81

Alfred.

Sebastian has completely transformed into a terrifying, unhinged person right before my eyes. It's like watching Jekyll become Hyde in real-time, frightening and unpredictable. He hasn't merely changed since I last saw him—he's actually gotten significantly worse than before, reverting back to the man I first encountered all that time ago—a legendary figure whispered about in hushed tones... someone truly dangerous who made people tremble with just a look.

"This isn't the Sebastian I knew," I think to myself, trying to stay calm as my heart pounds wildly in my chest. "What happened to him?"

His scary, intense look has completely overtaken his once handsome face, twisting his features into something almost unrecognizable. His normally warm eyes have turned cold and calculating, darting around wildly as if searching for invisible threats. His tone, so unnaturally stern and commanding, makes involuntary shivers run down my spine like icy fingers tracing my vertebrae.

"Alfred, stop looking at me like that," he snaps suddenly, catching me studying him. "Like you're afraid of me."

"I'm not afraid," I lie, my voice betraying me with a slight quiver.

But the strange thing is, the very first time when I initially met Sebastian so long ago, I wasn't remotely afraid of him like I am right now. Back then, despite all the rumors and warnings about his volatile temperament, I was strangely, inexplicably certain deep in my soul that he would never actually hurt me physically; I always felt surprisingly safe when I was next to him, protected rather than threatened.

"You used to look at me differently," he says softly, a brief flash of the old Sebastian visible for just a moment. "Like you trusted me completely."

"That was before," I reply quietly, looking away.

But now, in this moment, I feel an entirely different, more complicated feeling churning inside me—raw fear mixed with lingering affection, creating a dangerous emotional cocktail. Perhaps this dramatic change in my perception is because he so coldly refused my heart when I offered it to him and callously kicked me away from his life like I meant absolutely nothing to him after all we'd shared.

"I know you're afraid," he says, his voice dropping to a whisper. "I can see it in your eyes, Alfred. But you don't need to be. I would never hurt you."

"You already did," I reply, the words escaping before I can stop them.

But despite my brave words, I still find myself deeply, profoundly afraid to look directly into his eyes this time. Those eyes that once felt like home now feel like abysses I might fall into and never escape from again.

"Look at me, Alfred," he demands softly. "Just look at me."

I can't. I won't.

After what seemed like hours of driving through winding country roads, we finally arrived somewhere incredibly remote and isolated—a massive, imposing house perched on a hilltop, surrounded by dense forest on all sides. It wasn't just a house; it was more like a fortress with its huge, intimidating iron gates and an alarming number of armed guards patrolling the perimeter, making the entire property feel more like a high-security prison than a private residence.

"Where are we?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper as I took in the ominous surroundings. "Is this another one of your properties?"

"Somewhere no one will find us," Sebastian replied cryptically, his eyes fixed straight ahead. "Somewhere we can talk without interruptions."

"Talk?" I repeated incredulously. "Is that what you call kidnapping someone and bringing them to the middle of nowhere?"

His only response was a tightening of his jaw as he signaled to the guards to open the massive gates.

Like I was nothing more than livestock being led to slaughter, Sebastian roughly dragged me from the car like a stubborn cow being pulled to market. My attempts to resist were futile against his superior strength. After quickly and efficiently wrapping my hands together with what appeared to be an expensive silk tie, he pulled me through the sprawling house to an upstairs bedroom.

"You don't need to tie me up," I protested, wincing as the silk bit into my wrists. "Where exactly do you think I could run to? We're in the middle of nowhere!"

"I know you," Sebastian replied grimly. "You'd find a way."

Without another word, he pushed me inside the luxuriously appointed room and locked the heavy wooden doors behind us with an ominous click that seemed to echo my fate. I looked around frantically, noting with growing anxiety that the windows were too high and too small for escape.

"The windows are reinforced," Sebastian said, noticing my gaze. "And we're on the second floor."

I genuinely don't understand why he felt the need to lock the door so securely behind us; as he himself had pointed out, I truly don't have even the slightest realistic opportunity to run away from this remote location even if I managed to get out of the room. Where would I go? Into the surrounding forest with armed guards patrolling everywhere? It was hopeless.

"This is ridiculous," I said, trying to sound braver than I felt. "You're the mayor! You can't just abduct people when you feel like it!"

"I can do whatever I want," he replied simply. "I'm Sebastian Evans."

The finality in his voice sent another wave of fear washing over me.

I flickered my eyes nervously around the room, searching desperately for anything that might help me in this increasingly terrifying situation. The bed was large and luxurious, the furnishings expensive, but nothing seemed immediately useful as a weapon or means of escape.

"Sebastian, please," I tried reasoning with him again, my voice more controlled now. "This isn't like you. You're not thinking clearly."

"What are you planning to do with me?" I finally demanded, my fear transforming momentarily into anger. "Are you completely insane? Have you lost your mind entirely? Let me go right now, this instant! I'm seriously warning you that there will be consequences for this!"

I couldn't stop my entire body from trembling violently, especially when I watched with growing horror as Sebastian deliberately began removing his expensive wristwatch, placing it carefully on the bedside table with a soft click that somehow sounded threatening in the quiet room. Next, he slowly slipped off his tailored jacket and draped it over a nearby chair, his movements methodical and purposeful.

"Make yourself comfortable," he said, loosening his tie. "We might be here a while."

My mind immediately jumped to the worst possible conclusions about his intentions. I genuinely thought he was preparing to beat me severely for rejecting him, or maybe even force himself on me in a twisted attempt to reclaim what he considered his. The very idea made me feel physically ill.

"Don't touch me," I warned, backing away until my legs hit the edge of the bed. "Whatever you're thinking, don't."

"You still don't trust me," he observed, sounding almost sad.

I honestly don't know what was going through his complicated mind at this particular moment. Sebastian had always been impossible to read correctly—his moods shifting like quicksilver, his true intentions hidden behind layers of practiced charm and calculated responses. He used to be a completely mysterious puzzle for me, one with no clear solution or answer key no matter how hard I tried to figure him out.

"You never let me see the real you," I said quietly. "How could I ever trust someone who wears so many different masks?"

"Maybe this is the real me," he replied, his voice unnervingly calm. "Have you considered that?"

The uncertainty of what would happen next was perhaps the most frightening part of all.

"And what if I absolutely refused to let you go?!" Sebastian suddenly asked with a dangerous edge to his voice. His lips curved into a predatory smirk that didn't reach his eyes as he deliberately leaned his head uncomfortably close to mine. I was helplessly laying on the massive bed, desperately trying to untie my bound hands using only my teeth, the silk fabric slippery and unyielding despite my efforts.

"What if I decided to keep you here forever?" he continued, his breath hot against my face. "What would you do then, Alfred?"

"You can't be serious," I gasped, turning my head away from him. "People will look for me. Jack will—"

"Don't say his name!" Sebastian growled, something dark flashing in his eyes. "Not here. Not between us."