Three

Sylvia gasped for breath as she hurried towards the forest, her mind racing with uncertainty about Nicole's cryptic message and the possibility of him postponing the wedding..

The thought sent a thrill of hope through her—she'd be overjoyed if the wedding was truly rescheduled.

She got to the oak tree and sat down beneath it as she looked around. Nicole hadn't arrived yet, and Sylvia was not in a hurry and was ready to wait for him.

Sylvia had sneaked out of the house without her father's knowledge, forgetting to grab warm clothes. Now, she shivered in the chill, her thin garments offering little protection against the biting cold. She wrapped her hands around herself as she shivered.

The cold made her eyes red, and she thought about the picture Tendy sent her, of Nicole in the hospital.

She wondered if Tendy had sent the message using Nicole's phone.

As the hours ticked by, Sylvia's anxiety grew. She checked her phone for what felt like the hundredth time, her eyes scanning the screen for any sign of a Nicole message.

Three hours had passed since their planned meeting time, and still, there was no sign of him. She pulled out her phone again, her fingers trembling as she reread the message, her mind reeling with doubts.

The picture Tendy sent to her, where Nicole was in the hospital, immediately came to her mind.

‘Could it be that the message was actually sent by Tendy using Nicole's phone?’ She thought.

Sylvia's teeth sank into her lower lip, her eyes clouding with doubt.

She was so stupid and excited to think he was the one who sent her message.

With a heavy sigh, Sylvia slowly rose to her feet, her legs trembling beneath her. She brushed off her back, her movements stiff and awkward, as she began her unsteady journey out of the forest.

Suddenly, some men walked towards her and surrounded her. This made her so shocked and frightened.

“Who are you?” She asked them as she looked at them with a cautious look.

The men remained silent, their faces expressionless. With a curt nod, their leader gestured to one of his accomplices, who swiftly drew a gun from his pocket and trained it on Sylvia, his eyes cold and menacing.

Sylvia's face turned pale when she saw this. "No, please,” she begged.

The man fired the gun. Sylvia closed her eyes, waiting to feel the impact, but she did not feel anything yet.

Sylvia opened her eyes and saw that there was actually someone in front of her. Sylvia's eyes narrowed, her brow furrowing, and her mind racing with questions. But she did not ask anything because she knew that the situation was serious.

“Get lost,” the man standing in front of her said. The man's eyes narrowed, his voice firm and commanding, as he spoke in a tone that sent a shiver down Sylvia's spine.

The men immediately ran away.

The man turned and looked at her.

Sylvia's eyes widened, her gaze locking onto the man like a magnet. Her body stiffened, her lips parting slightly, as if words were stuck in her throat. Her mind struggled to process the sudden turn of events.

Her eyes widened as she gazed at him, her breath catching in her throat as if her body had forgotten to breathe.

She has always thought Nicole was the most handsome, but this man, damn, he was more handsome a hundred times than Nicole.

“You… “ Sylvia said she was feeling dazed; her heart was beating very fast.

“Are you okay?” The man asked her with a concerned look.

“I.. I…“ Sylvia stammered because she had no idea what to say.

“Are you scared?” The man asked her.

Sylvia shook her head when she heard this. "No, I’m not. But why did you save me? Do you know me?” Sylvia asked him.

A flicker of something danced in the man's eyes, but it vanished so quickly that Sylvia wondered if she'd just imagined it.

“I just feel like... Where are you staying? I will take you home,” the man offered.

Sylvia frowned when she heard this. She does not want to go back to that house because she knows what will be waiting for her when she gets there, but her things are still there.

“I.. I...¦ “ Sylvia could not finish her words. Sylvia's legs trembled, her vision blurring as a dark haze crept in, her body swaying precariously before she crumpled into the man's arms.

She fainted.

The man caught her so she wouldn't fall down.

…

When Sylvia opened her eyes, she looked around. The room was unfamiliar to her, she was not sure where she was.

Sylvia stood up and walked out of the room, she walked towards the door. The door was suddenly pushed open and an elderly woman walked in.

“Miss, you are awake” She said politely.

Sylvia nodded her head when she heard this. “Where is this? Why am I here?” She asked.

The woman smiled when she heard this. “You should be rest assured that you are in safe hands, You should go and take a shower. The master will be ready by then” The elderly woman said to her.

Sylvia's brow furrowed in concern, her eyes narrowing slightly as she nodded curtly, her mind racing with questions.

She said and walked back into the room, maybe it was because of the woman’s smile and soothing words that made her listen to her.

As Sylvia stepped into the bathroom, the tiles cooled beneath her bare feet, and turned on the shower water, the warm spray enveloping her like a gentle embrace.

Memories of what happened in the forest before she fainted immediately rushed back in her head when she was showering.

Sylvia's eyebrows knitted together, her eyes narrowing as she tried to make sense of her surroundings.

“Is this his house?” She thought.

She was not sure what if the man abandoned her in the forest and someone else kidnapped her? Sylvia rushed and finished showering.

The elderly woman was already inside the room when she walked in, waiting for her with some clothes in her hand.

“You should change into this Miss,” The elderly woman said to her.

Sylvia nodded and accepted the clothes.

The elderly woman walked out of the room after this, Sylvia immediately changed, it was a pink dress.

The pink dress hugged Sylvia's curves in all the right places, accentuating her slender waist and highlighting her full bust. As she gazed at her reflection, her bright blue eyes sparkled like diamonds against her porcelain skin, and her full lips curled into a hint of a smile…

Sylvia's hand shot up to her cheek, her palm stinging as she slapped herself, her eyes wide with a mix of fear and frustration, her voice barely above a whisper, "You don't know where you are; be serious"

With her heart racing, Sylvia approached the door. She turned the doorknob, the click echoing through the silence. The door creaked open, revealing the woman's expectant smile. “You are done? Let's go,” she said, her voice gentle but urgent.

Sylvia nodded and followed her, they walked and passed several rooms. It was really long, she felt that she would get lost easily without the woman leading her.

They finally get to the staircase. They walked downstairs.

“You can sit down on the couch while the master comes down to meet you”

The woman's words were polite, but her tone was firm, as if instructing Sylvia rather than inviting her.

Sylvia's eyes darted to the couch, her mind racing with questions, but she sat down obediently, her hands smoothing out her dress, her voice barely above a whisper, "Thank you."

The living room's luxurious furnishings and crystal chandelier gleamed in the light, but the chill in the air and the stern portraits on the walls seemed to whisper a different story, one of luxury tempered by loneliness.

“You are awake” Sylvia suddenly heard a voice behind her, which shook her.