He was an elderly looking man and he was just dressed simply , he had green eyes too, the same shade as hers. His jet black hair had patches of gray on it. He looked dignified. She probably should have hit the first person she came across with her lamp but somehow she couldn't bring herself to hit the elderly man before her.
He looked at her with a hint of familiarity in his eyes which was gone just as soon as it appeared. He opened his mouth to speak.
Just then a tall and well built man in a black suit approached them. Sparing Cassandra a glance with his gaze traveling down to her lamp, he spoke to the elderly man.
" Sorry for the inconvenience Mr.Gustavo , you may meet the master now" he said bowing to the elderly man.
Judging from his composure and mannerism, she ascertained he was probably a bodyguard or something of that nature. For a minute she considered hitting him instead but figured , he wouldn't even budge. She just stood there staring at the elderly man and the guard confused and not knowing what to do.
" And who is this pretty young lady, here?" he asked referring to Cassandra.
" That's something I would like to know myself "
she answered instead , her green eyes staring pointedly at the bodyguard.
" You may go in to meet the master now" he politely repeated to the elderly man not bothering to answer the question.
"Follow me, Miss" he said to Cassandra.
At that moment a couple of equally well built men, dressed too in black entered the corridor and started matching towards them, they looked menacing with their unsmiling faces.
Looking at them , Cassandra gave up every thought she had on rebelling against him.
She swallowed and nodded her head slowly to the first bodyguard signaling her acceptance, by now the group of guards had reached them. Stretching his hands forward one of them took her lamp from her! Her last ray of hope! She felt like bursting into tears right then.
"Umm…I would actually like to know where you are leading me to, you know…just in case I'm going to be slaughtered soon"she queried but they remained mute and unsmiling as they led her to God knows where!
She wondered what crime she had committed, all her life she had been the typical quiet nerd, hardly ever doing anything to draw attention to herself!
Then it suddenly dawned on her perhaps it was Connor's doing! Maybe this was his way of getting back at her for embarrassing him and his girlfriend now her ex best friend at the club! And maybe Anita was in on the plan also. The filthy little bitch she thought grinding her teeth.
She felt utterly saddened by the thought, she should have just kept quiet about it instead of going to the club to make a scene. She wondered what type of suffering and torture he had in store for her before he disposed of her body.
She imagined that by now her father and sweet younger brother would be desperately searching for her, and even Antonio and his family too.
She imagined how her brother and father would take the news of her demise. She would surely miss them all sorely! She took solace in the fact that she had people to mourn her departure from mother earth.
She sighed , had she known, she would have just stayed back at home to mourn her predicament instead of acting according to her emotions.
While Cassandra was lost her her thoughts, she and the bodyguards got to the living room, which was linked to the stairs she had just taken on her way down.
This time around though, they were a few maids by the foot of the stairs, they seemed to have been waiting for them.
Wordlessly, the bodyguards handed her over to the maids. Looking at the looks on the faces of the maids however she preferred to go with the bodyguards who were aloof with her , rather than the maids who gave her scornful and demoralizing looks with sneers on their faces. Particularly a bright red haired one with lip gloss just as bright as her hair color on her lips, her hands placed on her hips as she sized her up and then scoffed.
"Forty five minutes is all you have got " the first guard said to one of the maids gesturing to his wrist watch, his face still unsmiling.
" Got to do what?!" She asked alarmed .
But the bodyguards were already on their way out through the same way they came.
Coming forward and grabbing Cassandra's arms in a tight grip, one of the maids said to her " why don't you follow us, then we would tell you all about it " she said with an obviously fake smile plastered on her face.
Alarmed Cassandra struggled to break free off her grasp which only made the maid tighten her death grip on her! To make matters worse another maid came forward and grabbed her other arm , if it was possible, the second maid's grip on her arm was even tighter!
She felt like they would turn all the muscle and bones in her arms to mash! It seemed as though these weren't ordinary maids as they practically lifted her feet up and bundled her up the stairs and into the room she had woken up in. They were more like cruel ninjas!
30 minutes later…
Cassandra had never felt as exposed and humiliated and embarrassed in her life as she did right now!
The ninja-maids had practically forced her into the bathroom and washed her up themselves! She had also been dressed by them! To make it worse they were rough in their handling of her!
Now she was sat in front of a mirror while they were putting make up on her face, she had by now turned docile as she didn't want to get beaten up by them. She could only wonder what nut-house she was brought into. Closing her eyes briefly, she said a quick prayer to God , to protect her from all evil.
" God! She's so fat!" It was the red haired maid whose name she had learned was maureen.
It was like the fiftieth time she was saying this!
"Leo… Sir Leonard would definitely feel disgusted just by looking at her!"
"I wonder what our master was thinking!"
She was already on the verge of tears, due to the negative comments sprouting from their mouths. They were body shaming her which was her greatest weakness , it was a miracle she wasn't already crying, even though deep down that she wasn't crying because she was afraid she would get beaten up by them as they had earlier threatened.
From the time she had spent in their company, she heard things about a Sir Leonard, an arranged marriage , An old Master , a useless bride , a madam Angelika ,an unwilling groom and a bad breakup, as they gossiped like she was air.She put two and two together and could only come up with anything other than four. Because she didn't understand how she was in any way linked to any of these.
Unless by some great misfortune she was the " useless bride " who was getting married to the "unwilling groom" who also happened to be the"Sir leo"! She shook her head to clear off such evil thoughts from her brain! God forbid that such a horrible thing would happen to her in her already eventful life!