Chapter 5

Sophia's POV

The strange man smiled at me as I followed him quietly, "There is no need to be scared. Relax, you are at home here and I will not hurt you".

I grew even more curious, "Who are you exactly and why are you being nice to me?".

He stopped and I mistakenly bumped into him. "Ouch, I'm sorry about that. I rubbed on my forehead which bounced on his bulky muscled back.

He waited some seconds before he turned to face me, "Have you always been this loud?"

I was speechless. I stopped to think of what I wanted to say next before I opened my mouth to say it.

"Usually, I am around people who want me dead or at least want me trapped somewhere, you seem different".

His expression had hardened. He didn't look as friendly and calm as he did at first.

"Do you enjoy being tied? Would you prefer I do that to you?"

I shook my head profusely. Not. Who would want that?

"I am sorry if I angered you with my questions, I'm just trying to know better".

He nodded slowly. I noticed the thickness of the hair on his chest as the wind blew his shirt open.

"I know what you must be feeling, however, you are not here for fun. This is not a vacation. Bear that in mind and be patient. For now, all you need to do is to heal well and then, I shall tell you what you are here for".

He walked away while I stood watching.

"What a weird man".

I returned to the room and crawled into my bed.

"I should stay put then". I dragged the bed cover over my neck and slipped deeper into the bed. My heavy eyelids fell and opened occasionally. My body was tired but I needed to be alert.

"I should not trust a stranger".

But this stranger had a soft bed. How could I resist after I had not been able to get a good night's sleep because I was battling for my life?

"Just a little", I mumbled to myself before everything went back.

A loud thud on the door jerked me off from my bed.

I turned to my sides confused, searching desperately for where the noise had come from. Finally, I located it.

The woman who had treated me was standing before me. She looked upset and held a suitcase in her hand.

"You need to wake up. We need to go home. The boss asked me to make sure you arrive". She said, 

"But why did you have to be so loud?" I questioned with a sleepy eye. I stretched and proceeded to stand from the bed. 

"You tried to escape and the boss thinks I treated you terribly. He has plans to change me and this is all because of you".

My heart sank and I felt horrible.

"I didn't mean to. I am sorry". I came closer to her and clasped my hands together, "Forgive me".

"It's no use. The boss doesn't want you to be jokes with and so he would rather fire me. I deserve it. I can not go against the boss' wish. Come, I have to drop you off at his home before I leave".

I asked if I could talk to him about his decision and she refused. "You would only cause me more harm. Please don't."

I wondered why she was so afraid of the strange man. As I tried to find out who he was that made her so scared, I noticed her trembling. I ended up leaving it alone.

"Please", she thanked me when I said I would drop it.

I arrived at a mansion far bigger than my stepfather's house. I gasped as I walked into the land and stood before the mansion, admiring the marbled tiles that lined the walkway. Trees and beautiful flowers had been planted outside the house. The mansion was painted brown and it was illuminated brightly by the lights that were placed beside it.

I marveled.

"This is beautiful''. The woman didn't bother to answer me. She simply asked me to walk faster.

She snatched my bag and walked me to the front door. One knock on it and she yelled.

"We are here

 "I brought her to the boss as requested".

The large wooden doors opened gently. Their hinges squeaked as they widened up enough for both of us to pass through.

"Welcome, Miss Mirabel '' Two girls dressed in a maid's uniform came from the door under the staircase. They bowed when they reached her and took our bags from her.

I noticed they were very young and also stoic.

Their eyes moved to me and they sneered.

My jaw dropped but I quickly picked them back up.

"This is Sophia. She is the boss' guest. Be nice to her or you will end up like me. I am being relieved of my duties temporarily because the boss caught her trying to escape when she was in my custody. Make her feel at home".

They chorused a loud "Yes, Ma'am", but something about the way they looked at me made me think it would not be as smooth as I thought.

I asked for their names but she didn't bother to mention.

"Pretend they are all invisible and only call on them when you need them".

That felt offensive to the very least but I had learnt not to ask questions anymore.

I was going to stick to whatever they told me and do just that.

They called her to the side and began to whisper while I looked around the house. I noticed the interior decoration was nice. The stranger did good work with marbles, royal blue paint, and that wonderful chandelier that was probably longer than me.

My neck twisted while I tried to count the diamonds in them. I felt an ache in my back. I screamed out and fell on the floor.

The maids rushed to me and so did the woman.

"You are still weak. You need healing and rest. Why would you do that?" I watched her point to the maids, "Join me, let's carry her".

I felt a presence walk through the door, "Allow me".