Chapter 2

Angel

I slowly opened my eyes, feeling a strange drowsiness as I glanced around. I furrowed my brow when I realized the place wasn’t familiar. I was in an elegant room, and more importantly, I was in a bed. An actual bed!

Then, the memory of what happened suddenly came rushing back. “Where are the men?” I asked out loud, my voice filled with dread, but no one answered because I was alone. Was it real or just a dream?

I shook my head because I was sure of what I saw. Someone was killed, and I remember a man with a beautiful voice but a terrifying presence approaching me. What happened after that?

I smacked my forehead as I recalled that I couldn’t remember anything after the man got close and asked Mauro, who was standing beside me, who I was. I fainted! I touched myself to make sure I wasn’t just a ghost. I pinched myself. “Ouch!” I breathed a sigh of relief, proving that I was still alive.

I sat up just as the door opened, making me quickly turn to look at it. A woman, who seemed to be about ten years older than me, walked in. “It’s good that you’re awake. Sir Tore is calling for you.”

Her face was expressionless, so I thought she might be like the man who shot the kneeling man earlier. I mean, maybe she’s a killer too. Are these the kinds of people I’ll have to deal with from now on? I might as well spend my time in the laundry room because I’d rather talk to dirty clothes than to them.

I stood up and quickly followed the woman, afraid she might suddenly get angry and kill me. It’s better to be safe, especially since they might be trigger-happy, and I could be their next target.

As I followed the woman, I couldn’t help but admire the size of the house. When we reached the stairs, I realized we were on the second floor. This was my first time entering such a large house, so I couldn’t help but be amazed.

I probably looked like a person from the mountains who had just come to the city, but I didn’t care because it was fascinating to see the beautiful furniture and decorations, as well as the paintings hanging on the walls, which I assumed were made by famous artists.

While I was looking around, I didn’t realize we had already reached the dining area. My eyes widened when I saw the man standing in front of the man who was kneeling earlier. Once again, I didn’t know what to do out of fear.

“Sit down.” I looked at the woman who pointed to the chair to the right side of the man who wasn’t looking at me, but I couldn’t bring myself to look directly at him, so I kept my head down.

I sat on the vacant chair beside the man and waited for what would happen next. But I couldn’t help but wonder why I was sitting at this table when I thought I was here to work as a helper. Wait, what was his name again? The woman who called me mentioned it earlier. Oh, come on, why did I forget?

After a while, the man who had brought me from our house, Mauro, arrived and sat on the left side of the man at the head of the table.

I didn’t know why I was with them here, and they weren’t speaking either, nor did anyone talk to me.

They started serving themselves food, and I just watched them. Should I get some, too? But wasn’t I called here to eat? When I looked at the man with the beautiful voice, he was staring at me while chewing his food.

“Don’t you want to eat?” Mauro asked, looking at me and waiting for my response.

“Y-yes, I do.”

“Then what are you waiting for? I’m not going to put food on your plate.”

“I can manage,” I replied, then quickly started serving myself food, occasionally glancing at the two men, especially the one on my left, even though I kept my head down. Mauro didn’t speak to me again, and none of us said anything after that.

The table was large, but only three of us were eating together, and I wondered why I was eating with them and not the others, especially the woman who fetched me from the room.

Wait? Why was I in that room? I didn’t look at it well, but I knew it was large. It’s impossible for a helper like me to sleep in such a room, right?

I finished my meal, and although I wanted to eat quickly, I couldn’t because I was worried about what I would do if I finished before them.

“Follow me,” the man with the beautiful voice said, so I looked at him.

We exchanged glances before he stood up and walked away. I was left confused. Was he telling me to follow him? With one eyebrow raised as he looked at me, Mauro suddenly spoke.

“Move slowly if you know where his office is because I won’t be taking you there. No one is allowed to go there unless he permits it. And anyone who doesn’t follow his orders, well, you know what happens…”

He didn’t need to say it because I felt like I already knew my punishment if I disobeyed. So, I quickly stood up and followed the man whose name I still didn’t know because I couldn't remember what the woman called him.

The office Mauro referred to was also on the first floor. After we exited the dining area, we turned to our left, which led us to a narrow hallway. After about 20 steps, the man stopped in front of a closed door and opened it. When the man entered, he walked straight ahead and left the door open, so I went in, too. But then I wondered if I should close the door or just leave it open. Even though he had fed me, I couldn’t shake off my fear of him.

“Close the door.” I flinched when he suddenly said that. My hands sweat from nerves and fear, but I still tried to gather my courage. I took a deep breath before pulling the door closed. I didn’t lock it, just in case I needed to escape if he decided to kill me, though I knew there was nothing I could do if it came to that.

“Come here.” I didn’t want to leave where I stood, but since he said it, I had no choice. My legs trembled as I stepped closer to him, who was now seated on a large single couch. His hands rested on the armrests while he leaned back and crossed his legs as if he were the king of the world.

I kept my head down because I couldn’t bring myself to look directly at him while I fiddled with my fingers. My heart was pounding so hard that it felt like my heart wanted to leap out of my chest and run away from this house.

“Look at me.” Oh no, this is bad. I had avoided this initially, and now he wanted me to look at him. Slowly, I lifted my head to do as he wished. And when I did, I gasped. This was the first time I really got a good look at him. Earlier, he was a bit far, and with all the fighting and killing going on, who would have the mind to notice anything beautiful around them?

It was like one of the gods of Olympus was sitting in front of me because of his stunning looks. His slightly almond-shaped eyes, despite being lifeless, still managed to draw you in. His perfectly sculpted nose had a small scar on the right side, adding to his alluring appearance, even though his heart-shaped lips remained tightly shut.

I suddenly shook my head, realizing what I was thinking. ‘Angel, get a grip. The person in front of you is a criminal, and it wouldn’t be surprising if he did to you what he did to the man you saw earlier,’ I told myself.

I noticed his lips twitch before he spoke, “Take off your clothes.” My eyes widened at what he said. What? Did I hear him right?