In a daze, I found myself sitting at the table, gazing at a basin of white onions and a basket of white garlic. Following Arel's instructions, I had just finished peeling them. He had even wanted me to scale a bucket of fish, but since I didn't know how, he handed me the task of peeling onions and garlic instead.
It was truly tiring. But it was better than dying and being fed to sharks. Perhaps obeying their orders was the key to being treated decently.
"Kierra, can I ask if you personally know the bosses? And did they bring you here to be a maid on the island even though you're a girl?" Arel, now frying the fish, interrupted my thoughts.
"I-It's something like that. Larco and Darius know my family," I replied.
They really know my brothers and my Dad, which is why they kidnapped me and brought me here.
"Really? You're so close to them that you even call them by their names? Here on the island, we all just call them 'boss'," he chuckled, making me smirk. Boss? Should I refer to them as bosses? But they are not my boss!
"What time is it now, Arel? And by the way, are you the only cook on the island?" I changed the subject.
Arel glanced at his wristwatch. "It's almost four in the afternoon. Yes, I'm the only cook for now. I used to have a partner, but that was before. Not anymore. He betrayed the bosses, so they skinned him alive and threw him into the ocean," he replied while still standing by the stove.
Once again, I involuntarily swallowed hard upon hearing that. Skinned alive? They're ruthless! There's no mercy for anyone who crosses them.
After Arel finished cooking, he quickly prepared the food on two tables. I assisted him, placing spoons and forks on each plate and filling the glasses with water.
After we finished setting up the food on the tables, Arel sat down on a chair, visibly exhausted, and stretched his body.
"Kierra, you'll be the one to go out. Find Boss Larco and Boss Darius, and tell them that the food is ready for them to eat."
My eyes widened at this request. "B-But why me? Why can't you do it?" I was terrified of facing those two.
"Come on! I'm tired from all the cooking, so you go instead. You just need to let them know that the food is ready,"
I reluctantly stood up. I frowned and had no choice but to leave the kitchen to follow Arel's stern order.
Passing through the expansive lobby, I finally reached the main door. Thankfully, the men who were laughing earlier were nowhere to be seen.
The chilly breeze met me as I stepped onto the white sand. As I walked, I surveyed my surroundings, confirming that I was indeed on an island under the control of a syndicate.
Everywhere I turned, I spotted armed men patrolling with guns in hand. When they're around, it's nearly impossible to escape.
Upon hearing a series of whistles, I turned my gaze sideways. Three men were leering at me, whistling one after the other. I quickly averted my gaze to avoid them and looked somewhere else.
I had no idea where to find Larco and Darius. I couldn't even see a trace of them.
Where were those devilish-looking men? It's frustrating!
"Excuse me, where can I find Lar—uh, I mean, Boss Larco and Darius?" I asked a man who was standing alone. I didn't want to ask the guys in a group; they seemed rude when they whistled.
"They're out at sea still, probably racing. Just wait for them over there," the man responded, gesturing toward the ocean.
I offered him a brief smile and expressed my gratitude before making my way to the shoreline. Maybe I'll just wait for their arrival.
Seated on the white sand, I occupied myself by picking up small stones and tossing them into the sea.
Before long, I spotted three jet skis swiftly approaching. Gradually, I could make out the figures on board.
Larco, Darius, and their right-hand man, Henry. All three were shirtless and drenched. Darius had tied back his long hair, revealing his tattoos, much like Larco. Henry seemed to be the only one without a tattoo, but he certainly wasn't lacking in possessing an Adonis-like set of abs.
I stood up as they docked and disembarked from their jet skis. All three of them looked at me.
"What are you doing here?" Larco inquired, arching an eyebrow as his eyes settled on me. The glint of his earring in his left ear was blinding!
I swallowed hard. "Uh, Arel sent me... The food is ready."
Larco gave me a sharp look and brushed past me along with his serious-looking henchman, Henry.
I couldn't help but frown.
Tsk. These criminals are so arrogant. They might be good-looking, but they're syndicate members.
I thought Darius would just pass by me like Larco did, but I was caught off guard when he suddenly pulled me by the waist, pressing me against his body.
"Do you want to swim, baby girl?" he whispered in my ear.
Before I could respond, he tugged me by the waist and onto his jet ski.
He sat in front, and I was positioned behind him.
"Hold on tight if you don't want to fall. There are still plenty of sharks around, and you might get eaten if you do," he warned in a low voice.
Upon hearing this, I quickly wrapped my arms around his waist. I definitely didn't want to be eaten by sharks. I still love my life.
I could still hear Darius' faint laughter before he smoothly started the jet ski.
I wanted to ask him where he was taking me, but I feared his anger, so I remained silent, holding onto him tightly. I was afraid of falling into the sea, so I held on tightly.
After a few minutes, Darius slowed down the jet ski until it reached the white sand.
I looked around. If I'm not mistaken, we're just behind the island. But why are we here? Why did he bring me to this place? It's making me nervous.
"What are we going to do here?" I asked curiously while surveying the surroundings. All I could see were trees.
"We're going to continue what was interrupted. My stomach has been hurting because of you, baby girl," Darius replied, glancing at me. "What are you waiting for? Get off."
I had no choice but to get off. I waded through the shallow water, up to my knees, and walked towards the white sand.
I scanned the surroundings again. Aside from the steep cliffs, all I could see were dense forests.
"Don't worry, I won't hang you on those logs you see," I heard Darius say, as he pulled my hand towards something.
I just went along with it and didn't protest anymore, until we stopped at the entrance of a small cave—the hole seemed to be just big enough for one person to fit through.
"Go on, baby girl. You go inside first."
My eyes widened at Darius' request. Go inside? He wants me to enter? But why?
"B-But why me? Can't you go first? I'm scared; what if there's a snake inside, and it bites me?" I shook my head repeatedly.
Darius burst into laughter at my words. He quickly leaned close to me and whispered, "It will be my snake that will bite you later, baby girl. My big Python will eat you later. So go inside first because we won't fit if we both go in together."
I swallowed hard. His snake? His snake is going to bite me? Does he mean there's a snake inside, and he plans to feed me to it?
Oh my gosh! Is he going to kill me?
I shook my head repeatedly and withdrew my hand from his grasp.
"No! Please don't kill me! I-I beg you. Don't feed me to your snake!" I nearly sobbed.
Darius' lips twitched slightly. He paused, observing my reaction, but eventually burst into hearty laughter. His laughter sent shivers down my spine.
I wasted no time and quickly knelt on the white sand.
"Please don't kill me, I'm begging you, please..." I cried and pleaded, still kneeling in front of Darius.
His laughter subsided, and he looked at me in disbelief.
"What the—what the f*ck! Shit! Damn it!" Darius cursed, exhaling heavily before following suit and kneeling on the white sand. "Why are you so innocent, huh?" He touched my face and wiped away the tears. "Don't be afraid. I'm not going to kill you, okay? I meant a different kind of snake. Damn!"
I stopped crying. "S-So, you were just joking? Y-You really won't feed me to a snake?" I asked with a shaky voice, tears still in my eyes.
Darius sighed. "Yes, I was just joking. So stop crying now, or else, I'll really get mad."
"B-But why are we going into that cave? What are we going to do inside?"
Darius briefly closed his eyes, seemingly annoyed. He stood up, took a deep breath, and looked at me seriously.
"I'm not going to feed you to a snake because there's no snake inside that cave. I just want to have sex with you! My stomach has been hurting because of you, and I want you to do it! So go ahead and enter!"
I stopped crying again. Sex? Like what we did earlier?
"B-But it hurts..." I weakly protested, frowning and looking down.
It really did hurt, and if we do it again, it might be even worse. I'm scared.
I remained kneeling on the sand, head bowed.
"Ugh... Why are you so innocent! Have you never watched porn your whole life?" Darius asked in frustration.
I shook my head softly. It's true, I've never watched porn in my entire life. The one time I accidentally saw a movie with porn, my brother Renz got angry.
"Damn it, baby girl!"
I heard Darius release another deep sigh before he sat down beside me.
"Alright! We won't go into the cave anymore," Darius conceded.
I felt a little relieved, and my fear lessened slightly. "R-Really? You won't feed me to a snake anymore?" I sought reassurance.
Darius heaved another exasperated sigh and ran his hand through his hair, as if trying to contain his frustration. "Yes, I won't. Come over here, sit on my lap," he directed, patting his thigh.
I swallowed hard. I knew that even if I refused, I wouldn't win, and he would have his way, especially since I'm in his territory. With reluctance, I rose to my feet and complied with his command.
"That's my girl," Darius whispered in my ear, swiftly enveloping me with his arm around my waist. He planted a kiss on my neck before retrieving his dripping wet phone from his pocket.
"Let's watch porn, so you can learn how to have better sex."