Chapter 7

"LET'S GO, HAYES." Nina still insisted, panicking as well.

She grabbed his arm. She also makes her face gentle and full of sorrow, hoping she can make him follow her. She flinched and almost screamed when someone hit the bumper of Hayes' car.

Nina held him tighter, her two hands already clinging to his arm. She's trembling too. All her life, she's never been this scared.

"Get in the car, miss Gabriel."

Her eyes widened.

"No, I won't just leave you here." She refused.

She won't ever do that, she's maybe a bitch sometimes but she won't leave just for her own safety especially if someone she knows is in danger. That's not her.

"Come on, baby, this isn't the time for your stubbornness. Now, I want you to get inside so I won't be worrying about you getting hurt while I'm playing with these dxxkheads."

"Stop acting like you can beat all of them, Hayes. You're not a hero. Heck, come on, let's go."

He even had the guts to laugh as she pulled him inside her car. Is he really serious? She can't even pull him because he was really too strong.

"Wait, we just arrived and you will leave us already? Don't you two have a little respect?" Laughing, the man who looked like their leader said and he even looked offended.

Nina faced them with bravery. "What do you need? Money? Our car? I can give you everything, just don't hurt us."

"That's a nice suggestion. Don't worry, I'll keep that in my mind, or maybe you too, nobody told me you're pretty." Then he looked at his men, giving them signals.

They were approached by four men but before the two could even touch her, Hayes kicked them in the stomach and they immediately fell on the cement. Then Hayes pulled her to hide behind him.

Even if he's strong, he can't beat those jerks. There are many of them and they're even holding weapons while Hayes is just handsome.

With a trembling hand, she picked up her phone to ask for help. She wants to help him but she doesn't know what to do and she doesn't want to add to his worries once she tries to interfere and help him.

Nina watched Hayes fight with them and every time he was being hit by a baseball bat or punched and kicked by them, her heartbeat seemed to slow down. She couldn't move, it was all blank. Her body is just shaking, she can't even cry.

She heard a loud howl somewhere but she didn't pay much attention to it because her full attention was on Hayes.

Nina covered her mouth when she saw that a man had stabbed Hayes. Then she hears a police siren but still, that didn't calm her down.

The men ran away when the police arrived. She didn't care if anyone was caught or not because she just looked straight at Hayes as she approached him. Her eyes dropped to his flank.

"Yo-You're bleeding, Hayes." Her voice and face are full of concern.

He also glanced at his flanker then looked at her. "Don't worry, miss Gabriel. I'm not hurt. It's okay."

She glared at him. "You're bleeding and you're telling me that it's okay?"

"Because I'm not hurt. It's not mine. It's not my blood."

"But I saw the guy stabbed you here..." She took one step closer to him then she lifted his clothes but just like what he said, he didn't have any wounds.

"The guy stabbed you... I—I saw it." She said with persuasion.

His clothes were even torn. There was also blood but no wounds. He doesn't have any scars, his skin is even smooth and fair too. She even touched the part where she saw the guy stab him and slightly pinch his skin.

"Miss Gabriel!" He roared, he flinched also as he pulled down his polo.

Nina's cheeks flushed as she stepped back. She stared at him, her eyes full of astonishment and suspicion.

HAWTHORNE TOOK OFF his polo shirt and throw it in the trash.

"What happened? I smelled your own blood on your clothes." Draco noticed, he was in the living room with Kyon and they're some sort of fixing a gadget there.

"Just some jealous fxxkhead tries to kill me."

Hawthorne just feels a little mad because what happened earlier scared Nina but he knew that what feared her the most was the fact that he was stabbed. He didn’t want to get excited about that but he liked the concern she showed for him.

Him, controlling his monster and pretending to be weak in the eyes of Nina have worked huh.

But the amusement he felt at that moment was more dominant. He can feel his blood. Looks like Nina's fiancée wants to play dirty and he loves dirty games, which challenges him more.

He wants revenge? Yes, he is but not now, there's time for that. And somehow, he will enjoy playing with his rival.

"Will you still stick to your plan to make her fall in love with you before you tell her the truth?" Kyon said, he didn't seem to believe that would work.

Hawthorne poured the wine into his glass.

"You're the only mortal here, Kyon. Why don't you try to believe in true love?"

Draco faked a cough.

"Yeah! Coming from a guy who only loved one woman. Should I build a statue for you?"

Hawthorne snapped at Kyon but still chuckled. "Hmm! Just make sure it will look exactly like me."

Draco frowned "Looks like the girl has a positive effect on you, Hayes. You can joke now and you're smiling like an idiot. It's scary though."

Hawthorne moved into the living room with the bottle of wine and then sat on the single sofa.

He leaned back in his seat. "I wanted everything to be right this time, to be real. No hesitations, no secrets, and lies."

Even though it's hard and maybe impossible, Hawthorne wants to be gentle to Nina, he wants to take it slow. He wanted her to fall for him for who he was now not for who he was before and not only because she is Rosemarie's reincarnation.

And he doesn't want Nina to feel or think that way.

"You still can't avoid that, Hayes. She's a mortal." Kyon stated. "What if she rejects you?"

"And also what if you run out of time?"

Hawthorne looked at them, he was now serious.

"I did get to wait a few hundred years, didn't I? Do you think I can't do that now?" He laughed nonchalantly. "I will wait for years until she accepts me. I will wait for another year until she falls for me and I still wait for more years until she remembers everything."

Draco's mouth set in a hard line, he looked at Hawthorne as if he was enthralling him. "She's set to be married, isn't she? Do you think she'll choose you and if so, will her family accept you? You're maybe rich but what about your secrets, Hayes? Especially that Nina Celestine Gabriel is too devoted to her parents and duty."

"ARE YOU SURE no one will know about this, Argus?" Nina asked as she got out of her car.

"Don't worry, Nina. Everyone I've talked to and instructed will definitely not speak." Ensuring that, he then gestured his hand in the direction of a building.

Some men opened the door for her. The hallway was dark, very quiet. Scary even but she kept going, they walked for a few more minutes until they reached a room.

"That's her," Nina said when she saw the woman behind the glass wall.

They see what's happening in the other room but those people behind the glass wall can't see them, they may not even know that someone is watching them. It was Soleil who was talking to that woman. The two are facing each other and the only light is on that woman, her make-up is faded, her hair and clothes are also messy.

"Why does she look like that?" Nina asked Argus.

"Every time we try to dress her up. She's always messing around and destroying everything."

The woman looks miserable and crazy.

"I didn't know that he was going to get married. Do you think I'll ask that of him, especially when in return, it's a lot of money? He's handsome and really delicious so will I still have second thoughts? I'm really the one who's going to act choosy?" The woman shouted at Soleil.

Nina laughed heartily, she shook her head unbelievably too. So they already did it! I really expect so much from you, Diether Lexington. You disappoint me!

She does not underestimate the woman's work, nor does she have a problem with what she makes a living for. Truth is, she doesn't give a damn about her or anyone. She was just unlucky because she was the woman who became the fiancée of the man she was flirting with.

She won't let them just play with her feelings and make a fool of herself.

"Tell me everything about her, Argus."

"Veronica Vidal, she's 23. Her friends called her Bibi. Her mother is sick and she has three siblings, younger than her. She's been working at a strip club for five years now. And she and Diether met at a strip party."

She took the paper he handed her, even though she was not interested, she still looked at it but did not read it.

"Are you sir Diether's fiancée?" Veronica asked Soleil, she even managed to raise an eyebrow at the latter and even stared at her disgustingly. "You're really beautiful but I won't wonder why sir Diether would look for another woman. Have you seen yourself in a mirror yet? Looks like you're hard to soften. Stiff! Too boring!"

Nina shouldn't be affected by what she said but actually, she is and it annoys her more.

Argus handed her an apparatus so she can talk to Soleil who has a bug on her ear.

"Miss Nina."

Argus then offered her a chair but she just waved her hand, declining him.

"Soleil asked her if Diether promised anything to her," Nina told her and she did.

The woman laughed as if she couldn't believe the question.

"I just satisfy his needs. That's all. At our job, the only rule is to not fall for our customers so you think your fiancée will like me?" She snorted, grinning angrily. "Anyway, I'm really good in bed so it's not surprising if he'd rather be with me than you. Actually, we've done it for a few rounds."

Nina cocked her head and a smirk plastered on her face. "Then ask her if Diether came back and they met again."

The woman cleared her throat. "Don't be angry, miss. Don't be hurt either because we did it a few times that I can't even count."

Nina doesn't know if Veronica was sincere when she said that but she knew she was saying those things on purpose, she can see it in her wicked face. The way she smirks, it felt like she was smirking on her. Laughing at her.

She placed her left hand on the table as she slowly tapped her fingers on it, calming herself even though it started to get into her nerves.

"You started this, Veronica, you touched what is mine and I will get what is yours too," Nina said with a sense of danger even though the woman will not be able to hear her.

The woman blinked, and Nina saw the fear pass on her face.

"Wha-What do you mean?"

"Do you have a mother or perhaps you've been educated, have you? At least one of them taught you not to interfere with things you don't own. Don't desire something that can't be yours."

"It's just a job." She shouted, she even slapped her hands on the table. "It's just work. I didn't know he had a fiancée—"

"It's a strip club, of course you know it. That's where all the men go, whether married or not."

"In that case, you should reprimand your fiancée and not me. I work to make a living, do you think I didn't hate that job? Even though I'm sick of it but I need money. I'm not as rich as you are, who can afford to buy everything. It's just work." Then she started crying.

But that didn't even get on Nina, she wasn't even affected by it or she didn't even feel any sympathy for her.

"Cut the act. As if you didn't laugh at me before while you were telling me what happened to you and my fiancée."

The woman bent down because her hair was loose, it covered her whole face.

"What do you want? What do you want from me?"

"I heard that your mom is ill while your father was in jail too and—"

"What do you really want? Do you want me to do something? Do you want me to get away from sir Diether? I—I will." She suddenly knelt in front of Soleil, her face becoming gentle, almost begging. "Just not my family. I'm begging you, please. Don't hurt them. I have nothing against you. I'm sorry for what I said. I'm sorry for what I did. I'm sorry for all of that. I'm going to stay away from your fiancée too, ma'am! Please."

Nina looked down, eager to laugh.

"Soleil, tell her she doesn't have to beg. I have nothing to do with her family or even her. That's not me."

She just threatened her and she didn’t expect her to easily obey her. Family is really the weakness of every person.

"Instead, tell her not to stop seeing Diether. We'll just ask her to do something and tell her you'll take care of her as long as she obeys and doesn't make any mistake of fighting us because that's really where I'll lose mercy and her family will be the one who will suffer. She probably doesn't want that to happen, right?"

NINA WAITED IN her car while Argus and Soleil just finished what she was asked to do. Facing Diether's whore was actually exhausting for her. She also felt tense and all she really wanted was to get revenge.

Argus knocked on the window so she immediately lowered it down. He peeked, bowing slightly.

"I already sent her home, Nina. I also made sure that her family would be well and safe. I already gave her money too." Argus informed her. "Her mother will definitely be operated on once she has done what you ordered and her father's case is reopened."

She just nodded at what he said, then she looked at her phone and read Diether's text this morning. That was also the reason why she woke up so early this morning.

I hope you will love my surprise, my lovely fiancée. — Diether

Nina knew that Diether was the one behind the attack of the two of them last night. That was how he was even when they were children. Diether will call his bodyguards for backups or he will report it to his father. He's always been like that, he can't even save his own axx.

Nina won't ever forget when he left her when they got into trouble, they were in high school back then. It's a good thing that Argus helped her and that's why her father took him as her bodyguard.

Nina also didn't tell the truth to the police who asked her and she also didn't know if Hayes had a clue as to who did that but what she wanted was for Diether to suffer at her own hands.

Laws won't do any justice because the Lexington's are powerful too. That jerk started this then she will give him a war that he won't ever forget even if he's dead already, even in his next lifetime.

She types a reply for him.

I am. I have a surprise for you too. Just wait for it and I assure you that you will love it.