Who would believe her if she told them what she had seen? That a man had single-handedly slaughtered so many at a time, including trained bodyguards. That he’d dug their hearts out, then incinerated the mansion to hide the evidence? It made no sense.Heidi began to regret coming to the station. She would have made it far from Hunter’s reach if she had thought to run instead.The man in question remained in her line of sight, only now he flexed a triumphant smirk at her. What in God’s name was he—the devil… a grim reaper?Suddenly, Heidi pushed up from her chair and made for the door.“Miss Heidi, where are you going?” the officer called after her. But she simply threw a dismissive wave and disappeared into the corridor.Her long, hurried paces echoed through the walls as she glanced nervously over her shoulders, conscious of being followed.When the pressure overwhelmed her and the unease seized her chest, Heidi broke into a run.Her breaths came in ragged gasps as she sprinted down t
Heidi’s face twisted in agony, wincing, as she sat up on the bed. She screamed, her legs bent and arms stretched in front of her. The painful sensation pulsing beneath her skin was unbearable, her palms and knees burning as if greeted by fire.And the more she screamed, the more each pulse sent sharp stings up her limbs with an intensity that threatened to tear her limbs inside and out. Even breathing felt like torture.Zavere, hearing the screams, barged into the room and sat beside her on the bed. His hand gently wrapped her wrist while the other rested softly on her leg—a touch meant to snap her out of her turmoil.“Hey, hey, look at me,” he murmured in a low and soothing voice. Then he leaned closer and locked his eyes onto her teary ones. But the girl—screaming, freaking out, her vision blurred with tears—stared ahead of her without registering Zavere’s presence.In a swift motion, the man tenderly held her chin and turned her face toward him. “Hey, look into my eyes,” he urged;
He was remarkably tender with his actions, occasionally glancing at her countenance to check if she showed any signs of discomfort.As he added ointment, he continued with his speech. “It’s how this mark across my eye came about. Actually, it’s more than just being twins; we’re sort of bonded for life.”Heidi huffed in disbelief. Was the man telling some child tale to distract her from the wounds’ pain? If only he knew she didn’t feel a thing.Zavere noticed her reaction as he carefully stuck a bandage on each knee. “I swear. I’m not making this up. If Hunter dies, I die too,” he said with a chuckle.Heidi joined him in the chuckle. “Okay, now you’re making it up.”“I said I’m not.” He started rolling a gauze around her hands. “Do you think we twinned our right eyes, too?”Heidi’s chuckle died out as Zavere finished taking care of her wounds. He placed her hand atop the other and patted it. “There you go.”“Why didn’t you stop him when he was killing?” Heidi blurted, taking Zavere by
“The review rating for White Group has been plummeting. The company is on the verge of collapsing. Something has to be done before that happens.”Silence. Hunter twirled a pen between his fingers.“Mr. White?”More silence. He had his mind on the brief session with Heidi hours ago—when he’d finally gotten to hold her in his arms after months of waiting. He’d drawn close to her, inch by inch, anticipating the moment when his lips would meet hers. How he’d wanted to take her right there and then, but the girl was fragile; too weak to handle his lust.He ended up putting her to sleep before flying back with her to Alloy City.“Mr. White.”Hunter’s eyes flickered to the lawyer sitting across from him. The latter, looking dapper, narrowed his eyes at him.“What were you saying?” Hunter muttered.“I just explained how you might go bankrupt at this very minute.” Hunter’s brows creased, then perked up when he registered the lawyer’s words.The man placed a tablet device on the desk and slid
Her hurried paces echo through the walls as she glances nervously over her shoulder, conscious of being followed.When the pressure overwhelms her and unease seizes her chest, Heidi breaks into a run.She doesn’t look back. And doesn’t stop until she reaches the stair flight.There, she bends over; hands on the knees, gasping for air but stands alert when she hears gentle footsteps approaching from the lower stairs.At first, Heidi thinks it’s just an officer. Not until the brown-polished shoes appear on the steps below.Her eyes travel upward—looking over the black pants to a leather belt, then the red tie over a crisp white shirt; tucked neatly into a black vest. And finally, the masculine, inked neck that introduces the face bearing a darkened eye.“Hunter…” Heidi muttered, now exhausted. She lets out a hollow laugh as the man stops halfway up the stairs and looks at her, cocking his head to the side. “Come now, love,” he says flatly. “Time to go home.”~TWENTY-EIGHT HOURS AGO.I
In the valley guarded by snow-coated greens and high, misty mountains is the White family house, which they only visit during Christmas even though celebrating it isn’t a thing in the family.They do enjoy the holidays in their style nonetheless; like binge-watching rom-coms or stacking containers of Christmas cookies into the refrigerator.However, one wouldn’t find a trace of festive decorations or even hear a commentary about it in the mansion.For as long as Heidi can remember, this is her first time experiencing the White family fully celebrating something.And there are two large halls prepared for it too.She heaves a sigh of exhaustion as she stands before the mirror in the servants’ quarters.Patting her apron and gazing at the bonnet guarding her hair, her hazel eyes are nearly closing under tired lids.But that is the least of her concerns now.She needs to discard this wretched apron of woe and put on something proper—one that looks a little bit pleasing to the eyes.A whil
The clinking of cutlery ceases, and silence dominates the hall.It goes off so loud that even a pin drop can be heard.It seemed as though everyone in the dining hall had stopped moving the moment Hunter made a sudden motion.Saturn’s glare on Heidi nearly bore holes in the girl’s skin. “Big brother, did she spill anything on you?” She asks from where she sits across Hunter.The latter doesn’t respond. Instead, his eyes wander from the bracelet to Heidi’s face, locking her gaze.The girl finds herself staring into green, deep-set eyes, the brow piercing on his thick, left brow glimmering with the light, calling for her attention.But Heidi is rather engrossed in the intensity of his stare.There’s a stark contrast in how he looks at her compared to before.Instead of the warm gaze he used to give her, there’s a beguiling emptiness in his eyes—a void Heidi can’t touch.Hunter’s eyes are impassive, and his lips don't twitch one bit.The chilliest feeling runs down her spine, goosebumps e
Heidi listens to the rattle of dishes in the sink while washing the stack of tableware from lunch, relying on the blues playing in her head to drown out the chatter in the kitchen.“The man is handsome. I’ll keep saying it to the grave,” one of those who’d served lunch, a woman in her thirties, remarks.“I wonder who his girlfriend is. She has to be very lucky,” another adds with a smile. “…and really hot.”Heidi swallows her throat when she realizes who they are gossiping about.She had hoped she could toughen up and move on after the bathroom incident.But anything that relates to Hunter still seems to unravel her completely. Even now, her unsteady hands struggle to hold the plates.She spends what feels like an eternity finishing the dishes, her mind filled with the thought of a well-deserved nap.Yet, her hopes are dashed when she makes her way down the hallway, only to find Saturn standing there, casually leaning against the doorway to the servants' quarters.“Ah, Heidi. There you