Another 30 minutes of traveling and the car slowed down as they approached a small hill on which stood a gigantic white mansion.Joan's eyes widened when she caught sight of it. Judging from the direction they were driving and the fact there were no other houses around, she knew that was where they were headed. Could that be his house?That part of the city was reserved and occupied by the wealthiest and most influential people in the country. She had been there once for special duties but never imagined that something as grand and extravagant as that mansion existed there. Probably because it was farther away from the other houses in the area.As they approached, a grand wrought iron gate adorned with intricate scrollwork swung open, welcoming them into the realm of opulence. The architectural grandeur and meticulous designs of the mansion’s exterior left her in awe. Majestic columns, Marble-framed windows, lush, well-lightened gardens, fountains, and sculptures. The roof features e
Joan's legs grew heavier with every step she took as they walked further into the house. Moments ago, she was admiring the wonderful work of art displayed in the building. But that admiration was dissolving into something else – the heavy feeling that she had been brought to her place of death.But she didn't stop following Trevor, who was moving a step ahead of her. Maybe if she was cooperative, they would let her go without harm.They arrived at the top floor and walked a little further to the right of the rather quiet hallway until Trevor stopped in front of a shut door. “Here we are. This is your room, Madam. I hope it meets your taste.” Trevor spoke, moving his hand to the door handle to open it. “You too are calling me Madam?” Joan asked in a soft voice and Trevor turned to her. She looked into his eyes and realized he was the same man who used to call her Mrs. Joan Brandon whenever she had the opportunity to meet him in the past. Now he was calling her Madam and acting like t
It felt like part of the burden in her heart had been taken away after Joan ended her over thirty minutes call with Grace. If there was one thing in her life she was grateful for, it was the fact that she had a friend like Grace. The girl had always been her pillar, listening ear, adviser, partner in crime, and defender since high school.Letting out a long sigh, she looked around the room again, then moved to the bed and plopped her butt down on it. The mattress moved slightly under her weight, signifying it was the perfect balance between soft and hard. She sent Grace a text with a list of things she would bring when coming with her the next day. Knowing she would get to see her friend soon, if she survived the night, gave her some relief. After sending the text, she dropped the phone on the bed and stood up, deciding to explore the room. The bathroom which was the first place she checked didn't disappoint. It was one befitting of the house and room. The closet, which she checked
“Good evening, Mr—” Joan decided to greet him, thinking the weird look was because she hadn't acknowledged his presence by greeting. However, Roman didn't let her finish the greeting before he interrupted.“Don't greet him. Don't give him a reason to talk to you. Don't look at him either. He isn't important. Keep your attention on me.” He said, leaning toward her and turning her head in his direction with his index finger. Despite his arrogant, stupid, and unreasonable attitude, Joan still found his touch electrifying and pleasing, so much so that she wanted to lean into it. It was the same with his voice. That was something she couldn't understand. And did he just say Williams is not important? Williams Xander, not important?From the corner of her eye, she saw Williams finally look away from her, as if agreeing to what Roman said. He picked up his cutlery and started eating. Joan returned her full attention to Roman and realized he looked displeased by what she had just done. She
The fresh, cool, morning breeze was what usually greeted Grace whenever she opened the door in the early hours of the day. But something was different that morning. In addition to the morning breeze, an unexpected visitor was at the door. “Mrs. Elvin?” Grace called out, surprised.“Good morning, Grace.” The woman greeted, wearing a smile.“Good morning, ma'am. I hope I didn't keep you waiting? How long have you been here?” Grace probed, wondering if the woman had been knocking and she didn't hear.“Oh, don't stress. I only just arrived.” Mrs. Elvin responded, bringing Grace some relief. “I see you are on your way out. Not to waste your time, I came to ask a favor.”“Okay, ma'am. What can I do for you?”“I need to see Joan but I don't have the address or phone number of Mr. Baliante. I was hoping I could get the number from you.”“Oh, sure.” Grace made to retrieve the card from her bag, but paused halfway and returned her gaze to the woman. “I'm sorry to ask, but Mr. Elvin was given t
In exactly 30 minutes Grace arrived at the head office of Xylonica group of companies. Following the directions Trevor had given to her, she moved to the 58th floor and approached the lady behind the receiving desk, who she believed to be the secretary. “Can I help you?” The lady asked, eyeing Grace.“Yes. Good morning. I'm here to see Mr Baliante.” Grace explained and the secretary looked her over in a way Grace considered demeaning and condescending. “What for?” The Secretary asked after a while of staring. “What do you want to see him for?” She repeated with a challenging tone.Grace didn't know if she woke up on the wrong side of luck or if someone had placed a curse on her day because what was with all these confrontations? First it was Richard and his mother and now it was this woman who supposedly was Trevor's secretary. “He's expecting me. Please tell him I'm here.” Greece responded, keeping her annoyance in check.“Yeah, they all say the same thing. Desperate young girls w
Joan roused from sleep earlier than she normally would because she had trouble sleeping deeply despite the perfect nature of the bed.Utmost disappointment set in when she realized that she wasn't dreaming everything that happened the night before. Her eyes traveled to the door and relief washed over her when she saw that the table she set behind the door was still in place.Pushing her body to a sitting position, she grabbed her phone and tried to call Grace only to realize the device was dead due to low battery. Joan let out a frustrated groan, slammed the phone against the mattress and fell back on the bed.Gazing at the pattern ceiling, all her life decisions for three years until that moment flashed before her eyes and she realized how foolish she had been to endure that hell of a marriage with Richard. But what could she call the situation she was in right now? Was this not another foolishness on her part?She didn't know how long she remained in that position until a knock brou
“It was right here. Williams Xander dropped him right here. The man was all bloody and he wasn't moving. I don't know what they did to him because I…” Joan trailed off, narrowing her eyes as something occurred to her.The sun had gone down and Grace was ready to leave the house. They came down the stairs together and when they arrived at the door of the staircase, she pointed to the spot where the unconscious man was dropped last night, telling Grace in a whisper exactly how it happened.“What is it?” Grace asked, noticing how Joan stopped speaking without completing what she was saying initially.“Something has been happening to me. It has happened twice since we left the house last night. I initially didn't take it as something serious but now that I think of it, it's quite strange.” Joan revealed, only now realizing that it didn't feel normal.“What is it?” Grace asked with a concern-laden tone.“I'm not sure how best to explain it. I kind of suddenly ran out of breath and found it
Joan's expectation was disappointed when Roman started the car, and drove out of the house. She expected him to drive like a madman just like the night before, but he drove at a normal speed like a normal human would. A few times she threw him side glances, but forced herself not to make a comment, so that his invincible demons won't come whispering to his ears to start speeding like a lunatic. “Aren't you going to say something about my driving?” Roman asked with a smirk as if he had heard what was going on in her mind. “You are surprisingly better than I thought.” Joan responded, having bit back on the sarcastic comment which was about to escape her lips. She flashed him a small smile to back up her words.Although he was shocked she responded, a contented smile graced Roman's lips.They soon arrived at the house and Joan's brows knitted as she stepped out of the car. There was a police van out front and some policemen outside. Did something happen?She hurried into the house, ig
The moment Joan walked into the room and shut the door behind her, she paused, looking ahead into space. She didn't know which emotion to focus on. There was anger, and then there was confusion. Anger because of the scene she met at the stairs, and confusion because she didn't understand what on Earth's name was going on with her. She had already proceeded to put her room in order after Roman left. But just about a minute later, she heard noises, then voices. They were so clear that she thought they were right outside her door. When she opened her door to check, she saw no one. The voices, however, became even clearer, confusing her. So she decided to figure out where it was coming from, only to arrive at the stairs and see Roman with the woman. She ran her fingers through her hair and shut her eyes. Was she going crazy? How was she hearing things from far away as if it was happening right beside her?Something was going wrong with her, and the fact that she didn't know who to tru
The noise from the drama downstairs caught the attention of other people in the house, including Williams, who returned to the house that morning with Roman and Trevor. He had already gone into one of the rooms to rest his head when he heard the disturbance, and he walked out to catch sight of Trevor and Daniel pushing themselves off the floor. Just one look at Cody, and the latter began to explain what had just happened. Roman, on the other hand, was about to step inside his room after speaking with Joan, when he heard the noise. Pausing his movement, he smelled the air and caught a familiar but unexpected scent, which made him frown when he realized who it belonged to. What was she doing there so early in the morning? Changing his mind, he headed out of his room and started toward the stairs with the intention of meeting her downstairs. However, she was faster than him as she showed up before he could completely descend the first floor.“If it isn't the one and only Roman Gavri
Joan's heart raced as her eyes caught the blood on Roman's shirt, her mind immediately darting to worst-case scenarios. Yet before she could even get a word out, Roman cut her off with a sharp question."What's going on with you?" he asked, his tone suspicious but not in any way tired or worn out as his appearance suggested.Joan blinked, taken off guard. "What do you mean?" she shot back, her voice steady, though the pulse in her throat quickened."The noise," Roman said, his eyes narrowing. "I just heard a crash."His gaze shifted toward the gap between the door and frame, clearly wanting a glimpse of whatever chaos was inside. Joan quickly leaned against the frame, blocking his view, her body rigid as if she could physically stop his curiosity."It was nothing," she replied, forcing a tight smile. "Just... just some rearranging." She added.Roman didn't buy it. "You're sweating. And your eyes are red." His gaze was unflinching, his brow furrowing as if to unravel the lie she was tr
Joan lifted her eyes to find the headless man standing right before her. The sight was too much for her. He was dressed in an attire she knew to be worn hundreds of years before she was born, his clothes tattered and worn out as if he had just stepped out of an ancient painting.He stretched his hand in silent demand for his head, his fingers were long and skeletal, trembling with impatience.Terrified was an understatement of how Joan felt. Her heart hammered in her chest, every beat a painful reminder of her confusion. She extended the head toward him, her hands shaking so violently she feared she might drop it.The head felt heavy and unnaturally warm against her palms. As she held it out, she felt a strange compulsion to look at it, as if drawn by an unseen force. Against her better judgment, she turned the head around and a gasp escaped her lips.It was alive. The bright green eyes were open, staring at her with an intensity that cut through her soul.Joan frowned. Those eyes… t
Joan stood frozen, her eyes wide as she took in the sight of the damaged car. The front was crumpled, the windshield shattered, and the tires looked like they had been clawed. She couldn't comprehend how anyone could have survived such a wreck."How did you... how did you survive this?" she stammered, looking at Trevor with a mix of disbelief and fear. "And Grace? Was she hurt?"Trevor shook his head, his expression calm. "No, your friend is fine and at her house already. She wasn't in the car when it happened."Joan's mind raced, trying to piece together what could have caused such destruction. She was still reeling from the sight when Roman pulled Trevor aside, speaking in a low, urgent tone."Take her home," Roman instructed. "But wait ten minutes before you leave.""Boss, they are too much. This fight is not one you should confront alone." Trevor spilled, his frown deepening."When did you begin to underestimate me?" Roman probed, narrowing his eyes at Trevor."I would never do th
Roman's car zoomed off with the same speed as they came. This time, Joan kept her mouth shut even though her heart was hanging in her throat. He made a sudden, sharp, and dangerous turn, causing the tires to make a screeching sound, but that was not all that got Joan extremely agitated. He was driving toward a very tall grass barricade which led to a farm, and he was driving at a high speed.“What are you doing?” Joan managed to get the words out of her mouth. Despite being secured by the seat belt, her hands searched for something to hold on to as she imagined her life coming to an end already.Instead of responding to her questions, Roman kept his gaze and focus ahead, already sighting danger around them. He was thankful for the fear in Joan's heart because that was the only reason she kept her gaze forward. If she had managed to shift her attention to the side, she might have caught sight of the fast moving creatures in the shadows following their car.The field he was aiming to b
“Boss, it's almost time.” Trevor said, bringing down his arm after glancing at his wristwatch for the umpteenth time. His face held a deep frown, unlike his usual demeanor. Inside, he was a panicky mess. If it were just him and Roman out there by that time, he wouldn't be worried. They could very easily handle anything thrown at them. But having Joan with them complicated the issue.“I know that.” Roman answered, his eyes fixed on Joan and Grace. He was seated on the top of the bonnet of his car, while Trevor stood beside him. It's been over thirty minutes since they arrived at Joan's parents’ house, and the man was nowhere to be found, neither was he taking his calls. If he didn't know how worried she was at that moment, he would have suggested they leave. But he didn't want to come off as uncaring. Trevor let out a long sigh, running his fingers through his hair, a move that Grace's eyes caught just when she moved her attention to his direction. “She is gonna freak out.” Trevor c
Surprised at how easily Roman agreed to Joan's request, Trevor's lips parted. He watched the latter walk away before turning to look at Daniel, who looked to be in the same dilemma.“You should go after him. He may have forgotten.” Daniel said to Trevor and as if suddenly woken up from his slumber, Trevor followed Roman out.Grace, who didn't understand what the men were on about, simply watched Trevor leave before setting her gaze on Daniel. She couldn't help noticing his handsome features, which she had been too agitated to notice earlier. It seemed all the people surrounding Roman were specially carved by the creator. Daniel flashed her a smile, and she didn't hesitate to return it. “Please tell Madam not to worry too much. Her mother will be found.” He said, hoping to ease the tension and break the silence. He would have gone with Trevor, but he knew that Roman would not want him to be involved in anything happening that night. “Thank you, Grace responded, appreciative of his k