Chapter 7: Amelia's Concern

"Are you alright?” Chole asked, watching Ashley gazing outside the window with a defeated face. He threw her towel on her bed and walked over to her.  

"Yes, I am" Ashley flashed her best convincing look turning to face her.  

"I'm just missing my parents,'' She added with a small smile, it wasn’t true nor false. It was her first time leaving her parents.  

"Same here I miss my parents so much,” Chloe mumbled, taking a huge lump of air. Her shoulders dropped down and she sat over her bed staring at the floor.

"They died in a ghastly motor accident.” Her diminishing sound was filled with pain as if there was no light there to follow anymore. 

"It's just me and my little brother Ethan, I have to come here to work as a maid to earn money for our living.” A small smile formed on her lips when she mentioned her younger brother. He was the world for her, his education and better life were the aims of her living. 

"I am so sorry about that.” Ashey felt guilty reminding her old poking memories of witnessing her shrunken face. She could understand why she was here in such a dangerous place, siblings. They were their strong and weak ones too. 

"No problem," she gave a wry smile and laid down on the bed. Her shift was just finished and had a few minutes before Miss. Clara bowed our heads for being late. 

Ashley went to the kitchen to do her pending chores and it was declared openly, by Miss Clara, that master Adonis was having visitors, and they needed to serve them food and drinks.

"Be in haste he doesn't like to be delayed," Miss Clara queried us, making them hurry in their way. They all walked in pairs as she taught them towards the big dining table, it is round and spacious enough to convey a lot of food as they all sat facing each other eating and chatting

They had a lot of work to do before they were done. It was dawn already, and all retired to their respective rooms tired out. It took her a long time to fall asleep after she had settled in for the night. 

Her thoughts then strayed to her sister, poor Amelia. She wondered what would her sister Amelia's reaction be if she would be the one who was kidnapped instead of her? The very idea seems too horrible to contemplate, so she hurriedly tried to reroute her thoughts into more pleasant channels, only none immediately presented themselves. She plumped her pillow. Turned on her side and shut her eyes as she finally drifted into an uneasy sleep.

“No, my friend, I have every confidence in you. What I needed most was a willing ear to make sense of my jumbled fears. You’ve done more than that.” Damon voices out. He struggled to calm Adonis down. His agitated nature scared Damon a lot. He was afraid to lose his love because of his best friend, and he even brought Ashley here as his maid.  

“Fine, let’s finish them then. We’ve inaugurated fear and effect it is now time to strike.” Adonis took the nearby machine gun and loaded it. The fire was burning his heart, the agony of revenge had already taken over the reason for his pain. 

“Adonis quit. You’ve kidnapped their daughter already.” Damon snatched the machine gun from him and threw it away. He closed his eyes, trying to calm himself down. It was grinding between his love and friend, which he couldn’t choose. They both were the most important to him. 

“They haven’t suffered enough just getting started. I feel like there is something questionable. This isn’t the Damon I know.” After taking a cigarette lighter, he walked back to cheer up the man. He blew the smoke on his face, patting his back. 

Damon saw how determined he was that he walked away looking unhappy.  

A figure stood gazing out of the window at the darkening sky. Her thoughts then strayed to her sister and her family. She couldn’t endure her sister coming here. 

Wincing, she pressed her face against the cold irons on the window. If she died, she would have spent the last pleasant moment with her sister. Amelia turned as the footsteps resonated in the darkness, but a ray of hope lightened her heart as she saw Damon.  

“What the matter, Damon?” Amelia asked as she looked at his worn-out face.

“What do you mean? What makes you think there’s something wrong with me?” He entered her cell with his heavy legs. 

“Hey, I’m sorry. I asked a simple question. I’ve known you long enough to know when you’re not yourself.” Amelia rushed over to him and took his hand in her, stroking to calm his agitated nerves. 

“Then alright,” He said and pulled her closer to him.  

“Come and sit beside me here.” He invited her and made room for her on the bed.  

“Good now. Let me say what I want.” She was surprised to witness the static seriousness in his eyes. He caressed her cheeks lazily and rubbed her soft hand over his face.  

“I love you very much, Amelia. I guess you know that?” She nodded, relaxing her tensed body upon hearing his congestion, and wondered where this was leading to.  

“I spent the entire night worrying about you, about us,” he paused for a second before adding, “And regretting what happened at the party.” She hugged him, realizing his suffocation.  

“You don’t need to blame yourself. You could not have foreseen Adonis’s reaction to me.” Damon held her tight, nuzzling his face into her neck.  

“True enough. Anyway, I think it’s high time I put you in the picture of how things stand with me. I know you would have often wondered if I hadn’t talked to Adonis. Well, I have.” 

Amelia smiled when she felt like it. She can’t wait to leave here. 

“He doesn’t seem to listen to me. He’s ready to make your father pay.” His diminishing voice made her shiver, imagining the consequences she and her family had to bear.  

“I don’t want to come between you and your friend,” Amelia muttered. She was trying her best to suppress her sobs in front of him. 

“You won’t come between me and Adonis, Amelia. Sure, Adonis is important to me, but so are you.” Damon was tightening his arms around her, willing not to leave ever. He felt a moment of peace in the whirlpool. 

“Since he is not ready to listen, we have to stick to the first plan. Your future could be affected by what is happening between us now.” She nodded, resting her head over his shoulders.