake. I had no idea about what he could possibly want to know about me since I was pretty sure that both of them already knew plenty. Maybe more than I knew.

"Why should I play this game? How do I know that you will have answers that I need?" To come to think about he couldn't possibly be the one that Dimitri trusted to tell everything if he trusted anyone at all... This might as well be a waste of time and opportunity for me.

"Oh because Dimitri and I are siblings."