98. Mental Anguish

The last thing Viviana remembered was that she fainted in the arms of the hideous-looking guy from hell. When she slowly opened her eyes, she found herself lying on the bed in an unfamiliar room. She scanned the room, panicking because there was no window, but she saw a door. Her mind rapidly recalled everything that had happened to her before she lost consciousness. She remembered the guy from hell. That scary guy abducted her! When she thought everything was just a dream, she was shocked that she was still wearing her red lingerie. She's not dreaming at all, everything is real! She trembled in fear. Her eyes landed on the door. She leaped from the bed and ran to the door, grabbed the door handle and tried opening it. Her heart stopped beating when she realized she couldn't open the door. Is it stuck or locked outside? Realizing the danger she was in, she kicked the door with her feet and punched it with her hands. "Anybody there? Let me out! Please help me, anybody? Let me out!" she screamed hysterically. "Anybody there? Please help me!" she shouted in despair, tears rolling down her face. Despite her loud screaming and repetitively hitting the door with her hands and feet to create noise, no one heard her desperate cry for help. No one opens the door to help her. Tired, scared and feeling hopeless, Viviana sat down on the edge of the bed to rest. How come her ex-husband turned into a monster from hell? That was not Alpha Callum, it was someone else wearing a costume! But who is it? She rose to her feet and inspected the walls for any hidden door leading out of the room. To her dismay, she found none. How to escape the room? When will the monster return? Will he kill her? What is he planning for her? She realized the guy had superpowers. He was able to enter the mansion, bypassing dozens of guards patrolling outside and inside the mansion. He even managed to evade her ex-husband undetected. She wondered where her ex-husband was when the intruder entered the mansion and sat on the chair on the balcony, pretending he was Alpha Callum? Something is definitely not right! She rubbed her eyes several times, thinking she was just dreaming. But when she opened her eyes wide, everything was real! The monster guy from hell is real! Frightened by her hopeless situation, imprisoned in a windowless room with no way out, she began crying hard. She will definitely die the moment the guy returns. She continues to sob hard, scared of what type of torture awaits her at the hands of the monster guy. Viviana's loud weeping filled the room. Meanwhile... In Clarice's room, she can be seen sleeping soundly on the bed when Demetria enters the room, passing through the wall like a ghost. Demetria walked towards the bed and gently nudged Clarice's arms. "Dear, wake up. I have a gift for you," she said. Clarice stirred in her sleep, opened her eyes and looked at Demetria. "Why are you here? Is it time for feeding?" she asked sleepily, rubbing her eyes. Demetria shook her head and replied, "No. I'm not here for that. As I said, I brought you a gift. Guess who?" Clarice's forehead puckered in confusion. She sat upright on the bed. "Gift? Who?" she asked in puzzlement. Demetria smiled. "One of your enemies. Guess who?" The frown on Clarice's forehead deepened. "What? You kidnapped Kaspar?" she asked. Demetria shook her head. "No. Wrong answer. Try again." "Aurelia?" Clarice asked. "No, wrong answer again. Try one more time," Demetria said. Clarice's brows were drawn together. If not Kaspar and Aurelia, who else? "Don't tell me you kidnapped Viviana?" Demetria clapped her hands in glee. "Correct! You got it right this time, dear!" Stunned, Clarice looked at Demetria. "Why did you kidnap her? What did she do wrong to you?" "Nothing, but she is planning to seduce your husband, so I stopped her before she could do anything naughty to your husband. I'm afraid your husband will give into his ex-wife's seduction if I don't arrive on time and intervene on your behalf," Demetria explained. Shocked, Clarice stared at Demetria's face for a few minutes, speechless. A mixture of anger and confusion flashed in her eyes. "She...she is planning to seduce my husband?" she asked in disbelief. "Yes! She is wearing sexy red lingerie and went to the balcony where your husband can be seen drinking wine, staring at the horizon, wearing an empty look in his eyes. Your husband developed that habit after your disappearance," Demetria added. "Thanks to you!" Clarice retorted, glaring angrily at her. "I saved you from all the danger lurking in the ocean, remember? Be grateful for my help!" Demetria snapped back. Clarice sighed heavily. "Take me to where you imprisoned Viviana. I want to see her with my own eyes," she finally said. Arguing with Demetria is pointless. She always wins. "Okay, I'll take you to the basement. Then after you see her, kill her!" Demetria said authoritatively. "Whaaaat?" Clarice asked in shock, unprepared for what Demetria wanted her to do. "You need to kill three bad people, remember? Viviana will be the first on your list. You should kill her because she is planning to seduce your husband and take your place in his heart, in your son's heart and in his home. Kill your enemy before they steal what's rightfully yours," Demetria insisted. "Are you trying to rush me and force me into accepting your responsibility? Why don't you just find another person to carry your responsibility for you?" Clarice snapped back at her. Demetria's eyes glowed dangerously. "Dear, you need this power more than I do. You are very lucky that I offered this incredible opportunity to you and not to somebody else. Be grateful!" she said irritably. Her tone vibrated with anger. Clarice breathed deeply. "I'm not like you. I'm not ready yet to kill anyone. I haven't killed anyone in my life. I'm not going to kill anyone today, period!" she said, refusing to cooperate with Demetria's evil plan. Demetria groaned in annoyance, trying to control her temper. Convincing Clarice to become the guardian of the house is difficult. But she can't rush her. She must be willing to become the guardian of the house or else nothing will work. She looked at Clarice. "Do you still want to see Viviana?" she asked calmly. "Yes. But I will not kill her tonight!" Clarice stood her ground. "Fine, I won't force you to kill someone today because you are not ready yet," Demetria finally relented. "Do you want Viviana to see your face or do you want to see her in disguise?" she asked, giving her two choices. Clarice fell silent for a moment. "I want to see her with my own face," she finally answered. Demetria nodded her head. "Ok. But you need to see my disguise first, or else you might freak out. This is just an illusion not real, so don't fret," she said and waved her hand all over her body, transforming herself into a hideous-looking guy with horns and a tail, looking like he had just come out of the depths of hell. Clarice stepped back, truly scared of the devilish-looking guy standing in front of her. "De... Demetria, is that you?" Demetria laughed, amused by her reaction. "Of course it's me! I tell you not to be scared of my transformation. It's just an illusion, dear. Now tell me, what do you want to be? Superman, Batman or Wonder Woman? Choose what disguise you like." It took Clarice a few minutes before she gave her answer. "Turn me into a nun, wearing a habit," she said. "Easy-peasy, how about your face? You want to change it as well?" Demetria asked. "No, leave my face as it is. I want to warn Viviana to stay away from my husband. Poking at her conscience might stop her evil plans," Clarice said calmly. "I doubt that, but anyway, let's do it your way," Demetria said, waving her hand at Clarice, transforming her into a nun. Clarice was amazed by her transformation. She touched the fabric of her white attire. It felt so real. "Nice!" she gushed in astonishment. "Let's go!" Demetria said. Back in the windowless room... Viviana can be seen sitting on the bed in her worst state. Tears of fear and despair flooded her face. All of a sudden, the door opened, and two people entered the room, the monster guy and a nun. The sight of the nun filled Viviana's heart with hope. She looked at the nun, focusing her attention on her. But why does she look familiar? It doesn't matter. "Please help me, sister! I begged you," she said, crying harder. The monster guy addressed his companion. "Sister, dear, what do you want to do with this woman? Should we kill her and scatter her dismembered body all over the city? Or release her?" Viviana trembled in fear. She glared at the monster guy. "I didn't do you wrong. Why are you torturing me like this?" she asked the guy between tears. "You did nothing wrong with me. You should ask this nun here. She knows what you did," the monster guy said casually. The nun looked at her companion. "Brother, leave us alone for a moment, please?" Viviana was shocked that the nun's voice sounded familiar to her ears. The monster guy hesitated for a moment but finally walked to the door and exited. Viviana felt relieved. The nun looks kind. She will try her best to ask the nun to release her. She must escape from this place. She doesn't want to die today! She quickly dropped to her knees and kneeled in front of the nun. "Please save me! I have a baby daughter back home waiting for me. I can't die today. My baby daughter needs me. She's still young. Please have mercy on me," she begged desperately. "Stand up," Clarice ordered in a gentle tone. Viviana stood up and looked at the nun's face closely. She trembled in shock and awareness upon realizing that the nun was none other than the missing Clarice. "It's you! Cla...Clarice... Charice you are alive?" she asked, surprised, her heart beating rapidly in her rib cage. Clarice smiled in amusement. "I'm sorry, dear. I don't know who Clarice and Charice are. Maybe I look and sound like them?" she said, confusing Viviana even more. "So, you are not the Charice I know?" Viviana asked in bewilderment. Clarice smirked. "What do you think, dear?"