The Curse - 02

Leona is standing in front of the cafe with her clothes completely closed. Her suitcase was ready beside her. It was past ten o'clock, but Ethan's hadn't arrived yet.

Leona turned right and left. Make sure there are no criminals or anything else targeting her. After all, Leona didn't have anyone else to share. So it is better for her to always be on the alert so that unwanted things do not happen.

Leona sighed in exasperation. Her legs felt sore if she kept standing like this.

"Good morning, Leona," someone said.

Leona turned quickly. She smiled faintly when she saw the figure she had been waiting for had arrived.

"Morning, Mr. Ethan," replied Leona.

Ethan shrieked, "You can talk to me more casually, Leona. You don't have to be stiff like that," he said.

Leona scratched the nape of her neck which didn't itch. It turned out that Ethan was not as cocky as she thought.

"Want to go now? Everything's ready," said Ethan.

Leona nodded excitedly. She was about to pull out his suitcase, but was held back by Ethan. The man took over Leona's suitcase, and invited the girl to get into the car first.

After an hour of driving, Leona and Ethan finally arrived at a luxury apartment. Even the security at the hotel was very tight. Makes Leona sigh of relief, knowing the place she will be staying in for some time has this good security.

"Come on, Leona!" Ethan asked as he unloaded Leona's suitcase from the trunk.

"I'll just take it myself, Ethan." Leona took over the suitcase.

Leona followed Ethan's steps to a special elevator.

"You're going to love this place," Ethan said. Leona nodded in agreement.

"Yes. It must be wonderful to live in a place like this. I am even more amazed by William's success." Ethan chuckled at Leona's confession.

"Why?" confused Leona.

"You do admire him," Ethan guessed.

Leona shook her head quickly. How could she speak so truthfully to William's confidant.

"It doesn't mean that. I just-"

"It's okay. He's not as scary as you think. He's actually good. It's just he seems arrogant and cold to people who don't know him," explained Ethan.

What was Leona hoping to get out of the boy's mouth? It was clear that Ethan was William's confidant. The man would have said good things about William.

"Seriously, I don't mean to admire something like that. I just-" again, Leona's words became interrupted again. This time it was the clank of the elevator that made her stop her words.

"Here we are," Ethan said as he led Leona to the front.

"But I don't know William's unit," said Leona.

"There's only one unit here. It's William's. You just have to remember the floor, okay?" said Ethan with a chuckle.

Leona turned her head towards the numbers printed on the elevator. She was shocked when he found out that she was now on the thirtieth floor.

"Come on, Leona!" Leona's daydreams broke. He immediately followed Ethan's steps, who had already preceded him.

"William does not like crowds. He is also not good at socializing. So this is the most appropriate place for humans like him," explained Ethan as he took a leisurely stride.

"Then, what should I and shouldn't do while I'm living here?" asked Leona.

They stopped and Ethan began typing in the password to open the door to William's unit. Not long after, the black metallic door opened.

"There are no special rules. You just need to maintain his privacy. And do not enter his room carelessly!" Ethan replied.

"Of course I will not go randomly into the men's room. Especially if I already know that the man's character is like Wil-"

"Hmm .." Leona gasped. She reflexively turned to the voice. And her eyes were rounded to see William who was now staring at her flat.

"Oh yeah, Leona. For more details about the rules here, you can ask William directly," said Ethan while handing Leona's suitcase.

"No need. Everything is clear. Then, where is my room?" asked Leona.

"Over there." Leona followed Ethan's gaze, then nodded understandingly.

"Can I take a rest now? I was standing in front of the cafe for too long. And now I'm really tired," Leona asked permission.

Ethan chuckled at Leona's words. He did not answer Leona's question. This time, he gave Leona a code to ask permission directly from the owner of this apartment.

"Whatever," continued William, who could read Ethan's meaning. The man immediately left Ethan and Leona's sight.

'Me? Have to live with a man like that? If this weren't for my survival, I wouldn't want to do it,' monologue Leona to herself.

"Remember, Leona. You and William were asked to stay together to build good chemistry for our project. So please cooperate, huh?" Ethan reminded her.

"Yes, I know. I'll do my best," replied Leona with a smile.

She has no other choice. She really needed to be more patient with William for the sake of this big project that had become the main goal of her life.

Ethan patted Leona on the shoulder, "You don't have to worry. I will also often advise William to be nicer to you," he said.

"Thank you so much for helping me, Ethan," said Leona.

"Hmm. You can take a rest now. I ordered lunch for you and William. You can eat it right away when you're hungry. And oh yeah, this is my ID card. You can call me anytime if you need help. You don't have a manager, do you?" Leona nodded excitedly. She is very grateful, in this world there are still humans as good as Ethan.

"Thanks again, Ethan. You've helped me a lot even though we just met," said Leona.

"No problem. Then, I'm going," Ethan said goodbye and then walked out of William's apartment.

After Ethan's departure, Leona felt that her new life was really starting.

She walked languidly to her room while dragging her suitcase. When she entered, she was surprised by the condition of the room which was so spacious and luxurious.

"Did Ethan prepare all this? This is incredible." Leona is totally blown away by the feel of her room.

"Ahh ..." Leona lay down on the soft bed near the window.

"This is truly extraordinary. Looks like I'm going to sleep soundly tonight. There's nothing I need to worry about now," she said, staring at the ceiling of the room.

Leona tilted her body. She stared out the window of her room. Her mind wandered somewhere, as if it were flying in the wind.

"Can I be jealous of William? He's got everything I want. A happy family, a brilliant career, he doesn't even have to think about worries like me because he can do whatever he wants," muttered Leona.

Met William Regorge was both a disaster and a boon for Leona. Disaster, because now she knew that it would not be easy to deal with this man's cold and arrogant attitude.

It's a blessing, because now Leona feels like she has a safe and comfortable place to live in. Leona also feels closer to her big dream of becoming a famous actress after getting to know William.

"Hh .. you can do this, Leona. You just have to be a little patient. And soon, all you want will be achieved," Leona monologue with a slight smile.

Leona doesn't know. That the problem in her new life was not just about getting on William's annoyance. More than that, now Leona has entered into a world full of secrets that have been kept by William. Would she realize that the man who lived under the same roof as her was now a werewolf who might pounce on her at any moment?

***

To be continued...