Chapter 36: Masterpiece

~Tricia

I replied stoically, and he took a step forward, pressing the katana harder against my neck. My neck ached a little from what he did, but I didn't flinch.

"Isla who?"

"My full name is Isla Vienette." I said this while looking him in the eyes.

I hadn't realized I was narrating everything that happened to me the day we were kidnapped and how I escaped from that hell.

What Luzy did for me, and how my parents found me on that dark road. I even told him things I hadn't told anyone else, and I'm talking to him without taking my gaze away from the pair of black orbs that stare back at me.

It's as if I've been hypnotized and am compelled to tell him everything I remember from my past.

"That's all." I finished tearing my gaze away from him, but he had not yet removed his katana.

Crap! Why am I always feeling so frail right now?

I hate this, this isn't me! Being weak is not my thing. I close my eyes and exhale deeply.

Focus!

I crack open my eyes. Without hesitation, I arch backwards and kick his katana-wielding hand, which flies upwards.

He wasn't expecting it, so I took advantage of it. I trip him over his feet, but he easily flips back. I quickly grab the katana before he can recompose himself. It's now my turn to point the katana at his neck. He froze for a moment, but a smirk danced across his face.

He landed a full-round kick on my hand that katana the katana, which flew away and landed on the wall behind his bed.

He grabbed my wrist and swept my feet off, but before my back landed on the floor, I was able to kick his knees, causing him to lose his balance.

We both stumbled to the floor, him on top of me, and he grabbed both of my hands and stretched them above my head. I keep wriggling to break free from his grip, but I can't because he's weighing me down.

"So you were saying that your friend's name is Win-win, and that cocky prof is one, right? So did you also tell him everything you told me?" He asked, unconcerned about our awkward situation.

"No, I told him my name is Luzy and the person who died is Isla. Now get off of me." I hissed.

"Good." he said before letting me go.

He got up without bothering to assist me, so I stood up for myself.

Why did he ask if I tell Win-win that I was the real Isla?

Realization hit me, it's a bit unfair on Win-win's part because I told everything to Seth yet I didn't say what I should have said to him. In fact he should be the one to know everything and not Seth. We were the ones who were kidnapped at that time.

I guess need to tell Win-win too who I really am. Just to be fair in his part.

"I am planning on telling him though." I mumble just enough for him to hear.

"Oh hell not!!" He exclaimed at me wearing a big scowl on his face.

And why would he be concerned about that? It's my fucking choice, not his. He had no right to boss me around!

"Of course I will! Who are you to say that to me?! In fact, I should have told him everything because we were kidnapped together, but I didn't tell him the truth but-" A soft warm lips landing on mine, disrupted me from ranting.

His strong arms snake around my waist, drawing me in and filling the space between our bodies. I was about to push him away when he tightened his grip on my hips.

The warmth of his body slowly engulfing mine, a familiar tingling sensation begins to build inside me, and my stomach begins to flip upside down.

My knees are turning to jelly, and if he wasn't holding me so tightly, I'm sure it would collapse. I hadn't realized my hand was slipping around his neck, pulling his head down to mine and deepening the kiss. When he sucks my bottom lips, I gasp, and he uses the opportunity to thrust his tongue inside my mouth.

"Just in case. You have forgotten who I am to you." He said this between our kisses.

"Let. Me. Remind. You. That. I. Am. Still. Your. Fiancée." He said slowly, breaking the kiss, our breath became shallow, and his forehead rested on mine, his black orbs bore down to my strange one.

Is he still not going to pull off the fiancée thing? Does he really stand for that title? I assumed he didn't care about me, so why was he suddenly interested in me?

"Is that still on?" I asked absentmindedly between my breaths. He placed his free hand on my face, his thumb trailing behind my tattoo with his eyes closed.

"Of course it's still on. Tricia being Violet just added a little spice to it." He replied smirking.

"I thought you didn't care about me," I said in hushed tones. His eyes remained closed, but I noticed him clenching his jaw, his grip on mine loosening, and he gently pushed me.

My body quickly misses his warmth, but I ignore it. His eyes blinked open, which were now clouded with some muddled emotion that I couldn't place.

He sighed deeply and ruffled his hair.

"I don't know." He simply stated.

"What do you mean you don't know?" My brow furrowed in confusion.

"I'm not sure what I was saying at the time." I was even more puzzled by what he said. Couldn't he be more specific?

"I'm not fond of seeing you with that Kiro guy." He said it out of nowhere, and how did Kiro get involved in this conversation?

"And what did Kiro have to do with this?" Seriously, I'm still confused by this man.

Earlier, he was furious with me because I was brought here in their quarters and then, when I was about to leave, he abruptly carried me to his room. Then we fought and suddenly kissed, and Kiro was now involved in whatever his problem was.

It all just happened too fast.

Is he a bipolar or something?

Don't tell me... no! Not again with that. He said he wasn't jealous, didn't he?

But he also stated that he had no idea what he was talking about at the time.

Urgh! Seth, why do you have to be so complicated?

"Are you jealous of him?" When I finally asked, he just stared at me as if I had two heads. Now that I think about it, I completely regret that I asked because I already know what will be his response. In frustration, I heard him sigh and comb his hair again.

"Yes."

Wait he said yes? Am I hearing it right? He must have seen my bewilderment on my face, because he sighed again.

"Yes, I suppose, maybe. Fuck I don't know! All I know is that I dislike seeing you with someone else! I hate seeing you with that fucking Prof, and it's made worse by the fact that he was your long-lost 'childhood friend,' and now I'd seen that Kiro guy practically naked on your penthouse, and to be honest, if I hadn't been good enough at holding myself back at the time, I could have ripped his head off right in front of you. I couldn't even stand seeing you with Axhton and Raynel. So, if that's what they mean by ‘jealous,’ then yes, I am."

I just stand there in front of him, swallowed up by his words. I was shocked, no, scratch that, shocked is an understatement. There are no words to describe how I feel right now. It seems like the world also stop spinning, being dumbfounded on his words.

You've got to be kidding me, right?

~Someone's Persona

I hadn't called her in a while, and she was still amusing me with her scrappy personality. Since she was a child, she is always like that. I know she can't wait to find out where I am and who I am, but now isn't the time, not until my big surprise for her wakes up. And, while we're on the subject, I noticed one of my scientists hurrying my way.

"You have to see this, Master." He's panting as he approaches.

I followed him without asking. We went to the lab, where I placed my subject. I've been working on this for ten years, and I can't afford for anything to go wrong. To create this masterpiece, I had to give up everything I had. I created Isla for a short time and she was successful, but her weak twin let her go, so I had to create another one that was exactly like her, which unfortunately took this long.

"What happened?" I asked him as soon as we walked in. I looked at the massive cylindrical glass in the middle of the room, which stands nearly eight feet tall. Inside of it is my ‘masterpiece,' which is naked and floating in a greenish bubbling liquid. All of her vital signs are monitored by a tangle of wires attached to her body.

"We put the chip on her head after checking all of her vitals and finding everything to be normal." My head snaps to his direction, and rage slowly creeps up my spine. They do it without my permission!

"YOU FOOLS!! YOU PUT THAT THING IN WITHOUT TAKING MY ORDER!!" I yelled not only at him, but also at everyone else in the room. Because of my outburst, they all lowered their heads. With their rash actions, they could have killed her.

"I'm sorry, master, but her body has been ready for many years, and the chip has responded positively to her system..." He made a motion with his hand. "This is what I'm talking about." He dashed over to the monitor next to the cylindrical glass and quickly punched some codes into it.

He demonstrated all of her activities as well as how her body responds to the chip. The chip was implanted in the center of her brain, exactly where Isla's body had reacted when I injected her with the nostrum. After implanting the chip, I monitor her heartbeat, blood circulation, and brain function.

The only sounds heard are the monitor's beeping and the release of oxygen from the tube. My face begins to smile slowly. Everything went back to normal, as if the chip had always been there.

Finally, my surprise for my little Isla is here, and I don't have to wait any longer.

"Is she ready?" I inquired, not looking at any of them. Instead, I simply walked in front of it, admiring how magnificent she is. Something caught my eye, and I moved my gaze down to her hand and fingers.

I just stare at it, waiting for it to happen again so I can verify what I saw earlier. It happened again, her fingers moved. She is regaining all of her senses.

"Yes master." One of them spoke up.

"Open the tube and let her out." I ordered. In my peripheral vision, I noticed him typing up on a keyboard. I watch as the greenish liquid drains quickly and the protective glass slides up. My men pulled the cords that connect her to the rest of her body.

My men were about to leave after the cords were cut, but her eyes suddenly opened. She grabbed one of them and broke his neck, then kicked the others, sending them flying to the other side. Her eye lenses are no longer black like it used to be ten years ago, it is now golden dragon eyes.

Like Henna, the chip extinguished all of her emotions. If I had implanted that chip in Isla's brain before she escaped, she could be like this one, feeling nothing but emptiness inside. They're nearly identical, except this one has golden dragon eyes instead of violet. She has a blank expression on her face as she stares me down.

"At long last, you'd awoken." I greeted her with a big hug, not caring if I got wet because she'd just gotten out of the tube and was dripping wet. She didn't move, so I let go of her flashing a bright smile.

"After ten long years, here you are magnificently standing in front of me." I boastfully blurted, checking her face and everything if all falls into places.

"Where am I?" The little monster I created asked, and I want to call her that because she was only ever a thing to me, and she's supposed to be dead by now if it weren't for that stupid guy named Jerome, but I realize she's more than that. She'll be my ace in the hole, which I'll use both against them, against my little Isla. I couldn’t wait to see the look on their faces when they see my beautiful creation.

"My darling, you've returned home. There's nothing to be concerned about."