《My Perfect Lady》


 #161. Kaali, K

    The little girl sat in a corner, shivering, her knees raised up to her chin as she hugged them with all her might. Her mud brown hair was cut short, but strands of it still fell into her eyes. Her face was ghastly, and she looked like a human ghost.


    She was muddy, bruised all over, and she sat in a cold, dark room with her back pressed into the grey wall. Her feet were bleeding.


    A low, eerie sound of footsteps echoed through the room.


    The girl quickly scrambled to her feet, her face the expression of horror when she heard the sound. Before she could stand however, a cold air had surrounded her body. A horrible chill ran down her spine, and she backed further into the wall, shuddering violently.


    In a split second, someone was holding her face.


    It was as if he had appeared out of thin air. A tall man tsked as he held the girl¡¯s chin with long, slender fingers. She froze from his touch. A dangerous smile spread on his lips. He had long dark green ombre hair, that were dirty and tousled, and he stood before her in a black robe. His face was pale and ghostlike, as it was sinister and cold.


    He traced the girl¡¯s chin lightly, then finally clutched her throat.


    The girl gasped.


    He looked at her with scorn, then hissed under his breath.


    ¡°Why are you so useless, Miya?¡±


    The girl shivered from his tone, then instinctively held his arm to try and remove his hand from her neck. The man shoved it away in bare dismissal, then finally let her go. She panted.


    He began to walk away.


    Before he had reached the iron door, though, he kicked at something with extreme force. It slid all the way across the doorstep and crashed into the girl¡¯s feet.


    Miya screamed in horror.


    The man¡¯s eyes turned colder at the sight of the shuddering, screaming girl. They were disappointed to say the least.


    His frosty gaze landed at the corpse that he had thrown before the girl. The body lay before her feet, unmoving and dead, and yet the girl was hollering.


    Useless, indeed.


    The man turned around, the gate flying open once he barely touched it. His voice was nasty when he spoke.


    ¡°This is your last chance. Fail me again, and I¡¯ll have your head.¡±


    The little girl couldn¡¯t breathe. She looked at the corpse lying at her feet, at the naked chest that had a small ¡®K¡¯ written on it with blood.


    She trembled.


    A loud gasp escaped Miya¡¯s throat, as events flashed back in her mind. An involuntary shudder ran through her shoulders, and she shrugged forcefully, calming down even when she saw a small, bloody ¡®K¡¯ painted on Tao¡¯s left wrist.


    She realized she had been standing at the doorstep of Tao¡¯s ward, staring mutely inside, her feet refusing to move.


    She had met with the doctor, and she knew there had been no progress in his health since the last incident of him moving a finger muscle. Miya breathed in heavily, and gave the frail old man¡¯s withering face a cold look from afar. Then very slowly, she entered his ward. Her heart burnt when she saw him, but she refused to feel anything at all.


    Instead, she walked quickly to his left side and picked up his wrist, careful but callously and observed the sign drawn with blood.


    ¡®K¡¯.


    It was fresh. Undoubtedly, they were here.


    Even when she had told them not to come.


    Miya put down the man¡¯s hand, wary of the needle in his arm. Then very slowly, she breathed in, and breathed out. The air around her had frozen only a little, when she could sense the presence of someone behind.The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    Miya grabbed the wrist of the person before it could come in contact with her shoulder.


    Her own voice turned cold.


    ¡°Don¡¯t touch me.¡±


    The wrist was out of her hold soon, and Miya slowly turned around to come face to face with a lean man. He smirked, his breath too close to her, and then he stepped back.


    ¡°As if,¡± he hissed, then leaned against one corner of the wall.


    Miya¡¯s face turned grim.


    She looked at the pale, ghostlike face of the man, his thin lips, his sardonic smile. His hair was waist length now, longer than she had ever seen it before. It was still ombre, dark green, bringing out more dangerously the exceptional green of his eyes. He stood in the corner, against the edge listlessly, eying her like she was a small bug.


    Miya had expected him to appear.


    Two nights after Jim had left, she had received the first sign. She had been looking out of her window at a tree below, when she had noticed a ¡®K¡¯ mark on one of the branches. It had been her first queue to have her update on Tao.


    The person who had initially helped her was growing desperate it seemed. He or she, whoever it was, always sent Kaali, the green haired man to tackle her or talk to her. Kaali and Miya hadn¡¯t been on good terms ever.


    Miya looked behind herself, at the still figure of Tao. She then glared at Kaali, her eyes stern.


    ¡°I sent you a message. I told you not to come here.¡±


    But she knew there was a chance. That was why she had needed to drop the guard.


    The vicious man gave her another lazy stare. Then very slowly, he moved his arm. Miya was used to his lousy tricks, so she was quick to grab a dart that he had thrown her way in a split second. It was aimed for the nook in her neck.


    Scoffing, she said, ¡°Tao¡¯s condition hasn¡¯t improved. What else is there to do?¡±


    It was at that naiveite that Kaali¡¯s face spread into a vile smile. He hissed again.


    ¡°Give me another child. If not this girl your father sold. Maybe your son¡­ if he¡¯s not as useless as you.¡±


    Miya¡¯s jaw tightened, and she quietly dodged another dart, blocking Kaali¡¯s blow as he raced at her like a freezing wind. She grabbed his wrist harshly too, when he attempted to poke another needle to her side. She said in a vicious voice, ¡°If your stupid dart misses, it could hit Tao. I have no use for him, but think what t-that person would do to you.¡±


    Kaali released his hand, then twisted back hers. Hate was written over his face when he glared at her.


    ¡°I hate your face,¡± he slithered.


    And just then, something impossible happened. He put an arm around her shoulder, blocking her with force as he threw in another dart.


    What?


    For a second, Miya was confused. Then, horror filled her face.


    She heard a familiar voice.


    It was Chenric¡¯s.


    ¡°Madame, it¡¯s ¨C¡°


    The dart, it ¨C


    ¡°DUCK!¡± Miya screamed, hoping Chenric would see the dart in time. The guard, who was just about to enter the ward took action and crouched. Miya kneed Kaali¡¯s bottom, and ran to the guard¡¯s aid.


    Kaali who had escaped the hit by an inch, hissed, ¡°You b*tch!¡±


    Another cold gust of wind surrounded Miya, and she thought he was going to attack again. She turned back in a hurry to defend them, when she saw that the room was empty.


    Kaali had vanished again.


    Meanwhile Chenric staggered to his feet, looking aghast.


    ¡°M-Madam ¨C¡°


    Miya spun around, not surprised at all. ¡°Are you alright?¡±


    He nodded, ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am. You?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Silence pervaded between them, as the guard gave her a blank look. Miya stared back expressionlessly as well.


    ¡°Why did you ignore my message?¡± she asked.


    She had clearly texted him to meet her at Raven International School at 4 in the evening when she had arrived at the hospital.


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have run, ma¡¯am.¡±


    ¡°Would you have let me go if I asked?¡±


    ¡°No. It were the Chairman¡¯s orders to have you followed.¡±


    ¡°Then I wasn¡¯t wrong. If that dart hit you, you¡¯d be having nightmares for the next three months. Sounds easy, but it¡¯s intense enough to kill.¡±


    ¡°I could¡¯ve taken him.¡±


    ¡°Have you heard of the ring with berserk fighters?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s been champion for ten years.¡±


    Chenric¡¯s throat dried at that, and his eyes widened.


    ¡°T-Then you, mada ¨C¡°


    ¡°He was toying with me, of course. If he got serious, I¡¯d be dead meat. But he needs me. As for you, you were simply hindrance. Hence the dart.¡±


    Chenric swallowed, surprised. Why did the young miss know so much about everything wrong? He looked towards the slim window distractedly, that wasn¡¯t wide enough for anyone to enter or go through. He saw the half open pane and asked, ¡°That man¡­ did he disappear from there?¡±


    Miya nodded. ¡°Yes. And don¡¯t think about chasing him. I¡¯ve tried. Failed for ten years straight.¡±


    With that, she gave another look to Tao, saw that it had been only five minutes since she had entered the ward, there was still two minutes of the visiting time left. Sighing, she turned around. The entire face off had been soundless, hushed, and no one outside could have suspected anything.


    That was the thing about Kaali. He was swift, sleazy and vicious. Quiet, but venomous like a serpent.


    Miya gave Chenric a look, pretty sure he had had her phone traced to locate her. When she saw the guard seem nervous again, she apologized to him for running away and then forced him out.


    The guard looked at the girl queerly, then tried to place the green haired man. That use of darts was a little familiar to Chenric, he had heard of a group of rogues who used them as primary weapons.


    Something seemed odd to him, and whilst he promised madame he wouldn¡¯t trouble the young master over the ¡°trivial¡± matter, as she put it, he betrayed her the next second.


    Chenric excused himself to the bathroom and made a call to Jimmy.


    That too, was a direct order. And he knew where his loyalty lay.


    Miya meanwhile, looked at the slight scratch on her wrist, as a drop of blood shone on it. She cursed under her breath, then pressed her lips.


    Damn.


    Kaali must have done it when she had rushed to help Chenric.


    As it turned out, she still was a rookie compared to him.


    Useless, as he would have put it.


    Damn.

 #162. Hallucination, Nightmare and Protection

    Miya staggered out of the hospital, breathless as the drug began to take effect. Her head hurt savagely, and even though she had bandaged the scratch, she sweated profusely as a sharp pain went through her arm, and directly hurt her brain.


    She had managed to send Chenric to Raven High to check up urgently on Ben. She had also asked him to get her another drive. Though the young man wasn¡¯t able to tell that she had been injured, he followed orders, guilty that he had gone behind her back by informing Jim. Miya of course, couldn¡¯t have risked seeing Ben when she knew exactly how Kaali¡¯s darts worked. She didn¡¯t want to freak out the child.


    She would be losing consciousness soon.


    Once Chenric had left, she waited for the car to arrive, the atmosphere of the hospital suffocating her in the meantime. Barely catching her breath, she struggled out, hoping the fresh air would clear her mind. The pain in her head intensified though, and she almost collapsed at the bottom of the staircase.


    Beads of sweat covered her forehead and dripped down her chin. She clutched at the railing, looked around for the car, her eyes turning bloodshot. The vision of the road in front blurred, then danced before her eyes. The image of a young girl flashed before her. And then, she saw a lot of blood.


    Hallu ¨C Hallucination¡­


    The conscious part of her tried to remind herself that it was just a hallucination, that she had just been attacked by t-that man¡­


    Suddenly, her phone buzzed.


    The distraction was enough to drive Miya to momentary consciousness, as she saw it was Chenric¡¯s call. She picked up, and he reported that Ben was alright.


    Alright¡­


    ¡°Mmm. Hmm.¡± Miya could barely breathe while answering the phone, and images of Kasu, Ben, his mother danced before her. She gasped, then finally let go.


    She did try to mutter ¡°Help¡± before she fell to the floor.


    Jimmy¡¯s hands were shivering.


    As the young master made his final call for the day, he couldn¡¯t imagine what had been going down back at his house. Miya¡­


    She ¨C


    He had just received news of her falling unconscious, and that she had been injected with some strange substance. Only a half hour ago he had received Chenric¡¯s call ¨C and the guard had informed him of an attack that had been made on her. Jim had been quick to jump to his feet and make a call to her.  But Chenric had insisted she was fine, and that Jim not contact her since she had requested him to not inform Jim of the matter.


    Jim had complied then, waiting for her to get back home safe, before he reached back too and gave her a piece of his mind face to face.


    Thirty minutes later, he had received another call.


    She had lost consciousness on the street, and was being carried back home.


    Jimmy had frozen in his place, the worst entering his mind. And then, in a panic that tore down his insides, he cancelled the meetings for the day and flew back home.


    Only, his flight was delayed due to bad weather. And as lightning crashed against the sky and rain began to pour, Jim could barely breathe. It was as if it was all a premonition, especially how fast night fell and how black and mooring it was. It was midnight before he could get home.


    All this while, Hunter manor was in turmoil.


    Simon Hunter sat by Miya¡¯s bedside, his face grim as he seemed to have aged fifty more years. Beside him, a doctor was carefully monitoring the girl, as she lay, sweating on the bed. She was unconscious, but only minutes before she had been awake it seemed. Only, she couldn¡¯t see anybody around herself. No one knew what she was hallucinating about, or what she saw for she screamed her gut out, rocking up from the bed. The doctor had settled her down with the help of a nurse, and given her another shot of the antidote.


    It was in her unconscious moment that Jim entered the room.


    His face was haggard, his eyes dull. He looked like a haunted ghost.


    ¡°Miya ¨C ¡° he panted, rushing inside.Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Simon was inside, as were Mr. Park, Charlie and Ben.


    Before Jim could reach the girl, however, someone took his name. Jim froze mid-way once he heard the voice.


    As soon as Ben saw Jimmy enter the room, the little guy couldn¡¯t help himself. He didn¡¯t know what had happened to mommy, nobody would tell him. Aunty Charlie would keep taking him out, but Ben could hear screams from the room whenever he left. When he was allowed to see mommy, mommy was asleep. But she looked weak and pale.


    Ben had tried not to cry, and he wanted Jimmy to come back.


    He could take care of his mommy! Ben knew that.


    So when the child saw Jimmy enter the room and call out his mother¡¯s name, Ben couldn¡¯t help himself.


    He launched himself at the man¡¯s feet, hugging his knees as he called out, ¡°Jimmy, mommy¡­¡±


    Jim immediately held the boy, then picked him up. Despite the desperate, low threatening drum of his heart, he said, ¡°Champ¡­ you¡¯re here.¡±


    Ben clung to Jim¡¯s chest, wrapping his small hands around his neck as he buried his face into the crook between Jim¡¯s shoulder and neck. Jim supported the child awkwardly, putting one hand around his shoulders, and the other beneath him.


    ¡°Quiet, my boy,¡± he soothed, glancing over at Miya.


    She was deathly pale, her face seeming like it had been drained of blood. Her lips looked charred, and she was trembling. Her eyes were closed, but she was definitely not asleep.


    Jim wanted to rush to her side, but he calmed Ben down, looking at his father in appeal. Simon was watching Ben and Jim when his son raised his brows at him.


    Senior Hunter nodded slightly, indicating that she was alright.


    Jim nodded back, then took Ben outside. Mr. Park followed behind him. While the butler indicated Jim to hand over Ben, Jim agreed, but let the boy go only when he had calmed him down.


    ¡°Ben,¡± he then told him seriously, ¡°I need you to stay with uncle Park for tonight. Have dinner and go to sleep. Do you trust me?¡±


    Very slowly, the boy nodded.


    Jim landed a quick peck on his forehead.


    ¡°Good. Remember, I¡¯ve told you before, haven¡¯t I? I¡¯ll protect mommy for the both of us.¡±


    Ben gave Jim a tight hug again, then went away with Park and Charlie.


    Whilst Charlie appeared before Jim, wanting to say something, a storm brewed in the young master¡¯s eyes. He recalled the picture of Miya and his mother that he had been sent from an unknown number.


    Jim had recognized the number within minutes of receiving the text. It was Charlie¡¯s.


    She used it for the most secretive of reasons, even Park didn¡¯t know it was a number of hers. She obviously thought nobody knew, for it was even registered under one of her researcher¡¯s names. But Jim wasn¡¯t a nobody. He knew. He had known for a long time now. And even though he didn¡¯t understand why she would send Jim a picture that was so obviously doctored, he was nevertheless furious.


    Charlie seemed to be set against Miya!


    Why else did she keep doing such dubious things?


    Jim had yet to confront her on this ¨C but the matter wasn¡¯t of more importance than his wife. Once Park had left with Ben, Jim rushed back into Miya¡¯s room.


    The doctor was monitoring her pulse when he did.


    Jim put a hand through his hair roughly, looking at Miya like a mad man. He turned around at Simon Hunter, and asked, ¡°How did this happen?¡±


    The Chairman let out a deep sigh.


    ¡°She was injected with a hallucinogenic of some kind. It¡¯s rare, doctor Kern says and the antidote to it doesn¡¯t take immediate effect. She does wake up in parts, but she¡¯s not conscious. She¡¯s having hallucinations ¨C nightmares, actually.¡±


    Jim¡¯s throat dried. His chest hurt, his stomach twisted.


    ¡°H-How long will ¨C¡°


    ¡°She should be alright by tomorrow. The screams have lowered in scale. She¡¯ll be okay soon.¡±


    ¡°S-Screams?¡±


    Jim¡¯s face was horrified when he said the word. The Chairman gave him a deep look, and then sighed again.


    ¡°When she has the nightmares, she wakes up screaming. When doctor Kern hadn¡¯t arrived, Chenric had to put a towel in her mouth. She was going to bite her own tongue.¡±


    A cold chill ran down Jimmy¡¯s spine. His eyes glazed, and he clenched his fists.


    ¡°This incident¡­ it happened on Chenric¡¯s watch?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t think about firing him. I would have, but your wife sent the guard a voice text before she completely collapsed. Here.¡±


    With that, old Hunter played a voice record on low volume.


    A very weak voice that was undoubtedly Miya¡¯s resounded in the room.


    ¡°H-Help¡­¡± it seemed to trail away, before she said again, ¡°T-Tell J-Jim you¡¯re¡­ under my¡­ prot¡­¡± The voice then faded away


    Jim closed his eyes. He knew, by instinct, what she had been wanting to say.


    ¡®Protection¡¯.


    Damn it, Miya. Damn it.


    He remembered how during her face off with Carver, she had bandaged the wrist of the man she had slit and then sent him off to the hospital. Thanks to that, he had lived and wasn¡¯t dead at Sheng¡¯s hands.


    And how she had married Jimmy only because she had thought she owed him Ben¡¯s life.


    Jim¡¯s head throbbed, and he felt drained.


    Simon Hunter patted his son¡¯s back.


    ¡°She¡¯s alright, boy. Rest. I heard you caused quite a commotion when you cancelled the meeting today. About the hacker¡­ should I clear that mess up?¡±


    Jim looked into the cold, grey eyes of his father, that seemed tired. His reply was a reflex.


    ¡°No. I¡¯ll take care of it in the morning. I¡¯ll take it from here. Go to bed, father.¡±


    Simon nodded at Jimmy and began to leave the room. He did however, stop and turn around. He seemed hesitant for a second, before he muttered to Jim, ¡°Jimmy¡­ even the best of us have dirt on our hands.¡±


    Jim gave Simon Hunter a peculiar look, then said firmly, ¡°I¡¯m not afraid of her past.¡±


    The old man nodded again.


    ¡°I know¡­ don¡¯t be afraid of any part of it, then.¡±


    With that, he left the room.


    Jim stared at his father¡¯s back for a second, then turned around to face his wife. He quickly went to the bed and held her hand.


    It was unnaturally cold.


    Her face was pale, and a slight tremble went down her body. Jim wiped off the sweat on her forehead. He was about to call for the doctor again, when Miya tugged at his hand. For a second, he thought she had woken up. Jim sat back again, ready to nurse her when she jerked up from the bed. Her eyes were dazed.


    She screamed.


    The sound sent tremors through Jim¡¯s soul.

 #163. Leave, the Same Way, a Million Times Before

    It was at sunbreak that she finally calmed down. Her body went limp, and the constant crease between her brows smoothened. She was still shivering, but she didn¡¯t wake up. Her eyes were shut, but she didn¡¯t seem strained anymore. It looked like she had finally stopped having visions ¨C she was sleeping steadily.


    Doctor Kern had told Jim everything from the beginning to the end, how he had been called and could reach to the Hunter manor after a good thirty minutes. When he had arrived, Miya had already been screaming and thrashing around violently.


    The doctor gave Jim a peculiar look ¨C he was the family doctor, he had been taking care of the Hunters ever since he got out of medical school. He earlier used to visit the house with his father, who was a famous physician. When his health broke down, Kern naturally took over years later. He had been with the Hunters for thirty years now ¨C and never once had he seen Jim look so death-stricken.


    Except for when the daughter of the family had fallen sick. The tightly knit, buried secret of the family, that only a select few knew about.


    He didn¡¯t know who this woman was, but with the look on Jimmy¡¯s face, it wasn¡¯t difficult to place. The girlfriend. Prospective bride?


    Kern had never seen her before, and he knew most families. He couldn¡¯t associate a family background with her, but he wondered why she would be struck with a dangerous hallucinogenic like she had been.


    It could be because she was with Jimmy.


    Shrugging, the doctor left the room once again, injecting her with another dose of the antidote. Jimmy pinched the space between his brows, replacing his seat beside Miya and holding her hand again once the doctor had left.


    Tao.


    The girl had gone to meet Tao.


    Why?


    Jimmy hadn¡¯t slept for two nights, but sleep was his last concern. He looked wild, with dishevelled hair and pale eyes. His face was petrified, and he seemed to be losing control. He remembered Miya saying she was being threatened. That the reason she could not talk all about her history was because someone was forcing her.


    Who?


    Kang Sheng was already at their heels, he wanted Ben. Who else was insane enough to do something like this?


    Who else was the girl involved with, that could hurt her to this extent?


    Jimmy took out his phone and made another call to the Avante Hospital.


    ¡°Yes, yes,¡± his voice was a low drone, ¡°I asked for footages of ward 108. It has a patient named Tao. A woman came in to visit him today at around 2 p.m. Why haven¡¯t I received the record yet?¡±If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    His head was heavy, and for a second, Jim felt like closing his eyes.


    And horror filled his soul.


    Sleep!


    How could he sleep?!


    The ¨C The last time his little sister was on the bed just like this, he had slept! Then, then¡­ the girl¡­


    Jimmy stood up at once. The horror on his face intensified, and he closed his eyes to subdue the pang of hurt that hit his heart. Quickly, he washed his face and asked for a coffee.


    In the meantime, he also received the security camera footage from the hospital. He sat by her bedside again, opened his laptop, plucked in his earphones and watched.


    With each passing minute of the video, Jimmy was left stunned. He grabbed Miya¡¯s hand tighter, as if for support when he saw her dodge the darts. Finally, Chenric appeared.


    Jim could barely suppress the anger that rose in him once he saw his woman defend the guard ¨C he also saw right then as a dart hit her on the wrist. Jim felt his insides twitch, and he seethed.


    Chenric was one of his best. How had he acted so useless?


    And Jim was about to shut his laptop¡¯s lid in extreme annoyance, when his eyes stuck on the last part of the footage.


    It was as the attacker escaped.


    Jim frowned when he saw the man slide out of the open window pane within a split second, as if he had never been there. It was only through the vanishing wisps of his ombre green hair that were visible through the glass in the window, that Jim could spot him leave.


    The image struck Jimmy.


    It reminded him of several incidents from ages ago.


    He had seen his mother leave, the same way, a million times before.


    One second, she¡¯d be standing in the room, saying goodbye, or just looking at him blankly. The next second, she would be gone. Jim could never spot her, it was the ends of her hair that he could see reflected on the window, and by the time he reached there and looked below, she had already landed on the ground.


    An unknown fear crawled up Jim¡¯s veins.


    His throat clenched, his mouth hard.


    That picture¡­ could there be the slightest possibility that Charlie had not doctored it?


    That Miya had something to do¡­ with his mother?


    A cold, cutting chill ran down Jim¡¯s spine. The situation was impossible, and yet when Jim replayed the last part of the footage, he was more and more sure.


    It resembled Eshni¡¯s way of escape, whenever she didn¡¯t walk out of the door of the Hunter house.


    Almost to reconcile his thoughts, his mind flashed back to that one time when they had first visited the Hunter manor. Miya had been attacked by someone sent by Simon, and she had mentioned something about jumping down the first floor.


    A cold sweat broke on Jimmy¡¯s brow.


    There was a pattern to this.


    With a slight tremor in his hand, the young master shut the laptop, and put his thoughts in order. He needed to search for that attacker ¨C the good thing was he had a face to look for. And he needed to know what the deal with that symbol ¡®K¡¯ was.


    Lastly, he needed to confront Charlie.


    If there was even the slightest truth to Miya and Eshni being involved, she seemed to know. The audio on the footage wasn¡¯t very clear, so Jim couldn¡¯t hear the talk between Miya and the man clearly.


    But they seemed to be talking about Tao. And Miya had said there was nothing else to do, and they mentioned some person who would harm the attacker if Tao was hurt.


    Jim couldn¡¯t connect all dots, but if Eshni was even slightly involved, he needed to know.


    That woman had always been the bane of Jim¡¯s existence.


    And hell would have to freeze over if he let another person he loved be harmed at her hands.


    With chaos riling in his heart, Jim gave Charlie a call.


    ¡°We need to talk.¡±


    His voice was quiet, inhumanely cold. Things were escalating fast.


    He had to have them under control.

 #164. My Heart

    Miya was drenched in sweat when she finally regained consciousness. Her entire body was hot, and her head throbbed in pain. She shivered involuntarily, her heart thumping fast. Her hands and legs felt inert, and she wobbled when she tried to get out of the bed.


    Her body felt as if it had been separated from herself ¨C getting down took a lot of effort. Her vision was still groggy, but she could see somewhat. Breathless, she reached for a nearby glass. It knocked out of her hand and cracked on the floor. The sound echoed madly in her head, making her brain want to split apart.


    She panted.


    Shaking, she stepped onto the ground.


    The room spun in circles for a few seconds, then she stabilised. She gave a careful look to the needle in her arm. Somehow, it made her angry. She snapped it out as forcefully as her wavering hands could, and throwing it on the floor, she moved to the door.


    Water.


    She needed water.


    It felt like her throat had dried up from inside, and there were blades piercing her neck.


    She had only just kept one foot out of the threshold, when she heard a loud voice.


    Someone had just shouted Jimmy¡¯s name.


    Miya frowned, then pressing a hard hand against her forehead, she tried to concentrate. The voice was a woman¡¯s, and it sounded familiar. Miya couldn¡¯t place whose it was. Who was yelling at Jimmy?


    And¡­ how long had she been out?


    Jimmy clenched his fist, and shoved them in the pocket of his pants. He forced his face into losing all expression, and then looked at Charlie from head to toe. His mouth was drawn into a thin line. Charlie¡¯s eyes had fire in them, and she glared back at the young man, ready to cut him with her eyes.


    ¡°Jimmy Hunter, you¡­!¡± she spat in a low hiss, ¡°I don¡¯t remember raising you to be like this!¡±


    Jim¡¯s voice was as cold as ice, ¡°Why did you send me the picture anonymously?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not the traitor here,¡± Charlie said venomously, ¡°That woman you brought home is! She¡¯s involved with each and every one of your enemies. Why don¡¯t you see it¡¯s a setup? She¡¯s planted by one of them! It¡¯s as clear as daylight!¡±


    Jim¡¯s face further steeled, ¡°She has a name Charlie. Miya. Now, why did you send the picture anonymously?¡±


    ¡°It was in Byeong¡¯s files! He wasn¡¯t going to show you, so I did! You have to know.¡±


    Jim didn¡¯t respond to that, and he would have argued further, but then the sound of cracking glass echoed close by. His ears shot up in alert, and the young master turned around by instinct. Worried that Miya might have fallen off the bed, he began to get back.


    Charlie looked at his back grudgingly, her eyes bleary with anger. She shouted his name out loud,


    ¡°JIMMY!¡±


    Jim paid her no heed. He walked back into the room, only to see Miya pressing at her forehead while she clung to the door. Panicking, he reached to her side in two strides and scolded, ¡°What the hell are you doing?¡±This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    She was startled by his colossal presence, and seemed confused. She looked smaller to Jim in that moment, smaller than she was. Like a cornered animal, who was looking at a possible threat. Jim picked her up as easily as he would have lifted a child, and frowned.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you call me?¡±


    Miya¡¯s vision cleared further, and she slowly put her hands around his neck. Then staring at him with wide eyes so that she could focus, she said, ¡°I think I did.¡±


    Jim looked at her earnestly.


    He didn¡¯t say a word, his heart heavy. He simply walked to her bed, put her down, and was about to get up when she held his hand. He looked back at her, and for an instant, he was surprised. His chest twisted too, a little.


    She looked afraid.


    For the first time, Jim saw naked fear in the girl¡¯s eyes and it hurt him. He cleared his throat.


    ¡°Just getting you water, okay?¡±


    With that, Jim called for a maid, giving a small glance to the glass shattered around. Then he quietly called for the doctor, the ripped out syringe not escaping his notice. All the while, he sat at the edge of the bed, his nerves tensed.


    Charlie had told him that she had been tracking Eshni for all this time. When Park had refused to continue the task after the incident with Zaila, the Chairman had turned to her. And she had accepted for the sake of Jimmy Hunter, just like she had accepted looking into Miya¡¯s background for the boy.


    Jimmy¡¯s body went rigid, and a frown marred his face, his mind distracted. Too much was intertwined. And Miya¡­


    Eshni?


    Jim looked at the small girl¡¯s pale face, as she gave the doctor a weak but dangerous look. She also kept glancing at Jimmy, as if asking him to make the doctor go away. When Kern was done, he signalled Jim to come out with him.


    ¡°She¡¯s fine for now,¡± he told Jimmy, ¡°But she can have hallucinations for some time. Right now, she¡¯s a little dazed, but alright.¡±


    Jim nodded, then went back in.


    His eyes shot up in alarm, as he saw Miya crouch on the bed, looking at the needle in her hand like a haunted woman.


    ¡°Jimmy,¡± she said in a low voice when she heard his steps, ¡°What is the needle for?¡±


    ¡°Antidote,¡± he replied.


    Something about her stance reminded Jim of the picture of her and Eshni, and for a frail second, he flinched. Then shrugging forcibly, he realized how relieved a part of his mind was just to see her awake, and not screaming anymore.


    The other part of him was fearful.


    For the first time since they had been together, Jim felt fearful for them both.


    Who was she?


    But he also remembered the fear in her own eyes ¨C when she never, ever showed hint of that emotion. For a brief second, Jim threw away all his doubts and walked over to the girl. He looked at her still crouching figure, and his heart was heavy.


    Could it be that Charlie was right?


    Why was Miya involved with everyone wrong?


    Jimmy gently caressed Miya¡¯s hair, then embraced her tight. She melted into him easily too, and the young master closed his eyes. Eshni and Tao¡­ Kang Sheng and the Chairman himself.


    Breathing out, Jimmy patted Miya¡¯s head.


    ¡°Lie back,¡± he said in a soft voice, ¡°How are you feeling?¡±


    ¡°A little dizzy.¡±


    ¡°Hungry?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    Jimmy set the pillow behind her head, then took his seat beside her. For a few minutes, he just looked at her face, and at her eyes, and relief silently seeped through his entire body. His mind was miles away, worried about the entire world and their own fate, but his heart knew too well what he felt. It was right in place, celebrating quietly that she had opened her eyes.


    It came as a shock to Jimmy how much this girl affected him.


    He had realized his feelings long ago, but it hit home then. He was getting dependant on her. And his world seemed to revolve around her tiny existence. She affected him to the extent that he could throw all reason to the wind. And just then, his chest hurt so much, it felt as if it would split apart.


    Jim swallowed.


    ¡°You know,¡± he said softly, holding the girl¡¯s hand, ¡°When I was a child, Mrs. Park told me I shouldn¡¯t cry. That if I do, my heart would rip apart,¡± Jim leaned over, and softly kissed the top of her head, his insides hurting, ¡°I wonder if it was true, Miya. I¡¯m looking at you, and my chest hurts. It¡¯s foolish¡­ but I feel like crying.¡±


    Jim kissed her cheek delicately.


    Miya held his shoulder, focussing on his words. She embraced him tightly with her small hands too. And then¡­ she froze under his skin. His words made strange sense, and for a minute, her mind went back to twenty years ago.


    Then, it turned blank¡­ What?

 #165. That Precious Piece of Metal

    Jimmy¡¯s weight fell heavily on her body, and Miya instinctively rubbed his back. She could feel the terseness in his shoulders, as he relaxed with each of her frail move. She didn¡¯t quite pay attention when the soft sound of his heaving chest falling against her own drummed in her ears.


    Her mind was dark.


    It had instantly gone back to that one rare day, when she had met a boy ¨C a fairy tale stranger on the eve of June 28, 1996.


    The dark haired angel.


    She didn¡¯t remember his face, but she had the vague impression of extreme kindness in it. She didn¡¯t remember all of his words, but she did recall one vivid detail.


    ¡°Tell them you married me.¡±


    Miya¡¯s heart thrashed against her chest, her mouth dry.


    She remembered in a flash back, as all those years ago, when she had been hiding in the forest near Lang after being bullied by some village boys. That day, she had been particularly sad. They had called her ugly, like always, and said she would never get married. But that day, they had also gone a step further and bad mouthed her mother and her promiscuous ways. She hadn¡¯t understood a lot back then, but Miya remembered hiding from them all, in the forest, and weeping near the pond.


    It was then that the fairy angel had appeared.


    He had told her to stop crying, and that her heart would rip apart, and break into two if she didn¡¯t stop. In her memories, she remembered talking to him for a while. He was the first one, in her tiny four year life to have called her beautiful.


    In fact, she remembered his exact words.


    ¡°Those boys are idiots,¡± he had said, ¡°You have very beautiful eyes.¡±


    And then, he had done something equally magical again, fascinating her to no end. He had handed over to her a ring. The words he had said still echoed in the remotest recesses of her heart, when she was ready to lose faith in all humanity.


    ¡°Tell them you married me.¡±


    That boy, that day, had saved her in ways he wouldn¡¯t ever know. The ring was a charm to her, every time she had had a difficult encounter, she had turned to that small metal piece. It gave her hope beyond all means, reminded her of that angelic boy whom she in her heart had believed to be an actual celestial being. It gave her a sense of security for years ¨C that she was being protected, that it mattered that she existed.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    Miya¡¯s hands shivered as she kept rubbing at Jim¡¯s back. She vaguely realized that he was asleep, but her mind was a turmoil. Jim¡¯s words right then were ready to wreak havoc in her world.


    ¡°The heart rips apart,¡± he had said.


    Could it be¡­?


    The impossibility of the situation made her panic, and for a brief second, Miya couldn¡¯t catch her breath. Then she calmed down, forcing her thought into rationality. It was too long ago, and maybe the heart ripping apart was something all children in cities were told, so they wouldn¡¯t cry.


    It calmed her somewhat, but a strange fear, that was also concocted with a bizarre thrill rushed through her veins. Miya recalled how the first man she had kissed had turned out to be Jimmy Hunter. And this¡­


    She forced her heart to calm down again.


    Her mind was pressured, and the room spun before her again. Her vision blurred, and the weight on her chest seemed heavier. She, however, could not recede to the thought of Jim moving away, so she wrapped her hands around his shoulders tighter, and landed a small kiss on his cheek, which landed on his earlobe instead. Jim groaned from the touch, but shrugged in sleep.


    Miya concentrated on his heart beat, hoping¡­ praying for the best.


    She didn¡¯t know what to wish for anymore.


    It felt like she had been sleeping for ages, while being part of a horrible nightmare when she woke up again. It had however, only been two hours. Faint rays of the sun shone through the window in the room, and fell directly on her forehead, making her feel warm and comfortable. Her sight was much clearer when she opened her eyes this time, and her heart was weak to the core. She could feel Jimmy¡¯s huge hand wrapped around her body, with his breath too close to her neck.


    He must have shifted to her side sometime during her sleep.


    Miya very quietly turned to her right and looked at his face. He indeed did sleep like an innocent child, his hair dishevelled and messy, making him seem like a young boy. His other hand was tucked beneath his head while he secured her own smaller self with his right arm. A warm feeling swelled at the pit of her stomach. Miya caressed his jawline, then kissed his cheek again.


    She froze when her insides reminded her of the possibility.


    What if¡­ the boy from all those years ago wasn¡¯t actually a celestial being?


    What if¡­ it was Jimmy Hunter?


    Miya¡¯s heart was on fire, and she quivered involuntarily.


    Because who could save her then? From falling absolutely and completely for the man before her¡­


    What would stop her in that case?


    She wasn¡¯t ready to bear the burden of love, yes. But she already felt deeply for Jimmy. What if he also turned out to be her saviour from all those years ago?


    Miya¡¯s chest pounded, as she very swiftly left Jim¡¯s embrace. She still felt weak in her lower half of her body, but she didn¡¯t stagger when she stepped onto the ground. First, she needed to find Ben, ensure that he was tucked in and safe. Then, she needed to go.


    The ring that she had been given by that boy¡­ she had protected it with her life, and in turn it had saved her from ruin several times. She could never have let go of that precious piece of metal.


    And yet, five years ago, she had.


    Things had taken a turn, and like every other thing gone wrong, she had to let her only piece of luck go. She had had it buried into the ground.


    Exactly five steps away from Ben¡¯s mother¡¯s grave.


    It was time she returned to it now.

 #166. How Rare Was That?

    When Mr. Park found Miya, she was lifting a chainsaw along with a five litre can of kerosene oil. She was still in a rather wobbly white t-shirt and baggy white pyjamas while she stomped around recklessly in the store room. She had tied her hair in a loose braid, and strands of it fell furiously on her face. She was glaring at everything around herself and she trampled the ground with extreme ferocity, the two dangerous looking objects dangling from her hands.


    Her face was the expression of living rage.


    While the butler had simply walked in to check on the duo, he had not expected to see the girl go missing again. Panicking, he had asked around and finally found her in the small, dark store room. It wasn¡¯t exactly a small room, but it was the smallest one in the mansion.


    Miya, however, had Mr. Park scared now.


    The girl was looking around frantically for something else, while she carried the oversized can and chainsaw with herself. She looked like she could succumb from the sheer weight of it all, and her face was pale. Park noticed that she was sweating profusely as well, but something about the anger on her face stopped the old man from moving.


    He simply watched the girl stomp around wildly, furiously muttering to herself


    ¡°I¡¯ll burn it to little pieces, that ass, my baby!¡±


    It was when she was about to lift one hand of hers to do away with a strand of hair falling into her eyes, that Mr. Park shot into action.


    ¡°Miya!¡± Park called out urgently, ¡°Watch out!¡±


    Miya looked around, surprised at the voice. To Park¡¯s relief, she also lowered her hand.


    The butler shrugged rapidly.


    ¡°You would have poured it all over you,¡± he motioned towards the can of kerosene, and took in a hesitant step towards her. Miya didn¡¯t seem like she understood Park¡¯s interference, in fact, she overlooked his warning completely. Instead, the girl took two furious steps towards him, making the old man flinch.


    ¡°Mr. Park,¡± her voice was grave, ¡°Where will I find a match stick? I need a matchbox!¡±


    Park took an involuntary step backwards, his heart suddenly not beating anymore. He quickly put up his hands, wary of the girl who seemed like a tiny, furious gangster. He swallowed.


    He was not one to underestimate thugs.


    ¡°I- I don¡¯t have one. Why do you need it Miya?¡±


    Miya gave Park an annoyed look, then turned around, resuming her search. She nevertheless, did grumble under her breath, ¡°I need it to burn that shitass assh*le, that greedy son of a b*tch, his d*ck face, that ugly green horrifying bug! I¡¯m going to stomp on him till he crushes into dirt! That evil, lowly f*** ant ¨C¡±This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    Mr. Park refused to hear the rest. From her description though ¨C the ¡®ugly green¡¯ part specifically, he could fairly imagine who she was talking about. That guy from the footage.


    Park had watched the record already. She was referring to that ¡®K¡¯ man.


    The matter was already seeming hopeless to Park.


    There must be millions of girls in the world. And out of them all, Simon had chosen Eshni. And his son Jimmy, had chosen Miya.


    The girl was glaring at a chair now, and Park was half afraid she would smash it into the ground and rub it against the floor till it produced fire.


    Park breathed.


    ¡°Why?¡± he then said very calmly, ¡°Why do you want to burn someone, Miya?¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡± came her weak, yet instant reply, ¡°You slept with Ben last night, Mr. Park! Do you not know? I just came after looking at my baby. He cried all night! His eyes were swollen, and his pone had a picture of me, and he was hugging it in his sleep! I have never seen my Ben that distressed! I am going to chop off that snake¡¯s balls with my chainsaw right here. Just you watch!¡±


    Park flinched at her words, not knowing how to respond. Last night he had simply put the child to sleep, ensured that he was safe and gone off to work again. He did not know the rest. Chenric must though, the guard had volunteered on looking after Ben.


    Park watched Miya with a hawk eye, wondering if she was still under the influence of the hallucinogenic and out of her senses. She did wobble every now and then, but she was bang on with her insults. Park didn¡¯t know what to presume.


    ¡°And I¡¯m going to burn that algae hair of his! Mr. Park, that son of a b*tch, he threatened to swallow my baby cobra alive! I¡¯ll throttle him with that green hair of his, I swear on my sis ¨C¡°


    Mr. Park coughed uncomfortably, not at all wanting to be addressed by Miya. Then, it hit him. Miya¡¯s words ¨C what!


    That ¡®K¡¯ man threatened to eat her cobra?


    What?!


    Instinctively, the old man remembered the photograph he had found. And a snake that had been coiled around Miya¡¯s arm. He didn¡¯t know if it was a cobra or not ¨C but¡­


    Could it be that this attacker, the Chairman¡¯s wife, and Miya were part of a single story?


    It took Park all of his strength to not bang his head against a wall. Instead, he breathed in and out a few times, and concentrated on Miya¡¯s blabber, which had stopped making sense altogether. The butler concluded she was indeed, not completely in control of her sense. That relieved him.


    Clearing his throat, he quietly walked to the girl, and said, ¡°I think I have a lighter somewhere in the next room. Come with me?¡±


    Miya nodded determinedly, her eyes on fire, ¡°Yes, a lighter. Do you know Mr. Park? That beast made me swear on blood! Real blood! And I was fifteen! Bound in blood, he said. I¡¯ll pump his arteries out today.¡±


    Park quietly turned on the voice record on his phone, just in case he missed something. Then very gently, he pulled away the chainsaw and then the can of oil from her hands. As soon as the weight was off her arms, the girl sagged. She clung on to Park¡¯s hand, called him uncle, then ¡®Granny Kai¡¯. Then she went on to mumble about the green guy some more, rather bizarre details.


    Park finally figured out his name ¨C Kaali.


    And while Jimmy¡¯s lady blabbered some more, the old man was increasingly saddened. He brought her back to her room, called for the doctor, who gave her another dose of her medicine. It looked like she hadn¡¯t slept all night, and the symptoms had worsened somewhat.


    When Park had helped her lie beside the still asleep Jimmy, his heart was moved.


    The two found each other almost by instinct, and while Jim was quick to embrace Miya and smile in sleep, Miya hugged him back and mumbled to herself, ¡°Fairy angel!¡±


    Park held his head in his hands.


    These two kids¡­ even though their lives were so intertwined, so brazenly messed up, so horrifically threatening ¨C they still somehow managed to seem like they were meant to be.


    How rare was that?


    Park closed his eyes, reluctantly, but silently agreeing with the Chairman.


    These two deserved a chance.

 #167. We Dont Have To Do This

    Mr. Park and Simon Hunter had to team up after a whole fifteen years to finish off one minimal task ¨C getting Ben ready.


    While the little boy ran about the whole room in his white shirt and light blue underwear, the two old men were at their wit¡¯s end trying to groom the child. He was to be at school in an hour, and he was nowhere near ready. Simon Hunter was ready to break into an outrage, whereas Mr. Park felt like he had gone back twenty years, to a time when Jimmy was a rowdy little boy. The butler sighed in exasperation.


    The usually docile, sweet Benji Hunter was ready to turn the world upside down.


    ¡°Tell me what happened to mommy, grandpa!¡± Benji was demanding, as he expertly jumped from the top of the table and slithered under the bed with rapid speed, ¡°I won¡¯t go till you tell me the truth!¡±


    Mr. Park had been surprised when Ben had first referred to the Chairman as ¡®grandpa¡¯. But now, he was past that point. He admitted in his heart that he was slightly jealous, but what astounded him more was the Miya-like characteristics in the child. They had surfaced in him for the first time.


    Mr. Park had come back to the room to check in on Ben. After he had heard Miya¡¯s account of his condition, he was worried for the child. To his shock though, the Chairman had already been there, staring at the sleeping boy. Simon seemed to have dismissed Chenric as well ¨C in that moment however, Simon Hunter had a rather helpless expression on his face too.


    The Chairman, of course, had come out of his natural and increasing fascination for the kid, and after the great time they¡¯d had together at the amusement park, he wanted to console the child for what had happened to Miya. Of course, he was amazed by Jimmy¡¯s reaction to Ben too. The boy had run to Jim for comfort, and Junior Hunter had handled the situation with a grace Simon didn¡¯t expect even from himself. In fact, he was sure he was incapable of it.


    That moment of watching Jim with Benji had put the old man into thought, and he had come to see the boy first thing in the morning after checking on Miya. What he had not expected was for the kid to turn out to be a nightmare, displaying obvious and somewhat more intense characters of his mommy.


    Simon hadn¡¯t been too sure on how to wake up the boy when Park had walked into the room. Senior Hunter had fixed his face into looking blank, but in his heart, he had instantly been relieved. Park could handle kids. He would know how to wake up Ben.


    Park had greeted the Chairman with a placid smile, and as the two had eyed each other dismissively, the little guy had woken up by himself.


    And his first question had sent the two older men into panic.


    ¡°Tell me who hurt my mommy, grandpa!¡± Ben had suddenly sprung up from the bed, ¡°Good morning uncle Park! Tell me who it was!¡±


    One look at the boy¡¯s face confirmed Miya¡¯s conclusion for Park ¨C it looked like Ben had cried a lot. His eyes were swollen, and his cheeks were red and puffy. His phone fell off his chest when he stood up on the bed.


    ¡°Grandpa!¡± the boy had said, ¡°How is my mommy? Is she awake? I want to see her! Where is Jimmy? Is he with mommy? Who hurt her? Tell me grandpa, uncle Park!¡±


    Simon Hunter had been dumbfounded by that plethora of questions. Meanwhile Park had explained carefully, ¡°Your mommy was awake a few minutes before, Ben. She came to visit you, and ¨C¡°


    ¡°Then why did you not wake me up? Mommy!¡±


    That put the child into action and he jumped off the soft bed and onto the floor, rushing to the door. Park had to drag the boy behind by his torso.


    ¡°She¡¯s asleep, dear one,¡± the old man cooed, ¡°Let her sleep. But come, get ready for school. You don¡¯t want to be late, no?¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Ben pumped his fists now, freeing himself of Park¡¯s easy hold, ¡°I want to see mommy!¡±


    Not knowing how to react, and used to being the disciplinarian he was, Simon Hunter had stepped up, towered over the child, and said sternly, ¡°Only when you get dressed and go to school.¡±


    The Chairman¡¯s steel eyes had brought Ben close to tears again, but the boy was way more defiant than the old Hunter had calculated. Staring back indignantly, as if he were looking at a traitor, Ben clenched his fists with all his might and shot back, ¡°No!¡±The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Simon Hunter was stunned into silence after that. Meanwhile Park used up all his stockpile of moves and coaxes but could not get the child to have a bath. He was half afraid that Miya would be up and trampling the house by now, swearing again.


    Ben didn¡¯t budge and even though he reluctantly wore his school shirt when Park told him mommy would be sad if he didn¡¯t, the boy soon caught on. He refused to dress up further and made two demands ¨C ¡®make me see mommy¡¯ and ¡®tell who did this to my mommy¡¯. They told him she was asleep, which simply put the child into hysteria and he shot a thousand questions back as to why she wasn¡¯t awake yet. He even cried out loud.


    Simon Hunter soon remembered why he hadn¡¯t bothered with Jimmy beyond training him while he was a child. Simon still couldn¡¯t deal with brats. Even Miya had been slightly annoying to him when he had met her as a kid. There were times the Chairman couldn¡¯t deal with his own little girl too.


    Shrugging, as he fisted his hands inside his pockets, the Chairman made a determined face. Steeling his heart, ready to tackle the situation, he decided he was going to deal with Miya¡¯s brat¡­ kid. While Park was looking exasperatedly beneath the bed as Ben lay in the furthest corner, Simon crouched and peered under the bed too.


    Two sea blue eyes stared back indignantly at them both.


    Simon prayed for patience. Park prayed for amity.


    ¡°Ben,¡± Park said again, ¡°Come out, dear. You can take a look at mommy and then we¡¯ll head to school. She¡¯s resting right now.¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll wait! I don¡¯t want to go! Who hurt my mommy?¡±


    Simon frowned gravely, ¡°You have your first test today. You have to go.¡±


    ¡°No! Grandpa, I ¨C¡°


    ¡°Ben, no argument. Come here, now!¡±


    It was the boy¡¯s queue to slither out from the other side of the bed. Next, he climbed up the window sill. The act alone stilled the old men¡¯s hearts, while they both noted how much the child copied his mother.


    ¡°Why won¡¯t you tell me what happened to mommy, grandpa?¡± Ben was accusing now. He looked like an angry ball of fluff, as he held onto the nearby curtain and dangled from the sill with one leg, ¡°You said we should never lie!¡±


    Simon huffed.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious boy?¡± he retorted himself, ¡°I¡¯m not telling you because you¡¯re not old enough to understand. Is that so hard to get?!¡±


    Beside him, Park almost hit his head. Ben frowned at the old Hunter¡¯s response, as the butler said to the Chairman through gritted teeth, ¡°Sir, I¡¯ll take it from here. Don¡¯t trouble yourself.¡±


    Simon¡¯s eyes shot up at that. He understood that Park was dismissing him. It ticked him off.


    ¡°I can handle a child,¡± the Chairman seethed back, ¡°What do you mean I should go?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t say you should go, sir.¡±


    ¡°But you meant it.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s just your assumption, Chairman.¡±


    ¡°But I know you meant it. I¡¯ve known you for thirty years and more. You think I¡¯m incapable of settling a dispute with a child?¡±


    ¡°We wouldn¡¯t be having this conversation if you weren¡¯t.¡±


    It was almost as if Park had taken the bait. The Chairman, who was looking for an outlet for his rage, boiled over from the butler¡¯s response. He controlled his temper when he said, ¡°What is that supposed to mean?¡±


    Park didn¡¯t back off. He wasn¡¯t the one who had started it. And he knew the Chairman too well to think he could escape the scenario now.


    ¡°I think you know what I mean.¡±


    ¡°Are you referring to my - my little girl?¡±


    Park noticed the stern, silent storm of emotions in the Chairman¡¯s eyes for a split second when he mentioned the lost child. He himself felt his heart ache. Swallowing, he said to the Senior Hunter, ¡°We don¡¯t have to do this.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s long overdue. Say it!¡±


    ¡°Fine! Here¡¯s what I think, sir. The situation with you and Jimmy, and the situation with you and your daughter, and your circumstances with the lady boss ¨C I think you could have handled it better. I¡¯ve been looking into Miya¡¯s history again, you must know of course! And guess who I found there? The lady boss! I know you must know this too, that Miya is involved someway with your wife. You know what I think sir? That we¡¯re all standing back to fifteen years ago. Where you¡¯re still defending your wife while we try to figure out why. My only question now is this ¨C why are you in Miya¡¯s favour? Is it because you¡¯re defending the lady boss again, or is it because you knew Miya as a child? I plead with you, tell me it¡¯s the latter, sir.¡±


    The Chairman was stunned.


    He knew Park had a hunch about Miya and Eshni being involved, but he didn¡¯t think he was sure. Also¡­ Park remembered that Simon had met Miya as a child! The Chairman looked back at the butler, at the fuming, silent, raging query in his eyes. And he swore to himself.


    ¡°You know I can¡¯t lie to your face,¡± he admitted silently, ¡°You mean more to me than you assume, Byeong.¡±


    Park¡¯s expression turned filthy. He bit his lower lip, looking at Simon Hunter in disbelief.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe you,¡± he hissed.


    Then with a quick turn of his heels, the old man walked towards Ben and wordlessly pulled him off the sill. Ben complied, frightened of the sudden tension in the air. With that, the butler walked away.


    He couldn¡¯t accept it. Fifteen years it had taken, for him and the Chairman to talk a little on a personal level again. And yet, it turned out to be another major disappointment.


    Back in the room, Simon looked at the butler¡¯s back as he walked out. He clenched his fists, cursing out loud. He wanted to believe with all his heart, but Park¡¯s manner disoriented him a little.


    Forcing his heart to stop beating so loud, Simon pressed his lips. His eyes turned colder by the minute, and finally he calmed down.


    No ¨C he wasn¡¯t making a mistake.


    They wouldn¡¯t understand. But he wasn¡¯t going to be the one responsible. Not after all these years.


    Not when he was this close to seeing Eshni again.


    He breathed.

 #168. Come With Me

    Charlie¡¯s eyes were cold as she watched Mr. Park¡¯s back. There was a slight shiver in the butler¡¯s shoulders, and he had difficulty maintaining a placid expression. His wife had overheard the entire conversation inside, and she watched her husband with a blank face as he didn¡¯t register her presence and walked away with Ben.


    Her own heart was still.


    She held a slim file in her hand, and Byeong¡¯s leave was her queue to enter the room. Charlie was a frank woman, she rarely felt the need to tend to people¡¯s superfluous emotions. She had a fair idea of the Chairman¡¯s own feelings after his conversation with her husband, and it seemed to her like not too bad a time to complete her task and do away with the matter.


    Indifferently, and in a manner that was calm and unnaturally composed, she walked to the door. Then she knocked slightly, waiting for the Chairman to notice that she was there.


    Simon was standing a few steps away from the doorstep, but he recognized Charlie¡¯s signature knock. It was always firm, and she tapped thrice and in sync. Exactly twenty seconds later, she would tap the door twice more. Looking up, and forcing his face into extreme nonchalance, the Chairman nodded at the woman.


    Charlie¡¯s broad frame entered through the doorway. She didn¡¯t have even a hint of her usual gentle smile. It was a mask she always kept up, but those who knew her best knew that she was not someone to be messed with. The old woman worked like a double edged sword ¨C she was fascinating enough to make one want to trust her, but she was sure to leave a cut if someone she protected was endangered.


    Simon knew how fiercely Charlie protected Jimmy. The old Hunter had no doubt believing that she would go against even him, knowing full well she would lose, if the circumstances involved Jim. And though she didn¡¯t meddle her business with family, she loved Jimmy like a son and would transcend that line for him anytime.


    The chubby woman, who forever exuded delicacy and warmth, was right then a stern mom. She didn¡¯t greet the Chairman ¨C she simply handed over the file to him and said plainly, ¡°Eshni¡¯s current details. She¡¯s here. She¡¯ll show up soon.¡±


    Simon had already forced the calm in his demeanour. He took the file, nodded at her without expression. A frail shiver, however did run down his arm¡¯s as he held the file and looked at it with havoc in his eyes.


    ¡°Thank you for your work,¡± he said automatically.


    Charlie nodded back. Then giving the old Hunter a peculiar look, she said, ¡°You know what you¡¯re doing, right sir?¡±


    Chairman shot her a sharp look ¨C they weren¡¯t exactly friends. He answered her in a curt nod. Mrs. Park wasn¡¯t done.


    ¡°You should know I was the one who investigated Miya¡¯s background the first time around, sir. I don¡¯t understand how I went wrong. Kasu was supposed to be her real name. Not an alias for Kang Sung.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s complicated.¡±


    ¡°And who is at fault?¡±


    ¡°No one.¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re defending your wife again, sir, I have to say ¨C Miya is bad news. I don¡¯t understand why you all are so keen on keeping her around! With all due respect, Chairman, half the trouble right now would go away if you withdrew your lousy condition of Jim staying married for a year.¡±


    The Chairman looked at the woman, at the edge in her eyes, and at the fire that was her mouth. She couldn¡¯t hold back ¨C and Simon admired her in some ways. But she overstepped too many boundaries. And the only reason he held back was because she and Park had brought up both his children, when him and Eshni both weren¡¯t around. He couldn¡¯t hold her fierceness to protect Jim against her ¨C it was now her natural right.This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    Sighing, he gathered his patience and said, ¡°Nothing would change if I did that. Jimmy loves the girl.¡±


    Charlie was quick to dismiss, ¡°It¡¯s frugal. Attraction at best. It¡¯ll pass. Jim is strong.¡±


    That amused the old Hunter.


    ¡°You should know better Charlie¡± he almost smirked to himself, ¡°You gave up your career for love.¡±


    ¡°Because Byeong and I have a history, we¡¯ve known each other since teens! Jim and Miya, it¡¯s just outrageous desire.¡±


    ¡°Charlie¡­¡± Senior Hunter¡¯s voice was a sigh, ¡°Jimmy met Miya thirteen years ago at the Freemans house. I met her when she was five. She was key when I believed I could be a good father to my little girl. Eshni knows her too ¨C in fact, Miya took a bullet for my wife. Are you sure you want this girl to be let go?


    She¡¯s been involved with our family even before we could have pointed out she existed.¡±


    That stunned the old woman, and Charlie Swan Park stared at Senior Hunter in disbelief, her mouth tightly shut.


    Three hours had passed before Miya woke up again.


    She was once again feeling stronger and right in her head, but once she had flashbacks of herself and the chainsaw and kerosene oil, she wasn¡¯t too sure. In fact, she remembered babbling to Mr. Park, and even calling him Granny Kai.


    The girl almost hit her head.


    She didn¡¯t quite recall what else she had babbled on to the man, but she did remember mentioning a baby cobra. Miya wanted to cry right then.


    Pulling herself up rather forcefully from the bed, Miya was already sulking when a familiar big hand patted her head. She looked up in distress.


    Jim was smiling lightly.


    ¡°A chainsaw to chop off balls, missus? Really?¡±


    He lowered his body and kissed the top of her head. His tone held mild amusement. Miya blushed.


    She stared at her crossed legs, and twiddled with her thumbs.


    ¡°I must have scared Mr. Park with that,¡± she said softly.


    Jim chuckled, ¡°Yeah¡­ he was positively horrified.¡±


    Jimmy had brought with him a bowl of soup, and he sat beside Miya with poise as he stirred the liquid and blew on the soup.


    ¡°You must be hungry,¡± he said.


    The atmosphere between them was comfortable, and yet awkward and somewhat tense.


    Miya nodded, ¡°Are you alright? You look like you¡¯ve been through hell.¡±


    ¡°I have.¡±


    The two simple words struck Miya and her heart thumped. The entire possibility of Jimmy and the ring ¨C of the boy from twenty two years ago raced in her mind, and she was once again stunned.


    ¡°Miya?¡±


    Jimmy had been saying something when he noticed the wife¡¯s classic lost-in-her-own-world expression. He called out to her thrice, then finally shoved a spoonful of the soup into her mouth. Miya gobbled in awe.


    Something about her face disoriented Jimmy, and he himself was lost. He had no idea what she was thinking, but the look she gave him was so intense, it was as if heat crawled up his skin and made him shiver and blush at the same time.


    What was up with her?


    It must be the drugs again.


    While Jimmy forced spoonfulls into her mouth, Miya kept on staring at him as if she was looking at the moon. Her heart was heavy ¨C and it was joyous, thrilled but threatened at the same time. When she couldn¡¯t handle the array of emotions toying with her heart, she stopped Jim from feeding her, took the spoon from his hands and shoved a spoonful of soup into his mouth.


    ¡°You eat,¡± she said rather distractedly, staring at him again.


    Could it be true? The boy from all those years ago¡­


    ¡°Miya, hey ¨C I ¨C¡°


    Jimmy protested, then gave up, and finally revelled in the joy of being fed by the missus. She seemed normal right then, and she wasn¡¯t excessively angry or in rage. He informed her of Ben going to school ¨C which made her sulk. Jim was amused to see how Ben had reacted the same way too, for it was Jim who had finally convinced the child to go to school.


    ¡°It was his first class test,¡± Jim explained, ¡°I didn¡¯t want him to ¨C¡°


    Miya heard the details, registered the important parts, then ignored Jim¡¯s talk. She was lost in her fascination of him again, and the more she looked at him, the more she thought he resembled the boy she had met all those years ago.


    Her heart beat with the rapidity of thunderbolt striking the sky. She could hear the crash out loud in her ears. Jim was still speaking when Miya finally kept away the bowl and dashed at the man.


    Jim froze.


    The small girl was still sitting cross legged, but she had leaned over and was now hugging his waist. The act surprised Jim, as Miya¡¯s hold around his torso grew tighter by the second. He sat up straight, in wonder and instinctively drew a hand through her hair.


    ¡°Miya?¡± His voice was soft.


    Miya didn¡¯t speak for a long time. Finally, after minutes that seemed like hours, she looked up at Jim, never letting go of his waist. Jim was taken aback by how gentle, deep ¨C almost l-loving her gaze was.


    ¡°Come with me,¡± she pleaded quietly.


    Jim¡¯s gaze was drawn to her eyes ¨C to that smouldering black, that still had hints of green. He nodded without a thought, ¡°Where to?¡±


    Miya embraced him tighter, then buried her face into his stomach again.


    ¡°I want you to take me to your sister¡¯s grave.¡± Her words were quiet.


    They deafened Jimmy.

 #169. You Dont Disobey Me, Nobody Does

    The door flew open with a bang. A harsh gust of wind entered the cold, dark and ruined space which seemed like it extended to eternity. It looked like a cave from the outside, with a low stone entrance barred by an iron gate. It was surrounded by a few trees too ¨C the place was located in the outskirts of the city, near to a forest. And even though the entrance had the appearance of a narrow cave, it opened up into the basement of an old building. The building itself was a hundred years old, and had many hidden entrances leading inside. It was however, long neglected and forgotten, the residue of a small war that had taken down a minimal population a century ago.


    The building was huge, almost having the dimensions of three average sized houses in one. But most of it was semi finished and dilapidating now, overgrown with trees and worn down by weather. One of its back entrances was the cave route, and Kaali had chosen it to enter, like always.


    The single door to the basement flew open and smashed into the cold wall alongside, echoing loudly when it did. The ends of his robe flapped into the wind, the loose green strands of his hair swaying viciously behind him. A terrifying frown marred his face, he was angry. He hadn¡¯t been that mad in ages.


    He glanced around the dark place, his eyes immediately spotting the wide, red couch in a corner. He also saw the familiar shadow he was searching for, as it fell lazily across the grey wall. A single light bulb hung from the ceiling, which was the only little source of light in the place, that also made the shadow seem larger than ever.


    The room seemed colder in that corner, as if marred by loneliness and a darkness that could destroy all hope.


    Kaali walked in that direction with light, swift steps, his face distorted.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe you chose to hide here,¡± his voice was a malicious hiss when he spoke, ¡°It took me all night just to locate you.¡±


    The shadow in the corner stayed put.


    He reached in two strides, his fists clenched as he saw the figure sitting still, cross legged and staring in front. It was only when Kaali reached out and touched the back of her head that the woman shoved his hand away with the edge of a book.


    She didn¡¯t move, but she did turn her head slightly and glared at the man.


    Her gaze was angry.


    For a split second, her nasty black eyes matched his sharp green ones. Then she turned around again, stood up, and shoving her hands into the pockets of her jeans, she walked slowly towards Kaali.


    Her face was flawless, beautiful and unkind ¨C there were hints of age on it, but one bitter smile was all it took for her to look terrifying.


    Kaali stepped back by instinct.


    ¡°Eshni,¡± he whispered.


    The woman wore a loose white blouse over a pair of ragged blue jeans. Her hair was black with no strand of white in it, her eyes a smouldering, horrifying black too. There were wrinkles close to her eyes when she smiled, and yet the corners of her mouth revealed an edge to her face ¨C one that marked her as a beauty of rare kind.


    Her aura was evil, her voice poison when she spoke.


    ¡°I told you not to touch her.¡±


    Kaali felt a cold chill run down his spine. The anger on his own face faded away, as he tried to match the daunting eyes of the woman before him. It was when she smirked, that the man started to be afraid.


    She seemed to be in a terrible mood.


    ¡°She asked for it,¡± he said though, his words cutting as well, ¡°Tao is still not awake.¡±


    The woman¡¯s smile broadened, till it was reaching her ears. Her face turned ecstatic, her eyes colder as she hissed, ¡°You¡¯re lying.¡±


    A low purr echoed in the background. Kaali froze at the sound, his eyes instinctively withdrawing from the woman¡¯s, to look towards the sofa. A pair of hungry, blue eyes stared back at him from the head of the couch. The purr turned into a growl.


    ¡°Shh,¡± the woman silenced, barely giving the beast on the sofa a glance, ¡°Quiet down, Zaila. This one¡¯s a friend.¡±


    The beast obediently slipped back and lay onto the sofa.


    Kaali sighed in relief.


    ¡°Eshni,¡± he said again, ¡°It¡¯s not to ¨C¡°


    ¡°Why did you hurt her?¡±


    Her words were direct, and she was barely a foot away from him now. She was as tall as him, almost a whole six feet in height. She looked at him as if he was a puny ant.


    Kaali spat.


    ¡°You don¡¯t care about Miya.¡±


    Her face lost the malice for a second, and then she looked back at him listlessly.


    ¡°I don¡¯t,¡± she said simply, ¡°But you¡¯ve already cost me two daughters, Kaali.¡± With that the woman walked across the lean man, her face turning bitter again, her mouth adorned by a sardonic smile. She barely clicked her fingers together when the air around Kaali froze. He didn¡¯t even see the woman move, she only had to pass by him to make him fall to the ground.


    The man fell to his knees, shocked, and then hit the ground. He shivered.


    Then slowly reaching to the side of his neck, he pulled out a small dart. His face turned filthy.


    The woman barely spared him a glance.


    ¡°You don¡¯t disobey me, Kaali. Nobody does.¡±


    With that, she walked out of the basement and into another one of the rooms. Behind her, tailed the huge, white beast, pouncing down when it saw its mistress leave.


    The door closed behind her with a slam.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    The room was a small video room with a massive screen alight the wall, and a film playing on it in mute and in loop. Eshni¡¯s face turned nastier when she saw the screen. She didn¡¯t stop it though ¨C she simply sat agitatedly on a nearby chair and pulled out her phone. Her eyes were unnaturally dark when she unlocked the screen and stared at the voice message that she had received. She hit ¡®play¡¯ for the hundredth time in a row.


    A familiar, impassive voice echoed through the walls of the room.


    ¡°Hello Esh,¡± the voice boomed.


    Eshni closed her eyes, leaning her head back against the board of the chair. She clenched her fists, her expression tight.


    Simon.


    The message was undoubtedly from him.


    She felt a million feelings surge, as silence engulfed the room, making it seem darker than ever. A strong, furry paw nudged at her knee, and she instinctively ruffled the beast¡¯s head, opening her eyes to look into its dark blue ones.


    The tiger¡¯s eyes shone, and it purred docilely, placing two paws on either of the chair arms as it rested its head on her lap. The tiger was huge, white and beautiful, the woman liked the soft touch of its fur under her fingers. She patted the beast, then lightly kissed the top of its head.


    ¡°Baby girl,¡± she whispered, lost, ¡°Your father is a monster.¡±


    She continued to stroke its skin.


    All the while, Simon¡¯s voice boomed through the room, repeatedly saying, ¡°Hello, Esh.¡±


    Eshni fixed her gaze on the ceiling, then breathed hard, looking at the screen and the footage playing on it. It was a video from way back in 1983, when the first camcorders had been launched. She was still an aspiring photographer willing to work for the wild back then. She was also just 21, and she had already had her one chance meeting with the youngest Chairman in the history of Hunter Corporation ¨C Simon Hunter. He had been 29.


    She had dared to defy the cold, proud man. Several events later, he had made her lose her job in turn. She had then used her pet scorpion to frighten him out of his wits ¨C in fact, she had placed the eight legged animal on his neck while he was working late at night in his office.


    Then she himself had sat on his desk, cross legged and defiant.


    The screen played this part of the scene in somewhat hazy pictures.


    Eshni lazily picked up the remote from a small table beside the chair and unmuted the video. The voices seemed to erupt from the screen almost in broken record. The woman shut off the mobile, lost, a faint smile spreading on her face again. She seemed much less sinister when she stared at the picture playing in front, stroking the tiger¡¯s coat gently as she whispered, ¡°There¡¯s dad, Zaila.¡±


    She didn¡¯t need the record to play the dialogue for her. She still remembered every detail from this little event between them from all those years ago. She watched in lost amusement as a much younger version of her climbed up Simon¡¯s desk and sat before him defiantly.


    The proud face of the Chairman was frozen, and his eyes couldn¡¯t hold back the shock when he saw the tall, slender girl actually climb up his desk and seat herself before him. Simon was much younger in the clip, and his face was boyish when he looked up at Eshni in fear. A huge black scorpion was stuck to his collar. Simon looked like he wasn¡¯t even breathing.


    Eshni smiled at that.


    The camcorder in those days had to be put on shoulder top to record a video, and she had bullied a friend of hers into making the recording from outside a ceiling to floor window in the Chairman¡¯s office. The angle was such that Simon¡¯s face was clearly visible, but only Eshni¡¯s back could be seen.


    A cheerful voice echoed through the room as the young girl on the screen laughed.


    ¡°I finally have you boss,¡± she cheered, and then leaned over to lightly caress her scorpion.


    Simon froze further, almost leaning back in his chair so the woman wouldn¡¯t lay a finger on him. His face was repulsed, horrified and shocked into silence. He did stiffen when she leaned close to him to pat the animal.


    ¡°Boss,¡± the girl was saying thoughtfully, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you just let it be? It was hard to get that job, you know. Now I¡¯m banned from most places! You¡¯re mean.¡±


    Simon didn¡¯t respond. His usually grey eyes did become steelier, and he looked at the girl demonically, making sure she knew she would regret each of her moves once Simon was free.


    ¡°It¡¯s past midnight, I could have you stung, but you¡¯re still giving me that nasty look. Boss, you¡¯re impossible.¡±


    Simon very slowly breathed.


    ¡°Put that filth off me.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a scorpion, boss. And I named it Simon after you.¡±


    Simon Hunter could barely contain his rage.


    The girl leaned in closer.


    ¡°Give me back my job. And lift the ban from me.¡±


    A proud, vain look flashed in Simon¡¯s eyes, and the corners of his mouth twitched. He almost smirked at her face rudely. The girl hmphed, then said rather unhappily.


    ¡°Then you leave me no choice, boss.¡±


    With that, the girl grabbed Simon Hunter by his collar, leaned over some more and gently pressed her lips to his. The young Chairman froze, didn¡¯t even breath for the brief second that their lips met. She halted too, and an awkward moment passed between them before she kissed the corner of his mouth lightly. Simon didn¡¯t kiss her back, but in his daze, one strong arm protectively supported her back¡­ almost.


    She withdrew.


    Her breath was heavy. There was a strange electricity between them, it seemed, and Simon looked back at her in a daze as she stared back. She awkwardly tucked the loose strands of her jet black hair behind her ear and frowned.


    It was when Simon saw the scorpion on her shoulder instead, as she was sitting on the table that he realized what had happened. His face turned pale ¨C his expression horrified.


    Eshni seemed to have sensed it too, for she was quick to jump off the desk and onto the ground.


    Simon stood up as well.


    ¡°You¡­!¡± he hissed.


    The girl raised up her hands, ¡°You left me no choice! Boss, I have this thing on record. If you don¡¯t lift the ban on me, I¡¯m going to send it to your fianc¨¦!¡±


    ¡°What!¡± Simon was outraged.


    ¡°Yes, I know you¡¯re about to be engaged! I ¨C I¡­¡± she was about to fly off the room, her face bright red when she almost walked into the door and hit her face on the glass instead.


    Simon¡¯s cry was exasperated.


    ¡°Careful! What the hell is wrong with you?¡±


    Eshni looked back at the Chairman, rubbing her shoulder vigorously as she ran for her life, furiously muttering, ¡°Lift the ban, boss!¡±


    The video ended haphazardly there.


    Eshni leaned back further, gently rubbing the tiger¡¯s hair as she watched the video with a faint smile. She still remembered that time. Simon had lifted the ban on her in the next hour, she had got back her job, but the next few days of her life were a mess. Simon had come back to wreak havoc and have his revenge.


    Those silly days now made her laugh.


    She had of course never had to leak the footage. Instead, her friend had sent it over later as a gift when she was pregnant with Jimmy.


    Jimmy¡­


    Eshni sighed. Her mouth slowly steeled, then she muted the video that had begun to play again. She instead played Simon¡¯s voice record message.


    ¡°Hello, Esh.¡± It said. He sounded old.


    Her mind went back to their thousand meetings, and fixated on one simple conversation of theirs. Long ago, Simon Hunter had told her agitatedly.


    ¡°Stop running like the sky is going to come crashing down on your head, Esh. I won¡¯t chase you forever.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t marry you, Simon,¡± she had said.


    ¡°I¡¯ll never ask you to.¡±


    And he had still appeared now, the moment she was in reach.


    Simon Hunter, why wouldn¡¯t he give up?


    Eshni closed her eyes again, her mind growing numb with the repeated ¡°Hello, Esh,¡± that echoed in the room. Then very slowly, she got up from the chair, instructing the tiger to move away. Then walking over to a mirror attached to one of the cupboards, she stared at her own reflection.


    A pair of grim, beautiful black eyes looked back at her. She quietly put a practiced hand near her forehead, and pulled off the contacts. Once she did, she was immediately relieved.


    Her own, brown orbs stared back at her in familiarity, and a light grin spread on her face. She touched the mirror, lightly caressing the image¡¯s cheeks.


    She was proud, how much Jimmy looked like her. Even his eyes had a slight hint of brown in them ¨C just like hers, despite being majorly grey like his father¡¯s.


    So much time had passed.


    Sudden delight filled her heart. The more she stared at her reflection, the calmer she became. In the background, the repeated ¡°Hello, Esh,¡± made her smile again. She leaned back, picked up the phone and silently smashed it against the side wall.


    The phone broke out in a last, ¡°Hello, Esh,¡± before shattering to pieces.


    Eshni¡¯s eyes turned cold. She smiled, forcing herself to remain calm. Her voice was a hiss again when she said,


    ¡°Hello, darling. It¡¯s time we meet again.¡±


    The tiger behind her purred, rubbing its head against her back.

 #170. Middle Ground

    Ben sat huddled in a corner seat, frowning as he looked into his test paper. It was the first period, and the boy had agreed to come to school because Jimmy had asked him to. He had promised Ben that mommy was okay, and that he would let the boy stay at home until she recovered fully ¨C the only condition being that he went for the test today. It had sounded like a fair deal.


    Ben trusted Jimmy.


    The test, the ¡®Science¡¯ paper was supposed to be in the seventh period. Ben had taken matters into his hand and fearlessly approached Mrs. Tusk¡¯s office once Chenric and three other bodyguards had dropped him off to the school. The principal had been delighted to see him, but the little boy had meant business. He had greeted her politely, stared gravely into the old woman¡¯s eyes and impassively made his request.


    ¡°We have a Science test scheduled for the second last period ma¡¯am. Please reschedule it for the first.¡±


    It hadn¡¯t been a request, it had been a subtle command. Benji had resembled every bit of Jimmy and Simon Hunter when he said the words. The boy knew he had a privilege. He knew how to use it too.


    Mrs. Tusk had obviously agreed, once she had asked, ¡°Yes, my boy. But why?¡±


    ¡°My mommy is sick. I want to go home after the test.¡±


    That had been the end of it. Mrs. Tusk wasn¡¯t someone who allowed abuse of privilege, but she didn¡¯t deny what seemed reasonable enough either. That little stunt of Ben though, cost him his newly made circle of friends.


    Ever since he had been little, Benji had always been moving around. His mommy never stuck in a single place for too long, and they never lived in a place where there were any kids his age. Ben had grown up alone, and he found the loneliness his constant, comfortable companion. His recourse had forever been books, but that did not mean he was socially inept.


    Ben¡¯s first trial had been the first day of school, when he had suddenly been put into a single room with kids three to four years older than himself. He had never had friends, but his mommy had taught him well.


    ¡°Think,¡± she would tell him, ¡°Always, think.¡±


    The first day of school had disoriented little Ben.


    He had been unwelcomed in that classroom ¨C he had felt it the instant he had stepped inside. Mommy had warned him about it, she had told him that something of the sort might happen. He was a five year old outstepping his domain ¨C the older kids would not see to it nicely.


    She had also said something which was rather controversial to Ben¡¯s mind.


    ¡°Baby,¡± Miya had said while getting him ready for his first day, ¡°I¡¯m telling you this because you¡¯re so smart. I¡¯d initially thought I would have to say this to you when you get into high school. I¡¯ve heard it¡¯s tough. But¡­ Ben, you¡¯ll do too well in class, and the other kids would think of you as a rival. I don¡¯t want you to become a pompous jerk, but I also don¡¯t want you to become an outsider. Think of a middle way, okay?¡±


    Ben had registered mommy¡¯s words, but their implication hadn¡¯t dawned on him until he had stepped into class the very first time.


    The hostility had been palpable, as had been the discomfort.


    Ben had been made to sit near a window, from where he could stare down at the park below. No one ¨C not even the girl beside him made the effort to talk. He was lean, not short, but he was smaller than the others. He whispered a stiff, ¡°Hello,¡± and was met with a cold, ¡°Hi.¡±


    Then, nothing.


    The first half of the day had been blatant stares and hushed whispers. He had tried to communicate, in the shy yet determined way that he did. Only, the other kids weren¡¯t interested in pleasantries. They had been interested in his presence as a whole.


    ¡°Why¡¯re you here?¡± they had asked.


    ¡°To study,¡± Ben had very simply replied.


    A mean looking boy had laughed.


    ¡°We know that stupid,¡± he said, ¡°I¡¯m asking why you¡¯re here, in OUR class. Turns out you¡¯re not very smart, like Mrs. Tusk said.¡±


    Then another laugh.


    Ben had been dumbfounded, his pride hurt but his being frozen in place.


    He hadn¡¯t known how to deal with the boys.


    The lunch break had been no better, everyone had avoided him almost instantly. Nerd, they whispered, almost as if it was a swear word. It confused Ben, but it brought in him a rivalrous, a competitive spirit to tackle the big boys with his best resource ¨C intellect.


    The next three classes, post break he had singlehandedly answered all of the teacher¡¯s questions.


    Proud and with a triumphant smirk on his face, he had then looked back at the mortified class. Somehow, the look of contempt on their faces did not cheer him up. It made him think.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want you to be a pompous jerk,¡± mommy had said, ¡°but I don¡¯t want you to be an outsider too.¡±


    In that moment, Benji Hunter had managed to become both.


    The dilemma had hit Ben like a bomb.


    He wasn¡¯t bullied, like mommy had warned, he was just ignored. But that didn¡¯t go down well with him. He was mommy¡¯s ¨C Miya¡¯s son.Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.


    And his mommy could not only beat the shit out of people, she could also talk her way through the world.


    Ben hadn¡¯t watched it himself, but he knew mommy must have talked to Jimmy, somehow coaxed him into forgiving them despite them beating him up. There were times when mommy could get out of fights using words alone, when he was with her and she met a bad man. Mommy was smart.


    Even when she told him she was a ¡®dumbass¡¯.


    That entire evening, Ben had spent in contemplating how to survive in this new world of kids older than him. He had asked Jimmy in indirect ways, the young master¡¯s response had been unwise, in Ben¡¯s opinion. Jimmy had blatantly said, ¡°Be dazzling, son. Outdo those stupid elder kids, make sure they know who¡¯s commander.¡±


    There was no commander. And Ben wasn¡¯t unnecessarily getting into a fight.


    Grandpa Hunter had been of no use either, he had said if Ben was having trouble making friends, he would send the boy to school with a lot of chocolates the next day that he could give to everyone in class. That way, he¡¯d have friends.


    ¡°All people have a price,¡± Simon had very prudently explained.


    Ben had uncomfortably shrugged.


    Uncle Park had simply been too concerned and worried about his queries to give him any advice, Aunty Charlie quietly told him to ¡°Ignore dumb kids.¡±


    Mommy, of course, used the key term.


    Socialize.


    ¡°Make friends, Ben. Socialize,¡± she had said, ¡°I want you to enjoy school while you work hard.¡±


    That word was the key to everything in Ben¡¯s mind. Because he had read it in almost all elementary Science books.


    Man is a social animal.


    Ben understood, by instinct that he needed to get along with at least someone in class.


    He couldn¡¯t come up with a plan, but he was determined to do something about the issue. So the next day, Ben made the mean looking boy from before, his target. He seated himself directly behind that boy, and awaited his chance.


    It happened during the Social Studies class. The teacher seemed to have an extraordinary grudge against the mean boy it seemed ¨C she directed every third of her questions at him. The mean boy too wasn¡¯t very sharp ¨C he was dumb actually. He could answer nothing.


    So when the teacher asked him what ¡®democracy¡¯ meant, he stood silent and still. Ben took his chance.


    Very quietly, he whispered to the boy, ¡°Government. For the people. Of the people. By the people.¡± Because Ben was seated directly behind, he was audible mostly only to him. And so, for the first time, the mean boy ¨C Teddy, his name was ¨C knew an answer.


    Teddy was surprised too, he blurted out the four statements awkwardly. The teacher was almost shocked, but the boy was let off.


    That was the day¡¯s first victory, as something that Ben had expected to happen, happened.


    Teddy, turned around with a lousy grin on his face and looked directly into Ben¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Thanks man,¡± he said.


    ¡°No problem,¡± Ben replied.


    ¡°My name¡¯s Teddy.¡±


    I know. ¡°Ben,¡± Benji Hunter replied again.


    He was formally invited to join the boy for lunch. Ben wouldn¡¯t have to sit alone for lunch anymore. The first victory was secured.


    Second, was pure chance.


    The kids ate their food fast during the forty minute break, so that they¡¯d have time to hang around or play. The high schoolers hung around. The little ones played. And their games ranged everything from hide and seek to a makeshift scavenger hunt, from cricket and baseball with all its technicalities to a simple ¡®throw ball¡¯. Ben was invited for a game of hide an seek, and in his quest for one of the hiding classmates, he went too close to the basketball court.


    It was a tiled lawn of sorts with two poles with baskets attached, on either end of the lawn. The bigger kids were playing. Somebody let go of the ball, and it came flying into Ben¡¯s face.


    It was one of those moments when everyone froze. The huge ball was ready to hit the child, the new, too small, nerd child. And then, magic happened.


    The nerd child ducked, and with a single hand resting on the ground, propelled his body up till he had leaped to the side.


    His wrist almost broke, but his face was safe.


    Ben was an instant hit.


    What he had done was ¡®cool¡¯ ¨C he had given a performance publicly, done a stunt too agile, made a leap too cool. Within the next four periods, Ben went all the way from ¡®New Nerd Boy¡¯ to ¡®Little Benji¡¯ ¨C the one who did the stunts.


    The older girls in his class called him Little Benji too, as did the boys. And almost suddenly, Ben had a plethora of friends.


    In the next few days, Ben noticed how much he enjoyed the company of others. He wasn¡¯t sure they were his ¡®friends¡¯ but he liked the idea of them. He also could easily flaunt his knowledge to the teacher now and answer all questions without scoring any begrudging looks from the other kids. After all, he helped them out too.


    Ben realized mommy¡¯s advice had worked. She was a genius.


    School was therefore good for Benji Hunter, almost like a game of chess. And yet, today, when he got the Science test shifted from the seventh period to the first, he had rebellion to face. A quarter of his friend circle opposed him ¨C claimed they planned to study at lunch break. He had disrupted their schedule.


    It was the first time that Ben felt something close to ¡®snapping¡¯ then. He had read it in fiction ¨C he snapped, she snapped ¨C Ben didn¡¯t know what it meant. But right then, when a group of his idiotic acquaintances walked up to him and whined, he felt something in him snap. He felt angry, he was too worried about his mommy. He was annoyed that no one would tell him what happened to her. He was hurt he hadn¡¯t seen her in the brief time when she had been awake. All over, he was just worried. He felt like crying.


    And he was angry.


    The little boy clenched his fists, breathed like mommy did when she was red with agitation, and thought. After a while, he came up with a simple solution. He let one boy copy his answers, it was upon this boy to help out the other incompetent kids who hadn¡¯t studied. Then, Ben did another simple thing.


    He quietly texted the teacher.


    [Victor. Cheating.]


    His number was anonymous, Ben knew that. And he simple shut off the phone after he had texted. That was the thing about adults he trusted ¨C no matter where they were, or what they were doing, they almost instantaneously checked their phones.


    Benji didn¡¯t have any primary intention to rat out his friends. But he wasn¡¯t going to be dishonest because they were stupid enough to not do their jobs. At the same time, he didn¡¯t want to be an outcast because of the little stunt he had pulled by getting the test shifted. So, he found his middle ground.


    He helped them like a friend should.


    Then he ratted them out, because the help was wrong.


    He didn¡¯t lose companions, and they would learn their lesson.


    Benji picked up his bag, took the teacher¡¯s permission as she nodded a yes while looking into her phone, and walked out.


    The test was over. He needed to go back to mom now.


    Throughout this all, the principal couldn¡¯t help the slight shiver that ran down her shoulders and through her spine.


    Mrs. Tusk had been dealing with children for too long, and when Ben had appeared before her in the morning, something about him had disoriented her. It was the look in his pale blue, dark eyes maybe ¨C they had been cold like Jimmy Hunter¡¯s but there was a dreadful calm about them too. One that made her watch the kid through the cameras installed in his classroom.


    That was one aspect that Benji Hunter had probably not calculated in his mind.


    As Mrs. Tusk saw the boy let another boy cheat, she was furious, and deeply disappointed. Then, her curiosity rose when she saw Benji shove a hand in his bag and text. She knew he had a phone ¨C Jim had told her it was important. And when finally, the child walked out and the teacher began to kick a fuss around Victor, the boy Ben had helped, it all dawned on Mrs. Tusk.


    Somehow, in that moment, Ben hadn¡¯t resembled his father. Or his grandfather.


    He had reminded Mrs. Tusk of another, far more dangerous man that Raven High had schooled and groomed.


    The Chairman of the Kan Group, Kang Sheng.


    The eyes, maybe. The events from the day, definitely.


    Benji Hunter would grow up to be a dangerous man, she realized.


    Very quickly, she gave Simon Hunter a call.

 #171. Because I Set It

    Ben didn¡¯t really have to convince uncle Chenric, he was ready to take him back to the Hunter manor almost immediately. In fact, Chenric seemed relieved when Ben appeared before him with his bags and informed him of the done test. The young guard only had to confirm the status to the Chairman before he sent the little master back home.


    When he tried the Senior Hunter¡¯s number though, the line went busy.


    So instead, he contacted Jimmy. Jim, however, too didn¡¯t pick up the call.


    That gave Chenric an odd feeling. The Chairman was a busy man, no doubt and the guard did leave him a message, but Jim did not ignore any of his calls, especially under present circumstances. It instinctively made him worry for Miya.


    Chenric still couldn¡¯t believe he had landed himself into so much mess, just because for a second he had fancied the young miss¡¯s skill. When his mind raced to the fascination that the young master had for her as a person, his brain went dark.


    He could not, for a single second imagine the kind of sh*t that Jimmy Hunter must be dealing with, being involved with Ms. Miya. But then, he too wasn¡¯t an ordinary man.


    Not to mention she too, was extraordinary.


    Albeit Chenric had intensified the severity of his job by volunteering to protect the boss¡¯s wife, he had also been singlehandedly saved by her from everything horrible that he could have faced. The Chairman had looked ready to fire him when he had returned home with the madam in the state that she was in, his son would have downright got Chenric slain. But a message from her had been his solace.


    But the grandest of it all had been how she had rescued him from Kaali.


    The green haired guy.


    It devastated Chenric¡¯s pride that he had not only not been able to defend the boss¡¯s wife, he had also not noticed when she got hit. But the worst of it all was the numbing realization that maybe ¨C just, maybe, she had been right.


    Had she not ditched him the way she did, Chenric wasn¡¯t sure he would have been able to fight off the green guy. Bullets were as fast as darts, but he couldn¡¯t have shot a random man with barely visible weapons ¨C that too darts ¨C in a public place. And shooting was his only brilliant skill, he was a good guard. That, and a bit of martial art. That was it.


    The realization succumbed any indignity he felt over her treatment of him. And, it made him investigate on his own lines.


    He was a young man of twenty four, with a bit of a haphazard background himself. He was an immigrant, illegal for most parts, and during his time when he had first stepped into Country I, he had had the misfortune of being conned. He had a huge family back in his home country, and he had been the typical unwanted ¨C middle child. He wasn¡¯t the firstborn to be a dear kid, and he wasn¡¯t the only son who could be the ¡®heir¡¯. He was baggage, and both his parents had decided to send him off to a distant uncle¡¯s place to help work in a mine. That¡¯s when Chenric had ran.


    Running off wasn¡¯t easy, especially to a different country, and his first experience had taught him that. Once he had sailed to the new land, he had been conned out of the little luggage he had, immediately after landing.


    That¡¯s when Chenric also had to spend a week near the sewers.


    It was one of the most horrible memories of his life. Even when he compared it to his awful memories back at his homeland, the one from the sewers always won.


    But that was when he had heard about this clan of people, who used darts as primary weapons too. They mostly used guerrilla tactics to fight, but were quiet and agile, sleazy and cunning. Almost like a serpent. From what he remembered, they didn¡¯t seem to have much of a reputation. But he had had the time to talk to an acquaintance back from his sewer days that he was still in contact with.This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    As Chenric found out, this dart clan¡­ it was called the ¡®K¡¯ tribe.


    In fact, the name had evolved after so many years, it was now called the ¡®K¡¯ Sect. The thing that was surprising though was that the tribe had almost disappeared. They couldn¡¯t be traced. They couldn¡¯t be contacted. All those years ago, they could be hired for menial tasks like low key brawls, but since then they had practically vanished. They did appear every now and then, but disappeared almost instantly too. What the person had however confirmed was that none of the ¡®K¡¯ Sect was, as far as he knew, now in Country I.


    Chenric knew that had to be wrong.


    Kaali ¨C and not to mention, that ¡®K¡¯ on the patient that madam had gone to meet. That was a sign. It was the ¡®K¡¯ Sect.


    For the umpteenth time, Chenric could not figure out why they wanted to hurt madam. But he did know the boss, Jimmy Hunter was looking for Kaali. And maybe, if he could find the man, he would feel a little better about the situation he was in.


    So when the boss didn¡¯t pick up his call, Chenric was worried.


    Could it be that the green man had invaded Hunter manor and attacked the miss again?


    The thought unsettled him, and the guard shrugged. However, forcibly putting his mind at ease and concentrating on the situation at hand, he decided to take the child home either way.


    Seconds passed.


    Jimmy¡¯s hand was still, resting on the back of Miya¡¯s head as he refrained from clenching his fist. His eyes went black for a second, and a storm raised in his heart. He was quick to settle the visible tenseness on his face, but his brain did not concede.


    Very quietly, and in a voice that could barely let go of the threat in it, he asked,


    ¡°Why?¡±


    Miya noticed his arms freeze when she made her request. Her own heart throbbed. She swallowed. She had her head hidden into his belly, but she could feel him go cold.


    Had she asked for too much?


    She didn¡¯t have an answer to ¡®why¡¯. Except that she was afraid to go back and face what she thought she had left behind.


    But she also understood Jimmy¡¯s turmoil.


    Just like when he had told her about Zaila for the first time. His reaction had been intense. And in that moment, it wasn¡¯t her comfort, or consolation of any sort that he had sought. He had sought alcohol.


    He had drowned the pain, unwilling to share it.


    She had done the same, but on countless other times, she had trusted him too.


    The ¡®why¡¯ made her tremble.


    ¡°You wo ¨C can¡¯t?¡±


    Her voice was low, but of one thing Miya was sure. This was Jimmy Hunter. And with him, there was no question of ¡®won¡¯t¡¯. It was simply a matter of whether he couldn¡¯t.


    Jimmy breathed in. Then closing his eyes for one second, he whispered back, ¡°I-It¡¯s not¡­ I can¡¯t¡­ Miya¡­ I don¡¯t visit there. Ever.¡±


    That took her by surprise. But then her own situation dawned on Miya, and she held on tighter around his waist. Jim could feel her shivers against him. By instinct, he drew a wavering hand through her hair.


    Miya swallowed.


    ¡°The Millennial Graveyard, towards the east end of the city. Is that where Zaila was buried?¡±


    Jim almost clenched his fists again, but continued to breathe.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Miya knew. That was the yard for all the famous, rich, big folks. Burying her face further into Jimmy, as he stroked her hair, she whispered.


    ¡°There¡¯s a building nearby.¡±


    That caught the young master¡¯s attention, and he looked down at her head. The wife didn¡¯t move. The shudder in her shoulder intensified though, and it scared him a little when for a second she trembled violently.


    ¡°And?¡± he was quick to ask.


    ¡°I-It¡¯s burnt d-down¡­¡±


    Jim frowned. Suddenly, he realized Miya¡¯s strange, random request to visit Zaila¡¯s grave held some other motive.


    ¡°You mean the castle that mistakenly caught fire a few years back?¡±


    She nodded.


    Jim¡¯s heart thudded.


    ¡°What of it Miya?¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t mistakenly burnt.¡±


    ¡°¡­ Then?¡±


    ¡°I-It¡¯s not a castle. It¡¯s a grave.¡±


    Jimmy sucked in a breath, and his entire being froze. Very slowly, he whispered again.


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡± Her voice lost its trail. Miya was violently shaking now, ¡°I¡­ It¡¯s¡­ She is the most important person in the world, Jimmy.¡±


    ¡°She?¡±


    ¡°I-I can¡¯t go there alone.¡±


    Jim felt his wife¡¯s tremor, and his heart beat threateningly against his chest. He prodded again.


    ¡°Where, Miya?¡±


    She could barely mumble now.


    ¡°T-The building.¡±


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll come with you... but, please dear, breathe.¡±


    That calmed her down. Jim rubbed the small of her back, slightly afraid if this would worsen her condition. But when she refused to let him go, he couldn¡¯t help but ask.


    ¡°Miya?¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Why do you say the fire was not a mistake?¡±


    She shuddered again. It scared Jim some more.


    Then, in a very quiet voice, that spoke of a thousand burnt hells, she said, ¡°B-Because I set it.¡±

 #172. The Calm of the Forest, The Torment of the Sea

    Jimmy¡¯s mind raced through the wildest of possibilities. He swallowed, and for a minute that lasted an hour, he couldn¡¯t comprehend what she was implying.


    She had set a fire?


    Miya had burnt down a building?


    The thought made Jim freeze, as he recalled the moment with Park when he had first told him that Miya had tried to burn Tao alive. His mind raced, and he remembered how Miya had explained of a person she had saved from the wolf ¨C and how that person had saved Miya in turn, eventually leading to the injury of Tao. The young master frowned.


    ¡°Miya,¡± his voice was one of solid reason, ¡°You said you weren¡¯t a thug.¡±


    The girl¡¯s voice was small, but she replied, ¡°I¡¯m not.¡±


    ¡°Dear?¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Are you an arsonist then? You know, the kind of person who ¨C¡±


    ¡°Burns buildings for a kick? No, Jimmy.¡±


    Jim nodded mechanically, his mind in a buzz. Miya let go of his waist and sat up straight, carefully studying the young master¡¯s face as he was lost in thought. Then very quietly she kissed his cheek.


    Jim blinked, instinctively turning around. Carefully, he pursed his lips, ¡°You have to explain, Miya. There¡¯s so much I don¡¯t understand.¡± The girl nodded as well, her mind flying back to the buried ring, and to the boy from twenty years ago.


    There was a lot she didn¡¯t understand either.


    Ben¡¯s phone vibrated.


    He was hesitant when he saw that it was the Chairman¡¯s call. His chest throbbed in mild panic, and the child wondered if his little ploy had been discovered. That freaked Benji Hunter out, and his first urge was to disconnect the call. However, Ben reasoned that technically, he had done no wrong.


    He was about to pick up the phone, when ¨C


    BOOM!


    A loud blast echoed through the sky, shattering the earth and blackening the clouds. Fire rose in the distance, its flames raging and vicious, angry as waves of it engulfed an entire building in itself. The ground shook ¨C  and tremors of it sent everyone around flying.


    For Benji, what happened was like a flash of light. One moment, he was standing there, looking into his phone. The next, he had been thrown across the ground, with his body crashing against the road as he fell to his face.


    The explosion was dark, deafening and it lasted a mere minute. When the quiet fell over Raven High again, the school theatre was burning in flames.


    The fire leapt to the clouds, coils of black smoke engulfing the air, as a dead silence haunted the ambiance of the school.


    The child gasped for breath, coughing up blood and struggling to stand on his feet. Before he could though, a pair of rough hands grabbed him forcefully from the back. Ben let out a surprised shriek, scrambling at his feet when he was lifted off the ground.


    The boy screamed in horror.


    He saw the man grabbing him ¨C it was one of Jimmy¡¯s guards, who seemed uninjured besides a cut on his lip. But it was the scene behind him that made Ben horrified. The building towards the south end of Raven High, the school theatre, was being consumed by the red fire, looking angry and demanding, menacing like a war God.


    The child screamed again.


    The guard was quick to hold Ben in his arms. Gruffly, he said to him, ¡°Little master, we need to leave!¡±


    Ben¡¯s breath wedged in his throat. The boy¡¯s eyes filled with tears, as he watched the school suddenly burst into motion again, as everything and everyone started to move after the short, split second of a blast and shock.


    Ben and the guards had been standing a good distance away from the explosion, to not have sustained much injury. But the explosion gave them their warning sign ¨C danger was ahead.


    It had come.


    Miya looked at her reflection in the mirror.


    She had removed the baggy pyjamas she was in, and had instead chosen to wear a simple black jeans paired with a leather black jacket. She had left her hair untouched, braided in an unruly, wild fashion, so its mud shade looked awkward against the black of her clothes.


    She stared at herself, from navel to face, taking in her appearance inch by inch. Then finally, she looked into her eyes.This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    The black in them gazed back mellowly at her, seeming distracted ¨C bored. It seemed confused too, as if it wasn¡¯t sure of its own existence. Miya scraped the side of her temple lightly, wanting to gorge it out for a second. Her breath became harsh.


    Quietly, she clenched her fists and walked out of the room.


    Jimmy was waiting for her outside.


    His own chest had tightened, and he stopped himself from thinking too much. He wasn¡¯t sure where Miya was taking him, but to be anywhere near Zaila¡¯s existence was painful to him. Not to mention, somewhere close by was a building burnt down by his wife.


    Jim¡¯s hands sweated, as he clenched them inside his pockets. His chest was throbbing, and something seemed wrong to him in that moment. The young master usually trusted his instinct, and so he had decided to carry along with him a gun. He wasn¡¯t violent as a man, but as the weapon pressed against his chest through the inside pocket of his overcoat, he couldn¡¯t help but feel threatened.


    A feeling he had only ever felt ages ago surged within him again. Once more, he wasn¡¯t sure he could protect the one he loved.


    The young master almost spat at the thought, when he saw the wife walk out of the room. He quickly forced himself to calm down, ready to support her, when his eyes fell on the way she was dressed. It took him by surprise.


    The girl who had seemed frail and weak only seconds ago, now looked like a proud gangster of sorts. It made Jimmy frown. Shrugging, he took her hand.


    Miya gave him half a smile, and they walked out of palace Jade.


    Once Jimmy had helped her into the car, he couldn¡¯t help but look back at Jade, the Hunter Manor, the blank face of his wife, his own throbbing heart. His hands clenched around the steering wheel. Turning on the ignition, he drove away.


    He had asked Miya to leave it be, to rest up and recover first. That they would go wherever she wanted once she was alright. But the girl¡¯s simple reply had sealed the deal.


    ¡°I might not have the courage to do this again, Jimmy,¡± she had said.


    In his haste, he had asked her to get ready.


    For despite everything, he knew he needed an answer. There was a possibility she was involved with his mother, she was involved with that green man, and Sheng was at her heels too. Without an answer, he would mess it all up again.


    Just like he had, all those years ago.


    Swallowing, he turned the car in the direction of the Millennial Graveyard.


    All the while, she didn¡¯t say a word.


    Jim was lost in his own muddle of thoughts, when he noticed that Miya was sweating again. It was fairly cold outside, so he frowned, then almost freaked out when she gasped.


    ¡°Miya?¡± his panicked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    She shrugged harshly.


    ¡°It¡¯s the drug¡­ It doesn¡¯t wear off for three months. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m alright.¡±


    Jim¡¯s brows furrowed. What?


    ¡°The doctor, Mr. Kern said that you¡¯d be fine by tonight,¡± he pointed out.


    ¡°I am fine, Jimmy.¡±


    ¡°But you¡¯re ¨C¡°


    ¡°The medicine reduces the intensity of the effect. The visions will go away after some time. They¡¯re mere, sudden flashes now. I¡¯m better already, husband.¡±


    ¡°But I ¨C¡°


    And then, Jim shut up. His face flushed and his heart hammered, his ears almost burnt from the blush.


    Husband!


    She said ¨C


    And then, he frowned again.


    ¡°Don¡¯t distract me with husband, damn it.¡±


    His complain was indignant, yet dignified. It made Miya chuckle. She breathed heavily, and then smiled.


    The visions weren¡¯t killing her anymore. But the thought of where she was headed was enough to numb her sense.


    Was it the right choice?


    Telling Jimmy¡­


    And how much would she endanger, by telling him? If that person, the one whom Kaali worked for found out, she¡¯d be chased to the end of the Earth. What then?


    And did Jimmy really deserve to be part of a story that wasn¡¯t his own? He was a good man. Why should he, of all people, suffer because he married her?


    Her mind once again ran back to that fairy boy from years ago.


    Jimmy Hunter¡­


    Miya took in a deep breath, and then closed her eyes. The dark took over her senses in an instant, and she relaxed.


    ¡°Jimmy?¡± She didn¡¯t let go of the darkness that spread before her. In that moment, it felt comforting and familiar. It reeked of home.


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Let me recite a letter to you.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Someone wrote it to me six years ago.¡±


    Jim frowned again, glancing at her through the corner of his eyes. She lay relaxed in her seat, with eyes tightly shut. Her face seemed paler, but it held no expression. She was lost, once again, in a world solely hers.


    ¡°Who wrote it?¡± Jim asked.


    ¡°The girl we¡¯re visiting. The castle I set fire to¡­ it¡¯s her grave, Jimmy.¡±


    A cold chill cut through Jimmy¡¯s veins, and his hands almost froze on the steering wheel. He swallowed, horrified.


    ¡°Should I?¡±


    He didn¡¯t respond. The wife took that as a yes.


    ¡°The letter,¡± she said dazedly, ¡°Went like this. She didn¡¯t know how to write, Jimmy. She made KaSu write it. And so ¨C¡°


    That caught Jimmy¡¯s attention. The hammer of his chest increased, he slowed down the car and listened.


    ¡° ¨C Sung did. The letter started with a Hello,¡± her voice lowered, as the girl was completely lost in her thoughts, ¡°And it said ¨C ¡°Miya. My partner, don¡¯t be mad. I¡¯ve been told a shadow never leaves the intimacy of the body. Why the f*** then would you leave? They¡¯re bound by fate. We¡¯re bound by fate. Don¡¯t you believe in destiny anymore? Come back. I¡¯ve always thought I¡¯d die in battlefield, fighting some nameless monster. Now I know I won¡¯t! This is a good way to go, Miya. It¡¯s f***ing different! Just, free me when I¡¯m gone. In flames? That¡¯s warm. Burn our castle down, maybe?


    Come back!


    You have to be here. I¡¯m naming you godmother.


    And no matter what, choose our child. I want him to see you first. Not KaSu. To see what ¨C¡±


    Miya abruptly stopped.


    Her breath became harsher, and her eyes snapped open. She sat up in the seat, removing the seat belt and running a hasty hand through her hair.


    Jim had frozen in his seat.


    He reached out a hand to caress her shoulder, but the girl shirked it away. Then holding her head in her hands, she quivered.


    ¡°Y-You¡¯re g-godmother to a child? Who is this woman, Miya?¡±


    The tremble in her body intensified again. Jim unfastened his belt, and stopped the car, quickly parking it to the side. He rushed to her door and flung it open.


    She was still holding her head and shuddering. Jim was about to pat the small of her back, when suddenly, she let go.


    Miya looked up at Jim, her face haunted and terrified, paler than ever. Her lips seemed charred and all blood had left her body. Rashly, she put a hand to the corner of her eyes.


    What Jim matched next swept the floor from his feet.


    Her eyes¡­


    Slowly, Miya detached the contacts. The black in them gave way. What was left was the sinister green. The calm of the forest. The torment of the sea.


    They were the most beautiful eyes Jim had ever seen.


    She looked like the devil¡¯s incarnate. Her lips curled, her expression misplaced. Her voice was simply hell.


    ¡°Some of us, Jimmy,¡± she said, almost to herself ¡°have been doomed from the start.¡±

 #173. The Dual Kidnap

    Raven High was a mess.


    There were students screaming all around, as the entire population of the school ran towards the exit gates. Cars were pulled and bikes were scattered, several alarms went off in the distance. Someone hollered over the sudden, massive crowd that had filled the grounds of Raven International, trying to put things under control. The place had rapidly turned into a brash chaos.


    As the rush of panic struck teens continued, Ben couldn¡¯t help but shiver hysterically. His eyes were wide with fear as he clutched at the shoulder of the man carrying him in a death grip. Unable to look away from the burning theatre, the child swallowed. Silent tears filled his eyes and dripped down his cheeks.


    The fire was massive.


    A low ache rose at the back of his head, somewhere near to the bottom of his neck. It spread to his ears quickly. And before the guard could have brought the child to the exit gate, the pain was severe enough to split Ben¡¯s head. Without warning, he coughed up blood again.


    The guard gave the kid a worried look, as he made his way through the crowd. Two other guards who accompanied Ben every day, pushed through the masses too, following closely behind. One of them was bleeding from the arm, the other was respectively unhurt. When Ben looked at their approaching figures, his head spun, the pain intensifying from the movement and holler, but he also felt a strange sense of relief.


    They were okay.


    But¡­


    ¡°U-Uncle Chenric?¡± Ben¡¯s voice was hoarse, barely audible, as he put together the fact that four men always stayed with him during school hours. Just then though, Chenric was missing. The burly man carrying the child nodded without expression, answering his query in a grunted, ¡°He¡¯s getting the car around, little master.¡±


    Ben closed his eyes, breathing hard as the pain spread. He felt slightly light in his head, almost dizzy. Benji Hunter swallowed, clutching the man¡¯s shoulders hard. Then, he passed out.


    Once they had stepped out of the grounds, the guard carrying Ben was quick to pull out his gun and order the two men behind him, ¡°You guys get in your car and stay close. Make sure no one is following us.¡±


    Both the men nodded back to him, simultaneously pulling out their guns as well, as they rushed towards the parking lot. The burly guard then marched forward, and flung open the door to the passenger¡¯s seat of the car that Chenric had driven to the school front. He stepped in, howling hurriedly, ¡°Go, go, go!¡±A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    They immediately took off.


    It was only when the car had sped, that a spine chilling silence spread inside. The guard was quick to realize that something was amiss, but the door to his side had been locked and the car was racing the street. That however, was the least of his problems.


    Ben was unconscious, for one. Then the guard happened to notice the expression on Chenric¡¯s face ¨C it was one of horror. Chenric¡¯s eyes were fixed on the road in front, his face covered in sweat. A trail of blood drizzled down all the way from the wrist of his left hand, to his elbow. His hands shook as he held the steering wheel. The blood dripped from his arm, forming a dark red patch on his thigh.


    His wrist had been slit.


    The guard¡¯s eyes went cold as he sensed some movement. His hand tightened around Ben¡¯s body, and he was quick to turn around and point his gun at whoever the f*** was sitting behind. He was a second too slow though. There was a muzzle pointing at Ben before the guard could make his aim.


    His suspicion, however, had been confirmed.


    Just behind the driver¡¯s seat, sat a thin, frail man. He was lean and small, almost as if carved out of a single bone. His face was sinister, tiny, almost invisible beneath the strands of silver hair that fell into his eyes. His lips were upturned into a crooked smile.


    ¡°F*** you,¡± he whispered.


    And then, he shot.


    The sound echoed deafeningly, as the bullet barely missed Ben¡¯s ear and cracked the windshield from the front. The guard was quick to duck the shot. In the same minute, however, Chenric¡¯s muffled gasp reverberated through the space of the car.


    For the silver haired man had not only aimed at Ben. Simultaneously, he had also driven a dagger through Chenric¡¯s heart, all the way from the back of the driver¡¯s seat. The blade remained plunged into the seat as it pierced through the young guard¡¯s chest. He gasped ¨C and it was only then that the guard carrying Ben noticed a garrotte in Chenric¡¯s neck.


    It looked like a guitar string, and it went around the young guard¡¯s neck, strangling him as the wire remained bound to the head of the driver¡¯s seat as well.


    Haunted chuckles of the silver haired man filled the room. Chenric¡¯s entire seat bled red. The man plunged the dagger deeper into the seat, extracting yet another strangled gasp from his victim. Then, he whispered in a faint voice,


    ¡°Do I still have to ask you to hand over your weapon?¡±


    The guard carrying Ben froze. Without expression, he extended his gun towards the man. Haunted laughter filled the car again.


    Kang Sheng put down the phone.


    The task was done.


    He sat behind a desk, smiling to himself, the sea blue of his eyes chilling the servant who stood in front. He looked the servant up and down, then hissed sardonically, ¡°I have the bastard. What do I do now? Kill? Keep alive?¡±


    The man before him didn¡¯t dare to breathe. The master didn¡¯t care for opinions. The servant knew that much.


    Kang Sheng¡¯s smile broadened. And then, he laughed.


    ¡°Simon Hunter once told me,¡± he hissed to himself, ¡°He wouldn¡¯t cross the border between good and vile. He would always stand on the line, but never cross it. What do you think? Will he cross over now?¡±


    He laughed again. And then he leant back in his chair, breathing in satisfaction. This was fun. He had two pieces now.


    The bastard was his, yes.


    But he also had that beautiful blonde boy. Who was it again?


    Ah. Yes.


    Hartley Greene.


    He would have to wait and see what Simon Hunter and his bloody son did now. Would he finally have them at his shoes, ready to serve?


    Call him, ¡°Master¡±?


    Oh, yes. Yes. Yes.


    He would.

 Request?

    Hello!


    It has been a while, right? How''s everyone doing?


    If you''re still here and reading this, many thanks.


    I''m mostly writing this because I think it''s time I let you know what''s been going on at my end. Updates are irregular, some of you''re forgetting the story, etc. I read your comments. I understand.


    However, I too am stuck in a dilemma. As a student in final year of graduation, work is tenfold and I can''t afford to mess up. Because then life''s gonna suck b*lls right? Haha. But the post isn''t about that.


    My Perfect Lady is my obsession. It takes a lot of effort and time for me to pen it. But I''m not giving up on the story, or you the readers, who are here after all this time. I''m grateful for your support, and the patience. There''s also something else.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    I''ve deleted the first half of the story from here. I went with it to amazon. That doesn''t mean there won''t be updates here, so don''t worry about that. But, but, but.


    I need your support.


    Seriously!


    Amazon is tough, and I know from my dashboard that My Perfect Lady has tens of thousands of fans in numbers. So, please, please. Those of you who can, and are able to, do support me on amazon! I''ve lowered the prices, and unless you''re a broke student (I get it. Honest.) consider purchasing a copy. It''s a gesture because you already know the story, but it could be a turning point for me.


    Who knows, maybe we''ll be best sellers and I''ll write full time. *sighs*


    Alright. That''s not going to happen. But a girl can dream, right?


    Here''s the link:


    https://www.royalroad.com/amazon/B07NZVZW43


    Below is the one for India:


    https://www.amazon.in/dp/B07NZVZW43


    I''m keeping my fingers crossed, and against all odds, hoping this will work out. Wish me luck!


    And if you do turn out nice enough and get a copy froma amazon, thank you in advance ? Let me know who you are!


    I''ll see you in the next update.


    ~ Saumya.


    P.S.: I''ve published under the pen name Tipsy ?