"Goodnight Orla. Rest well." Scarlett waved goodbye to her assistant after dropping her off.
Orla waited for a few minutes, long enough to ensure Scarlett's car drove past her. She sneaked into an alley in between the luxury apartments she was dropped off.
It was dark and the ground was mushy.
Water dripped left and right from the walls.
Orla quickly and carefully walked along the slippery alley with her phone flashlight held tightly to her chest.
After five minutes of running and walking, Orla got to a bungalow building.
It looked shabby and old on the outside. There was quite a lot of grass surrounding the house. She took a deep breath and turned off her flashlight, as there were light bulbs out there.
She walked very slowly to the rusty metal door, like she was afraid of who lived inside. When she got to the door, she quickly took off her shoes and opened the door quietly.
"Why are you back so late?" A husky voice came through.
Orla turned to her right and saw her drunk boyfriend sitting angrily on the couch.
"I won't repeat myself. Why are you back so late?" The same voice rang louder than it originally did.
Orla took series of deep breaths before she responded.
"We finished work a bit late and I had to attend a celebratory function with my boss. Have you had dinner, Shawn?" She whispered.
Shawn stood up from the couch and walked up to Orla.
He snaked his hands around her face, touching every spot, like he was trying to memorize the look of fear that swam across each spot he touched.
His hands moved from her face down to her neck. He violently grabbed her neck and squeezed it like he was trying to choke her.
Orla's eyes widened in fear and panic.
Her whole body trembled. She held tightly on to the hems of her blouse like it was her lifeline.
"I love the way you look when I handle you this way." His other hand moved to her hands and yanked them off her blouse.
"But I hate the way you grab your dress like a frightened child." He said with a devious smile, tightening his hold on her neck.
Orla choked harder, but she couldn't make sound or struggle for breath.
Her eyes threatened to release tears but she fought them back for when she was finally alone. She could do nothing but endure for the moment. He would hurt her even more if she made any attempt to breathe properly.
"Hmm. You've learnt quite well." He released her neck and turned his back.
"Get me a glass of water then you go to your room and don't step outside until morning." He told her.
Orla scrambled to serve him the water so she could sleep quietly that night.
Morning came by so quickly for poor Orla. She frantically scrambled out of bed after realizing she had slept for too long!
She rushed out of the house….after she prepared breakfast for her boyfriend. He had been quite volatile these days.
She was only walking on hot coals by staying with him.
Orla kept on rambling on in her thoughts when her phone rang.
"Hello Orla. You're running late. Is there any problem?" Scarlett asked worriedly.
"No there is no problem. I went late to bed and woke up late this morning.
I'm very close to the office. Sorry for my lateness." Orla apologized.
"No problem. Actually, there's something I want you to pick up on your way. I've sent it to you."
"Be safe." Scarlett told her before she disconnected the call.
Orla picked up the file Scarlett assigned her to do, and grabbed a cup of milk tea for Scarlett as a way of apologizing for getting late to work.
Orla walked into the office up to the entry point. She realized her staff card was missing.
'Oh I must have forgotten it while rushing to work!' She sighed to herself.
Just then, two of Scarlett's guards waked briskly towards the entry point. Orla rushed up to them, in hopes of tagging along.
"Hey hey guys!!" She called out. "Can you help me in? I forgot my card, and I am late for work already." She told them pitifully.
The guards said nothing but signaled for her to follow them.
Orla hurriedly moved with the guards.
Once they got off the elevator, she thanked the guards and went straight for Scarlett's office.
'knock knock knock' rang through Scarlett's ears as she raised her head up to see who was disturbing her.
Her scrunched up face was replaced with that of slight concern when she saw it was her assistant. "Orla, it's 11:00 am already. You could have just stayed home." She sarcastically warned Orla.
"I apologize for my lateness. Please accept this milk tea as a more solid apology from this incompetent staff." Orla placed the tea carefully on the table.
Scarlett chuckled. "Finally someone who understands what humor is. Thank you."
She looked at her assistant's rumpled outfit and sighed internally.
For some reason, Scarlett looked at Orla's neck chain and noticed some red marks there.
It looked like someone had bruised her neck during an argument or she had accidentally grazed her skin with something hot.
Scarlett hoped it wasn't the former.
"Orla I seem to be in love with your jewelry. Could you come closer so I'm able to get a better look at it?" Scarlett softly requested.
Orla moved closer to Scarlett just as she was asked to do.
Scarlett saw what she wanted to and dismissed Orla. "We have no tedious work to do than to prepare for the incoming orders. I believe you know what to do."
Orla bowed and excused herself from Scarlett's office. The moment Orla was out, Scarlett picked up her phone and called Antonio. "I need you to investigate everything about my assistant. Something is really wrong with her." She cut to the chase.
Antonio sprung into action without further ado.
The two guards that came in earlier walked into Scarlett's office as soon as she was done with her call.
They had business for her.
PATRICK MANOR....
"How could you be so careless?!!" An aged man slammed the newspaper he was holding on the precious marble table. "You were nearly caught by the authorities!! If not for Viper, you'd be dead by now!!" He ferociously thundered.
He appeared to be scolding his carefree granddaughter, Luna.
On her last visit to stay with Scarlett in Italy, one of the FBI agents who had come to relax at the club spotted her and notified the others.
Luna noticed their car was tailed by a suspicious looking vehicle. She managed to drop Scarlett off at her hotel before making her escape.
It was a deadly and narrow escape, and she wouldn't have made it home alive if not for her grandfather's most trusted aide, Viper.
Well, she had gotten into serious trouble now and her play time was over.
"If not for the fact that you're the most capable of all my grand children, I would have had your head as snacks for my dogs." Draco angrily spat.
He turned his back at Luna like he could no longer bear to see her, and instructed his right hand man, "Viper, take her to the first cell. She would kneel there for three days with only a glass of water for each day."
Luna who was on her knees, raised up her head slowly. She was in utter shock of what her grandfather just spat out, but she couldn't react to it due to the several beatings she had already.
One more word from her and she could bet her family's wealth she would wake up in the afterlife. She dropped her head upon seeing her grandfather going back to his study.
He didn't even give her the chance to apologize.
Viper gently walked up to Luna.
Not too fast and not too slow.
He walked at the right pace to allow Luna some time to get herself together.
Luna did not need to be told to get up now.
She helped herself up from the cold floor and followed behind Viper.
She walked unsteadily throughout, as they walked through a series of doors and stairs before they got to the main cell entrance.
There were many husky, well trained bodyguards, watching over the gigantic cell, that towered over Viper and Luna.
From the way they stood, anyone that saw the guards from afar would think they were statues meant to scare people away from that area of the Patrick property.
The cell guards let Viper pass through with the lady accompanying him. It was quite normal for him to bring unwanted pests who would never make it out of the cells, be they dead or alive.
As Viper was instructed by Draco, he took Luna to the first cell.
It looked like the deepest abyss of hell.
There was little to no lighting. The floors had broken shards of glass and other dirty items. Squealing creatures ran round the area from wall to wall and corner to corner.
It stank like dead things had stayed there longer than it should have.
Viper opened the rusty cell gate that released an unpleasant sound as it grated against the floor. Luna quietly walked inside and knelt down in the middle of the cell.