Chapter 39: Lies or Manipulation?

My smile disappeared as I looked at the notification on my phone. It was from my dad. I scrolled to see the entire message from the notification bar.

“How have you been, Scarlet? It has been a while since we met. Do you think we could meet up somewhere? I went to your home but it feels like you have moved out. Message me when you can.”

I sighed. Of course I have. So much has changed in my life, so many times I was close to giving up a lot of things — and I wonder where he was all this time. Now he suddenly shows up?

I closed the phone without marking the message as ‘read’ and continued to admire the exquisite collection hanging in front of me. I couldn’t afford to bother myself with another problem right now, I was dealing with enough already.

Staring at the beautiful closet, I sighed. Oh well. I have to check out the rest of the room. I can not wait.

I went out and then looked around. All the basic amenities — even all the make-up was already set on the dressing table. I was glad since I didn’t have much knowledge of it and I would’ve probably bought extra, or not enough.

I took my time to take a tour of the entire room before finally coming back to sit on the extremely comfortable bed.

Damn. No matter how bad everything was, this room was a fantasy to me.

“Summer clothes or winter?” I asked myself as I got up again to pack my stuff. I checked it online and finally decided to start packing.

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I stepped down the stairs when it was almost midnight because he had not come back home yet and for some reason, I wasn’t really sleepy. I didn’t know if he wasn’t here or just didn’t bother to come upstairs— the house was too big to check without any maids around.

However, as soon as I reached the big hall downstairs, I heard a low voice. I followed the trail which led to another room connected. I stood at the door and looked inside the dimly-lit area. The room was weird, some might say it looked like it needed dusting — but I wasn’t sure.

I concentrated on the voice.

“Dead end?” I could clearly recognize Xavier’s voice among the two. His tone seemed to be passively aggressive — something I was terribly afraid of.

“I—I am sorry, boss. I picked up the trail the day before yesterday and put all my efforts to triangulate the exact location but I’m afraid I failed. The place didn’t exist. I would—I would find another and I will find this son of a bitch, but just—please—I-I have a kid and a wife!” The other man seemed to be terrified as he uttered his words in a hurry. I guess his feelings resonated with me, because I became afraid too, for some reason.

I had first-hand experience in knowing what kind of monster Xavier could be. I forget about it most of the time when I am with him — but I remember it each time when I am away. It is wrong but I don’t want to help it… and I don’t even know why.

I was so scared for that man. It seemed to be like Xavier blamed him for something. And man, I wouldn’t want to be on his bad side.

“You’re offering them up?” I heard a follow-up question from Xavier and got confused. Offering who? His wife and kid?

“What? No! I-I am asking for mercy. Just this once, I promise it won’t happen again—”

I guess that was it because then I heard a silenced gunshot and I gasped. I covered my mouth so my voice didn’t reach them and thankfully, it didn’t.

God… did he just shoot the man? Did I just see a man get killed!?

I sat down on the edge of the door and tried to stay quiet and control my breathing. I had seen what he was capable of; and I knew he was a murderer pretty well — he made that point when he killed David, but… seeing it happen in front of my eyes? It was different. It was worse than him hurting me.

How little could someone’s life be?

How could someone just decide to take someone else’s life like that?

And how does a person live with such terrible grief?

And… if the person doesn’t feel grief or regret, then to become someone like him… how much of a monster could someone possibly need to be?

“Clean up,” I heard Xavier say, probably on a call. I heard footsteps coming toward me. As it was night, I wasn’t really visible — unless ofcourse, I breathed or he somehow hits me. I got up quietly and shifted to more side.

As soon as Xavier crossed the door, he turned around and kept a gun to my forehead. I gasped loudly and he scoffed. “It’s you.”

“Y-Yes,” I whispered.

He lowered the gun. “What, now you’re hiding in the shadows?”

“Now you’re killing in the house? I thought you said you didn’t kill people here.” I ignored his question and asked with a straight, unafraid voice.

He looked at me. “I say a lot of things.”

“You mean lies?”

“I meant… things. Things which I mean only for certain people.”

“And what is that supposed to mean?” I asked. I couldn’t understand a word of what he said. His sentences were always like a riddle and I was tired of my life being a puzzle game.

“Pretend you didn’t see anything and follow me,” he said and started moving towards a room.

I followed him and asked: “Where are we going?”

“Somewhere where you’re going to get some answers.”

I sighed and didn’t say anything. How bad could it be, right?