Luna wriggled in despair; her hands struggled to free her neck of his grasp. With her less energy compared to his, her effort was in vain. He could knock her down effortlessly.
In a few seconds, the pathetic face before him no longer strove against his strike. Danish unbuckled his grip off her before she was dying.
Luna choked, then gulped the air as much as she could as soon as her neck was free of his clutch.
"This is an alert. Stay away from me and my mother." His warning sent a shiver down to her spine.
Turning around, Danish intended to get out of her sight. Luna's words deterred his steps.
"I know you despise me so much but I won't give up." That provoking sentence glided out of Luna's mouth. Yet, no regret swelled in her heart for this was the only way to deal with him. She had to show him that his thread would not easily intimidate her.
Walking away was his response to Luna' statement. The door devoured his body shortly. Meanwhile Luna still froze where she was until a few minutes later.
***
Who was she having the audacity to confront him?
Danish relaxed in the balcony, watching the stars to soothe his heart, full of resentment toward Luna. His tongue sipped the wine. His stare didn't plunge from the stars, letting his mind wander.
His mother's face tumbled though his remembrance, instead. Her story of what she underwent today in the event including her bickering with his grandmother rang in his head.
That village girl's presence had ignited the flame of tig between his mother and grandmother. Chasing that girl away was the only solution to this problem. But, how? His grandma liked her so much, treating her like her own granddaughter.
After a long sigh, he took another sip of his drink. Then, his tongue licked the leftover of the wine on his lips.
All of sudden, the corner of his lips formed a cunning smile for his brain that sparked a brilliant evil idea. Yet, he needed Ana to turn it into reality.
Fumbling inside his pocket, his palm fished his mobile phone out of it. His finger dialed Ana's number.
A melodic joyful voice echoed from the other line. Every time that voice reached his ears, his soul was drowned with happiness. He vowed to himself that it was only Ana, the one he would spend the rest of his life with.
"That sounds like a great plan, babe." She reacted with giggles on the phone after listening to his explanation of his crazy idea. Having her support injected more spirit to do his plan.
His lips turned up in a triumph smirk. That girl would learn the hard way. At the end, she would voluntarily surrendered.
Danish swallowed the last drop of his drink after hanging up the call. His gaze now had moved to the glass in his hand, sneering at it.
***
Luna sat before the mirror that reflected her sad face. The reflection of the red bruises in the mirror confirmed how strong Danish's strangle on her neck was.
Unconsciously, her hand rubbed the trace of the red line. Her physical pain might fade away but her heartache could stay longer.
Danish didn't like her but treating her this way was too exaggerated. She knew that man wouldn't just stop there. Another jeopardy might have awaited ahead. What should she do? Should she just disappear from his life forever? What about Grandma? She owed that old woman a lot. Her death couldn't even pay what she had allotted to her and her family..
Resting her elbows on the vanity table, her palms cupped her chin with her eyes blankly staring at the mirror. Pondering about her fate imprisoned her for a while. It was only the maid's calling that pulled her out of her thoughts.
"Grandma and the others have been waiting for you to have breakfast." The girl in a ponytail said her intention as soon as the door gaped wide.
Going downstairs after the maid, Luna tracked the rungs mindfully toward the breakfast room. All Li family members including Danish had gathered there. Luna directed her gaze to another direction when Danish's eyes caught hers. Last night's tragedy was still vividly instilled in her mind.
Luna managed to behave as normal as possible although none of the people greeted her except Grandma Li. Even aunt Jangmi, acted differently this time, it was not her she used to be. But, Luna chose to drink her suspicious feeling through the water she sipped.
Before Luna enjoyed the food, Grandma Li inquired why she wore a shawl during the summer. She lied to her that she couldn't still adjust with the weather in the city. It was a lie, of course since her main reason to do that was to conceal the red mark on her neck, caused by Danish's strangle on it.
After that short chat, they didn't talk while eating until Danish initiated an unexpected conversation that almost spurted the food out of Luna's mouth.
"I wonder if I can ask Luna out tonight, having a romantic dinner somewhere might be able to help build our good relationship." Not only did his sudden announcement put Luna in shock it also successfully garnished his mother's face with a frown of disagreement. The spoon and the chopstick in her hand stopped working.
"That's a good idea." Grandma Li's eyes gleamed in excitement to show her agreement.
"Can you?" Luna was surprised when Danish turned to her for her confirmation. In hesitation, she gave him a slight nod. "I'll send the driver to pick you up at 7 tonight." They continued eating.
Danish dashed out of the house to get to his office after the breakfast was over. Luna, as always, had nothing to do but she initiated to cook in the kitchen today or did anything to kill her boredom.
Sneaking into the kitchen, Luna heard two maids gossipping about someone; when they muttered her name, she could not hold her curiosity to listen more.
"I saw the red mark on her neck."
"Whose neck?"
"It's Miss Yang I am talking about. Do you think it could be… they had a kiss?
"What? Who?"
"Miss Yang and young master..."
"How come? To my knowledge, the young master hates her so much. How can they…"
"Ehm…." Clearing her throat, Luna was entering the kitchen. They looked worried and feared, suddenly spotting her behind them.
"You have to slice the onions, don't you?" one of them switched the topic immediately and their work kept them away from Luna.
"What do you think Grandma Li would do to you if she discovered you spread the rumour about me?"
"Miss Yang.. Please forgive us. Please don't tell grandma Li about this." They pleaded, their knees almost dropped down to the floor if only Luna didn't hold their shoulders.
"I won't report this to Grandma Li with one condition." They shared a glance in worry. "Please allow me to cook with you." They smiled and bowed in agreement.
Cooking activities occupied Luna until afternoon. Only through cooking, she could ignore the things that had occurred to her during her stay here.
When dusk came, Luna was ready for dinner. Following Grandma Li's suggestion she put on a gorgeous short-sleeved dress in pink. A light makeup masked her face. A peach lipstick tinted her lips.
An hour later, the driver picked her up and took her to the place where it was too far from Grandma Li's house. Instead of a restaurant or other romantic venues, she was in the bizarre place.
The area was so desolate with neither lights nor moon that shone the surroundings. It was like being in a remote area or an uncivilized city with no inhabitants. What did Danish have in his mind by taking her here?
The driver left her alone without a clue. He didn't inform her of anything regarding this place. Striding ahead in alert, Luna's wary eyes travelled around to make sure that it wasn't the wrong destination.
The farther her feet brought her, the quieter the area was. There was only one building that looked more like an old abandoned building in the corner. Could it be Danish like quietness, far from the frenzy.
Luna's chest thumped in relief as the footsteps raced from her back. When she spun around, it was not Danish she met. She encountered the havoc. A stranger, tall man in a black hoodie, ambushed her and covered her mouth to stop her from screaming. All around her darkened.