《TRAPPED: Hideo Colombo Book 1》 CHAPTER 1 YSOLDE¡¯S POV I held the doorknob of Papa¡¯s office, and I slowly opened it. I peeked to see if he was inside, and when I saw him sitting across from his desk, I pushed the door open and entered with a smile on my lips. ¡°Hi, Pa!¡± I greeted him cheerfully. He lifted his face to look at me. ¡°Oh, hi, honey! What are you doing here?¡± he asked me in astonishment. I walked closer to him and kissed his cheek before I sat in the visitor¡¯s chair on the side of his desk. ¡°Um, Papa¡­¡± He just looked at me seriously. I know he didn¡¯t like meing here today to his office. ¡°May I ask you for something?¡± I asked him. I could see how his forehead was knit. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Can I sleep over at Shiloh¡¯s house?¡± I¡¯m already twenty-seven years old, but I still have to ask his permission when I leave the house, even if I am with my friends. Well, Papa is just too overprotective of me. He just wants nothing bad to happen to me again, just like five years ago. He became overprotective of me because of an ident that happened to me and mama that caused of her death. Furthermore, because someone tried to kill me these past few days, he became even more strict and careful of me. And I don¡¯t disobey or go against what he wants me to do or what he tells me-except now. I asked his permission if I can sleep over at Shiloh¡¯s house. My best friend. ¡°Why?¡± I gently let out a deep sigh. ¡°I just want to be with Shiloh. We haven¡¯t seen each other for a few weeks now,¡± I said. Papa sighed too and leaned back in his chair. Alright! I think I know what he¡¯ll say next. ¡°Honey, you know how much I take care of you.¡± I nodded slightly. Yeah, right! I knew it! ¡°Look baby¡­¡± ¡°I know, Pa,¡± I told him sadly so that he would not continue with the rest of what he wanted to tell me. I already know that. ¡°Go on. Giuseppe is outside waiting for you. He will take you home.¡± I sighed again, then stood up in my seat. ¡°Bye, Papa!¡± I said and walked out of his office. ¡°Ms. Ysolde!¡± Giuseppe immediately approached me, as well as Papa¡¯s four bodyguards, who always followed me wherever I went. It¡¯s annoying that there are men in ck polo shirts who always follow me, but I can¡¯t do anything about it. I can¡¯t drive them away. ¡°I want to go home, Giuseppe,¡± I told him, as I continued to walk down the hallway. Giuseppe was beside me and apanied me on my walk. Papa¡¯s two bodyguards were in front of us, while the other two were behind us. ¡°Right now, you have no choice but to do what your dad wants,¡± said Giuseppe. ¡°When the person who tried to kill you is caught, everything will return to normal.¡± I turned to look at him. Giuseppe was only thirty years old. And he has been working with Papa for a long time as the head leader of the bodyguards. Since our age gap is not bigpared to Papa¡¯s other bodyguards, I feelfortable talking to him. When I¡¯m bored at home and I don¡¯t know what to do, he¡¯s the only one I always disturb. And I¡¯m thankful that he didn¡¯tin to me. Or maybe he just has no choice but to persevere when I tease him? And did I mention he¡¯s handsome? Yes, that¡¯s right! If only I had typed someone like Giuseppe. Possibly¡­ could be I would have had a crush on him since the first day I saw him. I focused my eyes forward again. ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right. I don¡¯t have any choice right now.¡± ¡°So don¡¯t go ahead with your n to go see Ms. Shilohter.¡± My eyebrows met, and I turned to him again. What does he mean? He gave me a serious look as he turned to me as well. ¡°How did you-¡± ¡°I heard you talking on the phone with Ms. Shiloh.¡± Even though I hadn¡¯t finished what I was going to say, he blurted out. I stopped walking and faced him. My eyebrows met more. ¡°Isn¡¯t it prohibited to listen to someone¡¯s conversation?¡± I asked him seriously. He shrugged his shoulders. ¡°I did not listen to your conversation,¡± said Giuseppe. ¡°It was just an ident that I heard you talking to someone on the phone. Next time, learn to close the door to your room. So that no one will hear your ns.¡± I secretly sighed because of the annoyance I suddenly felt for him. ¡°Just let me go to Shiloh¡¯s house. I promise I¡¯ll be home right before Papa gets home.¡± I have to convince him now because papa didn¡¯t let me earlier. Furthermore, I honestly missed Shiloh because we haven¡¯t seen each other in a few weeks. ¡°Ore with me. So, that even if papa knows I left the house¡­ he still won¡¯t be angry with me because I¡¯m with-¡± ¡°And he will be mad at me because I disobeyed his orders and did what you wanted.¡± He interrupted me again. This man is so annoying. I know how loyal he is to my papa and to his job¡­ so I¡¯m sure I have no chance that I can convince him now to do what I want to happen. So, I need to think of a way to leave hometer. I took another deep breath and started walking again. I was quiet until we got out of the building. Giuseppe opened the backseat door for me. After I got on it, he sat next to me. I was still silent until we got home. My nanny, Aunt Salve, immediately greeted me when I entered the living room. She has been working in our family for a long time. She has taken care of me since my mother gave birth to me. ¡°Ysolde!¡± ¡°Aunt Salve!¡± ¡°Are you hungry yet? I will serve food on the table.¡± I shook my head. ¡°I¡¯ll eatter, Aunt Salve. I¡¯m still full.¡± I said. ¡°But you didn¡¯t eat before you left.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll just go down to the kitchen when I¡¯m hungry.¡± I heard her let out a deep sigh. ¡°All right. Take a rest.¡± ¡°Thank you, Aunt Salve.¡± I gave her a small smile, then I went up the high stairs. When I got to my room, I immediatelyy down on the bed and took out my phone from my pocket. I sent a text message to Shiloh. I told her I wasn¡¯t certain if I could go to their house tonight, but I will find a way to leave the houseter. A few momentster, I received a call from Zakhar-my boyfriend. A wide smile suddenly appeared on my lips when I answered his call. ¡°Hi!¡± ¡°Hey, babe!¡± Somehow, I felt happy when I heard his voice from the other line. I missed him so much. We haven¡¯t seen each other in two weeks. And it¡¯s been a few days since thest time we talked because he was busy. He is abroad right now for a business meeting. ¡°I missed you.¡± I told him. ¡°I missed you too, babe.¡± ¡°When are youing home?¡± ¡°I have another week meeting here. But I promise, babe, I¡¯ll go home right after my business trip. I miss you already-so much.¡± I smiled again when I heard what he said. Zakhar is my first boyfriend, we met two years ago. He is the son of Papa¡¯s business partner. He was handsome, dark-skinned, and tall; he has all the qualities of a man I¡¯m looking for. That¡¯s why I¡¯m so lucky to be his girlfriend. He was a teacher before we met, but because his father wanted him to take over as CEO of their family business, he was forced to leave the job he loved. ¡°And I missed you so much, babe. I can¡¯t leave the house either.¡± I heard his sigh from the other line. ¡°Just listen to Bernard, babe. I want nothing bad to happen to you, so it¡¯s better that you stay at home for now. I know everything will be okay.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay for me to be here at home¡­ but you¡¯re not here. I¡¯m bored, babe.¡± ¡°Be patient, babe. And don¡¯t worry, when I get home, I promise I¡¯ll always be there for you, so you won¡¯t get bored.¡± ¡°Promise me that, okay?¡± I smiled andy down on my bed. ¡°I love you!¡± Instead, he said that made me, I smile even more. ¡°I love you too, babe.¡±Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org. ¡°I need to go back inside. The meeting is still going on. I just went out to call you.¡± I shuddered suddenly because of thest thing he said. He¡¯s always been like that since he became my boyfriend. Even if he is busy, sometimes he will make a way just so he can talk to me. I fell even more in love with him. ¡°Bye, babe. Take care, okay?¡± ¡°You too, babe. Bye.¡± That was all, and our conversation was cut short. I sighed as Iy down on the bed. There was still a smile on my lips when I closed my eyes. CHAPTER 2 3RD PERSON POV ¡°Boss, Mr. Latorre is already here.¡± A man wearing a ck polo shirt said as he approached his boss. His big boss was sitting in front of arge table, ying ckjack, while he was apanied by four older men. The man in his thirties looked up for a moment. His body posture is good, and he has a beard on his face. He was wearing a ck long-sleeve polo shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. As he leaned back in his chair, he had arge cigarette between his fingers. A few moments, he looked up the stairs and saw the old maning down there. After a while, he turned to look at his bodyguard and nodded to give him a signal. The man turned his attention to the four old men and the dealer that was on the other side of the table. Later, he also nced at the card in front of him. He lifted it slightly and peered, then he suddenly smiled foolishly and finally took the card and threw it in the middle of the table. ¡°I¡¯ve never really won this game when you¡¯re my opponent, Mr. Colombo,¡± said an old man. He shook his head, but there was a smile on his face. He also took his card and threw it in the middle. ¡°I¡¯m just great at this game, Mr. Hernandez.¡± ¡°Next time, let us win, Hideo,¡± said the old man andughed a little. Like his other opponents, he has also lost several times in that game when Hideo was the opponent. ¡°I¡¯ll think about it, Mat¨ªas,¡± said Hideo. He smiled foolishly again and signaled one of his bodyguards toe to him. When his bodyguard got close to the table, he immediately collected the poker that he had won. Hideo stood in his ce. ¡°Well, gentlemen¡­ this game is over. Enjoy the rest of the evening.¡± The four old men nodded before Hideo turned and walked away from the table. ¡°Mr. Latorre was still in the VIP room, boss,¡± said Hideo¡¯s bodyguard. He didn¡¯t bother to answer. Instead, he just continued walking until he got out of the casino and headed to the parking lot. *** Bernard was shocked when he entered his car and suddenly a lighter lit up next to him. His eyes widened as he turned his gaze to the seat next to him. Even though it was dark, and he couldn¡¯t see the man in the fedora hat properly, the old man knew who it was. ¡°H-Hideo.¡± He stammered the man¡¯s name and backed away slightly in his seat. He even swallowed. ¡°Long time no see, Bernard!¡± said Hideo. After a while, he smoked the tobo and released thick smoke into the air. The old man coughed as he inhaled the smoke. Since the entire car was closed, the smoke of the tobo that Hideo was smoking umted inside. ¡°Hideo-¡± ¡°Hideo! Hideo! I heard you say my name twice, Bernard. Don¡¯t you have anything else to say to me?¡± the man asked, while his eyes were still focused on the front of the car. A few seconds of silence prevailed inside that vehicle. Later, it was Hideo who turned to the frightened old man. ¡°Looks like you¡¯re hiding from me.¡± Bernard shook his head quickly and pressed himself on the side of the door when he saw the strange anger in Hideo¡¯s eyes. ¡°N-No. Of course not!¡± Bernard stammered again. ¡°Didn¡¯t we talk about my money?¡± Hideo said emphatically, as his gaze on the old man was sharp. ¡°It¡¯s been over a week, Bernard. You did not keep your word. And you know that¡¯s what I hate the most.¡± The old man swallowed again. Because of the extreme fear he felt at that moment, he didn¡¯t know how to open his mouth to answer Hideo¡¯s words. Hideo Colombo was known as a tycoon throughout Europe. He has many big businesses, not only in Italy but also abroad. There are reports he is also the leader of a group that sells or imports illegal products into Italy, but this has not been confirmed. Hideo is also feared by other bigpanies. Because regardless of who opposes him, no one can defeat him. And Bernard¡¯s only mistake now is why he borrowed arge sum of money from Hideo just to save his sinking business. And now Hideo is charging his debt. He had no money to give. Bernard feels too much fear in those moments. What if, like other entrepreneurs who borrowed arge sum of money from Hideo, after they failed to pay, they vanished and were never seen again? What if the same thing happened to him? ¡°Please, Hideo¡­ just¡­ just give me another time. I¡¯m working on a way to get money to pay you.¡±Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org. ¡°Really?¡± asked Hideo sarcastically. ¡°Just give me another chance, I promise-¡± His suddenughter caused the old man to stop speaking. ¡°How many times have I heard those promises from people like you who don¡¯t know how to keep their words, Bernard?¡± he shook his head, then pulled out the gun stuck at his side. Suddenly, Bernard¡¯s eyes widened, and his heart was filled with nervousness and fear. When he felt a tightness in his chest, he suddenly held on to it, and he struggled to breathe. Hideo just smiled. He stroked the shiny gun as he stared seriously at the struggling old man. ¡°I told you, Bernard, if you don¡¯t pay your debt, your life is in return.¡± Bernard¡¯s chest became tighter, making it harder for him to breathe. Until he slowly leaned against the side of the door. Hideo slightly blew the muzzle of the gun he was holding, then he looked at Bernard again. The old man was unconscious. After a while, he let out a deep breath and brought the tobo to his mouth. He blew thick smoke into the air again, then opened the door next to him and got out of Bernard¡¯s car. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± He told his men and got into the ck BMW that was next to Bernard¡¯s car. CHAPTER 3 YSOLDE¡¯s POV I slowly turned the doorknob and opened the door of my room. Even my steps are careful so that I don¡¯t make any noise. I am worried that Aunt Salve will wake up and Giuseppe, who I don¡¯t know where he is sleeping now. When I got to the stairs, I looked at the living room for a moment. And when I confirmed it was quiet and nobody seemed to be downstairs, I continued my descent down the stairs. In order not to hear my footsteps, I deliberately carried my sandals while carrying my bag on my shoulder. I was just about to get to the main door when I heard the voice of one of Papa¡¯s bodyguards, so I darted to the sofa and hid on its side. ¡°Bro, can you watch outside first? I¡¯m just going to the kitchen to make some coffee.¡± ¡°Yeah, sure. And make it two, please.¡± I snuggled closer to the edge of the sofa when I saw Papa¡¯s bodyguard approaching in my direction. I was very nervous because he might see me. But when he passed where I was hiding, I immediately stood up and hurriedly ran towards the main door. Fortunately, it wasn¡¯t closed, so I had no trouble opening it. After I got out of there, I looked around the garage again. Two bodyguards are at the end of the swimming pool area. I also looked at the gate. It¡¯s closed, but I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll have much trouble opening it. I took a deep breath and released it into the air. It only took a few seconds for me to rush to the gate. Good thing the guards didn¡¯t notice me. I slowly opened the gate, then hurried out. I ran to the taxi that was waiting near to our house. Before I left my room earlier, I called a taxi and told the driver to just wait for me outside, and I¡¯ll just pay him double. ¡°Hurry! Let¡¯s leave now.¡± I said to the driver when I got into the back seat and put on my sandals. The driver immediately revved up the taxi¡¯s engine and drove it away. I will go straight to Shiloh¡¯s condo unit because when I called their house earlier, her mom said she was there. While I was in the taxi going to Shiloh¡¯s condo, I don¡¯t understand why my chest pounding so fast now than earlier. Well, I don¡¯t want Papa to scold me tomorrow when I get home. And I can¡¯t go back home now because I¡¯m sure Giuseppe will scold me, too. It took me a few minutes before I arrived at Shiloh¡¯s condo. After I got out of the taxi, I tried to call her number, but she didn¡¯t answer, so I just went up to her unit. I¡¯m still feeling the same way I did in the taxi, while inside the elevator. I really don¡¯t know why I feel this way. When I got outside Shiloh¡¯s unit, I knocked on the door. But she didn¡¯t answer. Since I already knew the password for her unit, I just tried to open it. I just hope she hasn¡¯t changed it yet. But thank God¡­ I opened it. ¡°Shiloh!¡± I was smiling as I entered the door. ¡°Shiloh!¡± but she still didn¡¯t answer me. I walked closer to her room, maybe she¡¯s just there and resting because it¡¯s already ten o¡¯clock at night. However,ter, I stopped. My forehead also wrinkled suddenly when I heard someone moaning from inside her room. Is that Shiloh? I stepped closer again, and the moan I heard got louder and faster. And this time, I was sure it was Shiloh I was hearing. I covered my mouth when, from the slightly open door of the room, I saw Shiloh. She was naked while on top of the man. My entire face suddenly became hot. I turned around, and I was about to leave her condo and wait for them to finish¡­ but I paused when I heard the man¡¯s voice. ¡°Ohhhh! Damn! Faster babe!¡± My forehead furrowed. That voice is familiar. My heart suddenly beat faster. I can¡¯t go wrong. I know that voice. It was Zakhar. My boyfriend.Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. I don¡¯t know, but my whole body suddenly weakened at the thought of my boyfriend and my best friend doing something in that room. Later, I felt the heat in the corner of my eyes, then suddenly my tears fell. When I turned towards Shiloh¡¯s room, I saw Zakhar, and he saw me too. His eyes widened when he saw me standing outside Shiloh¡¯s room. ¡°Ysolde!¡± Shiloh also turned to me. I shook my head as my tears continued to fall. My knees suddenly went weak. Even though my entire body was shaking with anger, I forced myself to move in my ce. Though my vision was blurry, I ran out of Shiloh¡¯s unit before Zakhar could catch up with me. How did they fool me? My boyfriend? My best friend? EVEN THOUGH my eyes were blurry from my tears, I still walked smoothly down the long hallway to get to the elevator. I need to get away from this ce before something bad happens to me, before I pass out from the pain my heart is feeling right now. Why did they cheat on me? Why did they do this to me? I thought Zakhar was abroad because of his business trip? That¡¯s what he told me earlier when we talked on the phone. But now, I will find out that he is in Shiloh¡¯s unit and the two of them are together, both naked and having sex? And Shiloh? We were best friends since we were little, then this is all she will do to me? My tears flowed again as my heart ached even more. When I felt like I was going to fall because of the weakness of my knees, I suddenly leaned against the wall. I covered my mouth while sobbing. And even though the people who passed in front of me were looking at me, I just ignored them. ¡°Ysolde, babe!¡± I heard Zakhar¡¯s voice. The anger in my heart intensified when I turned to him. He¡¯s not wearing upper clothes, and his pants have not been zipped yet. His hair was still sweaty and messy. ¡°Babe!¡± Because of my anger, I suddenly pped him very hard when he got close to mepletely. ¡°How dare you?¡± I shouted at him. ¡°Babe.¡± ¡°Babe?¡± I shouted again. The veins in my neck almost broke because of the extreme anger I feel right now. I want to p him until the anger in my heart is gone now. But I stopped myself from doing that. I took a deep breath and then held it in my chest for a moment before I released it into the air, and then I shook. ¡°How dare you, Zakhar?¡± My voice was trembling when I asked him. ¡°Allow me to exin-¡± ¡°After what I saw earlier inside Shiloh¡¯s room? While you two are having sex, now you want to exin to me? For what? For what, Zakhar?¡± Anger is overflowing in my heart right now. Even if I scream loudly, even if I p him again and again, the anger and pain that my heart feels currently will never go away, because of what I found out, because of what I saw earlier. I feel like a knife is slowly sinking into my heart at this moment. ¡°Have you been fooling me for a long time, Zakhar? When have you and Shiloh been cheating on me? Has it been a long time, Zakhar?¡± I asked him again. But he did not answer me. My eyes staring at him are full of resentment and frustration. God knows how much I love this man. Even my best friend¡­ but they still fooled and hurt me. I took a deep breath and released it into the air as I wiped the tears from my cheek. ¡°I thought you were abroad! But why are you in Shiloh¡¯s room¡­ with her?¡± ¡°Babe, I¡¯m sorry.¡± Iughed sarcastically when I heard his apology. However I cried again and shook my head. That means¡­ they have been in a rtionship for a long time? While the two of us also have a rtionship? How did they do this to me? Shiloh also knows how much I love Zakhar, but why did she still betray me? My shoulders slumped, and I slowly turned my back on Zakhar to leave because if I stayed here any longer, I might not know what to do with myself. I might not stop myself from going back to Shiloh and hurting her. ¡°Babe-¡± I pped him again when he rested me on my arm. I shot him a sharp stare again. ¡°I love you so much, Zakhar, but you only broke my heart.¡± I said, while my tears continued to flow. ¡°You cheated on me¡­ with my best friend.¡± I shook my head before turning around again and forcing myself to walk properly. Until I get to where the elevator is. CHAPTER 4 ¡°ARE YOU all right, miss?¡± I heard a man¡¯s voice that I hadn¡¯t noticed earlier when I entered the elevator. I lifted my face to look at him. And even though my vision was still blurred, I tried to reflect on the man¡¯s face. He was also standing in a corner and leaning on the side while wearing a ck hat. ¡°What are you crying about?¡± But instead of responding to this stranger, I hid my face once more. I don¡¯t want him to see the tears on my face. ¡°It¡¯s not appropriate for a beautiful woman to cry.¡± I frowned when I raised my face to look at the man again. This time, his eyes were focused on the front. I gazed at him. His face is full of beard. He also has a tattoo on his arm. If my guess is right, it¡¯s a bird¡¯s wing. I just couldn¡¯t see much because he was wearing a ck long sleeve polo with the sleeves folded up to his elbows. Later, I could not immediately take my eyes off him when he suddenly turned to me. Our eyes met. And I suddenly felt fear because of the way he was looking at me. His eyes seemed full of darkness that I couldn¡¯t exin. A few moments, I slowly averted my eyes from him and raised my palm to my face to wipe my tears that ran down my cheeks. And from the corner of my eye, I saw him move and grab something from his pocket. ¡°Here! Take this and wipe your tears,¡± he said. Even though I wanted to avoid epting the handkerchief, he handed it to me¡­ I was also forced because my tears didn¡¯t stop flowing. I slowly raised my hand to ept his handkerchief. ¡°T-Thank you!¡± I whispered to him. He just smiled at me before focusing his eyes on the elevator door again. I wiped the tears that kept flowing down my cheeks. Butter, I smelled something strange in that handkerchief and I gradually felt dizzy. I looked at the man when I heard him speak, but I couldn¡¯t understand what he said. Until my vision gradually darkened, along with the weakness of my knees. *** ¡°Oops!¡± when Ysolde fell, and he caught her. He even smiled foolishly when he brought the woman, who was now unconscious, to his chest. Just then, the elevator door opened. He carried Ysolde before walking out there and walked into the basement parking lot where his car was parked. He opened the door to the back seat and put Isolde on board. Then he got into the driver¡¯s seat. YSOLDE¡¯s POV When I felt the sun¡¯s rays hitting my face, I barely moved in my bed. I stretched before opening my eyes. But my eyebrows immediately crossed when I noticed that the ceiling of the room was unfamiliar. I looked around. This is not my room. Whose room is this? Why am I here? I sat on the bed. But I also suddenly closed my eyes tightly and held my forehead when I felt it tingled. ¡°Wait¡­ why am I here? Whose room is this?¡± I looked around again. And suddenly, what happenedst night came to my mind. From the time I left the house and ran away from Giuseppe¡­ until I got to Shiloh¡¯s unit, and I witnessed how she and Zakhar cheated on me. I was stunned when I also remembered the man I was with in the elevator. That man gave me a handkerchief and then, I don¡¯t know what happened next. I suddenly felt a tremor in my chest when I remembered what happenedst night before I lost consciousness.Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org. ¡°My God!¡± I covered my mouth. ¡°Did that man kidnap me?¡± Holy! Why am I asking that? That man must have kidnapped mest night. He gave me a handkerchief with a pungent smell. After I wiped it on my cheeks and nose, I slowly passed out. My heart beat faster because of fear. When I looked at the bedroom window, I immediately got up from the bed and ran there to see where I was now. But suddenly, I frowned when I only saw the beach and the sea around the house. ¡°My God! Where am I?¡± Because of the fear I was feeling at that moment, I couldn¡¯t think straight. I just stood in front of the window for a few minutes before I returned to my trance, then I turned my sight to the door. Even though my knees were shaking, I walked closer to it. When I tried to open the doorknob, good thing it was not locked. Even though my heart felt so scared right now, I sauntered out of the room until I reached the top of the stairs. The entire living room was quiet. I also couldn¡¯t hear any noise around to determine that there was someone else here besides me. I could hear the soft waves on the beach through the open sliding door. Furthermore, I went down the high stairs. My steps were still careful as I turned my eyes around. There¡¯s really no one here but me. When I finally made it down the high stairs, I was suddenly surprised when I looked behind me and saw the enormous portrait of the man. I held my chest because of the shock. ¡°Jesus!¡± I gasped. Butter, I was also stunned when I recognized the face of the man in the picture-even his tattoo on his arm. It¡¯s him! That was the man I met in the elevatorst night. Suddenly, the hairs on my body stood up because of the overwhelming fear that rose in my chest. I also recoiled when I stared into the man¡¯s eyes. God! It¡¯s just a portrait, but this man¡¯s gaze is so sharp and terrifying. It felt like my knees were going to buckle at any moment. I turned around and took big steps towards the open door to get out of this house, but I screamed loudly when this man suddenly appeared in front of me. ¡°Ahhh!¡± ¡°Hey! Shut up.¡± I could not run away from him when he suddenly grabbed my one arm and pulled me to his body and with one of his hands, he covered my mouth. ¡°Shut up if you would rather not get hurt.¡± He said loudly in front of my ear while tightly wrapping his arm around my waist. ¡°Just¡­ shut up.¡± ¡°Mmm.¡± I shook my head as I felt the heat in the corners of my eyes again. CHAPTER 5 YSOLDE¡¯s POV I just silently cried while sitting on the sofa in the living room. Until now, the overwhelming fear that my heart feels has not disappeared. The man who abducted me was outside the sliding door-on thenai, and he was talking to someone on his phone. I¡¯ve been thinking of running out of the house to escape, but what¡¯s the point of me running out if he catches me too? What¡¯s the point of me running out if I have nowhere to go because the sea surrounds his house? My God! If only I had listened to Giuseppe and not insisted on running away from home, I wouldn¡¯t be going through all this now. But still, I¡¯m thankful that I ran off from homest evening because if I hadn¡¯t, I wouldn¡¯t know that the two people I love the most were being unfaithful to me. Until now, I will not know what Shiloh and Zakhar are doing while I am at home, hiding because someone is trying to kill me. But I¡¯m not thankful that I¡¯m here today in the ce¡­ I don¡¯t know in which corner of the world this man¡¯s ce is. I don¡¯t even know if I¡¯m still in the Philippines or in another country. ¡°§·§à§â§à§ê§Ú§Û! §®§í §á§à§Ô§à§Ó§à§â§Ú§Þ §à §á§â§à§Õ§å§Ü§ä§Ñ§ç, §á§à §Ü§à§ä§à§â§í§Þ §Þ§í §Õ§à§Ô§à§Ó§à§â§Ú§Ý§Ú§ã§î, §Ó §Õ§â§å§Ô§à§Û §Õ§Ö§ß§î?.¡± I heard the man say to the person on the other line, But I did not understand what he said because he uses an unfamiliarnguage. ¡°§³§á§Ñ§ã§Ú§Ò§à! §³§á§Ñ§ã§Ú§Ò§à!¡± The man said again, then he hung up and let out a deep sigh before turning in my direction. I immediately looked away from him. Later, I heard his footsteps approaching me. My heart is beating fast again because of so much fear. ¡°I told you earlier to stop crying.¡± I couldn¡¯t help but close my eyes tightly when I heard his rough and baritone voice. Just then, I was too scared¡­ my heart was beating too much. What if he does something bad to me? Please, God! Please help me! I hope Papa is looking for me now¡­ and Giuseppe, too. ¡°Stop crying, Ysolde.¡± I suddenly lifted my face, and I frowned as I stared at him. Does he know me? Even though my vision was blurry because the tears were still flowing in my eyes, I tried to look at him. His ck eyes are scary. ¡°D-do you know me?¡± I stuttered and asked him. But he didn¡¯t speak immediately, instead he sat on the single couch that was on the other side of the sofa I was sitting on. ¡°Why not?¡± he asked. He sat down and rested his elbows on the armchair, and intertwined his fingers. Tears welled up in my eyes again. ¡°W-who are you? Why did you kidnap me?¡± ¡°Well, let¡¯s just say that¡­ your dad owes me a lot.¡± I frowned as I stared at his face. Papa owes a lot to this man? How did that happen? Our family business was doing well, and Papa had no problems, especially with money. I shook my head because of what he said. ¡°Papa never had a problem, especially about money.¡± I said firmly. Heughs foolishly as he lets out a deep sigh. And after a while, he became serious and gazed at me. He just stared at me, but I could already feel my hair standing up all over my body. His eyes are very scary. ¡°Your father locked you in your mansion, so you don¡¯t know that he is suffering and is already buried in debt and problems.¡± My eyebrows met even more. What is this man talking about? Does he know who he is talking about now? Papa is well known in the business industry. And thepany he built since he was a young man has continued to thrive in the business industry for decades. So, how did my papa have an issue with this man? How did my papa owe this man so much? ¡°If what you say is true that Papa owes you a lot, is that the reason you kidnapped me and brought me here?¡± I boldly asked him. I saw a small grin on the corner of his lips. ¡°Yes!¡± he answered my question without hesitation. I suddenly went soft again because of fear. Later, I looked away from him. Papa, help me! I secretly prayed that papa would find me soon, even though it seemed very impossible for that to happen. I lowered my face, and my shoulders shook because of the sobs I was trying to prevent from escaping my throat. ¡°Stop crying, Ysolde.¡± I didn¡¯t look at him, but from the tone of his voice, I knew his gaze was sharp on me now. ¡°From now on, train yourself that you are here on the ind, and you are with me. Because from now on, this will be your home.¡± ¡°No!¡± I yelled at him when I raised my face again. I also gave him a sharp look while shaking my head. ¡°No! You can¡¯t lock me up here. Take me back to my Papa.¡± I told him with a mixture of anger and begging. ¡°Please! I want to go home.¡± When he stood in his ce, I immediately stood in my ce, too. Even though I was terrified now, I dared to approach him and without saying a word; I grabbed one of his hands. He turned to me in shock because of what I did. I knelt in front of him in tears. ¡°Please! Please, I want to go home. Take me home to my Papa. I would rather not be here.¡± I begged him. Furthermore, I didn¡¯t get an answer from him-instead, he just looked at my hand in his, then looked me in the eye again. ¡°Please, mister. I would like to go home.¡± I begged him again and again. ¡°Please let me go.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t take you back to your father. You will stay here. With me.¡± He said firmly before he violently withdrew his hand that I was holding. Because of what he did, I almost fell to the floor. ¡°Stop crying, Ysolde. Your tears won¡¯t help you, either.¡± He said and quickly left the living room. I started sobbing again as I copsed on the floor. *** I was standing on the side of the sliding door while looking outside the house and watching the sun set in the west. I don¡¯t know what time it is now because I¡¯m not wearing a watch, and I don¡¯t see a clock in the living room of this house. I¡¯m just standing here as if I¡¯m waiting for someone toe and help me get off this ind. Even though I could feel the pain in my feet and legs, I didn¡¯t leave where I was standing. I felt a little calmer earlier as I watched the small waves on the beach. Somehow, my heart full of fear was relieved because of that man. As I let out a deep sigh, the icy breeze hugged my whole body again. I hugged myself. ¡°Are you not hungry?¡± I flinched slightly when, from behind me, I heard his voice. I automatically swallowed. My heart, which was gradually calming down earlier, was once again pounding due to fear. I didn¡¯t answer him. Instead, I squeezed through the ss door. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw hime out and take his ce on thenai. ¡°What I hate the most is that I will ask questions but not be answered.¡± But I still didn¡¯t speak. I don¡¯t care about him. He can talk as much as he wants. Later, I saw him pull something from his side. And suddenly, my eyes widened when I saw his shiny gun. I was once again struck with overwhelming fear. I also slightly backed away from where I was standing. He looked at the gun in his hand for a moment and stared at me again. ¡°Are you not hungry, Ysolde?¡± I could clearly see the tension in his jaw and his more frightening eyes. Because of so much fear, I couldn¡¯t immediately answer his question. ¡°Ahhh.¡± I screamed when he fired his gun, pointing outside the house.Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. I felt like I was suddenly deafened by the force of that shot. In all my life, I have never heard a gunshot, so suddenly my whole body trembled with fear. He stood up from his seat and walked closer to me. Because my knees were shaking with fear, I couldn¡¯t move from where I was standing. We are only one step away from each other. He stared at me. I felt the heat in the corner of my eyes again. ¡°The next time I ask you, answer me right away,¡± he said firmly. I saw his jaw clenched. Instead of answering him, tears suddenly came to my eyes ¡°Do you understand me, Ysolde?¡± he asked. ¡°Do you understand me, Ysolde?¡± he asked angrily again. ¡°Y-yes! Yes!¡± I suddenly answered when he yelled at me. ¡°Good.¡± His voice softens while still staring at my face. His hand went up to my head and gently stroked my hair. ¡°Be a good girl to daddy, so I don¡¯t get mad at you,¡± he said. ¡°Now, go to the kitchen and eat.¡± I feel like I was hypnotized by his eyes and immediately followed what he said. Even though my knees were weak, I moved from where I was and sauntered towards the kitchen. CHAPTER 6 YSOLDE¡¯s POV I just quietly crouched in my seat while forcing myself to eat. Maybe he cooked this food because we didn¡¯t have anyone else here. The food is good, but I don¡¯t feel like eating much. I¡¯d rather die here because of hunger than be with him for a long time. But every time I looked at his gun on the table, I was suddenly attacked by extreme fear, just like earlier. I sighed secretly and tried to swallow the food in my mouth. I still can¡¯t hold back my tears. ¡°Eat more, Ysolde!¡± I heard his serious voice when I let go of the cutlery I was holding. ¡°I-I¡¯m full.¡± I said sparingly, while still keeping my eyes on my te.Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Two bites of food, and you are full already?¡± With the tone of his voice now, I was even more scared. So even though I didn¡¯t feel like eating, I forced myself to pick up my spoon and fork again and continue eating. I didn¡¯t hear another word from him until I finished eating. I also washed the tes, sses, forks, and spoons we used. Even though I grew up in a luxurious life and had maids at home, I somehow knew how to do housework because Aunt Salve taught me when I was little. Because my full attention was focused on what I was doing, I didn¡¯t notice that he was no longer in the kitchen. After I got out of there, I didn¡¯t even see him in the entire living room. I looked up the stairs, and I didn¡¯t hear any noise from the second floor of the house. I also looked at the door and I swallowed for a moment, then I slowly walked closer to the sliding door. Even though I¡¯m nervous because I¡¯m thinking about escaping now that I know there¡¯s no certainty if I can really escape from here¡­ but I tried anyway. When I went out the door, the icy breeze immediately hugged my whole body. I also hugged myself as I looked around to see if there was anyone out there, but I didn¡¯t see anyone. After a few seconds of walking on the sand, I darted to the beach. I couldn¡¯t think straight anymore. It didn¡¯t even ur to me if I could swim across the vast sea to reach the nearby ind. If this ind also has neighboring inds. When I reached the sea, my entire body suddenly shivered when I felt the freezing water. ¡°Help! Help! Please help me!¡± I shouted when, from a distance, I could see a boat approaching the shore. ¡°Please! Help me!¡± even though my voice is shaking. ¡°Help! Please help me!¡± I forced myself to wave my hands so that the person in that speedboat would notice me. Later, I closed my eyes tightly when the bright beam of the shlighting from the white speedboat that was now close to where I was hit my face. When I opened my eyes, I was suddenly struck by fear when I saw him standing in front of the speedboat. He gazed sharply at me. I suddenly swallowed. ¡°What do you think you are doing, Ysolde?¡± His voice was loud and frightening, so I was even more afraid of him. ¡°P-please!¡± Suddenly, my tears flowed. His jaw tightened. ¡°Take her and bring her home.¡± He ordered his men. Two men immediately jumped into the sea, while the other three remained standing behind him. When the two men grabbed my arms, I couldn¡¯t do anything. What else do I have against them? They were big people, while I was just a small woman and my strength was exhausted because of the cold sea. Papa, please help me! Until we reach the seashore. The two men were still holding tightly to both of my arms. My feet could barely reach the sand because of their height. I feel like I¡¯m floating in the air. ¡°Boss.¡± When we entered the house, the man was already in the living room. He was sitting on a single couch with arge cigarette between his fingers. And just like earlier, his gaze was still sharp on me. ¡°What are you doing, Ysolde?¡± My whole body was shaking because of the cold and the fear I feel right now. Although my vision was dim, I tried to meet his gaze. ¡°P-please! Please, sir, send me home! Bring me back to my Papa.¡± I pleaded with him. I could feel the gaze of his bodyguards surrounding the entire living room. Therefore, Ipletely lost hope I could leave this ce. Maybe tomorrow or the day after, I¡¯ll not be surprised to see that his bodyguards is all around the house. ¡°I¡¯m begging you! Bring me back to my papa. I know he is looking for me. So, p-please!¡± I begged him again. ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you that from now on, you will live here¡­ with me?¡± he said. I can still feel his angry gaze on me. ¡°So train yourself to be here on my ind and never try to escape again. Because regardless of what you do, you can never get out of here.¡± I shook my head. My tears are still falling. ¡°No, no.¡± ¡°Yes, Ysolde,¡± he said and nodded. ¡°And you only have two choices in case you run away from me again¡­ first, you will die of cold if you swim in that vast sea. Second, I will kill you myself if you disobey my order again.¡± His words were very emphatic. I can feel the hair standing on my body because of fear. I could see in his eyes that he was serious about what he said. That he wouldn¡¯t think twice about killing me if I tried to escape again. For that reason, I felt even more afraid of him. ¡°I¡¯m easy to talk to, Ysolde. If you don¡¯t want me to be angry with you, then follow everything I tell you.¡± He stood up from his seat and walked towards me. Because I was afraid to meet his scary eyes, I quickly lowered my face. I felt him bow in front of me. Later, he grabbed my wet hair and effortlessly made me look up at him so our eyes met. My tears still don¡¯t stop flowing. I stared into his eyes. I can see the anger there, but I also seem to see sadness. ¡°Never disobey mymand to you, Ysolde, if you would rather not be hurt.¡± He said firmly, while his eyes didn¡¯t even blink. Tears welled up in my eyes again. ¡°Come here,¡± he said. I was surprised when he suddenly grabbed my arm and forced me to stand up from my seat on the floor. ¡°P-please! Ouch! I¡¯m hurting.¡± I grunted and tried to pull my arm away from him, but it only hurt me more when he tightened his grip on me. ¡°Please! Please let me go!¡± ¡°Stop crying and begging. Nothing will happen to you, either.¡± Until we got to the second floor of the house. When we were across a room, he opened the door and pulled me inside again. He pushed me to the bed. I sat on the edge. After a while, I was ovee with fear again when I saw the handcuffs attached to the top of the headboard. I looked at him and shook my head. ¡°P-please don¡¯t!¡± I said to him with a trembling voice. But he just came to me and tried to hold one of my hands. I struggled. ¡°No! Please have mercy on me.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know how to pity Ysolde. So if you don¡¯t want me to be even more angry with you, follow everything I tell you.¡± I cried even more when he handcuffed my two hands to the side of the headboard. I feel the pain in my wrist, as if at any moment it will also bleed because of my handcuffs. And I also feel the cold enveloping my core. Oh, yes. He handcuffed me to the bed while I was still soaking wet. ¡°P-please. I beg you, mister.¡± ¡°Stop begging. That¡¯s your punishment for not following me. And the next time you disobey me again¡­ this is not the only thing I will do to you.¡± He said angrily to me. ¡°Do you understand me?¡± I didn¡¯t answer him. Instead, I just lowered my face while still crying. ¡°Do you understand me, Ysolde?¡± I gave him a sharp look when I raised my face. ¡°Just kill me if that¡¯s what you want to do to me. Don¡¯t torture me anymore.¡± I yelled at him. ¡°After all, you will not let me leave here, right?¡± My eyes were still full of tears when I looked at him. ¡°Just kill me. I would rather not suffer anymore¡­ just kill me instead.¡± But all I got from him was a goofy grin after I let out those words. ¡°Don¡¯t rush your life, young woman. I just want you to be a good girl.¡± Later, there was a knock outside the door. It opened and spat out one of his staff. ¡°Signore Hideo, you have a call from the other hideout.¡± The man said. Hideo? Is that his name? I think I heard that name from Papa. He gave me one more serious look before turning away, and I even flinched when he mmed the door to the room. I was left alone here. I was miserable, helpless and, most of all, shivering from freezing because of my wet clothes. Maybe this is the end of my life. I can¡¯t escape from him. I can¡¯t go back to our house. And most of all, I will never see Papa again. It could be tomorrow, all that Hideo will find here is my stiff corpse. I silently cried because of that thought. CHAPTER 7 YSOLDE¡¯s POV ¡°Wake up!¡± I woke up suddenly when I heard a woman¡¯s voice, and her soft tapping on my thigh. Even though I could feel the pain in my head and my whole body¡­ I slowly opened my eyes. The first thing that appeared in my blurry vision was the face of a woman who seemed to be close to my age. She was wearing a ck leather jacket and ck pants. Her hair is braided, and she also wears lipstick. She¡¯s staring at me. My entire body was in so much pain, I couldn¡¯t move from my ce. All night, I just sat and leaned against the headboard of the bed. My hair and the clothes I was wearing were also dry. My hands that were still handcuffed above the headboard were numb, and I was unable to feel them anymore. Thank God, and this woman did not find me inside this room as a cold and stiff corpse. I¡¯m still alive. But should I be thankful because I¡¯m still alive today? I am certain that I will face another problem today. What will happen to me now? ¡°Who are you?¡± I asked herter when I felt that she still didn¡¯t take her eyes off me. The woman just frowned. ¡°I said, w-who are you?¡± Currently, I am realizing that my voice was weak. Almost no voice came out of my mouth. Maybe because of the cold and the seawater that dried up on my bodyst night, that¡¯s why I lost my voice. ¡°Eat!¡± I also saw the tray on the side of the bed. Suddenly, my stomach churned with hunger when I saw the food. ¡°H-how can I eat?¡± I asked and looked at my hand, that was still handcuffed. The woman took a deep breath and grabbed something from her pants pocket. I saw her take the key from there, then she came to the side of the bed and removed the handcuffs from my hand. When the handcuffs were removed, I felt the pain in my wrists. But I also breathed a sigh of relief and felt better afterward. I grabbed my pulse and massaged it lightly. I have a wound and there is still blood. Possibly because I stretched my handst night while I was sleeping. ¡°Eat before the bosses. I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll be mad at me for feeding you.¡± I looked at her again when I heard what she said. She walked over to the single couch in the room¡¯s corner and sat there. She rested her elbows on the armchair while staring at me seriously. ¡°Eat now, Ysolde.¡± Unconsciously, I swallowed and avoided looking at her. I looked back at the food she brought earlier. When my stomach growled again, I slowly reached for the tray and ate quietly. Somehow, I felt relief in my stomach. ¡°Are you done?¡± Later, I heard the woman¡¯s question, so I looked in her direction again. I nodded slightly. She stood up from where she was sitting and approached the bed again. ¡°Get dressedter. Your clothes are already dry, after all. I can¡¯t give you clothes now because my boss will scold me.¡± ¡°B-but¡­¡± I stammered. ¡°But I want to take a shower. I¡¯m itching and¡­ I would like to pee.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry. But I can¡¯t give you what you want. Just wait for the boss toeter.¡± I was about to speak, but suddenly, she grabbed my hands and handcuffed them above the headboard again. ¡°Please! I¡¯m really peeing. Promise, I¡¯ll just be in the bathroom for a moment.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± she said. ¡°Only two hours and the boss will be here.¡± My eyes widened. What? In two hours? I have to wait two hours before I can pee? Oh, why won¡¯t she just let me go to the bathroom? Why do I have to wait two hours if I¡¯m just going to use the bathroom for a moment? I get kidney stones if I hold my urine that long. ¡°P-please! Two hours is a long time. I¡¯m just going to pee for a while!¡± I am still begging her. But she didn¡¯t look at me. Instead, she picked up the tray and silently left the room, leaving me alone. I let out a deep sigh and leaned against the headboard. My God! I¡¯ve only been locked up in this house for a day¡­ but it feels like years have passed since Hideo brought me here. I miss my papa already. Furthermore, I want to go home. In addition, I didn¡¯t realize the time, and I fell asleep again. Not only that, but I just woke up when I felt a hand caressing my thigh. When I opened my eyes, I was surprised to see the man sitting on the edge of the bed next to me. This is one of Hideo¡¯s men. He smiled widely as he stared at me. I was suddenly struck with fear when I thought of what this man was nning now. I looked at his rough and dark hand, that was still caressing my thigh. ¡°W-what are you doing?¡± ¡°Shhh!¡± He even signaled to me not to make any noise. I shook my head, one after another. Later, his hand went up to my stomach. ¡°P-please! No! Please stop it!¡± I felt so scared because of what this man was doing. In my entire life, this happened only now. Even Zakhar, in our two-year rtionship, never once touched my thigh. I only gave him a kiss because I wanted to keep myself clean until we got married. But this man¡­ he dared to touch my thigh. I wanted to remove his rough hand from my stomach, but I couldn¡¯t because I was still handcuffed. ¡°Please! Don¡¯t!¡± The corner of my eye got hot, and it took only a few seconds for my tears to fall. God! What is happening to me now? Is this a punishment for disobeying Papa¡¯s order? That¡¯s all I did wrong, but why is my punishment so much? ¡°Shhh! Don¡¯t be loud, they might hear us.¡± ¡°Please, don¡¯t!¡± I said, shaking my head. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, the boss isn¡¯t here yet, so give me what I want first.¡± He grinned again, disgusted. ¡°Help!¡± I screamed. But I was also suddenly stunned when he pulled out a knife from his side. He pointed it at me. ¡°I told you not to scream, or I¡¯m going to kill you right now,¡± he said. I could do nothing but keep quiet, and I kept my mouth shut. The man acted. He crawled from my feet. I wanted to step on him between his legs, but his knife was pointed at me. ¡°You look delicious! Boss Hideo was lucky and got you.¡±Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org. He was about to kiss me, but suddenly the door opened. The man looked at the door, even me. Only then did my hopee alive and the fear in my heart disappeared when I saw Hideo. ¡°What are you doing, moron?¡± he asked angrily. I could clearly see how his jaw tensed when he took big steps closer to the bed. ¡°B-boss!¡± the man stuttered and said in fear as he hurriedly left on top of me. ¡°S-sorry, boss!¡± Hideo did not speak. Instead, he grabbed the cor of his bodyguards¡¯s clothes and gave him a series of hard punches in the stomach. He fell to the floor. ¡°Damn! Why did you enter this room?¡± asked Hideo. ¡°S-sorry, boss. I just wanted¡­¡± ¡°What do you want?¡± ¡°Sorry boss!¡± ¡°Damn it!¡± Hideo kicked the man hard in his stomach. ¡°Take this trash outside and tie him up. Wait for me outside!¡± He sternly ordered his men outside the room. I was just stunned because of the fear I felt because of what that man did to me. ¡°Hey!¡± I looked at him when he patted my arm. I raised my face and stared at him, and I saw no other emotion on his face at that moment but anger. Again, tears flowed from my eyes, one after the other. He heaved a deep breath and took the handcuff key from his pants pocket, and he released my hands. As soon as those handcuffs were removed from my hands-even though my whole body is still weak because of the pain in my back and the fear I felt earlier because of that maniac¡­ I suddenly stood up on the bed and hugged Hideo. Even if he kidnapped me and brought me to this ind. Even though I was afraid of him¡­ I am truly grateful to him right now. Because if he doesn¡¯te soon, I don¡¯t know what that man is doing to me. ¡°T-thank you. Thank you.¡± I told him while crying, and my entire body was still trembling because of fear. I hugged him so tight. Furthermore, I didn¡¯t hear a word from him. But I felt him holding my waist. It¡¯s like he¡¯s telling me, Wee. CHAPTER 8 YSOLDE¡¯s POV He grabbed both of my arms and gently pushed me away from him. My body is still shaking from the fear I felt earlier. ¡°Hey! It¡¯s okay. You are safe now,¡± said Hideo.Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. But I couldn¡¯t raise my face to look at him. Besides being afraid to meet his eyes, I was also ashamed of him because I suddenly hugged him. ¡°Go on¡­ you can take a bath, so you can get dressed.¡± Only then did I raise my face and look at him. I don¡¯t know if I saw the emotion in his eyes correctly when our eyes met before he looked away from me. It¡¯s like¡­ I saw he felt sorry for me because of what happened earlier. I don¡¯t know, I¡¯m not certain. Or maybe I¡¯m just imagining it. And because I didn¡¯t immediately look away from him, I could also clearly see how in his jaw clenched. He sighed. ¡°Get up there and take a shower,¡± said Hideo, then immediately turned around and walked towards the door to leave the room. ¡°Hideo!¡± I called his name when he was about to hold the doorknob. He stopped. I waited a few moments for him to turn-but he didn¡¯t. I let out a deep but gentle sigh again. ¡°Thank you!¡± I told him, still in tears. ¡°Take a shower, Ysolde!¡± That was all he said, and he left the room when he opened the door. I was left alone. I closed my eyes tightly and took another deep breath and released it into the air. Likewise, I¡¯m sitting on the edge of the bed, but my whole body still feels the same. I¡¯m still shaking with fear, and I¡¯m still in shock because of what that man did to me earlier. Later, I looked at the open window when I heard a loud gunshot. Even though my knees were still weak, I got up the courage to stand up from where I was sitting and hurried to the window to see what was happening outside the house and why someone had fired a shot. ¡°Boss! I apologize!¡± said the man who almost raped me earlier. He was kneeling in the sand with his palms together and begging to Hideo. Hideo¡¯s jaw tightened again as his eyes stared at his bodyguard. After a while, he tightened his grip on the gun and pointed it at the man again. ¡°Boss! Please, I¡¯m begging you. Don¡¯t kill me!¡± the man screamed in fear as he begged him repeatedly. ¡°Don¡¯t kill me, boss! Please, I¡¯m begging you.¡± ¡°You know what I hate the most?¡± Hideo asked firmly. ¡°What I hate most of all is someone who cheats and betrays me.¡± He pulled the trigger of his gun again. The bullet hit the tree behind the man. ¡°It¡­ it won¡¯t happen again, boss! P-please, I just couldn¡¯t stop myself earlier, so I went to her room-¡± ¡°Damn!¡± Hideo pulled the trigger of the gun again¡­ but this time, the bullet hit the man¡¯s forehead. The man¡¯s body fell into the sand. My eyes widened in shock when I saw what Hideo did. I was shocked because of what I witnessed, and I could not move from where I was standing. Merciful God! In my entire life¡­ this is the only time I have witnessed such a crime. It didn¡¯t even happen right in front of me, but I could clearly see how Hideo would kill that man. Tears suddenly fell from my eyes, and I stepped back slightly when I saw Hideo look up and see me through the window. He saw me peeking, and I witnessed what he did. He is a criminal. Who are you, Hideo? Why is it so easy for you to kill people? *** I don¡¯t know how long I¡¯ve been soaking in the bathtub. I kept rubbing my arms, body, and thighs because I felt like I could still smell the stench of the man who tried to rape me earlier. Even though he¡¯s dead, I¡¯m still terrified. ¡°Ysolde!¡± I was distracted when I heard a knock from outside the bathroom door. She seems to be the woman who brought me food earlier. ¡°Ysolde, aren¡¯t you done yet? The boss has been waiting for you for a while.¡± My eyebrows crossed when I heard what she said. Hideo is waiting for me? Why? Because I¡¯m the next one he¡¯s going to kill because I witnessed the crime hemitted earlier? Because of that thought, my chest suddenly pounded again due to fear. Jesus! What is this life I have entered now? Why do I have to go through this now? Can¡¯t I just go home to my papa? I want to go home! I¡¯m so afraid right now. ¡°Ysolde!¡± I looked at the closed bathroom door. I feel like the doorknob is about to break because of that woman¡¯s repeated turning from outside. But I don¡¯t care. I will not stand in the bathtub just to open it on, and I will not leave here. Instead, I leaned my back against the side of the bathtub again and closed my eyes as I let out a deep breath. I let the woman keep knocking on the door until she stopped. But just a few minutester, I suddenly opened my eyes when I heard a loud noise. I looked at the door; it was broken, and I saw Hideo standing in the middle of it. His eyebrows meet as he stares at me. ¡°What are you doing?¡± asked Hideo. I don¡¯t know what to do at this moment. I have no clothes. My naked body was just submerged in the water. ¡°W-what¡­¡± I couldn¡¯t say what I wanted to say to him. ¡°Damn it, Ysolde! Why are you not answering? Jule called you a while ago.¡± He retorted. ¡°Didn¡¯t hear her. I¡­ fell asleep.¡± I apologized to him. He looks scary now, so if I tell him I don¡¯t care if Jule called me earlier, he might suddenly shoot me like he did to the man earlier. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± I said again, while I couldn¡¯t look at his eyes properly. His jaw tightened and he stepped closer to me. Because I was afraid that he might see my naked body, I immersed myself even more in the water. ¡°W-what, are you doing? I¡¯m naked-¡± ¡°The hell I care,¡± said Hideo angrily, causing me to interrupt my word. He violently took my hand that was submerged in water and effortlessly pulled me upright in the bathtub, causing me to scream. My God! I panicked and didn¡¯t know how to cover my naked body. When I looked at him, I saw him staring at me from head to toe. My eyes widened, and I immediately withdrew my hand from him. I covered my chest with one arm, while my other palm I covered between my thighs. I screamed loudly and pushed him. But he didn¡¯t even move from where he was standing and didn¡¯t even take his eyes off me. ¡°Ahhh!¡± I screamed again and spun around and dipped my body in the water again. ¡°Maniac!¡± I feel mixed emotions at this moment. Fear, anger and shame. And I¡¯m sure my entire face is red now because of my embarrassment because he saw my naked body. God! All my life, I was the only one who could see my whole body. Then now¡­ this is all this man will do? ¡°Ahhh!¡± I shouted again, and I couldn¡¯t stop myself from crying. ¡°Papa! Help me!¡± ¡°Shut up, Ysolde!¡± ¡°Ahhh!¡± ¡°I said shut up if you don¡¯t want me to undress here in front of you and join you there in the bathtub.¡± I was stunned suddenly when I heard what he said. I stared at his serious face while he was also staring at me. This Hideo is really shameless! He¡¯s a criminal, he¡¯s rude! Tears welled up in my eyes. ¡°Stop crying-¡± ¡°Then let me go home!¡± I shouted at him. ¡°Let me go home, please! I want to go home to my dad. I would rather not be here.¡± But he just gave me a sharp look. ¡°P-please Hideo! I would like to go home!¡± I begged him. ¡°P-please! Let me go home. I wish to be with my dad.¡± CHAPTER 9 YSOLDE¡¯s POV I let out a deep sigh as I stood next to the bed. I finished showering and getting dressed. Since I don¡¯t have any clothes here, I just took the clothes I found in the closet, just to change the clothes I was wearing earlier, which were already very itchy on my body. Sky-blue long sleeve polo and ck boxer shorts, that¡¯s what I got from the closet. The polo was halfway up my thighs. I don¡¯t know whether it was Hideo¡¯s clothes or someone else¡¯s. I just put it on while I was still drying my clothes. ¡°God! How can I escape this ce? I want to go home. I wish to be with my father and I promise I won¡¯t disobey him again. Just let me escape this ce.¡± I whispered tearfully as my fingers intertwined. After a while, I took another deep breath and held it in my chest for a moment before releasing it into the air. A few secondster, I heard a knock from outside the bedroom door and it opened. ¡°Ysolde.¡± The woman entered. She¡¯s¡­ Jule? That¡¯s what Hideo said earlier, that it was her name. ¡°Boss is waiting for you downstairs.¡± She said. I feel a mixture of nervousness and fear at this moment. I stared into her eyes. Just for a few moments, I suddenly felt the heat in the corner of my eyes, and I nced away from her. I wiped the tears that suddenly fell down my cheeks. ¡°Don¡¯t cry, Ysolde,¡± said Julie. ¡°Even if you cry, there¡¯s nothing you can do.¡± ¡°Why did you bring me here? W-what is my fault? Why did you kidnap me?¡± I asked her. She let out a deep breath and leaned against the doorjamb. She shrugged. ¡°Well, to be honest¡­ I didn¡¯t even know that my boss kidnapped someone and brought here to the ind. I only found out when I arrived this morning, and he ordered me toe here.¡± ¡°Liar!¡± I told her firmly. ¡°If that¡¯s what you believe. I can¡¯t do anything about it either,¡± said Jule. I shook my head as I sat on the edge of the bed. ¡°I want to go home!¡± ¡°Look, I know my boss very well. No matter what you do¡­ you can¡¯t escape from him. So if I were you, just be nice and follow what he wants you to do.¡± Jesus! What people are they? Why are they abducting innocent people? Why are they killing people? And this Jule, she is a woman, but why is she doing this? Doesn¡¯t she feel sorry for me? In my situation right now? ¡°Stop crying and go downstairs if you don¡¯t want the boss himself toe here to drag you out of this room.¡± I looked at her again when I heard what she said. She stared at me for a moment before turning and walking out of the room. ¡°You can¡¯t do anything, Ysolde. This is really your life now. Maybe you have no hope of getting out of this ce,¡± I said to myself, then took another deep breath and was forced to stand up in my ce. Even though it was against my will and my knees still shaking, I did nothing but step out of the room until I reached the top of the stairs. I saw Hideo¡¯s bodyguards in the living room. Furthermore, they were looking at me as if watching my every move. When my eyesnded on thenai, I saw Hideo there and his talking to someone on his phone. When he also looked in my direction, he immediately hung up and walked inside.Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org. ¡°Come here!¡± His voice was so authoritative that I couldn¡¯t do anything but go down the stairs until I got in front of him. ¡°What are you wearing?¡± he asked seriously and looked at me from head to toe. ¡°U-um¡­ I¡­ I don¡¯t have any clothes to wear.¡± I stammered, as I was unable to look directly into his eyes. Furthermore, I heard him let out a deep sigh. After a while, he held my hand without saying a word. Even though I was shocked because of what he did, I did nothing when he pulled me out of the house. I was almost in awe when I saw the whole ce. Since the day he brought me here, this was the first time I got out of the house while it was still light, so I could clearly see the beautiful surroundings of the ind. All I see is pure white sand on the entire beach. I could also see the tall coconut trees and other types of trees, and I saw only one house. Near to Hideo¡¯s house, I saw a helicopter. That¡¯s probably what he uses when he leaves the ind. And he was right when he told mest night, if I ever try to escape again, I can never escape from this ind because all I can see was the sea all around. I didn¡¯t even see any neighboring inds. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± My attention returned to Hideo when I heard his voice. I looked at his serious face. ¡°W-where are you taking me?¡± I stammered to him and tried to take my hand back, which he was still holding. But he didn¡¯t answer my question. Instead, he tightened his grip on my hand and pulled me closer to him until we got close to where the helicopter was. He talked to a man for a while. ¡°W-will I ride in that?¡± I asked him. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re afraid to ride a helicopter.¡± Instead, he told me. I identally swallowed my saliva when suddenly a tremor rose in my chest. God! I¡¯ve been on a ne to another country a few times, but I¡¯m terrified of riding like this. I have a fear of heights. Furthermore, I just looked away from him. ¡°Come on, Ysolde!¡± Hideo said and pulled me by the hand again. ¡°No! I¡¯m afraid to ride a helicopter!¡± I firmly told him. ¡°Are you kidding me?¡± When I lifted my face, I saw his eyebrows meeting. His face was serious as he stared at me. ¡°I-I¡¯m afraid to ride like that.¡± I told him again. ¡°Boss, it¡¯s ready!¡± I looked at his bodyguard, who approached us. Later, the rotor de of the helicopter started spinning. And before the strong wind blew away the hem of the long sleeve polo shirt I was wearing, I quickly grabbed it. Although I was wearing boxer shorts. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± ¡°Hideo-¡± I slightly pulled my hand that he was still holding. But he gave me a serious look. ¡°Come on, Ysolde, I¡¯m going to bete for my meeting.¡± ¡°But-¡± When he pulled my hand again, I couldn¡¯t do anything. Especially when he held my head and made me hunch over slightly when we were close to his helicopter. He supports me on the ride there. When we were inside, the nervousness in my chest grew stronger. I don¡¯t feelfortable where I¡¯m sitting now. I feel like I want to get off and just run back to his house. Without saying a word, he put the headset on me. ¡°Hideo-¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be scared¡­ my helicopter is safe.¡± That¡¯s what I heard from the headset he put on me. When I looked at him, I saw a strange emotion in his eyes. From what I can see of him currently, he seems to be a nice person and not a kidnapper. I can see in his eyes as if he is telling me not to be afraid because he is with me, and he will take care of me. Oh, holy lordy! A little whileter, a man also got on board. His pilot. In just a few moments, I also felt that the helicopter was gradually rising from the ground. Because of the intense nervousness that my heart felt currently, I firmly closed my eyes and gripped Hideo¡¯s hand. I also felt that he held my hand, and he intertwined our fingers. ¡°Lord! Please, I would rather not die yet. I still want to see Papa.¡± I whispered. ¡°Open your eyes, Ysolde.¡± I shook my head when I heard what he said. ¡°Come on, the view is beautiful. I know you¡¯re going to love it.¡± I felt his gentle squeeze on my palm. I took a deep breath and released it into the air. Later, I slowly opened my eyes. The helicopter is already above. From the window next to me, I could clearly see the beautiful view of the ind. The beauty is breathtaking. I don¡¯t know, but all the nervousness and fear that my heart feels seems to vanish because of what I see now. Suddenly, a smile appeared on my lips. ¡°You like it?¡± I didn¡¯t bother to look and answer him. I was just smiling, watching the blue and wide sea. Even the white sand on the beach. The green mountain of the ind. My fear of heights suddenly disappeared because of that beautiful view. I do not know where we are going. I just amused myself quietly the entire flight while looking out the window. After a while, I heard the pilot speak. I looked ahead, and just a few momentster, the helicopter we were riding was slowlynding on the rooftop of the building. I turned to Hideo when he grabbed my arm. He removed the headset he had put on me earlier, as well as the seatbelt. Then he opened the door next to him and got out. I saw him turn around where I was sitting, and he also opened the door next to me. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± he even extended his hand to me to help me get down. I didn¡¯t hesitate to ept his hand. After I got off, we immediately walked to the door. CHAPTER 10 YSOLDE¡¯s POV ¡°GOOD AFTERNOON, SIGNORE!¡± The employees greeted him, but he didn¡¯t bother to answer, instead his face was remaining serious. Until we reached a boutique. ¡°Hi babe!¡±Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org. A woman immediately greeted us upon entering the store. She even kissed both of Hideo¡¯s cheeks. And when she looked at me, she immediately raised an eyebrow. The way she looked at me, it was like she was asking who I was and why I was with Hideo, why Hideo was holding my hand. Later, I also raised an eyebrow at her. ¡°Sam, you will take care of Ysolde. I¡¯ll leave her here for an hour. When Ie back, she should be done.¡± ¡°Okay! I¡¯ll take care of her!¡± She answered and smiled sweetly at Hideo. Hideo let go of my hand when he faced me. His face is still serious.¡°If you intend to run away from me againter, don¡¯t do it,¡± he said and looked around for a moment. ¡°In every corner of this building, I have a bodyguard watching over you. And don¡¯t ask for help because no one will help you here. So, be a good girl, Ysolde, so I can be happy.¡± said Hideo in a whisper, while his serious look didn¡¯t change. I swallowed a little while I stared into his scary eyes. ¡°Just one mistake of yourster while I¡¯m gone¡­ I swear to you, I will kill you myself. Do you understand me?¡± If earlier the fear and nervousness that my chest feels has slightly decreased, now it has be stronger again. ¡°Do you understand me, baby?¡± ¡°Y-yeah.¡± I stuttered my answer to him. ¡°Good.¡± he says. He raised his hand and gently caressed my cheek. ¡°I¡¯ll be back in an hour.¡± He said before turning and leaving me here with his five men. I¡¯M UNCERTAIN if it¡¯s been an hour since Hideo left me in this boutique with this woman. And his five bodyguards were still following my every move. We went around the whole boutique, and I couldn¡¯t do anything but walk and follow Sam. Earlier, she asked me to choose the clothes I wanted because that¡¯s what Hideo said before he left, but I didn¡¯t listen to her. Instead, I only took a few pairs of clothes, undergarments, and pajamas. That¡¯s all, and nothing more. That¡¯s all I need right now. Why would I get expensive things if I can¡¯t use them because I¡¯m just locked up in his house? But Sam persisted. She told me that Hideo would scold her if I didn¡¯t do what she said. So, I did nothing when she herself took everything I required. ¡°Come here, Ysolde!¡± Sam called me as she walked closer to the shelves of heels and sandals. ¡°You choose!¡± Iughed a little when I stared at her. ¡°Are you kidding me?¡± I asked her. ¡°Why do I have to pick heels? I can¡¯t even use that because I¡¯m just locked up in Hideo¡¯s house.¡± I said mockingly and rolled my eyes as I let out a deep breath. Furthermore, I also saw her let out a deep sigh before she turned her back on me. ¡°You don¡¯t know, Hideo. I¡¯m sure you don¡¯t want him to get even more mad at you when you disobey him.¡± I frowned while still looking in her direction. She picks up several pairs of heels and t shoes. ¡°Come on, try these on.¡± I just sighed again and walked closer to the chair on the side. After I sat down, Sam gave me the heels and t shoes. I had no choice but to try them on. Oh, I really love shopping. I used to always be in malls and boutiques. Shiloh and I always go shopping together. I love to collect new clothes, bags, shoes, heels, etc. And I would be happy now because of the things I see in front of me, if only I wasn¡¯t in this situation. But I am a prisoner. I am Hideo¡¯s captive. How can I be happy now? ¡°This suits you.¡± Sam gave me a pair of four inch ck high heels. And yes, I like it. I haven¡¯t even tried it yet, but I like it. I did not immediately take it from her hand; instead, I looked at her seriously. ¡°What? Don¡¯t you like it?¡± asked Sam. ¡°You can choose anything you want.¡± She even pointed to the other shelves there that were also full of expensive heels. ¡°T-that¡¯s okay!¡± I said and took the heels she was holding. I tried it. And the size fits. It fits me perfectly. Sam even gave me a few pairs of heels. And everything I wore to try it on was immediately put in paper bags by the two salesdies. I was about to whine because I would rather not take those things¡­ I didn¡¯t need them, but Sam got ahead of me. ¡°Just keep it if you will not wear it. I just don¡¯t want to disobey Hideo¡¯s order to me.¡± She said and immediately turned and left me. I just sighed again and stood up from my seat. When I looked at the entrance of the boutique, I saw Hideoing. God! Why did I suddenly feel different as I watched him walk towards me now? He was wearing a ck long sleeve polo shirt paired with ck pants and ck leather shoes, and had a beard and mustache on his face, but he was undeniably handsome. Hideo is so handsome, he looks like one of the Greek Goddesses. And he looks wonderful, too. As if he is not a murderer and a kidnapper. He looks perfect in my eyes. If only he hadn¡¯t kidnapped me and I didn¡¯t know he was killing people, I would think he would be the perfect Prince Charming. But hell no, he¡¯s not. I shook my head because of the things ying in my mind right now. This is not correct. It is wrong for me to praise this man. He¡¯s a demon! ¡°Are you done?¡± asked Hideo when he approached me. I cleared my throat and avoided looking at him. ¡°Babe.¡± I heard Sam call him. When he walked towards her, I also walked away while the five bodyguards were still following me. After they finished talking, Hideo hurriedly walked over to me. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± As he walked towards the entrance, I followed him and he held my hand. I was quiet until we got to the rooftop of the building, and he helped me get on the helicopter again. I was silent and just looking out the window as we headed back to the ind. When we arrived at his house, we were just entering the living room when Jule greeted us. She was with a man who seemed to be Hideo¡¯s age. ¡°So, she¡¯s the one Jule was telling me about.¡± The man said with a smile while looking at me. ¡°What are you doing here, Guilherme?¡± Hideo asked instead. ¡°Is your work done?¡± The man¡¯s face suddenly became serious as he looked at Hideo. ¡°Can we talk? There¡¯s just a minor problem with one of my transactions.¡± Looking at Hideo, I saw how his jaw tightened as he let out a deep sigh. ¡°Go upstairs!¡± He ordered me authoritatively and let go of my hand that he was holding. I nodded and sauntered towards the stairs. ¡°Our opponent traced a transaction yesterday.¡± ¡°What?¡± He asked angrily. ¡°What else did they get?¡± ¡°The weapons that just arrived from Japan. One of our men guarding the pier didn¡¯t immediately send us a warning.¡± ¡°Damn it!¡± I stopped when I heard what they were talking about. My God! I knew it. Hideo is involved in illegal activities. So, it¡¯s no wonder it¡¯s so easy for him to kill people. ¡°How about the cocaine to send to Mr. Yen?¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine! I¡¯ve received the payment from him!¡± I frowned and looked at Hideo for a moment. Just then, he lifted his face and caught me looking at him. With the way he looks now, with his scary eyes¡­ I immediately avoided looking at him and hurried to step towards the room he brought me tost night. I entered there again. CHAPTER 11 THERE IS NO TV, no clock, only magazines and books in this room, so I can¡¯t tell what time it is. I don¡¯t know how many hours I¡¯ve been sitting on the sofa and looking out the window. I entered this room a while ago, and I was hungry, but I couldn¡¯t do anything but sit and stare outside the window as my mind was blown by the wind again. Eventually, I hugged my knees as the chilly night air came in from the open window. ¡°What are you doing?¡± I almost fell from my seat when Hideo suddenly spoke from behind me. ¡°Jesus,¡± was the only thing I said when I looked back at him. My one palm was held against my chest. As usual, he was serious again while staring at me. After a while, he walked closer to where I was sitting. I automatically moved to the edge of the sofa. ¡°What are you thinking, Ysolde?¡± he asked again. But instead of answering his question, I just avoided looking at him. Later, I heard him let out a deep sigh and slump down to sit on the end of the sofa I was sitting on. ¡°I told you already¡­ the thing I don¡¯t like the most is when I ask questions, and then I don¡¯t get an answer.¡± I turned to him. He was staring at the marble floor. ¡°W-What do you really need from me, Hideo?¡± I mustered up the courage to ask him again. Even though I know he won¡¯t answer my question, I don¡¯t care. I just want to ask him again, so he doesn¡¯t get mad at me. ¡°W-What, do you really need from me to kidnap me and bring me here? I know. I know my papa owes you nothing. But what is your reason for doing this to me, Hideo?¡± I asked him. The corners of my eyes started to heat again while staring at him. After a while, he turned to me. Even though I was afraid to meet his eyes on me, I didn¡¯t hesitate to stare at him. ¡°I told you everything, Ysolde,¡± he said. ¡°If you still don¡¯t want to believe¡­ that¡¯s not my problem. But there¡¯s only one thing you can¡¯t refuse. You will stay here with me forever. You can no longer escape from this ce.¡± Suddenly, my tears fell because of what he said. ¡°That¡¯s why I told you to train yourself, that you are here on the ind, and you are with me. Because one of these days, we will get married.¡± I was stunned when I heard what he said. My eyebrows quickly crossed. Even though my vision was blurry because of the tears blocking my eyes, I stared at him. What did he say? We will get married? Is he crazy? ¡°No, no! That won¡¯t happen. I won¡¯t marry you.¡± I told him firmly while shaking my head. ¡°Even in my wildest dreams, I never thought I would marry a murderer like you, Hideo. I¡¯d rather die than to marry you!¡± I shouted at him and quickly left the sofa. Even though my knees were shaking, I forced myself to step away from him. ¡°You can¡¯t do anything, Ysolde. That¡¯s your fate here on my ind.¡± ¡°No!¡± I screamed and cried even more. ¡°You have no right to decide what happens to my fate.¡± God! What do you really want to happen to me? Why are you torturing me like this? ¡°You will marry me and say I do, or I will end your life, Ysolde? You choose.¡± Tears welled up in my eyes after he said those words. Jesus. If only I had known that my life would be like this now, I wish¡­ I wish I would have done the things that I didn¡¯t do before. If only I had known that this is what I was going through, I would have given myself to Zakhar a long time ago. It¡¯s fine if he cheated on me¡­ he and Shiloh because I love him. I WAS STILL crying silently while sitting on the cold marble floor under the shower. I huddled myself in the bathroom¡¯s corner, as if that would help me get rid of the pain and fear that my heart was feeling at that moment. God! Why are you doing this to me? Why are you torturing me like this now? What did I really do wrong with you? Did I do something wrong? Was I a sinful person in my past life that this is happening to me now? I lost my mom¡­ I was separated from my father. My best friend betrayed me, even my boyfriend. Then this is happening to me now. Please! I want to go home. Please let me get out of this ce. Get away from Hideo. I can¡¯t do anything now but cry alone until I get tired. The tears just dried up on my cheeks. I feel the pain not only in my heart, but also in my swollen eyes. Until now, what Hideo told me earlier is still echoing in my mind. I will marry him? How dare he? I would rather die here than marry someone like him. Deadly man, dangerous man. He¡¯s a demon! He has no heart! Doesn¡¯t he have a sister or a mother to do all this to me? ¡°Ysolde!¡± I heard Jule¡¯s voice from inside the room. But I didn¡¯t bother to answer her. Instead, I hugged my knees and buried my face in them. ¡°Ysolde!¡± I know she is already inside the bathroom and probably looking in my direction. Despite that, I still didn¡¯t bother to raise my face to look at her. ¡°Boss said, get dressed and go down to the living room. He is waiting for you.¡± ¡°Tell him¡­ I will not go down there. He would wait if he wanted to.¡± I firmly said, while still crouching. I heard her let out a deep breath. ¡°Look, Ysolde, even if you cry all night and day. Even if you get mad at my boss, you won¡¯t change his mind. So if I were you, just follow everything he says, so you won¡¯t get hurt,¡± she said. Even though I wiped the tears from my cheeks earlier, they got wet again because of the resurgence of my tears. I raised my face and fixed a sharp gaze on her.Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org. ¡°If you were in my position right now, I¡¯m sure you would also understand how I feel right now.¡± I said firmly. ¡°But you can¡¯t understand me because you are not Hideo¡¯s captive. Because-¡± I didn¡¯t finish what else I was going to say when Hideo suddenly came. He gazed sharply at me. I could also clearly see how his jaw tightened. Jule went out of the bathroom without saying a word, leaving Hideo and me behind. I didn¡¯t bother to look away. Instead, I shot him a sharp look as well. Hence, I had the chance to stare into his eyes that seemed to burn with anger. The way he looked at me, I felt like I was going to die at any moment. He stepped closer to me. My heart beat faster because of the fear of him. I pressed myself harder against the wall behind me. I hugged my knees tighter, then my tears continued to flow. He crouches in front of me to level his face with mine. Just like earlier, his sharp gaze on me still hasn¡¯t changed. Later, I was attacked by extreme fear when he suddenly grabbed my wrist. ¡°No!¡± I yelled at him and tried to pull my hand back from him. But his grip on my wrist only tightened. ¡°P-Please! Please, Hideo no! Let go of me.¡± I shook my head while my eyes stared at him pleadingly. But I could see nothing else in his face and eyes but serious emotion. Without a word, he immediately pulled me out of the bathroom. He pushed me onto the bed, and he walked over to the closet, and took out a dress he had bought earlier for me. ¡°Get dressed-¡± ¡°No!¡± I shouted at him so loudly that he stopped speaking. His jaws tightened even more and his eyes sharpened at me. Although the nervousness and fear in my chest increased, I still kept my sharp gaze on him. ¡°Don¡¯t give me a reason now to be more angry with you, Ysolde.¡± ¡°Then don¡¯t force me to do something I would rather not do, Hideo!¡± I snorted at him again. I could clearly see how he clenched his fist while holding the dress. Later, I was surprised when he threw that dress on my face, which caused me to lie down on the bed. He immediately came to me and ced his heavy body on top of me. He took my hands and brought them above my head. Using one of his hands, he grabbed both of my hands and quickly choked me. I saw how his scary eyes were staring at me. The veins in his neck suddenly appeared because of his anger. I wanted to remove his hand from my neck because I felt like I was going to lose my breath from the tightness of his stranglehold on me, but I couldn¡¯t because he was also gripping my hands. I¡¯m having trouble breathing and I feel like my throat is going to burst because of what he¡¯s doing to me now. ¡°Damn it, Ysolde! Never make me angry because I might suddenly kill you right now.¡± He angrily said and tightened his grip on my neck even more. I felt myself sink deeper into the soft bed. I try to move my legs and feet that he is pinning. ¡°Follow my instructions if you want to live a long life. Get dressed and go downstairs.¡± I can hardly breathe, and I feel the weakness in my whole body. Butter he let go of me, and he left on top of me. I coughed one after another as my tears rolled down my cheeks. ¡°Put on those clothes ande downstairs right away. Don¡¯t make me wait too long.¡± That was it, and I heard his footsteps leaving the room. I just sobbed and buried my face in the bed. I hugged myself. CHAPTER 12 AFTER COMBING my hair, I left the room. When I reached the top of the stairs, I was greeted by silence all around-except for the gentlepping of the waves from the beach and the chirping of crickets around. I looked around the living room. Hideo¡¯s men were gone, and I didn¡¯t even see him downstairs. I continued down the high stairs until I reached thenai. There, I saw him outside the house. He was standing next to the table with food prepared. He was holding a goblet while silently looking at the vast and dark ocean. Since he had his back turned from where I was standing, he didn¡¯t notice me approaching him. I cleared my throat slightly to get his attention. He immediately turned to me. When our eyes met, I quickly lowered my face and focused my eyes on the sand. ¡°Sit down,¡± he uttered. When I peeked at him, he sat down in a chair. And before I sat down, I nced at the food on the table. I suddenly felt hungry. Oh, what time is it now? I haven¡¯t eaten in a while. ¡°I said, sit down!¡± I was slightly startled when he raised his voice and gazed at me. So, I quickly sat down in a chair. ¡°Let¡¯s eat!¡± That¡¯s all he wanted to happen, but why did he have to be angry with me earlier? Why does he have to hurt me? Oh, God Ysolde! Why are you asking that? It¡¯s probably because you argued with him earlier, so he got angry with you and hurt you. Quietly and slowly, I put food on my te. ¡°We¡¯re leaving tomorrow, so go to bed earlyter.¡± He muttered, but I didn¡¯t bother to raise my face to look at him. ¡°Did you hear me, Ysolde?¡± I swallowed the food I was chewing for a moment. ¡°W-Where are we going?¡± I asked him. ¡°You will measure your gown for our wedding next week.¡± My face suddenly lifted, and I looked at him seriously. His attention was focused on food. What did he say? For our wedding next week, God! ¡°Hideo-¡± ¡°I would rather not hear any objections from you, Ysolde.¡± His serious voice caused me to interrupt my words. After a while, he raised his face and looked at me seriously. ¡°That¡¯s my decision, so that¡¯s what will be followed and will happen next week.¡± Again, I felt the heat in the corner of my eyes. ¡°Hideo,¡± I said. ¡°Please. I¡¯m begging you-¡± ¡°One more plea I hear from you. I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll kill your Aunt Salve.¡± I suddenly bit my bottom lip when I heard what he said. Furthermore, I also tightened my grip on my cutlery. The tears that appeared in the corner of my eyes continued to flow down my cheeks. God. What kind of person is he? Why can he do all this? ¡°I¡¯m sure you don¡¯t want that to happen,¡± he said. ¡°And I would rather not see you crying in front of me.¡± I immediately took a deep breath to hold back my tears. I let go of the spoon and fork I was holding to wipe the tears from my cheeks. ¡°We¡¯re getting married next week before I leave for Cuba. So, I want you to behave, Ysolde. Like what I¡¯ve said, don¡¯t run away from me again. Because I can and will still find you. Don¡¯t do what I don¡¯t like if you would rather not hurt the people you love.¡± I just quietly listen to what he says, even though my ears would rather not ept it. ¡°Did you understand, baby?¡± I just swallowed and exhaled again. ¡°Did you hear what I said?¡± Slowly and forcefully, I nodded to him. My God! If only papa and Aunt Salve¡¯s lives will not be put in danger, I will never agree to the marriage that he wants to happen. But I have no choice! I have to ept the truth. This is my fate. EVEN THOUGH I¡¯m still sleepy and my head hurts because I didn¡¯t sleep wellst night, I took an early shower. Hideo might be angry with me againter if I take too long beforeing down to the living room. I also soaked in the bathtub for about half an hour before deciding to rinse and finish my shower. When I came out of the bathroom, I immediately walked to the closet to get the clothes that Sam had picked out for me yesterday. I took it out of the paper bag and put it on the bed, and I stared at it for a while. In fairness, all of Sam¡¯s choices are good. But that doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m happy right now because of those clothes. I¡¯m just appreciating it. A few secondster, I let out a deep sigh and picked up a v-neck, backless bohemian white dress that was about a foot long. This is what I will wear. The other clothes are daring, so I would rather not wear them. After I got dressed, I stood in front of the full-sized mirror whilebing my hair. While staring at my reflection, I couldn¡¯t stop smiling bitterly. I could clearly see the sadness and fear in my eyes at this moment. Maybe this is really my fate¡­ to be imprisoned in Hideo¡¯s hands. Oh, God! I would rather get hurt than see the people I love die because of him. I took another deep breath and closed my eyes tightly when I felt the corner of my eyes heat again. God, I¡¯m tired of crying! Please don¡¯t make me cry. I calmed myself for a moment before opening my eyes again and staring at my reflection in the mirror.Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. Since I didn¡¯t have any makeup to use, I justbed my hair and after, I left the room. When I went down to the living room, I immediately saw Hideo talking to someone on the phone again. ¡°Skazhi Massimo, chto ya lichno poydu k nemu na sleduyushchey nedele, chtoby my mogli pogovorit. U nego prichin ne razgovarivat¡¯ so mnoy dolzhnym obrazom.¡± I heard him say on the other line; He looks angry again. Well, when was he not angry? He is always like that. Later, when he saw me standing at the bottom of the stairs, he immediately turned off his call and walked towards me. He even looked at me from head to toe. The way he looked at me, I couldn¡¯t help but feel a strange feeling in my chest. It¡¯s like I see something different in his eyes at this moment. Especially when he stared at my cleavage. Hence, I immediately raised my hands and hugged myself to cover myself, which was exposed a bit. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± he said and immediately grabbed my hand. Without saying a word, I just followed him until we got out of his house. I don¡¯t know what time it is, but I can clearly see the beautiful view of the sunrise at the end of the sea. That somehow made me smile. I looked around. I didn¡¯t see any of his bodyguards. Maybe they¡¯ve left, and we¡¯re the only two left here on the ind! ¡°Hurry, Ysolde!¡± I looked at him when he pulled my hand even more. Until we reach where his helicopter was and he then opened the front door for me. My forehead furrowed when I looked at him. ¡°Go on,¡± he said, looking at me seriously. Just like yesterday, I felt nervousness in my heart because I was going to ride in his helicopter again, but my nervousness was not that intense todaypared to yesterday. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± I couldn¡¯t do anything when he took my hand again to help me get into the helicopter. When he finished closing the door next to me, he immediately went around to the other side and got on board. My eyebrows quickly crossed again. What? He¡¯s the pilot now? Can he fly a helicopter? Later, I was surprised when he suddenly crouched down close to me. I thought he was going to do something bad, but he just took the seatbelt that was next to me and put it on me himself. Since we were only a short-distance away from each other, I could already smell his manly scent that didn¡¯t hurt my nose. I don¡¯t know, but it feels rxing. I couldn¡¯t stop closing my eyes. ¡°What are you doing?¡± I suddenly opened my eyes when I heard his voice. I saw his eyebrows meet as he stared at me seriously. ¡°Um,¡± I suddenly felt shy, so I avoided looking at him. But after just a few seconds, I looked at him again when he put the headset on me. He didn¡¯t speak after that and settled in his seat. After a while, the rotor de spun and the helicopter gradually rose. All right. He must be a pilot. He wouldn¡¯t dare to fly this helicopter if he didn¡¯t know how to fly it, would he? CHAPTER 13 I JUST quietly turned my eyes outside the window. Just like yesterday, my heart was still full of joy as I watched the beautiful scenery below, even though I was a little nervous because of the height. In just a few minutes, we arrived in the city and Hideonded his helicopter on the rooftop of a tall building. After he turned off the rotor de, he got off and circled to my ce. He opened the door for me and helped me down. He just held my hand and didn¡¯t let go. His bodyguards immediately greeted us. ¡°Boss!¡± The man I saw yesterday on the ind approached us. He is Guilherme, right? If I heard correctly what Hideo said yesterday, that¡¯s his name. He looked at me seriously. ¡°Where is Jule?¡± ¡°She¡¯s at the mansion now.¡± Hideo started walking towards the rooftop door. I was just next to him while listening to the conversation between the two of them. After a while, Guilherme looked at me again. ¡°How about, Bernard?¡± I suddenly stared at him and stopped walking when I heard my Papa¡¯s name. Did he mention my father¡¯s name? Or maybe he¡¯s referring to a different Bernard? Hideo stopped and turned to me. His face was serious as his eyebrows met. ¡°D-Did¡­ did you¡­ mention m-my father?¡± I stuttered and nervously asked as I shifted my gaze to the both of them. Hideo let out a deep breath and looked back at Guilherme and whispered something to him. He nodded and started walking. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± He pulled me again until we entered the rooftop door. ¡°Hideo!¡± I called him. ¡°Is your bodyguard referring to my father?¡± I asked him. ¡°That doesn¡¯t matter anymore.¡± ¡°Yes it does,¡± I said quickly while trying to keep up with him going down the stairs. ¡°I want to know if my father is okay.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want you to ask about your father, or about your loved ones. I would rather not ruin my day today.¡± He told me firmly. But I didn¡¯t listen to him. God! I just want to know how my father is doing because I haven¡¯t seen or talked to him in a few days. I just miss him so much. ¡°Hideo¡­ p-please! I just want to-¡± I suddenly stopped talking and going down the stairs when he stopped and faced me. Furthermore, I also felt his grip on my hand tighten as he gazed at me. ¡°I said I would rather not hear anything-¡± ¡°But I just want to know if my father is okay. It¡¯s easy to answer my question, Hideo.¡± I also told him strongly, causing him to stop talking. Because of what I said, his jaw suddenly tightened. It¡¯s obvious from his look now that he¡¯s holding back his anger because of me, because of what I said. He let out a deep breath in the air. His bodyguards who were following us were also silently looking at us. ¡°I just want to know if¡­ he¡¯s okay.¡± I mumbled to him. Even though there were tears in the corner of my eyes again, I tried not to let them fall. Because I know he will be more angry with me now. Despite his sharp gaze at me, he turned around and pulled me again. Until we get inside the building and reach a bridal boutique. ¡°Hideo!¡± A rather old woman greeted us when we entered the entrance of the shop. When Hideo released me, I immediately grabbed my wrist and gently massaged it. It hurt a bit because he was holding me so tightly earlier. ¡°Vena!¡± The woman kissed both of Hideo¡¯s cheeks. ¡°How are you?¡± she asked, then looked in my direction. ¡°Who is she?¡± she even smiled at me. ¡°She is Ysolde!¡± ¡°Oh! Is she your girlfriend or fianc¨¦e?¡± ¡°She is,¡± Hideo replied sparingly. ¡°Come here!¡± Out of my ord, I got closer to him and I felt his hand hold my back. ¡°Vena, help her choose what to wear for our wedding.¡± The woman¡¯s smile widened after hearing what Hideo said. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s why you came here? I thought you would ask me for another favor,¡± she said. ¡°Come here, sweetheart. I¡¯ll help you choose your wedding gown.¡± When the woman took my arm and led me to the gowns on disy¡­ I couldn¡¯t do anything. When I thought my rtionship with Zakhar was good¡­ many times, it crossed my mind that one day he would propose to me, too. I used to think about what kind of wedding I want in the future. Moreover, the wedding gown I will wear on our wedding day. I was thrilled then, even though my imaginations had not yet happened. Then now¡­ here I am, I¡¯m getting married next week, I¡¯m going to marry a man I don¡¯t even know, a man I don¡¯t love. I¡¯m getting married because that¡¯s what he wants to happen. I will get married even without my Papa and Aunt Salve. This is not the marriage and life I want it to be, but I try to keep it in my mind that I have to do and ept all of this for my loved ones. I don¡¯t want them to get hurt because of me¡­ because of Hideo. I sighed deeply when I was in front of the lovely and beautiful wedding gowns. Furthermore, I just smiled bitterly. When I looked back at Hideo, he was already sitting on a sofa on the side while seriously looking at me. ¡°Come here, sweetheart, try this one.¡± The woman pulled my hand and led me behind the big curtain. After I finished putting on the big and beautiful wedding gown, I went out when Hideo called me. He said he wanted to see me. With just one look at what I¡¯m wearing¡­ ¡°I dislike it.¡± He says. I immediately turned around and went back to the fitting room to take off the gown and change to a new one. Even though it was tiring to put on and take off those big gowns several times, I had no choice because that was his order. ¡°Try this one more time, honey!¡± When Vena came to me again, she gave me a simple bohemian wedding dress. It¡¯s a V-neck, and the long sleeves arece. The fabric is alsoced from the knee to the sole. I took it from Vena¡¯s hand and put it on as well. The size and length are just right for my body.It¡¯s like this wedding dress was made for me. ¡°That¡¯s perfect!¡± said Vena with a smile. A forced smile appeared on my lips when I looked at my reflection in the mirror. Oh, Vena is right. This wedding dress is perfect for me. So beautiful. Later, from behind me, the big curtain opened and Hideo entered. As usual, his face was serious while looking at me.Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org. I secretly let out a deep breath, then looked away from him. ¡°Do you like it, Hideo?¡± Vena asked. But he didn¡¯t bother to answer. I looked in the mirror again, and from there, I could clearly see how he was staring at me from head to toe. After a while, he turned and left Vena and me. She sighed. ¡°He is always like that, always serious.¡± Vena said, shaking her head. I tried to smile again and crouched my head for a moment. Later, I looked at her again. ¡°Um, c-can I ask you something?¡± I asked. ¡°Of course! What is that, sweetheart?¡± While she was fixing the gowns. ¡°Are you rted to him?¡± She smiled again when she looked at me for a moment. ¡°Hideo and I are not rted, sweetheart,¡± said Vena. ¡°Um, he¡¯s a good friend of mine. I mean, let¡¯s just say that he is my guardian angel who helped to save me. To change my whole life.¡± I suddenly frowned when I heard what she said. Guardian angel? Hideo, save other people¡¯s lives? It seems hard to believe. Because I see him differently since the night we were together in the elevator, when I woke up I was on his ind and until now¡­ I know and see a different Hideo. He is not a good person. And above all, he cannot be anyone¡¯s guardian angel! ¡°He¡¯s a nice man. That¡¯s why you¡¯re so lucky, and you¡¯re the woman he¡¯s going to marry.¡± I stared at Vena¡¯s face again. I¡¯m lucky because Hideo will marry me? Nonsense. I¡¯m not lucky now because I¡¯m the one he will marry. I don¡¯t even know his real name, and even now, I¡¯m afraid of what my life will be like when we get married. ¡°He¡¯s a good man, sweetheart.¡± Vena said again and looked in Hideo¡¯s direction. I followed her gaze. He was standing at the entrance of the boutique while talking to Guilherme. As I watched him from a distance, I suddenly felt something strange to myself. I don¡¯t understand, but¡­ it¡¯s like my heartbeat suddenly slowed down, and my surroundings went into slow motion. I don¡¯t understand why I feel this way suddenly. Whereas, from the beginning, my heart felt pure anger for him. Later, Hideo looked in my direction. When our eyes met, my heart suddenly pounded. Oh, God! What is happening right now? Why do I suddenly feel this way? I shouldn¡¯t feel this way. ¡°In the years Hideo and I have known each other, he has only loved one woman, and that was his mother. He had a girlfriend before, but he definitely didn¡¯t love her anymore.¡± I turned to Vena again when I heard her speak. I was about to ask more about Hideo, but I saw him walking towards me. ¡°We have to get back to the ind.¡± He said without emotion while staring into my eyes. ¡°Vena,¡± when he turned to look at the woman. ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll just send the wedding gown she chose earlier to the ind.¡± Without saying a word, Hideo held my hand again. And in the moments when he intertwined our palms, I suddenly felt my heart beat faster. I stared at it. Until he pulled me out of the boutique, I couldn¡¯t take my eyes off our hands. CHAPTER 14 AS I STOOD in front of the bedroom door, I sighed. I¡¯ve been going back and forth for a while now and can¡¯t decide whether to hold the doorknob to open it or just go back to bed and sleep. I can¡¯t think straight, and it is unclear to me why I¡¯m acting like this. The beating of my heart is hard for me toprehend. I don¡¯t understand why I felt this way since earlier when Hideo and I were at the boutique-until we got back here on the ind. The pounding in my heart never went away. Why is my heart pounding like this? I took a deep breath again. My hand that was supposed to hold the doorknob also hung in the air. In the end, I just went back to the bed and sat on the edge. I didn¡¯t go through with my n to leave the room to go down to the living room. I¡¯m sure Hideo will scold me again if he sees me leave the room without his permission. After a while, I turned my gaze outside the window-it was quite dark around. It¡¯s evening. I didn¡¯t even realize the time. I leaned on the headboard of the bed and looked around the room. My eyes caught the books under the small table. I stood up from my seat again and walked over there to see what books those were. I like to read books. That¡¯s one thing that relieves my boredom and stress, especially in my current situation. There is no TV or any appliances that I can entertain myself with so that I don¡¯t get bored. I looked at and read the titles of the novels one by one. The rest I have read before, so I just picked up the book I was not familiar with. I went back to bed again and leaned against the headboard again and started reading. Until I didn¡¯t notice the time anymore. If only my stomach hadn¡¯t rumbled, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to take my attention away from the book I was reading. I looked again at the open window. Later, I closed the book I was holding and also looked at the closed door. When my stomach churned again, I got up the courage to get up of bed and walk towards the door. With no hesitation, I opened it and walked towards the stairs. All around is quiet. The curtains in the living room are slightly fluttering in the wind because of the open door to thenai. ¡°Hideo!¡± I softly called him as I went down the stairs. ¡°Hideo!¡± I looked around again, but I still couldn¡¯t see him. I felt my stomach growled again. When my eyesnded on the kitchen door, I immediately walked towards it. I don¡¯t care if Hideo sees me down here. I just want to eat because I¡¯m so hungry. When I entered the dining room, I immediately searched for food. There was a dish in the fridge, but I didn¡¯t bother to take it and heat it in the oven. I don¡¯t have time to do that because I¡¯m starving, and I want something to eat. I only took the bread that was on the kitchen counter and looked for the filling, and I didn¡¯t even bother to sit at the dining table, either. While I was looking at the kitchen door, I ate the bread on the kitchen counter. Hideo mighte in suddenly and scold me. But thank God because he didn¡¯te until I finished eating. When I put away and washed the ss and spoon I used, I left the kitchen. I was about to go upstairs again when I looked at the open sliding door to thenai. Where is he? Did he leave the ind? Am I the only person here? Questions in my mind and stepped closer to the sliding door. A cool breeze greeted me, so I hugged myself. I also heard the softpping of the waves on the beach. It was quite bright outside, so I could barely see the beach. When I was outside the door, I felt the cold breeze more, but I just ignored it. I looked around until I saw what seemed to be a white object floating in the sea. I frowned and stared at it. The sea is quite a distance from where I was standing¡­ but I know, and I¡¯m certain, that what I see now floating in the sea is a person. ¡°Hideo?¡± I uttered and hurried down to thenai and ran towards the sea. ¡°Hideo?¡± I don¡¯t understand why my heart beat suddenly faster as I hurried to go to him. I felt a mixture of fear and worry in my heart as I approached the man now floating in the sea. Yes, it¡¯s Hideo. I¡¯ve only been with him on his ind for a few days, but I already memorized the look of his back. I was about to pull him to the beach when I grabbed his hand, but I was suddenly surprised and scared when he grabbed my hand as well and pulled me closer to him when he stood up straight.Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Ahhh!¡± I screamed out loud. ¡°What are you doing?¡± I heard his angry voice as I closed my eyes tightly and tried to take my hand back from him. ¡°Ahhh!¡± I yelled again. Jesus! My heart almost jumped out of my ribcage because of so much fear. ¡°What are you doing out here, Ysolde?¡± His voice was still angry. Only then did I slowly open my eyes and look at him. I don¡¯t know if my heart is pounding now because of the shock and fear I felt earlier, or because of our eyes meeting. I stared at his face, his eyes. It¡¯s quite dark where we are, but I can clearly see his brown eyes. The eyes when I first saw them inside the elevator were full of mystery, anger, and darkness. But now, as I stare into those eyes¡­ I see nothing but sadness. Oh, God! He¡¯s Hideo. The man I saw the first time I knew was brave, tough, no weakness, no fear¡­ but now I see something very different. Even if he¡¯s angry with me now, I know he¡¯s weak inside in those moments. I looked at his entire appearance for a moment. The seawater was still dripping from his ck long hair. His eyebrows were thick. His brown eyes are fluffy. He has a pointed nose. His lips were thin, which suited him. It was red, as if he hadn¡¯t smoked. Yeah, I saw him smoking, once. And he has a perfect jaw line. God! If it wasn¡¯t just this way Hideo and I met, I would think he was a perfect man. I would think I was very lucky because I was the woman he wanted to marry. But not¡­ even though Vena told me he is a good person, my impression of him will not change. ¡°I said, what are you doing out here, Ysolde?¡± I came back to myself when I heard his angry voice again. When I looked into his eyes again, he was gazing at me. ¡°I didn¡¯t give you permission to leave your room.¡± CHAPTER 15 WHEN I felt fear again because of him, I nced away. I hugged myself again when I felt the extreme coldness of the sea and wind embracing our whole body. Why did I only feel that now? ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m sorry! I¡¯ve been hungry for a while now, so I left the room. You weren¡¯t at your house when I was looking for you earlier, so I¡¯m sorry if I went out without your permission.¡± I said to him. ¡°But I had no intention of running away from you. I just searched for food in your kitchen.¡± I exined to him. ¡°And I was about to go back to the room earlier, but I saw you here. I thought there was something bad happened to you, so I came here rushing to¡­ to help you.¡± But I didn¡¯t hear a word from him after I exined to him. So, I raised my face again and forced myself to look at him. He was just staring at me. He looked serious. Because I couldn¡¯t stare at him for long, I looked away again. I immediately hugged myself when the strong wind hit my entire body again. I shivered because of the cold. ¡°Next time, I don¡¯t want you to leave your room without my permission¡­ until I tell you. Do you understand?¡± I just swallowed and slowly nodded. Oh, he didn¡¯t even thank me for helping him earlier! If I hadn¡¯te here, he would probably have drowned. Oh, God! Why did I only think of that now? I wish I didn¡¯t just help him and just let him drown, so it¡¯s my chance to escape from him. I could have escaped here on his ind. Oh, Ysolde! Why didn¡¯t you think properly before you came down here earlier? I scolded myself. ¡°Go on!¡± he said. But I can¡¯t move from where I¡¯m standing. Because of the icy seawater¡­ I feel like half of my body has turned to ice and I can¡¯t move anymore.Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. ¡°What are you waiting for?¡± ¡°I¡­ I¡­ I can¡¯t¡­ move,¡± I said, and my voice suddenly trembled. God! Who wouldn¡¯t felt cold when going swimming at night in this kind of weather? Windy. But this is not night swimming, Ysolde! I just bit my lower lip. ¡°I¡­ I can¡¯t move.¡± When he looked at me, I said to him again. He took a deep breath and walked towards me. My eyes widened in shock. I didn¡¯t expect what he would do to me. He held me by the shoulder while one of his hands dipped in the water and held my legs. It was effortless, and he picked me up. Because I was so surprised¡­ I just clenched my hands and didn¡¯t know whether to hold his shoulder or wrap my arm around his neck! Even my heart suddenly pounded. It¡¯s beating too fast, as if it wants toe out of my ribcage. What is happening to me? Why am I feeling like this? ¡°I don¡¯t like stubborn women, Ysolde.¡± He said and started walking until he reached the beach. I thought he would also drop me off when we got out of the sea, but he didn¡¯t do that. Until we got into his house, he was still carrying me. I couldn¡¯t do anything but stare at his face. I was stunned. I didn¡¯t even realize that we had reached the second floor of his house and entered the room I was upying. Furthermore, I only came back to own trance when he put me down, and I looked around me. Yeah! We are in the bathroom and under the shower. I swallowed again when I looked at him, he was just staring at me intently. Our faces are only a short distance from each other. And his one hand still holding my waist. What is he doing? Why is he staring at me like that? Later, I felt his hand crawl on my back, and he suddenly pulled me closer to him. I was surprised and quickly put my palms on his chest. When I raised my face again to look at him, my nose hit his lips. ¡°H-Hideo!¡± I nervously say his name. I don¡¯t know, and I¡¯m uncertain if my heart still feels fear currently, as I can¡¯t take my eyes off him. ¡°Ysolde!¡± I closed my eyes tightly when his hot breath hit my face. God. His breath was warm. I felt like my entire body suddenly lost its tremors because of that. ¡°What are you doing, Ysolde?¡± I opened my eyes again. What is he saying? I¡¯m not doing anything now. I just closed my eyes. ¡°I-¡± I couldn¡¯t continue speaking when he suddenly grabbed both of my cheeks and imed my lips without hesitation. I was so shocked because of what he did that I didn¡¯t immediately move from where I was standing. Likewise, I don¡¯t know what to do at this moment. Shall I push him and p him for daring to kiss me? I don¡¯t know. All I know is that my knees got weaker because of the kiss he gave me. I could feel his soft and warm lips. This isn¡¯t the first time I¡¯ve been kissed, but I sense that this is the first time someone has imed my lips. I don¡¯t know what I will do. I just closed my eyes again and let Hideo kiss me. My eyes are still tightly closed. My palms slowly rose and gentlynded on his chest. He deepened his kiss when my lips moved. I don¡¯t even know why I did that. Did I respond to his kiss? No! I shouldn¡¯t have done that. He might think I like the way he kissed me. I slowly opened my eyes and saw him also closing his eyes. When I felt him move and pushed me slightly until I could feel my back on the tiles¡­ that¡¯s when I suddenly returned to my trance. I suddenly panicked about what he could do to me now. I pushed him to his chest. ¡°Um-¡± I couldn¡¯t look directly into his eyes, and I swallowed as I hugged myself. I looked away. He didn¡¯t speak, but I could feel him staring at me. Later, I was unable to stop myself anymore, and I dared to look at him again. When our eyes met, my heart beat even faster. I don¡¯t understand why I feel this way at this moment. ¡°Ysolde!¡± I didn¡¯t know what to do when he stepped closer to me again. ¡°N-no!¡± I stammered. But he didn¡¯t listen to me. My heart was pounding so much, I couldn¡¯t understand if I was still afraid of him or what¡­ I just closed my eyes tightly. But after a few seconds, I felt nothing else that he did to me, apart from his just holding one of my hands, andter he gently pulled me. I opened my eyes when I felt the rather cold water of the shower pouring from my head to my whole body. He opened it. ¡°Take a shower. You might get sick.¡± That¡¯s all he said, and he immediately turned and left the bathroom. I was left stunned as the water continued to pour over me. I¡¯m not certain how many minutes I¡¯ve been standing under the shower and letting the water pour over my body. When I slowly came back to myself, one of my hands immediately came up and touched my lips. God. He kissed me. Why? Why did he do that? Until now, even though I¡¯m in the shower, I can still feel his warm and soft lips on mine and my heart is racing even more. I don¡¯t know how I started and finished bathing, and I just realized that I was already sitting on the edge of the bed while my mind was still ying with what happened earlier in the bathroom. I still can¡¯t get over what Hideo did to me earlier. Furthermore, I leaned against the headboard of the bed and just stared nkly. Later, I could hold my chest, which until now still did not want to stop the strong pounding. I let out a deep breath at the same time as I closed my eyes until I didn¡¯t realize that my sleep had pulled me away. CHAPTER 16 3RD PERSON¡¯S POV ¡°Giuseppe!¡± The young man immediately walked to where the old woman was. ¡°Yes, Aunt Salve?¡± Giuseppe replied. ¡°Still no news of Ysolde¡¯s whereabouts?¡± The old woman¡¯s face still showed her deep concern for Ysolde. It¡¯s been three days since Ysolde left their house without a word. Since that night, she has not returned. And Bernard¡¯s body has been in the funeral home for three days. The people in the mansion were shocked when they received a call that night saying that Bernard had been found dead inside his car in the Casino parking lot. ording to the Police, nothing was found to show that the old man was killed. Based on the results of the examination by the doctors at the hospital, it is said that he just suffered a heart attack and therefore died. If help hade quickly, he might have survived. But almost an hour passed before he was found lifeless inside the car. Giuseppe let out a deep sigh. ¡°Still no news, Aunt Salve. Even the police who are helping us in the search for Ysolde have no news either.¡± ¡°Oh, my God! Where is she now? Why did she suddenly leave?¡± said the old woman with tears in her eyes. ¡°Maybe¡­ perhaps she¡¯s mad at Uncle Bernard.¡± Suddenly, the old woman and Giuseppe turned to the woman who spoke. ¡°Shiloh!¡± Salve uttered. The woman smiled sadly and hugged the old woman. ¡°Hello, Aunt Salve! My condolences.¡± ¡°Thank you!¡±Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org. ¡°Good evening, Aunt Salve!¡± ¡°Zakhar!¡± Salve also hugged Zakhar, too. ¡°Why did youe here only now?¡± Zakhar and Shiloh looked at each other for a moment. ¡°Um, I just got back from Canada yesterday.¡± answered Zakhar. ¡°I¡¯ve also been busy, Aunt Salve. That¡¯s why I only came here today.¡± Shiloh also answered. Giuseppe moved slightly away from the three, but he was looking seriously at Zakhar and Shiloh. Based on the actions he sees and the way the two look at each other, Giuseppe seems to have a hunch that the man has something to do with why Bernard¡¯s daughter is now missing. Salve led the two inside the chapel. They sat in the long chair in front. ¡°Yesterday, your father was here,¡± said the old woman. ¡°Yes! Daddy told me that,¡± said Shiloh. ¡°Um, hasn¡¯t Ysoldee back since she left their house?¡± she asked. Seeing that the old woman¡¯s eyebrows met, she spoke again. ¡°She called me that night; she said she was going to sleep over at our house. Well, I was in BGC that night, so¡­ we didn¡¯t see each other.¡± The old woman sighed again and adjusted the shawl resting on her shoulders. ¡°She still hasn¡¯te home until now. The police still have no news of her whereabouts.¡± ¡°Maybe Shiloh was right,¡± said Zakhar. ¡°Perhaps Ysolde is mad at Bernard because he doesn¡¯t let her out of the house anymore.¡± And he nced at Shiloh again. Salve sighed a little. ¡°I know Ysolde, Zakhar. I know she won¡¯t leave the house if that¡¯s her only reason. She understands to her father why she¡¯s not allowed to leave the house. She understands her situation now. Her father is doing this for her own good!¡± Salve said. Since Ysolde¡¯s mother was still pregnant, Salve has been working at the mansion. She also took care of and raised Ysolde, so she already knew Ysolde well. Bernard¡¯s strictness with his daughter is not enough of a reason for Ysolde to leave and note back home, especially now that her Papa will be buried in just one day. ¡°I¡¯m sure there¡¯s a reason or something bad happened to Ysolde. That¡¯s why she¡¯s missing. That¡¯s why even now, her papa¡¯s bodyguards, even the police, have not seen her.¡± Zakhar and Shiloh looked at each other again. Shiloh¡¯s hands moved and grabbed Salve¡¯s hands. She gently squeezed it. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Aunt Salve¡­ Ysolde wille back here. Maybe she just wants to rest and be alone.¡± said Shiloh and smiled bitterly again. ¡°I miss her too.¡± ¡°Even I hope she wille back here soon. And I feel sad for her if she finds out that her Papa is gone.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I will also help in the search for Ysolde,¡± said Zakhar, still caressing the old woman¡¯s back. Salve smiled sadly. ¡°Thank you, Zakhar, ??Shiloh. I know Ysolde will be happy when she gets back here and knows you are here and worried about her. She will also be d that you came here to sympathize with the loss of her father.¡± ¡°Of course, Aunt Salve,¡± said Shiloh. ¡°I considered Ysolde as a sister, you know that.¡± Giuseppe was still looking seriously at Zakhar. He seemed to watch his every move. YSOLDE¡¯s POV The next day, I woke up because of the rays of the sun entering from the open window. I barely moved to my ce and stretched. Even though I did not sleep wellst night, I am feeling good today. I don¡¯t know what time it is. And for a few moments, I justy on the bed and stared out the window. Later, what happenedst night in the bathroom suddenly appeared in my mind. ¡°Ugh, Ysolde!¡± I scolded myself and shook my head to get that thing out of my mind. God! I just woke up, but why did that immediatelye to my mind? Whereasst night I only slept for a while because even in my dreams I was thinking about that kiss. I woke upst night, maybe around midnight, until dawn. I still couldn¡¯t fall asleep again because Hideo and his kiss were the only thing on my mind. Then until now I still think about that? Oh, God! What is happening to me? I got out of bed and went to the bathroom to clean my face and brush my teeth. If I just stay in bed, I probably won¡¯t forget that kiss. After washing and brushing my teeth, I came out of the bathroom again and looked out the window. I saw a speedboat on the beach. Later, I also saw a man walking outside the house. I stared at him with a frown. It¡¯s him again, Guilherme. And he¡¯s talking to someone on his phone. Feeling hungry, I walked back to my bed. I sat on the side of it while just staring at the closed door. ¡°What time is it?¡± I asked myself impatiently. My stomach rumbled again. I don¡¯t know how many minutes I just sat on the edge of the bed and stared at the door. I look forward to when it opens and Jule or Hideoes in to give me food. But I just got tired of waiting for that door to open, but it never did. I sighed and stood up from my seat and bravely walked towards it. ¡°Come what may. He can scold me if he wants to scold me. But I don¡¯t care anymore. I just want to eat, and I¡¯m hungry.¡± I talk to myself and hold the doorknob. However, even before I could turn it, I was suddenly attacked by fear and I backed away. ¡°What if he gets mad at me when he sees me leave this room without his permission?¡± I asked myself again. My shoulders slumped, and there was nothing I could do but return to the bed and sit on its edge again. I let out a deep sigh. ¡°I¡¯ll just wait for him toe here.¡± I mumbled. Nevertheless, just a few seconds after I sat on the edge of the bed, the door suddenly opened and a smiling man entered. ¡°Hi.¡± CHAPTER 17 MY MOUTH opened, but I didn¡¯t know what to say to the man who was now standing in the middle of the door while smiling at me. ¡°Are you not hungry?¡± He asked me. Hence, I couldn¡¯t help but hold my stomach when it boiled again. The man sighed and looked at his wristwatch. ¡°It¡¯s already ten in the morning. Aren¡¯t you hungry yet?¡± He asked me again. ¡°Um-¡± ¡°Oh, damn!¡± he shook his head. ¡°You¡¯re really weird, Antonio Hideo Colombo. You will bring a woman here to your house, and then you will not feed her.¡± He said that although it was a whisper, I heard it clearly. My forehead furrowed as I stared seriously at his face. Did he mention Hideo¡¯s full name? Antonio Hideo Colombo? That¡¯s the name of the man who kidnapped me and imprisoned me on this ind? ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go downstairs. I know you¡¯re hungry.¡± When I felt a little awkward because of the way he was staring at me, I barely looked away. ¡°Um, I-I can¡¯t leave this room. Hideo might be mad at me again.¡± I said. ¡°Nah!¡± He walked closer to my ce. ¡°He¡¯s not here. He will be back hereter in the evening. So,e on. Let¡¯s go to the kitchen and let¡¯s eat.¡± He left! That¡¯s why he didn¡¯te to my room to give me food or even tell me before he left earlier that I should just go down to the kitchen to eat. What if this man is not here now? I will just wait here in the room all day because I thought he was here at his house.Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. ¡°I¡¯m Guilherme, by the way!¡± After a few seconds, I looked at his hand extended in front of me. Yeah! I know his name. It¡¯s not the first time I¡¯ve seen him. But instead of epting his hand, I raised my face again to look him in the eyes. His eyes are puffy and deep ck, and his eyshes are long. His eyebrows are also thick, like Hideo¡¯s. As I stared at his entire face, I felt like his face was familiar to me. I feel like I¡¯ve seen him before, but I just can¡¯t remember where. ¡°Um, my hand is clean. I washed well after I defecated earlier.¡± He refrained fromughing because of his jokes with me. Later, I couldn¡¯t stop smiling because of what he said. I was unable to do anything but ept his hand. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m Ysolde!¡± I introduced myself to him. ¡°Yeah, I know! Jule told me.¡± He said so and released my hand. ¡°So, let¡¯s go downstairs? Let¡¯s eat first.¡± ¡°Won¡¯t your boss be angry with me?¡± I asked worriedly. Maybeter, Hideo will suddenlye and see me downstairs and get angry with me. ¡°He wille hometer tonight. We talked earlier. He is in Davao because he has a meeting there. So, don¡¯t worry, and if it pleases you, get out of the house to breathe fresher air at the beach. Don¡¯t worry about Hideo.¡± He smiled at me. Oh, yeah? Really? Will he allow me to go out of the house? Oh, he looks friendly, unlike Hideo. But wait¡­ perhaps this Guilherme is just testing me? It might beter he will also report me to Hideo when I get out of here! ¡°N-not anymore. He might even know that-¡± ¡°It¡¯s just the two of us here, Ysolde. And I won¡¯t tell the boss about this. So if I were you,e on.¡± He cut me off. He immediately turned around and started walking out of the room. I am still having second thoughts because of what he said. ¡°Come on!¡± Oh, whatever! I suddenly stood up from my seat and walked out of the room. I just followed him until we got down the stairs and reached the kitchen. There is food that is already on the table. ¡°Have a sit! Let¡¯s eat together.¡± The more I looked at the food on the table, the more hungry I felt. It¡¯s been three days since I arrived here on this ind, and I haven¡¯t been able to eat good food like what I¡¯ve seen now for three days. So instead of just staring at the food on the table, I immediately sat on a chair and started eating. ¡°Take it easy! No one is stealing from you.¡± I heard him say whileughing and looking at me. I just shyly smiled at him and picked up my food.Andter, we both fell silent in our seats. He probably noticed that my full attention was focused on eating, so he didn¡¯t speak to me. Until we both finish. ¡°Excuse me!¡± I said as I burped loudly. ¡°Looks like the boss isn¡¯t feeding you properly.¡± He said. I just smiled sparingly. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Do you want to go outside? Do you want to go for a walk on the beach?¡± ¡°Um, can I?¡± I asked him back. But instead of answering my question, he got up from his seat, walked to the refrigerator, and got some cold water. After he finished drinking, he faced me again. ¡°Let¡¯s go. I will apany you.¡± I immediately stood up from my seat when he started walking out of the kitchen. Just like earlier, I just followed him until we went out of the house. As soon as we got down to thenai, I immediately closed my eyes tightly and took a deep breath to breathe in the fresh airing from the ocean. I held it in my chest for a moment before releasing it into the air. The scent of the wind thates from the vast ocean is rxing. It gives me a chill. Oh, all I thought was that I would always be locked in that room. I thought, after what happenedst night, I wouldn¡¯t be able to leave the house again because of Hideo. It¡¯s a good thing that Guilherme is here now. He allows me to go out of the house. Even though I¡¯m imprisoned on this ind, at least I can go out of the house. ¡°Why did Hideo bring you here?¡± I opened my eyes when I heard Guilherme¡¯s question. When I turned to look at him, he was already standing next to me. Staring at me seriously. I let out a light but deep sigh into the air again before casting my eyes into the distance. ¡°That¡¯s also what I want to ask Hideo¡­ or you,¡± I said. ¡°Why did he kidnap me and bring me here?¡± My eyes are at the end of the ocean. ¡°And I know¡­ I know you know why he kidnapped me and brought me here.¡± I looked at him again. Later, I took off my slippers and started walking toward the seashore. When I looked back at Guilherme, he didn¡¯t follow me. He remained standing in his ce and just watched over me. He just let me walk on the beach. I can feel in my feet the soft and fine sand, even the small wavespping on the beach. CHAPTER 18 3RD PERSON POV ¡°ZAKHAR, are you really going to send your men to find Ysolde?¡± Shiloh seriously asked her boyfriend while she was lying on the bed. Only a thick nket covered her naked body. Zakhar was standing on the side of the bed and was putting on his pants. They just finished making love at her condo. ¡°I have to do that.¡± ¡°But why? I mean, why do you need to find her? Can you just not do it? I mean, so there won¡¯t be any problem between the two of us. So I don¡¯t need to meet you secretly. And besides-¡± ¡°I have to do that, Shiloh.¡± He interrupted her words. She released a deep sigh into the air as she moved to her ce. She stood up from lying on the bed. Holding the end of the thick nket wrapped around her naked body, she approached her boyfriend. Using one of her hands, she held him by the shoulder and looked him straight in the eyes. ¡°I love you, Zakhar! So please, just stop looking for Ysolde. Let¡¯s just leave her where she is now. Let¡¯s just-¡± ¡°Look, Shiloh¡­ for now, I need to find Ysolde because I still need her. There are things she can do for me that I haven¡¯t gotten around to yet.¡± ¡°Like what?¡± She asked in an irritated voice. ¡°You always told me that before, babe. But it appears that nothing is taking ce. Or maybe you still love Ysolde, so you still don¡¯t want to-¡± ¡°I don¡¯t love her anymore, babe. My love for Ysolde has been gone for a long time.¡± His swiftness caused her to stop speaking again. Shiloh suddenly smiled because of what Zakhar said to her. ¡°I love you, Shiloh!¡± He raised his left hand and gently caressed her cheek. ¡°But for now, bear with our rtionship, okay?¡± She did nothing but nod in agreement with what he said to her. ¡°I love you too,¡± she said, andter willingly kissed him. ¡°I have to go. I still have a meeting to go to.¡± ¡°Okay! Be careful, babe!¡± After Zakhar put on his white polo shirt, he said goodbye to Shiloh and left the condo.Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org. ¡°YOU AND YOUR businesses can be trusted, Signore Hideo. You have never let me down,¡± said the old man that Hideo was talking to. He smiled mischievously. ¡°I told you, Alfonso, just don¡¯t do something I don¡¯t like. I¡¯m sure your money wille back to you double,¡± he said. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I always follow what you say.¡± ¡°I¡¯m d to hear that.¡± ¡°And the shipping of our new product to Taiwan will start the day after tomorrow.¡± ¡°Just make sure we don¡¯t get confused this time. I would rather not waste money again.¡± Hideo spoke seriously to the old man. ¡°You have my word, Signore Hideo.¡± That¡¯s all the old man said. Then he picked up the rock ss, poured a little whiskey into it, and sipped it. Later, Hideo quietly stood up from his seat and walked out of that room. He left the old man he was talking to there. And while walking in the long corridor of the hotel, he grabbed the cellphone that was inside the pocket of the coat he was wearing. ¡°How is she?¡± He was talking to his bodyguard, Guilherme, on the other line. ¡°Still locked up in her room. She copsed earlier because of hunger.¡± ¡°Damn you, Guilherme! I sent you there to feed her.¡± He immediately let out a crunch when he heard what he said to him from the other line. Guilhermeughed foolishly. ¡°Oh,e on, Hideo. Why don¡¯t you just let her out of her room? She won¡¯t be able to escape from your ind, anyway.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t interfere with my decisions, Guilherme. Just do your job,¡± he firmly said as his eyebrows met again. ¡°Feed her if you don¡¯t want me to feed you with my gun bulletter, when I get there.¡± Guilherme justughed again. Damn it. If he were just in front of him now, he was sure he would have punch him earlier. ¡°What am I going to feed her?¡± ¡°Damn! I will kill you!¡± ¡°Kidding, boss.¡± That¡¯s all, and he suddenly cut the call from the other line because of his annoyance at Guilherme. He took big steps towards the location of the elevator that would take him to the rooftop of the building, where his helicopter was waiting for him. YSODLE¡¯s POV MY FOREHEAD wrinkled as I walked closer to thenai where Guilherme was stationed. I came from the kitchen, and I just finished washing the tes we used earlier. I was about to go to the room when I heard himughing and talking to someone on his cell phone. ¡°Hey!¡± He greeted me with a smile as he sat on the sofa. His two feet were resting on top of the ss center table that was there. ¡°Um¡­¡± ¡°Are you done? Come, have a sit!¡± He even patted the sofa next to him to make me sit there. ¡°Thank you, but¡­ not anymore. I will also go up to the room. Maybe he¡¯lle and see me outside and get angry,¡± I said. Later, he quickly stood up from his seat and grabbed my wrist without saying a word. He pulled me to the sofa and made me sit there, and he sat next to me. I did nothing but stay. Well, the truth is that I don¡¯t really want to go up to my room; I want to stay here in thenai to watch the sea. It¡¯s just that I¡¯m afraid that Hideo mighte suddenly and see me. I do not know¡­ but I don¡¯t want him to be angry with me, so I will just follow what he says. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. He will not be angry,¡± he said. ¡°Actually, I¡¯m just talking to him now. He said he was going home sooner. ¡°Huh?¡± I turned to him in surprise and was about to stand up in my seat, but he stopped me by my shoulder, so I sat down again. ¡°Just stay here. I told him that you were downstairs getting some fresh air. So, he will not be angry with you. Let¡¯s just stay here and wait for him toe.¡± My brow furrowed, and I stared at his face while he was grinning at me. In fairness, I haven¡¯t seen him with a serious face since earlier. He always smiles at me. And I can¡¯t deny that he is also handsome. Just like Hideo, Guilherme is also handsome. Oh, my God. Did I say Hideo is handsome? I don¡¯t really understand myself now. Why do I think about things like that? ¡°Are you okay? Your face is red.¡± He said it curiously. I immediately held my face when I felt it was hot. I¡¯m sure my face is red like a ripe tomato right now. ¡°Um¡­ uh¡­¡± I don¡¯t know what to say to him right now. I don¡¯t know what to do. Soter, I hurriedly stood up from my ce again and hurriedly entered the house and headed to my room. CHAPTER 19 THIRD PERSON POV Hideo frowned as soon as he got off the helicopter and immediately saw Guilherme smiling at him while standing a few steps away from him. ¡°Hey boss!¡± he greeted him. ¡°How was your meeting?¡± he asked and immediately followed him. Instead of answering his question, he asked back, ¡°Where is she?¡± ¡°Um, in her room,¡± Guilherme answered. ¡°I didn¡¯t let her out as you ordered.¡± ¡°Has she eaten yet?¡± ¡°Not yet,¡± he answered again. ¡°She told me earlier that she doesn¡¯t want to eat if you don¡¯t let her out of her room. She said she¡¯d rather die of hunger than have you lock her in that room forever,¡± said Guilherme. He suddenly stopped walking, and his eyebrows met even more when he turned to Guilherme. ¡°That¡¯s what she told me earlier,¡± he quickly said again and shrugged his shoulders. ¡°Why don¡¯t you just let Ysolde out of her room? She can¡¯t escape this ind anyway, Hideo. I mean, unless she can swim in that vast ocean,¡± he continued and sighed. He gave him a sharp look before continuing his walk towards his house. ¡°I told you, Guilherme, do not interfere with my decisions,¡± he said seriously. Because of what he said, Guilherme let out a deep sigh again and did not speak any more. He followed him silently until they entered the house. He immediately ced the bag he was carrying on the center table. ¡°Call Jule; she has toe here tomorrow because I¡¯m leaving,¡± he said. Guilherme sat on the single couch. ¡°Where are you going?¡± ¡°I have to leave for Cuba.¡± ¡°What? I thought we were leaving next week to go to Massimo-¡± ¡°I¡¯m leaving tomorrow alone for Cuba because we had a problem with our business there,¡± he interrupted what Guilherme was telling him, then took the bottle of cognac that was on the center table and poured it into the ss he was holding. He took a sip from the ss before walking over to another single couch and sitting there. ¡°And you need to go to France tomorrow morning to take care of our new items arriving at the pier.¡± He added. ¡°Alright! I¡¯ll take care of that.¡± ¡°And you also need to go to Mat¨ªas. He had a problem with one of our dealers. I don¡¯t want my name to be tarnished because of the stupidity he did.¡± ¡°What am I going to do with him?¡± asked Guilherme with a serious face. ¡°Teach him a lesson or end his life, so he won¡¯t be a problem for me anymore.¡± His jaw tightened, then he let out a deep sigh. YSOLDE¡¯s POV I sauntered toward the stairs. I heard the noise of the helicopter earlier, so I knew Hideo had arrived. Even though I knew he would be angry with me if he saw me go out of my room, I still did to peek at him. I don¡¯t understand why I did that. I don¡¯t understand myself now why I want to see his face again! When I heard the voices of Guilherme and Hideo, who were in the living room and talking, I slightly hid in the corner of the stairs. I strained to stretch my neck to see Hideo in the living room. But I couldn¡¯t see him. When I heard what they were talking about¡­ I suddenly got nervous and was attacked by fear, and it was as if I were suddenly frozen from where I was standing. God! It turns out that Hideo is not just a kidnapper. Based on the conversations I heard he had with Guilherme, he was involved in illegal activities. Not only here in Italy, but also abroad. And he could also kill. Oh, yeah! I saw him kill one of his men who tried to rape me the other day. And Guilherme, he looks like a good person. But I didn¡¯t know that he also kills people. God! What is this life I¡¯m living now? Why did I end up with these people? What if Hideo kills me, too? Especially now that I heard the conversation between him and Guilherme; especially now that I know what he is doing illegally here in Italy. Once again, my heart was attacked by overwhelming fear. Yes, I said I¡¯d rather die while I¡¯m here on his ind than be with him for a long time. But now that I¡¯ve found out that he can really kill people without hesitation, I¡¯ve suddenly gotten scared. I still love my life. And even though there is no certainty that I will be able to escape from here, I¡¯m still hoping to see and be with my father again. And Aunt Salve too. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± I suddenly looked up at him in shock when I heard his angry voice. Trepidation and fear attacked my heart even more when our eyes met. I can see the anger in his eyes. Damn! He caught me outside the room, and worse, he caught me listening to his conversation with Guilherme. God! Why didn¡¯t I even hear his footsteps when he went up the stairs? I swallowed as I couldn¡¯t take my eyes off him. I could clearly see how his jaw tightened before he grabbed my arm.Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org. ¡°Ouch.¡± I grunt when he suddenly pulls me by my arm. ¡°What are you doing, Ysolde?¡± He asked me again angrily as he gazed into my eyes. ¡°Didn¡¯t I say you can¡¯t leave your room until I say so?¡± ¡°Um.¡± I don¡¯t know what to say to him. He already caught me. ¡°And what do you think you are doing? Are you listening to our conversation?¡± he asked me angrily. I was even more frightened when I saw the re in his eyes. He also tightened his grip on my arm. ¡°Um n-no,¡± I was fearfully answered and forced my arm back from him. ¡°I just left my room because I wanted to go to the kitchen to get some water because I¡¯m thirsty, and I thought there was no one here.¡± I nervously apologized to him. ¡°Ouch, you¡¯re hurting me. Please!¡± I said, wincing because of his tight grip on my arm. ¡°Don¡¯t make a fool of me, Ysolde!¡± He snorted at me, and without saying a word, he harshly pulled me back to my room. When we got in there, he immediately pushed me so I fell on the bed. ¡°I told you¡­ I don¡¯t want a stubborn woman, Ysolde,¡± he said while his gaze was still sharp on me. I quickly move to sit on the bed and lean against the headboard. ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m telling the truth, Hideo. I just want to drink.¡± I couldn¡¯t stop the tears from forming in the corners of my eyes. It suddenly flowed down my cheeks and I also grabbed my arm, which was hurt because of the tightness of his grip earlier. Likewise, I also avoided looking at him. God. I can¡¯t look directly at his scary eyes. ¡°I¡¯m sorry!¡± I couldn¡¯t stop myself from sobbing as my eyes focused on the end of the bed. A few moments of silence prevailed between us. Butter, I heard him let out a deep sigh. And after a while, he left my room without saying a word. Only then did I breathe a sigh of relief, but there were still tears in my eyes. My God! The longer I was on his ind, the more afraid I felt of him. CHAPTER 20 YSOLDE¡¯s POV I took a deep breath and released it into the air. I took the end of the thick nket and put my feet under it, up to my waist. I was still leaning on the headboard of the bed in a daze. Later, I quickly raised my right palm and wiped my cheeks, which were wet with my tears earlier. After a while, I looked at the door again when it opened, and Hideo entered again. I also looked at his hand holding a ss of water. I couldn¡¯t help staring at his face. The expression on his face was serious, but his anger was gone because I disobeyed his order earlier. I just stared at him seriously until he approached the bed and ced the ss he was carrying on the bedside table. ¡°Drink!¡±Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org. He ordered me. But I didn¡¯t immediately move from my ce. ¡°I said, drink, Ysolde!¡± When I heard his angry voice again, I couldn¡¯t do anything but move and pick up the ss he ced on the bedside table. I wondered why he brought me water¡­ but in the end; I was forced to drink it too. Oh, I¡¯m not really thirsty though, to be honest. I just told him that earlier, so I could make excuses for him. But because of the tension that happened earlier, I feel like my throat is suddenly dry with fear. After I put the ss back on the bedside table, I returned to my seat, as I could still feel his gaze on me. ¡°Have you eaten?¡± I still couldn¡¯t look in his direction, but I slowly nodded in response to his question. ¡°Damn it, Guilherme!¡± I heard him cursing firmly and let out a deep breath. ¡°Get some rest, Ysolde. I¡¯ll need youter.¡± Because of what he said, I couldn¡¯t stop lifting my face to look at him. My eyebrows quickly crossed because of what he said. What did he say? What does he mean he needs meter? Is he nning to do something bad for me? I was about to open my mouth to speak, but he spun and walked out of my room again. I was just stunned by the closed door. BECAUSE of what Hideo said to me earlier before he left my room, I was unable to calm myself down. A lot of things are bothering my mind right now and the nervousness in my chest still hasn¡¯t gone away. I got up from sitting on the bed and walked around the room. I¡¯ve gone around every corner of this room, but the words Hideo said earlier still can¡¯t get out of my mind. I¡¯ll need youter! Jesus! Is it because he caught me earlier listening to his conversation with Guilherme, so he will kill me too? Maybe he¡¯s thinking that if I manage to escape from him, I¡¯ll report him to the police. And before he goes to jail because of the illegal activities he does, he has to kill me. I was filled with so much fear because of that thought. I can also feel the softening of my knees. After a while, I suddenly stopped walking and turned to the door when it suddenly opened and Hideo entered. I couldn¡¯t stop myself from feeling so scared again when he walked towards me. I shook my head. ¡°N-No!¡± I was about to run to the other side of the bed, but he quickly grabbed me by the wrist. I screamed. ¡°Ahhh! Please, don¡¯t! Please, I¡¯m sorry! Don¡¯t kill me, please.¡± Suddenly, my tears flowed because of fear. ¡°Stop, Ysolde!¡± He spoke angrily when I struggled with him. ¡°No! No, please! Please don¡¯t kill me.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t kill you.¡± He told me firmly as he gripped my hand. ¡°But if you keep struggling and screaming, I might kill you now.¡± I halted and stared at his face. He won¡¯t kill me? But why is he taking me? Where will he take me? What will he do to me? ¡°Come here!¡± He pulled me out of my room. He still didn¡¯t let go of my hand until we got down the stairs. We got to a room under of the stairs. He opened the door, and we entered. There I saw Guilherme and a man who, I think, was in histe 60s. Later, he let go of my hand when we were on the opposite side of the table. I looked at the desk te that was there. I read his name there. Antonio Hideo Colombo, is that his full name? ¡°Let¡¯s get started!¡± I looked at Hideo again when I heard him speak. The old man stood in front of the table, facing us. What is happening now? I frowned and looked at Hideo again. ¡°W-What¡­ what¡¯s going on now?¡± I asked him. ¡°We¡¯re getting married,¡± Hideo answered without hesitation. What? My jaw and eyes almost fell to the floor because of the shock of what he said. What did he say? I thought we were getting married next week? That¡¯s what he said, even though I was against his decision. But what is happening now? I¡¯m going to marry Hideo now? Then I look like this? Just wearing pajamas and slippers? Messy hair too! Jesus. I shook my head as I backed away from where I was standing. My eyes were focused only on Hideo. I can¡¯t even blink. ¡°N-No. No. No.¡± That was all that came out of my mouth. I can clearly see how Hideo¡¯s eyebrows meet even more, even the strong tension of his jaw, because of what I said. ¡°Come closer, Ysolde. Don¡¯t give me a reason to be angry with you again.¡± ¡°No! I-I won¡¯t marry you now with-¡± Butter, I stopped talking when he suddenly grabbed his gun tucked into his belt. I suddenly froze in my tracks when he pointed it in my direction. I was so scared, I almost lost my breath, and I almost lost my trance. ¡°Will youe closer to me, or will I fire the first bullet of this gun on your head?¡± he said firmly while staring at me. CHAPTER 21 YSOLDE¡¯S POV I FEEL my knees shaking because of my fear. I swallowed. And from the corner of my eye, I saw Guilherme just being serious while looking in my direction. Even the old man behind Hideo. ¡°I¡¯ll count two, Ysolde.¡± I could clearly see how tight his grip on the gun was, and how his finger lingered on the trigger. I felt even more scared. When I noticed he was about to count, I suddenly moved from where I was standing. I was so scared that I couldn¡¯t do anything but walk slowly closer to where he was standing, even though I almost fell because of the trembling of my knees. He gazed at me for a few moments before he lowered his gun. He ced it on his desk, and he turned to face the old man. ¡°Let¡¯s start!¡± That was all he said, and the old man immediately obeyed, as if he wasn¡¯t even scared when Hideo pulled out a gun earlier. I also slowly looked in Guilherme¡¯s direction. He smiled slightly at me when our eyes met. Later, I took a deep breath and released it into the air. Then I also faced the old man when he spoke. But I swear, I don¡¯t understand he was saying. My mind was focused on something else at the moment and not on our wedding. I¡¯m thinking about Dad. Aunt Salve. How my life used to be before mom died, five years ago. And how was my life before I came to this ind. God! Just because I didn¡¯t follow my father¡¯s orders that night, this happened to me. I lost my best friend. I lost my boyfriend. Hideo kidnapped me, and now¡­ here I am, getting married to him. To a man I didn¡¯t know. To the man I don¡¯t love. If only I could turn back the time¡­ I wish I had never left the house that night. My heart feels so remorseful at this moment. The corners of my eyes suddenly felt hot. I quickly bit my lower lip to stop my tears, but I couldn¡¯t do it either. Tears flowed freely down my cheeks. ¡°Now, I ask you: Does each of you enter this union freely and without coercion? If so, say I do.¡± Why is he asking that stupid question? It¡¯s obvious from what he saw earlier that Hideo pointed a gun at me to make me do what he wanted. But I didn¡¯t bother to answer his question. And when I felt Hideo turn his gaze toward me, I didn¡¯t even look at him, but I knew his eyes were staring at me now. I couldn¡¯t do anything but nod and bite my lower lip again. ¡°I¡­ I¡­ I do!¡± I answered, crying. ¡°Stop crying, Ysolde.¡± When I heard his frightening voice, I quickly controlled myself, and I slowly raised my face again, and the old man who was looking at me was serious. ¡°Are you prepared to ept both the rights and responsibilities of married life? If so, say I am.¡± ¡°I¡­ I am.¡± I answered then. ¡°I am,¡± said Hideo to be frugal. ¡°Is it your intention to support, honor, defend, and uphold one another in all circumstances? If so, say yes with the help of God.¡± I closed my eyes tightly again when I heard the old man¡¯s words. ¡°And-¡± ¡°Do not prolong this ceremony, Judge. Let¡¯s proceed to thest part. I¡¯m getting bored.¡± After Hideo said those words, he immediately faced me and grabbed something from his pocket. When he opened the small box he was holding, he took out the two rings that were there. I was even more surprised when he forcibly took my hand and put the ring on my finger, and he voluntarily put on his ring and faced the old man again. ¡°Continue,¡± said Hideo. Even though my eyes were blurry and I couldn¡¯t say anything because of what he was doing to me now, I stared at his face. ¡°Okay!¡± said the old man after he let out a deep sigh. ¡°For as much as you, Hideo and Ysolde, have consented together to join in wedlock and have, before witnesses and thispany, pledged vows of your love and faithfulness to each other and have dered the same by the joining of hands and by the giving and receiving of rings now, therefore, by the authority vested in me, I pronounce you married; congrattions.¡± I smiled bitterly as I held back the pain in my heart. Later, Hideo holds my hand and gives me the pen. ¡°Sign it!¡± He ordered when Guilherme ced some pieces of paper on the table. ¡°I said, sign it.¡± He was staring at me, and I could also clearly see how his jaw was tense.Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org. I let out a deep sigh again, then forcefully signed those papers. And when I put the pen down on the paper, I looked at him. Sadness and pain can be seen in my eyes at this moment, as can how my heart feels now. But in his eyes, I could only see darkness. I DON¡¯T KNOW how many minutes I¡¯ve been sitting on the sofa. When he went out earlier with Guilherme and the judge, I was left alone here. I cried silently while still enduring the pain and sadness in my heart. Butter, when I calmed down a bit, I fixed my hair and wiped the tears from my cheeks and took another deep breath, releasing it into the air. I stayed for a moment before deciding to stand up from my seat and walk over to the door and open it. When I was about to go up the stairs to go back to my room, I heard Guilherme¡¯s voice. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to do that to Ysolde.¡± I heard him say. He was talking to Hideo. ¡°What do you really want to happen? I thought-¡± ¡°I want her!¡± I suddenly flinched when I heard what Hideo said. I want her. His words echoed in my mind as I stood on the edge of the stairs. ¡°Is that your only reason?¡± ¡°I told you, Guilherme, don¡¯t interfere with my actions and decisions. Especially when ites to her.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t interfere with your actions and decisions, Hideo, because-¡± I can¡¯t even see Guilherme right now, but I¡¯m sure¡­ his face is serious while talking to Hideo. I can feel it because of the way he speaks. ¡°But¡­ you shouldn¡¯t have done that to her earlier. She was pitiful. She feared you. You can do your wedding without pointing a gun and scaring her, Hideo.¡± ¡°What happened earlier has happened, Guilherme, so don¡¯t preach to me now.¡± Later, when I saw him stand up from his seat, I quickly hid behind the big figurine. ¡°I want her. I want her body¡­ and everything. No matter what my decisions and ns are with her, that will never change.¡± I felt a lot of fear in my heart again after hearing what he said to Guilherme. Later, I heard him walk towards the stairs, and he went up. I followed him with my gaze as tears streamed down my cheeks. The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!