Dami spent the entire night searching for Arette after she went to the toilet but didn't return.
Despite her efforts, she couldn't find Arette.
While looking for her, she overheard some drunken guys talking about seeing Dominic Ferrari leaving the club.
Dami immediately assumed something shady, possibly human trafficking, was happening in the club and hoped to see the man behind bars one day.
After hours of searching for Arette, Dami found her broken phone pushed to a corner, which made her scared.
However, she didn't want to think negatively, so she convinced herself that Arette must have lost her phone while going to the toilet and then went home without telling her.
Although Dami knew it wasn't a very probable scenario, she chose to convince herself otherwise.
She then decided to head home, rushing to Arette's house first. Knocking on the door, she hoped to be met by Arette scolding her for knocking so loudly, but instead, it was Garette who answered.
"Damilola Washington, what a delightful surprise! Come in," Garette exclaimed playfully, unnecessarily emphasizing her full name and winking at her.
"I don't have time for your games. Is Arette home?" Dami cut Garette off abruptly, getting straight to the point.
"Oh," he gasped dramatically, "So, you took my sister out clubbing and managed to lose her?! That's just... fantastic!"
"You're ridiculous! She could be in serious danger right now, and you think it's appropriate to joke?" Dami scolded.
"Dangerous? Oh, she might just get mugged, but don't worry, her heavenly, angelic voice is loud enough to alert the entire city if she's in trouble. And what could be more beautiful than Arette passed out drunk, sleeping in a heap of rubbish?" Garette chuckled at his own joke before sauntering back into the living room.
"Garette! That club was full of sketchy and dangerous people. What if something awful happened to Arette?" Dami's instincts as a police officer kicked in.
This time, Garette sighed, "Relax, Dami. I spoke to Arette, and she's fine. There's nothing to worry about. She's twenty-one, for fuck sake, and I'm sure she can take care of herself," Garette replied in an uncharacteristically serious tone.
Dami nodded understandingly, and left, heading back to her own home.
-
Dominic smiled at Arette, thinking it was friendly, but she found it unsettling, seeing only a sinister grin.
Nevertheless, she followed his gaze to a corner where five crates were stacked against the wall.
Inside the crates were small white bottles, their contents unknown to Arette.
"Each of those bottles contains 0.2 litres of sulphuric acid," he informed her, walking past with his woody cologne briefly masking the metallic scent of blood in the air. He picked up a bottle from the top crate and approached Arette.
"Take," he ordered, and Arette hesitantly shook her head, recoiling in fear.
But when she saw his smile turn into a frown, she quickly reached out to grab the bottle, her hand trembling.
Her cries choked her as she clutched the bottle tightly, "Good. Now, throw it at the short stack over there," he ordered, pointing to the man with the smallest frame among the bloodied figures.
Arette's cries grew louder as she continued to shake her head, conveying her inability to comply.
She hadn't been fond of chemistry back in high school, but for some reason, she remembered the dangers of H2SO4 from her teachers' lectures.
"Arette," Dominic's voice sounded strained, as if he was struggling to remain calm and refrain from lashing out.
He grabbed her arms firmly and continued, "Before we came down here, I explicitly told you that when I give an order, you must obey it, didn't I?" His voice grew quieter with each word, and his grip tightened.
Arette's cries intensified as she sobbed, "I'm sorry, I'll do it," she relented, and Dominic finally released her arms, stepping back to give her space to throw the bottle.
Arette breathed heavily, locking eyes with the targeted man's body before hurling the bottle with a scream.
The man's screams followed as the glass shattered and the substance spilled onto his left thigh, eating away at his skin down to the bone.
He screamed for mercy as Arette fell to her knees, crying.
She had never witnessed such cruelty before.
In fact, she had never even thought of something so horrifying.
The experience left her mentally scarred.
"No, Arette... that's not how you do it. You're supposed to throw the acid on his face, the black cloth. That way, we'll get to see his face melting," he crouched down and pulled Arette's body up, forcing her to face him.
"... But if you prefer to watch them suffer slowly, you can start by melting their legs first, and then move on to their faces," he finished with a sickening smile, and Arette couldn't help but speak up.
"What the hell are you?! I can't believe Dami was right about you. You're truly an animal disguised in human flesh – scratch that, you're a monster. How can you find pleasure in others' suffering? Are you even sane?" Arette shouted, summoning the courage that would ultimately seal her fate.
Dominic cupped her cheeks, gazing at her affectionately. "No, darling, you've got it all wrong. I'm not a monster. I'm simply giving these men a taste of their own medicine, don't you see? They hurt you... Arette. And no one hurts the love of my life and gets away with it. The only way they can pay for their crimes is with their lives. A painful death, no less."
Arette shook her head, pushing his hands away from her cheeks. "You're deranged. You deserve to rot behind bars for eternity. Once I leave, I'll go to the police and have you locked away, and DON'T YOU DARE TOUCH ME!" she screamed, backing away hastily.
But he merely watched her with the same unsettling smile, his eyes darkening slowly.
"It's adorable that you think I'll allow you to leave," he laughed maniacally before abruptly stopping. "You'll be with me forever, dead or alive. I'll ensure you never escape. You're the love of my life, and I am your... soulmate!"
"I AM NOT THE LOVE OF YOUR LIFE, YOU SICKO!" Arette screamed, ensuring her message was clear and directed straight at him.
She felt sorry for herself and the girls in her university who harbored crushes on Dominic Ferrari.
They all saw him as the perfect man, and some even from wealthy families were considering arranged marriages with him.
If only they knew the truth about the thirty-five-year-old bachelor.
He wasn't the pure soul they believed him to be. In fact, he was possibly involved in drug use and human trafficking.
As the horrifying realization dawned on Arette that she might have been brought here to be sold for a hefty sum of money, panic surged through her.
She screamed at the top of her lungs, falling to her knees as terrifying thoughts overwhelmed her mind.
"I want to go home, please! Don't sell me!" she shrieked, her eyes squeezed shut.
Slowly, her mind shut down, and she lost consciousness.
Dominic could only watch as she suffered a mental breakdown until she passed out.
Stepping closer to her limp body, he lifted her, throwing her over his shoulder and carrying her to a table pressed against the wall.
He retrieved a revolver and fired five shots, each bullet finding its mark on the men's heads, leaving gaping holes behind.
With five lifeless bodies and one unconscious girl slung over his shoulder, Dominic ascended into the mansion.
The small room below was reserved for disciplining his employees who dared to betray him, reserved for special cases.
He punished and killed them for their errors.
"You'll be okay," he murmured, gently stroking the back of her thighs as he navigated through the passage.
Making his way towards the west wing where his own room was situated, he encountered Mrs. Wolfe.
"Chairman," Mrs. Wolfe greeted.
"Is her room prepared?" Dominic inquired.
"No, the girls are organizing Miss Arette's closet. Her room will be ready in a few hours," Mrs. Wolfe explained, earning a nod of acknowledgment from Dominic.
Mrs. Wolfe was the one employee whom Dominic could wholeheartedly trust, with even Matthew trailing behind her.
She was Dominic's mother's favorite housekeeper, having been with the family long before Dominic was born, deeply ingrained into the Kim family, especially Dominic's side.
Entering his room, Dominic noticed the sheets had been changed, though it made little difference since they were all the same shade of black... he just knew.
He gently laid Arette's body down on the mattress and covered her lower body with a duvet.
Sitting at the edge of the bed, he gazed at her face, bringing his hands up to softly touch her cheeks, a genuine smile gracing his lips.
The fact that Arette could bring a smile to his face without even trying bothered Dominic deeply.
He had moved past denial and accepted that Arette held the key to unlocking feelings of warmth and relaxation he thought he could never experience after 'she' left.
Initially, Dominic only intended to watch Arette from afar and express his love by sending her anonymous gifts.
But fate, as he saw it, had brought her to him, and he had no intention of letting her go, ever.
Her voice, her face, her demeanor—everything about Arette pleased Dominic, and he would sooner die than let her slip away.
"I am the love of your life, you just don't know it yet," he whispered, leaning in to place a gentle kiss on her lips.