Chapter 10: Chapter Nine

Athena

I felt the hairs on my neck and arms rise as I spotted Beatrix waiting for me in the hallway. She wasn't sitting on the wingback chair as usual; instead, she was standing, her fists planted firmly on her hips, her deadly glare fixed on me. Her stance and expression left no doubt—she was furious about my late arrival.

I was supposed to be back two hours ago, and here I was, just coming in. A part of me vaguely hoped that Alfred had kept my secret. If not, I was in for a long and difficult day.

Taking a cautious step forward, I stopped about five feet from her, but she gestured sharply for me to come closer. Reluctantly, I obeyed, closing the gap between us.

Bracing myself, I shut my eyes, fully expecting the punishment she was about to unleash. But when nothing happened, I opened them in confusion, wondering why she was so silent. Her silence was more unnerving than any words she could have spoken—it sent my heart racing in my chest as I tried to decipher what was going through her mind.

Most of the time, I preferred her biting insults to this ominous quiet. Her silence always meant she was scheming something far worse. The fact that my heart was still beating as strongly as it was, felt like a miracle at that moment.

"You’d better have a plausible explanation for your lateness," Beatrix finally said, her voice sharp and unwavering.

"Um... there was... traffic. Lots of it," I lied, trying to sound convincing. "There was an accident, so cars were rerouted."

She arched a brow, her icy blue eyes boring into mine. I held my breath, willing myself to stay calm under her scrutiny, expecting her to call me out on my lie. After what felt like an eternity, her gaze dropped to the bag in my hand. 

Without a word, she extended her hand, and I reluctantly handed it over. Stepping back, I watched as she strode to the velvet wingback chair, sat down gracefully, and opened the box.

"Lovely. Oh, so precious," she murmured, her eyes lighting up with excitement as she lifted the necklace out of the box and clasped it around her neck. Turning to me, her blue eyes sparkling, she asked, "What do you think, Athena?"

Her tone was light, almost pleasant—a rare occurrence. Beatrix only ever sought my opinion when she was truly pleased with a purchase, and it was always about accessories.

"It’s very beautiful, ma’am," I replied sincerely. "Breathtaking. You’ll be the most stunning woman at the party."

"So true," Beatrix chuckled, admiring herself in the mirror. "This is the best birthday present ever."

"Happy birthday in advance, ma’am," I muttered.

"Thank you," she said distractedly, still gazing at the necklace.

"Um, is it okay if I head back to school now, ma’am?" I ventured cautiously.

"Sure. Off you go," Beatrix said with a wave of her hand. "Tell Alfred to drive you back."

I blinked in surprise at her uncharacteristic generosity but knew better than to question it. "Thank you, ma’am," I said quickly, retreating before she could change her mind.

Outside, Alfred was cleaning the car. He looked up as I approached, his expression skeptical. He had likely expected me to emerge with a reddened cheek, and it was clear he wasn’t pleased that Beatrix had let me off so easily.

"Mrs. Sanderson wants you to drive me back to school, please," I informed him.

"I don’t believe you," he muttered, narrowing his eyes. "She’d never say that."

"She just did," I said firmly. "I can go back in and tell her you’re refusing her orders." I turned slightly as if to head back inside. "I don’t have a death wish, you know," I added, annoyed.

"True," Alfred conceded after a tense pause. "Very well. I’ve got somewhere to be anyway."

"She didn’t send you on an errand," I said, narrowing my eyes suspiciously.

"Are you her assistant now?" he snapped, glaring at me. "Mind your business."

"Whatever," I muttered under my breath, sliding into the car and slamming the door shut. As Alfred started the engine, I glanced at the house, silently praying Beatrix wouldn’t appear and send him on another task.

Thankfully, she stayed inside, and I relaxed as we drove through the gates. Alfred dropped me off at school and sped away before I could thank him, leaving me puzzled by his odd behavior.

As I walked onto the school premises, my mind drifted to the jewelry thief incident. Suddenly, a pair of black knee-high boots blocked my path. I stopped, looking up to meet the furious chocolate-brown eyes of Scarlett Granville. My stomach tightened.

"What do we have here?" she sneered, her voice dripping with contempt. "If it isn’t the boyfriend snatcher."

"I didn’t snatch your boyfriend," I said firmly, frowning.

"Didn’t you?" she spat, thrusting her phone in my face.

My heart plummeted as I saw a video of Eros and me leaving the utility room. Panic surged through me. How had someone managed to catch us when I’d been so careful to make sure we weren’t seen?

"I... It's not what you think," I stammered, my voice shaky. "I swear."

Scarlett’s eyes narrowed, her lips curving into a mocking smile. "The only reason a boy and a girl sneak into the utility room is to do something nasty," she said matter-of-factly. "And let's be real, you're not even his type."

"We were just talking. I swear!" I insisted, my words tumbling out in a rush. "I would never... I mean, Eros would never be interested in a girl like me."

Scarlett chuckled dryly, shaking her head as she pulled out her phone. Her fingers moved swiftly, and then she held the screen up to my face. "Right, because that makes so much sense. That’s funny," she muttered dryly. "Because that’s you, isn’t it? Getting into his car."

"I... We went somewhere, that’s all," I said weakly, my voice barely above a whisper. "We didn’t do anything."

"Where?" Scarlett pressed, her voice sharp.

"I... I can’t tell you. I’m sorry," I mumbled, looking away.

Her expression hardened as she took a step back, a chilling note of finality in her tone. "Then you leave me no choice," she said, nodding at someone behind me. "You have to pay for this."

Before I could turn around, a large hand clamped over my mouth, silencing my scream. I felt myself lifted off the ground, weightless like a doll, as I was carried toward the shadowed area behind the school building.

\~~~~~

The first thing I noticed upon stirring was the sharp soreness in my neck and the relentless thudding in my head, as if someone was pounding on a drum inside it. The pressure felt so intense, it seemed as though my blood vessels might burst. 

I tried to open my eyes, but darkness enveloped me, sparking a wave of panic as the thought of blindness crossed my mind. Desperate to confirm, I attempted to lift my hands to my face, only to discover they were tightly bound behind the chair with rope.

I tried to speak, but the gag in my mouth silenced me. That’s when the horrifying realization struck—I had been kidnapped. Panic surged through me as I heard the creak of a door opening, followed by the sound of footsteps approaching. The steps halted just a few feet away, and my heart pounded furiously in my chest.

A faint trace of sandalwood lingered in the air, a fragrance I instantly recognized as Serena’s father’s signature cologne. It was a subtle clue that ruled out the possibility of my captor being a woman.

For several agonizing moments, the person said nothing, the oppressive silence amplifying my anxiety. I squirmed in the chair, my mind spiraling with terrifying possibilities. Could this be someone Scarlett had sent to finish me off? The thought sent a sharp pang through my chest—I wasn’t ready to die.

As if sensing my fear, the person finally broke the silence, their voice calm yet firm. "Oh, don't worry, I'm not going to kill you."

The words sent a chill down my spine. Was it the pounding headache clouding my thoughts, or did that voice sound eerily familiar? I tried to place it, forcing my exhausted mind to work, but it felt as if my brain refused to cooperate, leaving me adrift in uncertainty.