NINE

Zaylee peeked at the monitor before opening her apartment door. Her sleepiness suddenly disappeared after she found out who had come to her apartment at any time. Her face changed, implying a hatred and anger that had previously died down now flared up again.

"Go away, Griffin! It's already night!" Zaylee shouted from behind the door. Instead of answering, Griffin immediately pressed the door password button and opened Zaylee's apartment door.

The girl gasped and was not alert, so Griffin quickly entered the apartment and locked it again.

"What are you doing?" Zaylee shouted, her shock not disappearing. The girl closed her eyes, cursing him for his stupidity for not changing her apartment password after their relationship ended.

"My father will be here soon! I will make sure you are taken. I don't need to explain at length; you must know how my father will treat you after the chaos you have done earlier!" Griffin explained, making Zaylee freeze. Not finished with Griffin's arrival, now she had to face the arrival of her ex-lover's father.

"Aaarrrgggg!!!! I don't care. I want you to leave now!" Zaylee said in frustration, pointing at her apartment door; Griffin laughed sarcastically, waiting for Zaylee's reaction. He knew very well how Zaylee thought.

"Okay! I'm leaving now! But I can't be sure if you'll survive tonight!" Griffin said mockingly, making Zaylee silent; the look in his eyes couldn't hide the fact that he himself was scared.

Just as Griffin was about to speak, the apartment doorbell rang again, making both pairs of eyes stare at the door with a sharp gaze. Moreover, Zaylee was increasingly restless about how to face Griffin, making her almost crazy, plus one person who was more powerful than the man in front of her.

"Go ahead, if you want to face my father alone! I'll hide in the bathroom!" Griffin said calmly, his thin smile looking happy above Zaylee's restlessness.

"I'm really going to kill you Griffin! Okay, now what are you going to do!" Zaylee said with her voice shaking, panic taking over her entire body.

"Just shut up and stand behind me!" Griffin said coldly when the knocking on the door turned into a rough knock that seemed ready to break down without thinking about the damage.

When the door opened, Alex, who was behind his guards, was surprised by who was behind the door—not Zaylee but his son, who was already inside the apartment.

"What are you doing here, Griffin!" Alex shouted angrily; Griffin did not answer but instead went inside to stand in front of Zaylee, who was frozen in place.

Zaylee knew a situation like this would happen, but apparently, her brain was not ready to face Alex, who always brought troops when attacking her. This was not the first time, but Zaylee was still unfamiliar with this situation.

"Why did you come to Zaylee's apartment?" Griffin asked casually, standing straight in front of Zaylee like a shield for the girl.

"Of course, to make calculations with that cheap girl behind you. What are you planning? I'm sure! The baby in your stomach is not Griffin's child!" Alex sarcastically said with a flash of anger. The middle-aged man could never speak softly to anyone, especially to someone who was blocking his way to achieving his goals.

"Quickly bring the girl here!" Alex ordered his bodyguard in a high tone. As soon as they advanced, Griffin's body blocked, and Zaylee hid behind the tall and sturdy body for cover. Apparently, her subconscious still used Griffin as a shield even though her mouth and heart seemed to insist that what was left in her heart was only hatred.

"You dare touch her, I will not hesitate to break your legs!" said Griffin coldly, his gaze so sharp, ready to tear anyone apart.

"Griffin!" snapped Alex, furious with his son's stupid attitude.

"Can't you open your eyes, see clearly? That girl is deceiving you!" continued Alex, unable to understand Griffin's way of thinking and permanently blinded by love.

"I will marry her!" Griffin said, making Zaylee, who had been looking down in fear, now have her eyes perfectly round. Unfortunately, Griffin's words did not stop Alex's anger; instead, they further provoked the father's emotions.

Alex signaled for his guards to move Griffin aside so that Alex would have more freedom to corner Zaylee—the devil woman who kept coming into his son's life.

The three guards immediately dragged Griffin to the side; Zaylee looked down and was full of fear. Griffin struggled, trying to release the grip that locked his body so he could not move freely.

While two guards dragged Zaylee to get closer to Alex, Zaylee couldn't hold back her tears; her emotions overflowed because she couldn't do anything. She didn't have enough strength to fight the two well-trained guards.

"I've told you! Stay away from Griffin! Do you want the past to happen again?" Alex asked with his flat eyes; his words sounded full of emphasis and threats.

One of the guards approached Alex to give him something after searching Zaylee's room. Alex frowned, turning over the medicine in his hand; Griffin widened his eyes when he remembered that the medicine was the medicine he gave Zaylee to abort her fetus.

"Turns out you're quite smart, Griffin! " the father praised when he realized that it was from Griffin. Zaylee just shook her head, her tears getting worse. The girl's eyes seemed to speak, asking for mercy not to do something more cruel to her ex-lover's father.

"Hold him!" Alex ordered. As soon as he opened the medicine, the guards deftly opened Zaylee's mouth. Griffin struggled, but his strength was meaningless because four guards had locked his movements.

Zaylee tried to fight, but in vain; her increasingly hysterical crying and her tongue being forced to swallow the abortion pill made her head suddenly dizzy, and her vision felt dark until she fell unconscious.

***

When the girl's eyes opened, her body ached all over, especially her shoulders and wrists, which looked like a red rash. Zaylee massaged her temples slowly because her head felt a little dizzy. She exhaled as if the lousy incident had just become her dream—fortunately, it was just a dream.

"Are you awake?" asked a man, making Zaylee gasp and wake up. The girl looked around. Apparently, last night's incident was not a dream but the consequences she received for disrupting the engagement of an influential person in the big company where she worked.

"Where am I?" Zaylee snapped at Griffin, who smiled sarcastically. She saw Zaylee, who looked confused and was trying to make sure she was where she was now.

"After a few years of us breaking up, have you forgotten my bed, Zaylee?" Griffin taunted; the man felt that Zaylee was pretending not to know where he was now.

"Why did you bring me here?" Zaylee asked, then got out of bed. She did not want to linger with Griffin, especially in the man's house. Some corners of the room reminded her of their past story, which Zaylee wanted to bury in her memory.

"If you go back to your apartment now, my father will come again! He won't let you go like that!" Griffin prevented Zaylee from turning around. Her eyes got redder, mixed with tears that she had been holding back, remembering how cruel Alex had treated her.

"The only way for you to survive is for you to stay here, Zaylee!"