Chapter 3 - Why did you save my life?

Since the voice was robotic, she couldn't discern the anger buried in it. “Aren’t you asking for too much?”

Her head was still lifted high, her look haughty. “If you won’t take what belongs to you, then give me the privilege of knowing the man who saved my life,” she spoke in a polite pleading tone and his heart seemed to have softened towards her.

“Will it make any difference?” He asked.

“You have no idea,” Ariana responded while looking at him pleadingly. A moment of silence ensued and she knew the man was thinking about her request. Suddenly, he warned her,

“If you tell anyone, I will kill you myself.”

Ariana smiled and vowed, “I’ll rather die than offend you.”

The man seemed satisfied with her response, turned his back to her, removed his mask, then turned to face her. She was shocked to see that the face behind the mask was the most beautiful one she ever saw but his eyes were so dark and piercing, she felt scared. His hair was long, heavy, black, and curly, almost falling on his shoulders.

She extended her hand and touched his cheek but he quickly took a step back. She wasn’t offended and said, “You are handsome. You shouldn’t hide your face.”

The man removed his black leather jacket and walked past her. “There is a reason for everything I do. You should go now.”

Surprisingly, he didn’t sound robotic anymore. His deep velvety voice sent strange chills through her bones. It wasn’t a scary one but she couldn’t make out what it was.

“Why did you save my life?”

Her question made him stop in his tracks but his back was still tuned to her. She couldn’t understand why he was suddenly avoiding her gaze. Was it because she touched him? His tone was indifferent, “It’s just my nature. Nothing special. You should be thankful that I got there in time.”

Ariana forced a smile and tried her luck again. “But I can’t leave. May I know your name?”

He sat on the couch and began to remove his shoes. “You are getting on my nerves,” he said irritably.

Ariana guessed that he misunderstood and didn’t want to offend him. “You don’t understand. If I leave now, I will be interrogated and your money refunded.”

The man had never been in an auction before and never took the time to read the rules before purchasing her. It seemed that they were stuck together tonight. “Why did you allow yourself to be auctioned?” He asked without looking at her. He walked over to the wine cabinet and poured himself a glass of Hennessy, gulping it down in an instant.

“I didn’t have a choice but why do you refuse to take what you paid for?” Ariana walked around and sat on the sofa. The man seemed to have understood the reason why she had to spend the night with him.

“Everyone has a choice. I am getting married soon so I can't sleep with you because of money. Value yourself.”

Ariana found his words hurtful though his tone was polite. He was faithful to his woman and thought she didn’t value herself. A lone tear fell on her cheek. She didn’t know if he saw it or not but he said again with his back turned to her, “Sleep on the bed. I have things to do.”

He instantly left for another room. Ariana could only feel her heart thump at the man who was like a King. He carried dignity and power and was also fearful. He wasn’t going to touch her but she wanted to talk to him more.

Therefore, she waited and waited but he didn’t come out till she fell asleep. The man came out and took a closer look at the silhouette on the bed. Her brunette hair was long and wavy and she smelt like a rose garden. She sucked her thumb like a child and curled as if she was feeling cold. The bow shape of her upper lip was tempting and her pointed nose alluring. He recalled those green eyes that were very hard to resist. He pushed locks of her hair behind her ear and looked at her for a long time. He never met a woman so proud and haughty, even when in distress. This girl spoke her mind without fear of him.

What he couldn’t understand was that strange thing he felt when she touched his face. He never felt like that when his sister or mother touched him. He never even felt that way when Miranda, his betrothed hugged him. There was something about this girl but he didn’t have the luxury of time to find out what it was. He pulled a duvet and covered her slender body, before switching off the light and going back to the next room as before, locking it securely.

When Ariana woke up the next morning, the room was quiet and she felt warm, realizing that someone had covered her with a duvet. Could it be him? She looked around and went to knock on the door she saw him enter last night but there was no response. She turned the knob and it was locked. There was no sign of him. Maybe he left while she was sleeping.

Disappointed, she made her way out of his room where Juliet was waiting for her at the door. “Are you alright?” Juliet asked worriedly. Before Ariana opened her mouth, an angry female voice bellowed.

“You freak. Seth let the cage lose accidentally and is dead because of you.”

Karen, one of the bartenders, was very upset and saddened over the loss of her boyfriend, blaming Ariana for it. Ariana had forgotten the events of last night with that man’s image registered in her mind but the reminder only brought back her deal with Dario and she knew she had to sort things out and leave this town for a place where she wasn’t known. Everyone would blame her for Seth’s death if she doesn't leave.

“She didn’t kill him,” Juliet said in Ariana’s defense. She hadn’t gone home throughout the night, waiting for Ariana.

“But he died because of her,” the girl insisted and kept accusing Ariana while Juliet pulled her away. The girl followed and kept berating behind them that Juliet stopped, turned to her, and asked sarcastically,

“Why don’t you go and tell the masked man?”

“You…” the girl choked with tears and Ariana was about to stop and comfort her but Juliet pulled her away and said, “something bad has happened.”

In another room, the masked man was watching the cameras and made a call. “I’m coming out. Wipe the images.” After getting a firm response, he closed his laptop and left the room. Then he entered another on the same corridor and was met with an urgent voice.

“Caddaric, we have to go now.”

“Not yet, Carter, I have things to do,” Caddaric grimaced and said. Carter was his cousin and so was Colton. The men had some similarities but had grown differently, due to their upbringing. The traditional Blades looked more alike but these ones had their parents marry out of love. As such, they didn't have the exact resemblance of the true Blades. Their hairs, for instance, were lighter shades and so were their eye colors. Caddaric was the only one who seemed to wholly resemble his father and looked like a true Blade.

While in the academy, Caddaric took up deadly jobs as a teenager and was well-paid for them. In his quest to be more powerful than his dad, he used the proceeds to set up businesses, one of which was the club in which Ariana was being auctioned. He was upset that such things happened in his club.

The only people who knew his secret identity were his father and two cousins. Neither his mother nor sister knew about it.

“But today is the day of our introduction to the press,” Colton reminded him while putting on his black suit. They were supposed to appear professional.

“I know. It won’t take time.” Caddaric pulled out his phone and made a call. “To my office now,” he instructed and began walking to the door. Everyone would think that the masked man left and not know that he was the same person. The idea crossed his mind at the age of twelve when his sister began to fear him because of how ruthless he was during training. As such, he appeared as a gentleman before her and his ruthlessness was shown behind the mask.

“Are you coming?” He asked impassively when he reached the door.

“Sure,” his two cousins said and followed him.

By the time they reached his office, a man in his late forties was waiting for him. Caddaric went to his file cabinet, picked a document, and threw it on the table. The man’s eyes widened.

“You are taking everything back?”

“Yes. Sign it,” Caddaric said coldly. At first, he didn’t intend to put the club under his name but after what he witnessed last night, he knew that urgent changes had to be made.

“You don’t want me as a manager?” The man spoke as if he was slapped in the face.

“After turning my club into a demeaning place where women are auctioned like commodities, no,” Caddaric responded curtly. The man wasn’t afraid of Caddaric. For as long as he knew, Caddaric was just a twenty-something-year-old boy with a money overdose.

“But they aren’t forced,” he defended.

“There isn’t supposed to be an option like that. Auctioning women is gross disrespect to their gender,” Caddaric said sternly, the man seemed frightened. When did the kid grow up? At thirteen, Caddaric placed an advertisement for a club manager.

The man arrived at the interview and thought it was a joke when he saw the boy posing as a man. But when Caddaric put his card on the table, the man couldn’t resist. He wanted the club to be in the man’s name. Since then, he made millions from the club and became powerful. Now Caddaric was taking everything from him because of auctioning women?

“They keep eighty percent of the money,” the man said. The women who were auctioned made a lot of money within a short time. It was the quickest way and also a win-win situation.

“I don’t care. Your services are no longer needed,” Caddaric dismissed him, saddened that the man had no respect for women. If auctioning humans was so lucrative, then why weren’t men auctioned too? There must be wealthy women who would be willing to pay.

“What will you do? You have the money but do you have the skill to manage this club?” Castro, the club manager asked daringly. He had no idea who Caddaric was. Carter and Colton were offended by the question, about to put him in his place when Caddaric asked,

“Your skill almost killed a woman if a masked man hadn’t appeared to save her. One of your staff was murdered. Will you face the authorities to clear your name?”

The man paled at the question. In short, if the authorities got involved, the club would be shut down. “I’ll sign the document.”

After the manager left, Caddaric turned to Carter. “Can you help me to get a new manager?”

“Of course,” Carter said. Caddaric was supposed to manage the Blade Towers, which would not allow him the privilege of managing his secret businesses. Though the two cousins were just knowing that he owed the club, they weren’t upset.

“That means we should be on our way,“ Colton said. Just as Caddaric stepped out of the office, he bumped into Ariana. She had paled and looked disturbed. Caddaric felt strange.