Dead-end

Frank held Leonardo in his arms and looked down at him with an imposing gaze, while Leonardo stared at him quietly, observing this strong man holding him.

"Can you please let me go?"

"What do you want with my belongings?"

"I want to get dressed. And then I'm going to my house. I won't stay a single second longer in this place."

"You're not leaving here, Leonardo."

"Well, we'll see about that."

Consumed by anger and an inexplicable desire, Frank pulled Leonardo towards him and fiercely kissed him on the lips. Leonardo was startled by his behavior and tried to push him away, knowing he didn't have the strength to escape. He managed to push Frank's chest with his hands, but as expected, Frank seemed unaffected. Leonardo bit Frank's lip, causing him to release his grip and put his hand to the bleeding mouth.

Frank pushed Leonardo against the closet who felt pain in his back from the impact.

"Ouch, you disgusting creature! How dare you? You repulsive man."

Frank looked at him with his hand still on his mouth and stormed out in anger, leaving Leonardo alone and confused about what just happened. Leonardo took the opportunity to grab a white t-shirt and put it on. He then searched for pants, but only to find formal trousers.

"There's no way he only has pants like these. Doesn't he sleep?"

Leo continued searching and when he opened one of the drawers, he found Frank's sweatpants. He picked them up, raised them high to examine the pieces, knowing they would be too big for him.

After putting them on, he looked at himself in the mirror. As expected, they were oversized, which he found amusing and laughed at. However, he soon realized that he couldn't waste time and needed to find a way to escape.

He left Frank's room and looked at the corridor which was large and adorned with gold everywhere. He walked hurriedly towards the stairs and descended quickly, despite feeling weak and sore. He looked at the entrance hall and noticed two security guards outside.

"Damn it."

He looked at the doors in the hall and realized that besides the ones leading to the two corridors, there was another one where he could see a large table. He entered, appreciated the dining room and noticed another door. Upon entering, he found himself in a huge, fully-equipped kitchen. It was a kitchen with large windows, a countertop, and a table that could fit around eight people. Unlike the rest of the house, there was no gold in its decoration, and he found it the most soothing place so far.

"Hello, Mr. Guerrero."

A woman's voice startled him, causing him to turn around and see the woman who had given him food moments ago.

"Hi, can you tell me where another exit is? I need to leave to see my father."

"I'm sorry, young man, but you don't have permission to leave."

"Yes, I do. He allowed me to go to see my father."

He decided to lie since he had to take the risk. If she believed him and helped him escape, he could disappear along with his father and Frank would never find him. It would be just him and his father somewhere far from Seattle.

"Don't think just because I'm older, I'm foolish, young man."

"No, I didn't mean that. I'm sorry." Leo responded, feeling embarrassed.

"It's okay. You should try to gain his trust. Maybe you can convince him to let you see your father. He's not as bad as he seems."

She smiled, walked towards the countertop and lifted the tray lid. A beautiful fruit cake revealed. Leonardo felt his mouth watering at the sight.

"Would you like a slice? I made it for Frank. It's his favorite cake."

"Yes, I'd like to."

He approached as she grabbed two plates, a spatula, and two small golden forks. Leonardo chuckled and shook his head.

"Of course."

She cut the cake and looked at him curiously waiting for his reaction.

"What do you mean by 'of course'?"

"Something in this kitchen had to be golden. Is this some kind of obsession? Is he addicted to gold? Even his last name doesn't stray from it, Gold. That's kind of strange."

She gave the plate to Leonardo, who took it, pulled out the chair next to the table, sat down, and used the golden fork to take a piece of cake. So did that woman, sitting next to him and smiling.

"This is called legacy, my boy. He inherited the Gold name and the house. There isn't much we can do, is there?"

Leonardo shrugged as he ate the cake on his plate. The batter was admirably light, melting in his mouth, and the cream seemed perfectly sweet, contrasting with the tartness of the fruits.

"Wow, this cake is amazing."

She smiled, got up and took the empty plates to the sink.

"Can you tell me your name?"

"Ella, call me Ella."

"Alright, Ella. Well, if I can't go out, I think I'll go up to my room. I'm not feeling very well."

Ella looked at him with concern and walked hurriedly towards him. She touched Leonardo's face and realized he was hot again.

"You have a fever. I told that stubborn boy not to leave you downstairs, especially with that wound."

Leonardo looked sympathetically at Ella. He didn't like Frank, nor did he like that cold-as-gold house, but he liked Ella.

"Go lie down and rest."

Feeling somewhat weak and strange, Leonardo agreed with Ella and made his way back to the hallway. His vision started to blur, and he hesitated to climb the stairs, placing his hand on the golden railing.

He took a deep breath and decided to go up quickly, but halfway up the staircase, his mind became foggy. He stumbled backward, his hand, cold with sweat, slipping on the railing. As he was about to fall, someone caught him. When he looked to see who it was, Frank lifted him in his arms and carried him up the stairs, leaving him utterly surprised and confused.

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