==Matteo==
I was there. Again. Surrounded by nothing but darkness. Just like the previous time, I couldn’t move. No matter how hard I tried. No matter how much effort I put in doing so. My lips were sealed, only opening up moments later and just in time for me to say, “Anyone here?”
I got no response. Again. I cursed. What a fool I was. Of course, I'd been stuck in this limbo to know what the drill was. So, I waited.
It wasn’t long before she appeared.
Angela De La Crux, as she had told me. Donning a dazzling white gown, she drew close to me till it was just a foot that separated us.
“Could this stop?” I said before she speak. I knew just what she wanted to say. &ldq
==Matteo==I was almost done eating when my butler returned. He didn’t come with Olivia, but rather had a look of concern on his face.“There’s a problem, sir.”“What is it? I asked.“She’s unconscious.” I didn’t know why I had thought he was going to say that she escaped. But this news about her unconsciousness rattled me. I left the dining and stormed into the atrium. There she was, face up. I walked up to her and felt her pulse, my chest pounding, fearing the worst. I could feel a pulse at her neck. That was a relief.Her entire brow was covered in sweat. I carried her out of the atrium and got into a room. I laid her on the bed, instruct
Chapter 20.“How long did you say she’s been missing for?”Leah made a mental note. “About five days.”The officer listened with bored expression as she recounted the events leading to Olivia’s disappearance.“Miss, from the look of things, she went on her own accord. She’s 21. A lot of youngsters do that.”Leah couldn’t believe her ears. Was this a joke? “I’m afraid, that’s can’t be right. Olivia has never run away from home, even though she’s been sad lately because of…”Leah didn’t know why she cut herself shut. Or maybe she did. She widened her
Chapter 21.==Olivia==Swallowing down the heap of excitement in me, I opened the door. As soon as I did that, rays of sunlight hit me. I squinted my eyes. This was officially the first time that I was stepping outside. It was almost as if sunlight and fresh air had become a luxury.I stepped out of the door, into the threshold and took the scene before me. This was the backyard, I supposed. There were a lot of plants. All green. They were everywhere. Lianas on the walls, grasses on the floor, trees, shrubs. A light breeze came through and I sighed. This was life.I stared at the garden for some time, appreciating the nice breeze. The compound was big and there were a lot of twists and turns. How can anyone build such complexity?
==Olivia==I hated periods! Well, was there any girl that cherished it? Of course not. I laid on my stomach, whimpering as my lower back burned with each passing minute. Oh God. I normally relied on painkillers to deal with the pain, but right now, I was handicapped. I didn’t have any pills with me. That meant I would have a whole day of whimpering.I clutched my belly, praying and wishing that time flew past. Then came a knock on my door. Fuck. I wanted dearly to tell the person to go away but I couldn’t bring myself to speak. I instead grunted.The knock came again, and I shut my eyes. Hoping to keep the noise out. I heard th
==Matteo==I found himself there again. That void that seemed to stretch to eternity. I made to shout, but stopped myself. It was of no use. I'd been there before; of course I knew my vocal cords would be magically paralysed. Or would it?It wouldn’t hurt to give it a shot, would it. I’d be an idiot if it failed, but hey, there wasn't anyone here to rain insults on me with their humiliating laughter. So, good.I followed my instincts. I shouted. And surprisingly, a sound came out form me. But there was problem. Something was off. What I’d had in mind to say wasn’t what I actually said. Moreso, my voice was a shrill, tiny like a little boy's.“Mum!”That
==Olivia==I never appreciated the truth in the words: as ever-changing as the weather, until today. Just some minutes ago, it was bright, threating to have me blind for a moment. Now, the once blue sky had become a grey monster and the nice warm breeze was a gale. I squinted my eyes to shield myself from the dust that came with the wind.I began making my way out of the maze, doing quite a job in keeping my dress in place. I let out a sigh of relief when I made it out. No sooner had I done that than I jerk. I wasn’t expecting to see Matteo. Also, I didn’t expect to meet him in such...manner as he was. Something was off about him, given the way he stared at blankly. I waved off any concern. He wasn’t my business at all. All I had to do was get inside, have some nice warm bath and then be buried under my blanket.
==Matteo==My lids trembled before I slowly opened my eyes. First, everywhere appeared blurry, but after some time, I finally gained focus. The familiar chandelier hung above. I shut my eyes again, taking a deep breath.Reopening them, I leaned on the bed head. I was alone in the room, leaving me wondering how I'd made it here. One minute I was in the bar and the next, I was…The bar. Dammit. I’d gotten drunk. I ran my hand across my hair, instantly noticing that it was wet. Did I have a shower or…? I groaned again. This was one reason I hated drinking. It messed with my head.
==Olivia==Shit. What did I just do? What? Oh my God. I hastened my pace to the backdoor. I gotta get out. Anywhere. I expected that Matteo would yell out to his servants. He then would instruct them to drag my butt to his room. Heaven only knew what would become of me.I eventually made it to the backdoor, having my fingers crossed that the door was unlocked. Luckily, it was. I sighed. Okay, okay, good. In one swift move, I pulled the door open. The rain charged at me. I yelped. It was cold. I gulped, taking my eyes back inside. Should I or should I not head out. I thought about all the horrible things Matteo could do t
EPILOGUEFew months later...==Olivia==I applied one last coat of lipstick on Leah's lips, before bloating the excess. It was said that pregnancy brought out a person’s glow. Well, I partly agree with that. Leah was a beauty queen. Her dark hair had taken up this lustre I didn't know its origin. Her skin was smooth, her body chubby. Pregnancy looked so good on her. However, my case was different. I was fatigued most of the time, and the only plump thing right now was my boobs. Although, in retrospect, I'd have squealed in glee. The baby had begun to kick, especially at night. Phew. If I didn't know better, I'd say there were as much as five foetuses in me. "Isn't this too much?" Leah asked, looking at the mirror skeptically."Too much for your baby shower and my housewarming?"She rolled her eyes and I couldn't help but smile. I was glad she agreed with me that this wasn't much. I helped her hold down in a French braid and added some decorative pieces around it. "And done," I sai
Later that night…==Matteo==Darkness had covered everywhere now. Night had set in. I could hear the irritating sound of crickets and the breeze. Fucking nature. I laid on my makeshift bed—which was my perpetual position now—and stared straight ahead. I waited for sleep to take me. One of my men rose from his bed and walked out of the room, probably to take a piss. I didn't care. Moments later, he dashed back inside, eyes wide open.But still, that didn’t move me. His words, however, shook my up. "We're surrounded." At first, it didn't make sense, but then he repeated himself. "Sir, we're surrounded. There're people around the precinct."I rose from the bed. Surrounded? Bu whom? Whispers broke and I glared at my men. "Shut up!" And there was dead silence. "Philemon," I called the guard that'd come with the news. "What did you see?""Wolves. White wolves. They're hiding in this bushes and possibly armed as well." I shut my eyes, trying to process the information. White wolves! H
==Matteo==It had been 84 days of hell. I had lost everything. Everything. The mansion, my business, my men, my image….Olivia. Everything. And funnily enough, I hadn't spilled a tear, neither had I roared in pain in the beginning. The entire occurrence had simply felt surreal. The stench of silver hanging in the air was a proof though, that none of this was a dream.Yosef had lost his life. I'd spotted his charred body in the gazebo, while I was scampering away for my life. My trusted butler was gone. He had been the only living vestiges of my childhood, as he was my Dad's secretary. And now, I had lost him. Just like I had lost everything that mattered to me.Like I'd said, I hadn't cried initially. Upon finding shelter around the Brookehurt—Eggortin mountains, however my composure broke. I had done that which I hadn't done for years. Cry. The truth was scary. I would never see Yosef again. I'd never repay him for all his loyalty and endurance. Yes, that man had kept up with my exce
Two days later...==Olivia==Suddenly, all I saw was a bright white light. It was so harsh I tried shutting my eyes, all to no avail.It came pouring in, inflicting a pounding headache to me. I groaned, even as my body began to tremble. And then everything ceased. The light, the trembling. Everywhere was quiet for some time and darkness pervaded. I didn't know why, but the thing that came to my head was: death. I must have died. And now, I was in this sort of limbo where nothing existed. Having this belief, I gasped and started to grope around for anything I could touch. Surely, this place wasn't a void! And I was right because someone grabbed my arm. I whipped my head in the direction, ready to punch whomever it was off. "Olivia? Oh God, yes! Wake up. Open your eyes." Open my eyes? Did that mean my eyes were shut? And so, I did obeyed… or rather, my eyes did so on its own accord and I came face to face with this brown haired lady who looked so fucking familiar. I took a second,
==Matteo==9:13 pmI held a wolf by its throat, pinning it to the wall. I had punched the hell out of him and he was almost lifeless now. But I wasn't done. I'd make sure I snuff the life out him. And so, my hands held his neck like a vice, tightening as seconds rolled by. His eyes began to glaze over and just when I was about to deliver a deathly blow, someone called my name."Macini!" I frowned. Who dared to call me by my last name. I delivered the intended blow on the wolf, watching it slip to the floor.I was startled the moment I turned around. "Oh, you recognise me. Good riddance." Not much of that was the truth, because the reason behind my surprise wasn't this jerkass standing before me, but Olivia. I growled, "Let go of her now.""Who? Oh, her?" He laughed. The sound grate my ears. "Nah, she won't appreciate that."My frown deepened. The fool was messing with me. I attempted taking a step forward when Olivia spoke."Don't." There was something strange about her voice
7:00 pm==Matteo==We were ready. With the snipers, grenades, shotguns and pistons, we were prepared for battle. In addition to the guards at the gate, there were those stationed at strategic places all over the Malchian Grove. They would take them down even before they reached the mansion. I could hear the distant sound of gunshots and wolves growling. They were near.I cracked neck. I flexed my fingers. With my fist balled and my eyes staring straight ahead, I was ready. The sound approached, getting dangerously close to the gate. Just like that, shots begun to be fired. The guards at the gate fought well. They fired all their bullets on the invaders, but then, something weird happened. The invaders came pouring in numbers.I stood, shocked. I hadn't expected this kind of number. A sea of people forced themselves through the gate. They had with them ammunition.Someone threw a grenade, shooting everyone around the gate off. Yosef gave me a look; I shook my head. No. We wouldn't
==Olivia==5:55 pm.I would so fucking deal with Matteo! The fuck, the dude had told me to stay in his room pending his quick arrival. Guess what, eons….epochs had passed by and there had been no sign of him. Not even his shadow. Not even his smell, scent, whatever. The room was growing darker, and dear mister wasn't here yet!Initially, I had left the room to meet him outside. Lo and behold, the entrance was completely manned by guards. My anxiety peaked. I'd guessed a similar phenomenon existed in other entrances/exits, and I hadn't wasted my energy trying them out. Again, rather than going to my room, I'd returned to Matteo's, mainly because it had a balcony which would likely offer me access to the outside. However, to my chagrin, that balcony was locked. I had remained in Matteo's room because I felt safe here. I couldn't tell why I felt so, but that was it. I stopped pacing about and sat on the bed. First it was a curfew, and now this? What… I buried my face in my palm befo
A knock came and Lyons—still with his eyes fixed on his nightstand— said, "Come in."The door swing open. It was the butler. "Sir, the hall has been assembled." Lyons waved him away. Now was the time. Turning away from the nightstand, Lyons walked out of the room and reached the hallway. He descended quite a number of stairs, before reaching the basement door. As he opened the door, noise of chattering people hit him. He could make out what each one of them was saying.The noises died down as the people spotted Lyons. He looked ahead to see a multitude. Hundreds and hundreds of Brookehurtian citizens. He smiled to himself.He stood in front of them. "Good evening, the great people of Brookehurt. I'm so glad you honoured my request. As you know, our town has been under attack, in which loves and properties have been destroyed. May I use the opportunity to apologise for that." He paused fir let that sink in. Everyone paid rapt attention. "As a way of helping out, I am donating a sum
==Matteo==Pulling shirt down my face, I was set to leave. Olivia on the other hand was still in the process of putting on her bra. I looked away, not sure I wanted to catch sight of her pointy breasts. They were so fucking tempting. When I looked her way again, she was done. Her hair was tossed, an evident of the body slamming exercise we'd had moments earlier. A look on the clock on the wall confirmed it was way last our lunch time. I walked up to her; a smile appearing on her face. I picked up her scarf that laid some feet away and gave it to her. "Here." Still having the tiny smile on her lips, she took it from me and tied up her hair.As we left the chambers, I could sense she was exhausted from the thing we had. So, to save her any more troubles, I'd let her rest for some time before we met for lunch. I escorted her to her room and when we got to the door, I leaned to kiss her light. Yes, a chaste kiss this time around."See you at lunch."She smiled in response and steppe