Him

The mauve velvet curtains were tied. Behind them was an elegant arched window. Sunlight poured in through the glass, brightening up the room. The rays were the only signs of warmth in the room.

A man had his head lowered, not daring to face the ferocious beast opposite to him. Although he tried to keep himself composed, his facial muscles were stiff due to the pressure.

"She is being brought back, boss," he answered, finding his throat being dry.

Slender and well-defined fingers secured the watch on the wrist that led to a muscular arm. Although prominent, the muscles weren't exaggerated.

The navy suit adorned by him gave him an image representing elegance, self-restraint, and abstinence. His sharp deep set silver eyes held power and dominance in them.

His black hair was styled neatly with not even a strand misplaced. His presence brought fear and cautiousness.

He was an attractive, but one needed courage to appreciate it.

"Prepare the car," he ordered.

"Are you going to see her?" the man hesitantly asked.

His silver eyes sharply fell on the man. Instantly, man understood that he didn't appreciate being questioned.  The man lowered his head immediately.

"Then, I will be going, boss."

He hurried out from the room and closed the door behind him carefully. He took a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped away the cold sweat.

A breath of relief left his mouth.

He made it out alive.

He was temporarily made his assistant because Charles, his original assistant, had been sent away to complete a task. He didn't plan to die before Charles returned.

°°°

She leaned against the comfortable seats of the aircraft. It's not that she gave up escaping. It's just that the constant failures made her feel exhausted.

Everytime she attempted to get away, the attempts were fruitless. She only got caught by them and stared at by their blank eyes.

It made her feel as though she was being mocked by them for being unable to run away even after burning out her brain.

She had the determination inside her, but what could that alone achieve?

The situation would be worse for her in her hometown. That was her family's turf. Everything that went there was in his control, and this made her kick the space in front of her in frustration.

She was close to ripping out her hair due to exasperation.

The moment she dreaded the most arrived. The aircraft didn't fly forever nor did the flight get obstructed in the middle unfortunately.

To her distress, the private jet landed smoothly on the runway, and door slid open.

Adrianne knew that at this point, she could only deal with this situation forthright, holding her head and shoulders high. She had to make her point clear.

She wouldn't be succumbing to what that man had to say.

"Let's get going," Michael said.

Adrianne stood up and walked in front of him. The moment she got down from the jet, her eyes spread across the expanse.

It had been a long while since she came here.

Because of her nervousness inside the jet, she didn't see the scenery outside. But when she got into the car, as the automobile moved, a sense of nostalgia was brought over.

Although she didn't have much freedom and her movements were greatly restricted, she had considerable amount of fun as well.

She spotted the places she visited in her younger days, and the memories came in her mind. They were both good and bad.

As she recounted the days, she could see that a lot of development and changes have occured. This made her feel a sense of loss.

Of course, everything will not be remaining the same after those long years.

How long had it been since she last visited this place?

Five years?

It should be a six years in few months.

After finishing her high school, she burned with determination get out from the terrifying and gloomy city. She confronted her father about it— the man who kept her enclosed here— and managed to get away from here.

Back when she left, she was filled with fancy ideas, but the reality hit her soon enough. As young girl without any background or knowledge of the outside world, she faced a lot of troubles.

Even so, she didn't regret anything.

She went through problems, countless of them, and had only herself to count on to. But she enjoyed the thrill that came, and satisfaction brought when she managed to take a step forward.

She made good friends over the years— ones she could sincerely trust to have her back without any interests involved. Although her editor nagged a lot and could get quite annoying, the woman was still precious to her.

A range of thoughts travelled through her head. When the car halted in front of large, imposing mansion, she was pulled out of them.

She turned her head to look at the white mansion standing proudly. It had a touch of retro architecture to it. The mansion has been around for a really long while.

Other than occasionally small renovations done, nothing was changed about this mansion. It was the pride of the family as claimed by that man.

She clenched her had into a tight fist.

A wide yard spread around the mansion. There was an artificial lake behind it. The area inside the mansion was incredible too. It was filled with people, fulfilling their roles as servants.

Despite that, she grew up feeling suffocated and lonely.

Was there a moment she was even happy there?

The door was pulled open, and she snapped out of her memories. She locked away her emotions and stepped down from the car.

She stood in front of the large and intimidating mansion.