==Matteo==
I laid stiff like a corpse, staring blankly. Then, her cry reached my ears. I widened my eyes.
The cry. It reflected pain, hurt, distress. Fuck. I thought of raising, but then, I knew better. So. I closed my eyes, trying to stay focused in order to pinpoint the issue. A surge of energy flooded into my head, and her emotions reached me. I could feel it all: the fright in her voice, her pulsating heart, the dryness around the throat, the sweat. I could sense her perplexity. Olivia… My Olivia is in trouble. She was in trouble and here was I, struggling with this thing that emasculated me.
The coffee machine brewed, dispensing the hot brown liquid into a mug. Leah stood, arms akimbo as she waited to have her beverage served. When the liquid rose to the desired level, she turned off the machine —picking the mug before perching on the stool beside the counter. She spilled in some milk, added a cube of sugar and stirred. Her face bearing a bored expression. She took a sip, then had a bit of her biscuit. The coffee, even with the milk, tasted like death. And the biscuit, it was dry. Like grass. These were the only things her taste buds could interpret: bitter and bland. This morning, she'd ordered pizza. Just to force something palatable down her throat, but guess what, her favourite pepperoni pizza had been unusually stale. Too crusty. Bland without the inviting taste of cheese. And what about the iced tea? Ha! She couldn't tell if what she had tak
==Matteo==Something tickled me and I stirred, absentmindedly smacking where the sensation had been felt. I made to go back to sleep but my eyes accidentally slipped open. Light hit me square in the face. I squinted, grumbling as I turned my head the other way. I bat my eyes slowly, soon coming to realise that I was…outdoors. I peeled myself from the floor, spotting the dense vegetation around. Birds chirped—celebrating the dawn of a new day.I got a sting on my back and as I smacked that region, my eyes widened. I drove my gaze downwards and groaned. Fuck.I was naked. Out in the open. Fuck, where am I? I looked around me,
==Olivia==My neck throbbed, jolting me awake. It throbbed as though a dead weight had been placed there all night round. I rubbed it, gently. My face squeezed as I did. I'd fallen asleep in an awkward sitting position, 'cause my back sent me a signal as well. Without craning down, I glanced at my ankle. Proceeding to feel it with my fingers. Swollen, it had become. Almost twice its size now. Twice the difficulty moving around, perhaps.I couldn't hear the rain, nor the thunder again. Turning to my side and with my palms placed on the walls, I began to pull myself from the ground. My ankle wasn't having any of it. It ached, burned so hot. So fierce. But I was set to forge on. To go against the resistance. And with that, I stood on my feet. My lips pinned tightly together.
The sign post which bore the words 'Fridgeton Police Department' came into view. Leah squeezed her grip on the steering, her tongue running short of saliva. The doubts escaped from whatever box she'd locked them in and now hovered around her head. In spite of this, she kept driving and in no time, made it to the parking lot.Turning off the ignition, she reclined to her seat. A laboured sigh followed her movement. Don't be an idiot. You're not a sentimental lovestruck teenager, now are you? Besides, it wasn't as if the person she was getting crazy about gave two fucks about her. Okay, perhaps he did. But no way was it in the direction she was thinking. She was sure of that.By chance, she glanced at the passenger seat. Lyons' spot whene
==Olivia==The way to a man's heart was obedience. Yes. You got to do as he said, never ask any questions whatsoever, and be the puppet he so wished you were.I had gone through all of Matteo's rules. DO NOT LEAVE YOUR ROOM pretty much summed it all. Yes, I was gonna make this sacrifice. Thirty days spent solely in my home wouldn't hurt that much. I had all the time after that to live life. Also, I'd decided not to be caustic or brash, provided he respected himself and accorded me the respect I deserved. However, there was an exception. There existed a line. My obedience had a limit. It stopped at the threshold that led to smooching, caressing, all whatnot. Those kisses, the jerking off—they would all stop. That was unhealthy, and God willing, I'd go through therapy as soon as I got out.
Her heart summersaulted as she gazed at the register hanging on the wall. Bed dressing. This was it. This was it! She balled her fist. Her way of keeping her excitement in check. She went through her morning routinely hastily, making sure she had her bath quickly before the others came streaming in. Thank Heavens she had awoken before the usual time. It was five minutes to seven. The Master always got up half past six, meaning that he must have showered and had gone to the balcony to have his tea. This would give her the opportunity to...scout. She hurried through her breakfast of pita bread, and picked up her tools. In forty steps, she arrived at The master's bedroom. A short knock was what she have before saying in her rehearsed honeyed voice, "Housekeeping, sir." No response came, which made her smile. She opened the door and as she stepped in, was immediately hit by the scent of cologne. His masculine scent. That which dismantled her, breaking down her walls and leaving her h
==Matteo==From the mirror, her tiny figure loomed in. It took me so much not to swing open the door and lunge at her. The girl. She was seriously cat walking, stepping on the ground as of it were made of glass and as of she wasn't three minutes late. She reached where I was and stood beside the window. Her smile shown at me. I looked away, the frown not leaving my face. That was when the knock came to the window. Reluctantly, I wound down the glass. "You're mad." Her voice going into that sickeningly sweet tone that irritated me. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to. You can't imagine. My mom kept telling me to find something decent to wear. Always, 'Peggy, those shorts are too short. You're showing too much skin. Or the neckline is too down. Go find something proper to wear.' I swear, Matt. I didn't plan on being late."I didn't speak. Didn't even act as though she'd said something. "Come on, Matty. I swear, my mom—""Three minutes. Three minutes and there you were walking like I've g
==Matteo==Was it…was it possible to turn the hands of the clock and go back in time? Was it possible to get to bed, only to wake up the next minute and find yourself in another dimension, or perhaps, an alternate universe. It was times like this that fuelled my hatred for SciFi, and movies/fiction in general. 'Cause right now, I was as eager as a five year old who innocently looked forward to having the utopia borne in movies come to life. I was as eager as the kid on Christmas eve, whose parents heaped up boxes around the tree. I was eager. Eager to escape this godawful present. I could give anything to have that happen. My sleep-deprived eyes shut tightly, conjuring up a throbbing headache at my left temple. As I opened them, the calendar met my gaze. June 12. June the fucking twelfth. The day Hell boiled, totally enraged that their very own had been taken away from them to be dumped on an innocent couple. Or perhaps, it was the day Hell sighed that long-held sigh, because one nui
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