Chapter # 6

Trapped, left with barely enough movements, as the time passed, Zariah lost her energy. Lack of food and the same position put her body at sleep, plus her injury. Groaning in pain she was wondering who did it. 'Tsk, what is happening to me? Who is toying with me?' She thought furiously, attempting to remove the cloth from her mouth at least. Her wounds started to burn, fever began to take over her. Yet, she managed to remove the cloth as the minimum achievement and attempted to shout but ended up coughing due to lack of water. "Fuck," She paused, swallowing hard to gather the strength of her vocal cord and released a yell. "Hello!!" She could feel it was a basement and probably if someone was around, it would listen and might come for rescue. She couldn't die here, she knew. She won't let it. Not when he was so far away. "IS ANYONE THERE!? LET ME GO!" She screamed. The darkness before her was already disturbing her. And when she was surrounded with questions and weakness- the creaking sound of the door being opened came. "Huh...?" Her body paused, saliva was dripping from the side of her mouth, eyes covered, growling at the sound of strong footsteps. The urge to rip that person apart rose in her, curling her strained hands in a fist due to wrath. Ready to attack if she must but she was merely greeted by an oddly familiar, husky and deep resonance. ... And the whistling. "Scream. Scream all you want," Gradually, the cloth from her eyes was removed, revealing the blurry vision where the silhouette of the unforeseen man was before her. "What the-" She found her hands chained, mouth covered with no room left for movements. Moreover, finding him before her made her jaw drop in disbelief. And in that caged position, the sound of the deadly whistle echoed in the dark basement, accompanied by his piercing tone. "What? Did you truly think that I will allow you to escape this time?" She blinked. It took her a whole minute to register that it was no mirage and he was truly before her. Standing up forth in his black buttoned shirt and pants. His muscles visible through the roughly rolled sleeves and toned chest by three buttons opened. His brown hair scattered over his forehead, looking arresting and scary at the same time. She gulped worriedly, "Nathaniel...?" A shiver went down her spine, scanning him for confirmation while having no idea why he was doing this. Flashing a dark, malicious hint by her bewilderment, he grabbed a nearby chair and placed it right before her. "Indeed," She was about on the ground, restrained while he sat, opening his legs, lifting her enough to place her between. Indulging in the position, his fingers trailed, loving long hairs on her delicate features, causing her body to be frozen by the contact. How possessive... Bringing his rough fingers down to her jaw, wiping the trace of saliva with his thumb, smearing it with his deadly eyes contemplating her. "Ah, looking desirable, Zariah," He whispered temptingly. Moving his thumb to her lower lips, pressing it firmly to lift her chin and maintain the keen eye contact. "What- What is this? What are you doing?" With a hitch breath, she gained her posture and breathlessly asked, failing to grasp what possibly caused him to capture her. His smirk grew at her confusion, leaning forward to close the gap to the point his breaths mixed with hers. She closed her mouth, narrowing her eyes. Knowing he always held power over her. In a second, innocence gleamed on the dangerous woman's face. Tilting her head to allow him to touch however he pleased. "Oh you haven't heard the news yet. Hear. Your plane crashed. How unfortunate," He chuckled darkly. Satisfying his fingers by her graze before pulling away and inclining back to rest his one leg over the other dominantly. She trembled, scanning his powerful form from top to bottom but soon realized what he spoke and dared to ask vaguely. "Did you... do this? The crash...?" He rolled his eyes, smirk not vanishing- as if none of it mattered to him- it didn't. "Yes. I planned it out. It was filled with people that became an eyesore for me by underestimating me, ultimately causing me to punish them with a method I found befitting." Raising his one hand in the air, he exhaled, explaining to her about the devious plan he laid already as her jaw dropped. To think he crashed a whole plane with people he resented and made it think like an accident. Truly, his devilish mind never left him. Soon his smirk vanished as he sighed from disappointment, revealing his evil nature he failed to conceal. "Plus, I hate those who foolishly believe that they can defeat me. They deserve to die." To his muttering, she lowered her head, failing to compete with his wicked nature. Pressing her teeth together as his sourness made her vexed. "Why... do this with me? How? When?" She whispered slowly and her question brought his amusement back briefly. "It was a piece of cake for me to drug you at the hospital with the right timing. No one was going to notice nor did I care honestly." He smirked once again, explaining to her how he managed to do it. "Matt and Andy-" The second she was about to ask but he counter-questioned to entangle her in his web only- "Are they more important than me?" She immediately replied from the bottom of her heart, "No!" "Then don't ask about them." He hummed. Pleased with her response before rising from his seat and opening her restraints finally. Her body was shaking when he was behind, untying her legs first, allowing her to sit properly. "Why... are you doing this?" She asked softly, glancing over her shoulder when he was before her, freeing her wrist. Her gaze lowered beautifully but he stopped his work and shifted closer to the point his breaths were on her neck, forming goosebumps. "Why, you ask?" He arched an eyebrow handsomely before breaking into a laugh. Forming her lips in a thin line, her heart skipped a beat when his hot breaths converted into a growl. "I.. I am just amazed at your acting, Zariah," He became serious abruptly, yanking her tied wrists back, causing her to fall on his hard chest. She gasped, body tensing up when he glared at her. "Nat-" "Do you think I wouldn't know about your deal with the man I resent the most!?" A fright she hadn't experienced in a while traveled to her body, shivering when he whisper-yelled in her ear. "What...?" "What the fuck you think you were doing!?" He scowled, gripping her hair, roughly making her confront his furious gaze. "Trying to prove your power to Zoran by stealing 'my' belongings huh?!" He yelled, roughly leaving her, keeping her tied as her mouth gaped incredulity. "It was... yours?" "Yes, that file you intend to steal where all the treasures were pinpointed was mine." He hissed, getting up, holding his sides to show his frustration. "Nathaniel, I had no idea-" He pointed his finger at her to stop this, "Don't give me that crap," "Wasn't France supposed to be Sebastian's? Then how come you... here?" She was perplexed, worried while he was angered and scoffed too. "So you know nothing?" "I swear, I don't," She gulped, certainly not wanting to enrage him at all cost. "Not only me, others also don't know. He had kept quiet about it," She informed him, praying he would understand, causing him to furrow his eyebrows and turn to her. "Really?" "Yes," "Ah, then dear ex-wife, you sure are ignorant of the deal Sebastian made with the devil. The land you stand upon is all mine now."