Bone chilling scream startled me in my pace, made me think twice before my leg dared to step forward in its direction. I was walking towards that dark pitched staircase with my hesitant steps. Drumming of my heartbeat was roaring in my ears, but still I was taking steps toward that large brown door whose metal was shining in the dandling bulb over it. I was staring at it standing over the staircase, thinking should I knock or not. But the thought of that scream made me walk down and stand in front of that door.
Something is really wrong with this mansion. My suspicion was getting stronger and stronger. That door opened with a screeching noise as I raised my hand to knock, startled me, and took a few steps back immediately. One black dressed heavily muscular man came out holding a blank expression over his face and closed the room instantly without letting me take a look inside.
“What’s happening there?” I questioned boldly, without thinking twice. He mumbled something in Italian, holding his finger over his ear, staring at me, and nodded.
“Nothing.” He answered, standing between me and the door as he wanted to stop me from entering that room.
“I heard someone’s scream, I am going inside.” I demanded he take a step towards the door, but he held his hand over the door, stopping me in my way.
“You are not allowed to enter. If you want, I can escort you to Capo.” He responded in his thick accent. I was about to reply to him but heard loud footsteps.
“Snowflake?” Arius called me. Leaving him behind, I ran towards the sound of footsteps and found him turning at the corner of the corridor.
“Arius? Someone is there, and he is in immense pain.” I mumbled hurriedly, pulling him towards the staircase again. He held me and stopped at my pace, making me turn at him.
“What are you talking about?” He questioned with a calm and calculated tone, but his eyes weren’t peaceful at all.
“I heard a scream coming from downstairs. You need to look at this.” I explained and again started pulling him with me. He circled his hand around my waist and came willingly as I explained. I saw that guard was still standing in front of the door waiting for me to approach him.
“This door and he isn’t letting me go in.” I complained. They talked in Italian and that guard went inside, closing the door with him. His departure made me angry with Arius.
“Why did you let him leave?” I yelled at him, pushing him away. Someone needed help, and he just ignored it, as he didn’t care at all.
“He confessed he was watching a movie and accidentally kept the volume high. It was guard quarters. That’s why he didn’t allow you to enter.” He explained and started walking away from that door, dragging me with him, keeping his hand around my waist, without listening to what I wanted to say.
“Arius, what is happening here? Why is everything so weird here? And the work you gave me was already done by someone, then this?” He stopped in his walk and turned towards me, his hand sneaked to caress my neck in his rough ones. He stroked my hairs with other hands, untangling a few strands with his fingers.
“I just wanted your work to be less stressful, that’s it.” He planted a chaste kiss over forehead, making small circles with his thumbs on my neck. He was totally calm.
“I am sorry, I think I overreacted with everything.” I apologized. Recently I am overthinking about everything around me. Maybe that’s why my brain assumed something bizarre.
“It’s ok my fragile, you soon will get used to it and you look quite stressed.” He asserted and kissed my neck, grazing his teeth lightly, followed by his tongue. Maybe he is right, I am over thinking about this matter or I don’t know.
“Why do I feel you have hidden a lot of things from me?” I questioned subconsciously and regretted instantly lowering my head to avoid looking at him. He made me look at him, holding my chin between his two fingers, and leaned to kiss me. He sucked my bottom lip for a longer moment.
“Yes, I have and going to, but isn’t it enough? I have allowed you to touch my dark soul?” He asked, holding my face in his hand and pulling me over him with others. His eyes were filled with admiration and respect but there was a hint of uncertainty too, lingering deep inside scaring me. I don’t want to lose him for any reason. I don’t think I could afford it or bear it.
“That’s the only reason I haven’t asked for an explanation of anything, nor am I going to ask.” I replied and sucked his upper lip in mine the same as he did a moment ago. His eyes beamed hearing me and pecked my lips again. I have already realized my feelings for him are getting deeper than I thought. I was compromising my morals and values to this man, against whom I lost the battle of my heart and surrendered in front of him. Allowing him to hurt my feelings, kneeling in front of my heart, which beats for him as it learned to beat only because he could hear the beating of my heart.
“Let’s go or you want me to take you here?” He asked, pressing my bottom in his one hand.
“Shut up Arius.” I pushed him lightly, laughing at his behavior. We started walking again towards his office. He pushed me against the wall as soon as we entered his office and started peppering kisses over my neck and shoulder.
“Stop Arius, we are here for work.” I burst into laughter while keeping my hands over his chest. He turned to me and leaned himself over the wall, pulling me over him.
“That’s what I am doing.” He replied, smirking at me, watching me curiously as he held a crooked but still subtle hint of a smile. I rested my head over him, wrapping my hand around his waist. He rubbed my shoulder as he was consoling me for some reason. His beating heart was calming my nerves. I didn’t know what I was afraid of, but I feel like I am about to lose everything I have.
This unnecessary and unexpected uneasiness was poking my heart. The warmth of his arms around me felt more precious than my breath. Closing my eyes, I tried to bury myself in him, understanding my insecurity as he tightened his hold over me without saying anything.
Screeching noises of tires coming from the window caught our attention. Arius’s hold tightened impossibly. I turned to look at him from the windows; he had his eyes closed and when he opened; they were empty, gazing at the window. I came out of his embrace and walked towards the window to look at it. Circling his hand around me, he walked with me.
Nearly half a dozen of black SUV’s were entering from the deep forest, lifting clouds of brown dirt hovering over a blanket of green leading with white which was stopped exactly in front of the fountain , making all back stoop far away from it as it showed its dominance over black ones. Arius was watching it, pulled me towards him, wrapping his both hands around my stomach, grazing his lightly bearded cheek over mine slowly.
Marc descended from the white one and turned to face all black cars. A man in his late fifties stepped out along with his few heavily armed bodyguards from the rest of the cars, making me feel terrible the way they all were armed. He walked towards Marc; he didn’t look stressed, but he was annoyed with the situation. They were chatting and remaining armed bodyguards walked towards the forest circling it, facing the forest as they were protecting the mansion.
Arius made me turn to face him. He caressed my face with his lips tracing up and down as he was taking me in, smelling my neck. I knew he needed to leave now. He must have come to meet him, but my concern was why he and people around him are so heavily armed and scream danger?
“Snowflake, I need to go now.” He breathed, sucking my neck. I held him tightly, pulling him towards me.
“I know.” I replied in the slowest tone. He snaked his hand behind my neck and tilted it gently to look into my desperate eyes for him.
“I don’t know but the environment you live, is quite scary for me.” I breathed hesitantly as I wanted to ask why that man came with so many armed bodyguards with him, but I chose to keep quiet. He signed loudly and glanced outside the window, turning to me again. He wasn’t speaking anything, just watching me for a whole minute as he was searching for answers in my eyes.
“You will get used to it soon.” He responded by holding my chin in his hand delicately.
“Go ahead in my room, rest for a while. You won’t be sleeping until the sun rises again.” He declared, smiling at me. This wasn’t crooked at all, which made me relax. I giggled involuntarily at his words, nodding at him. He bent down and kissed my bosom and left to attend his important meeting. I got used to him kissing my bosom when he is about to leave as a goodbye kiss but not on cheeks. I watched his retreating figure changing again into an arrogant and rude one the way he closed the button of his jacket.
I turned to the window again, watching that man entering the mansion with Marc; he looked pissed about it; he wasn’t even looking at him properly. What wrong is he acting like this? I wasn’t getting any good vibes from this thing but I am sure I have nothing to do with this thing nor going to but when your heart gets attached to someone’s nothing remains the same as earlier but I didn’t know this was the moment my destiny was going to take a turn making me realize with my true fate which was soon going to be colored with metallic crimson color of blood, turning me into someone which I am not going to recognize again ever.