I have no idea how this happened, but I found myself tied to this bed, like the same bed you can find in a hospital, and the worst part of it all is that I was naked!

He didn't utter even a single word but creepily smiled at me, and from the way he looked at me, I could tell that he was up to no good.

Who would have imagined that such a gorgeous face could turn into a scary monster?

No, erase that. He's not a monster, he's a demon!

I admit, I made a mistake and deserve his revenge, but isn't this taking it too far?

"What are you going to do with that?" I asked in so much fear.

All the hairs on my body stood up when I saw what he was holding as it glimmered from the light coming from the outside moon.

"What do you think the use of a knife?" He asked dangerously.

I tried to wriggle, trying to free myself, but even though I tried so hard, it all came to naught.

"Stop!" I screamed as I saw the knife driving through my chest.

I immediately stood up while holding my heaving chest, I tried to feel the part where the knife should be in, expecting the pain to finally register, but a few minutes had passed and yet I didn't find any knife, and sighed when I didn't find the knife.

My eyes immediately roamed the room where I was and I realized that I was in my own room.

"It was just a dream," I thought to myself, and after realizing it, I felt like all the energy in my body disappeared when I came to that conclusion.

I went back to bed but hadn't thought of going back to sleep, so instead, I just looked at the ceiling of my room.

It's been two weeks since my dreadful encounter with Jayden Andrada, and it's been a hell of a hell of a two weeks, if I may add.

After Jayden found me, I couldn't eat properly nor sleep peacefully.

Sometimes, I blame myself for watching a lot of gory movies during my free time, and I end up having this kind of dream.

It's Regina's fault since she's the one who enjoyed watching those movies, but it wasn't her fault that I made a stupid mistake.

I felt like someone was following me whenever I was outside, and just waiting for me to be alone so they could stab me in the back.

I know, I'm being too paranoid, but what can I do? Jayden's last remarks shake me to my very core.

"I never forget."

It feels like I can still hear his voice in my head, especially when I close my eyes, making it hard for me to sleep.

The way he muttered those words brought so much creepiness within me, and at the same time, for some reason, there was a different emotion I couldn't put my finger on.

Thirty minutes had passed when I decided to try to go back to sleep, but my awareness was already awake, making it impossible to go back to sleep.

Instead of going back to sleep, I decided to prepare a meal.

Before going to the kitchen, I decided to check on Mel, who was still deeply asleep.

I envied how she could sleep soundly, compared to me, even in sleep. I couldn't get any peace of mind.

I watched how she sleeps, and a thought crossed my mind, and that is, I will do everything for my dear sister.

What I did was a crime, I know, but I couldn't let anyone take advantage of my sister.

Mel and I were the only ones in this world since our parents had already passed away, so we should look after each other.

Since I had enough time, I decided to prepare something delicious for our breakfast, and since my focus was on my cooking, I didn't notice Mel getting into the kitchen.

I heard her say, "Good morning," and when I looked at her, I saw that she was still yawning as she took her usual spot at the table.

Since I was still waiting for the dish I was cooking to cook, I decided to prepare her a cup of coffee.

"Are you still having trouble sleeping?" she asked.

She was aware of Jayden finding me. I decided to tell her about it, just in case I suddenly disappeared, she would know who might be the mastermind behind it.

"I can't help it, Mel," I answered helplessly as I sat on the chair next to her.

I feel so exhausted, both in my mind and in my body.

"I still think it's my fault that you got into this mess," Mel suddenly said, which I immediately refused.

"Don't you ever think it's your fault, Mel, I decided to kidnap that man, and it wasn't your fault that I committed such stupidity," I answered forcefully.

"But still, if it wasn't for my whining, then this whole mess would have never happened."

"Stop blaming yourself, and maybe you were right when you told me that maybe I was just thinking too much, it's been two weeks but nothing happened to me, and I didn't think someone as busy as Jayden Andrada will waster his time for someone insignificant like me, I'm pretty sure he would rather spend his time making himself richer," I said trying to convince her, but more accurately trying to convince myself.

After having my breakfast, I started getting ready to go to work. To be honest, I didn't feel like going to work since I could still feel like someone was watching over me and they were just waiting for the right time to do whatever crime they had planned for me.

I kept on looking behind me, but I didn't see anything out of the ordinary until I arrived at work.

"You look like hell!" Regina said as she saw me getting inside the bank and going to the computer next to her.

"Good morning to you too," I replied, yawning due to my lack of sleep.

"I'm not kidding, Gabby. Have you looked in the mirror lately?" She asked, which I just tried to laugh at, but the worry on her face didn't waiver.

"I'm worried about you, Gab. It isn't healthy anymore with what is going on with you," she said.

"Don't worry about me Reg, I'm going to be ok," I said.

I could tell that she didn't believe me, but it was a good thing that she didn't insist any further.

I tried to focus on my job, but it was challenging, especially if you were being rattled whenever the entrance door opened, and you were expecting the worst thing to happen.

The hours passed without anything happening, or at least what I was expecting to happen, which made me think that maybe they were right, maybe I was just overthinking.

I mean, Jayden must be so busy with his business and wouldn't have any time to spare with someone like me, so I tried to convince myself that nothing bad would happen.

We had just returned from lunch break when our manager, Ma'am Lourdes, called me.

"Gabby, can I have a word please?" She asked, so I followed her to her table.

"Is there a problem? Is there anything I could do for you?" I asked.

I tried to remember if I did something wrong, but I couldn't think of any. I admit I was absentminded earlier, but still, I made sure not to commit such mistakes.

"I'm worried about you. You appeared to be jumpy these past few days, and I couldn't help but notice that you seemed a bit scared for some reason. Is there anything bothering you lately?"

I could detect the genuine concern in her voice, which I appreciated greatly.

I took a deep breath after hearing her words. I knew that she would eventually notice my uneasiness. I mean, who would be at peace when threatened by one of the richest men in the Philippines?

"I'm just stressed," I said.

"If that's what happens, then I think you need to take a break, I'm allowing you to go on leave," she said.

I can't believe that she will allow me to take a leave considering that I was on leave for a long time when I abducted Jayden.

"But, Ma'am, I don't have any leave credits left," I said, remembering that I used all my leave credits.

"You don't have to worry about it, I will take care of it, and besides, you looked like you badly needed a break," she continued.

I decided to accept her offer, and I was surprised when she told me that I could already go on leave tomorrow, and I could take one week of vacation leave, which is kind of suspicious, but my mind is not OK right now, so I didn't think much about it.

"What did she ask you?" Regina asked as soon as I returned to my table.

"She noticed that I looked stressed out lately, so she decided to have me on leave starting tomorrow," I said.

"That's so unfair! I applied for a vacation leave, but she disapproved of it because, according to her, we were understaffed," she said in a hushed tone.

I couldn't help but think that something wasn't right, I mean, compared to me, Regina has more leave credits than I have, but her leave application was denied, but I decided not to think about it, since Ma'am Lourdes was right, I really needed to unwind and try to forget about what happened.

After office hours, I went straight home and checked on my laptop to see where I could go.

I know that I should try to save, especially since I used a large portion of my savings just for my plan, which was a big mistake, but I really want to go somewhere nice.

I looked for available flights going to Romblon, which is in the Mimaropa region.

Luckily, there was a sale seat back and forth, so I immediately booked it, and after saving the confirmation, I went ahead and prepared my stuff for tomorrow's flight.

While lying in bed, I couldn't help but feel like something was off, but I immediately removed it from my mind, thinking that I might just be overthinking about Jayden and his threat.

Most likely, Jayden is just scaring me, and I don't think he will bother someone like me when he could earn more money focusing on his businesses.

With that thought in mind, I finally drifted to an easy sleep, which is the first time since his visit to the bank two weeks ago.

I woke up early the following morning and continued preparing my things before my flight.

I was alone in the house since Mel was in Thailand for her fashion show for a local brand in that country.

I can't help but get excited when I think of my time on that island. I saw that island in one of the traveler's vlogs, and I can't help but want to visit it.

When I left home, I made sure that I didn't forget anything and also made sure that I locked the door before leaving.

I hailed a taxi to go to the airport, which took me a little more than half an hour.

I will make sure that I will have the relaxation that I deserve. To hell with Jayden Andrada!

I will not let him scare me anymore. I know I wronged him, but I already apologized, right?

"Coffee or juice?" One of the stewardesses asked, but I opted to say no to both and decided to close my eyes to take a nap.

I felt like I had just slept for a minute when I felt someone gently shaking my arm. When I opened my eyes, I saw the same stewardess, and she told me that we would be arriving soon.

"Welcome to Tugdan airport. We appreciate you flying with us," I heard the captain of the plane say.

I decided to wait for everyone to leave before getting off the plane. That way, I would have enough time to see the beauty of this place.

"Good morning, Ma'am," said one of the van drivers.

"Good morning, do you know this hotel?" I asked

"Yes, that's where this van is going," the driver said.

He helped me have my things loaded into the van, and when I got inside, I couldn't help but notice that I was the only passenger.

"Aren't we going to wait for the others?" I asked when I realized that he was already starting the engine.

He simply stated that he needed to return to the hotel and that he cannot wait for any other guests.

I decided not to be bothered by it anymore and enjoyed the scenery that we were passing.

"Can you turn on the AC please?" I asked when I noticed that it was getting hot inside.

He said, "I'm sorry, but there's something wrong with the AC," and he started complaining that he had already told his handler about it, but his handler didn't do anything.

I chose not to complain anymore, and just lowered the window glass. It was still hot, so I asked if he knew of any store where we could buy water.

"The next store is far from here, but don't worry. Hopefully, we can find someone selling water on our way," he said.

A few minutes passed when we saw someone selling water on the street, so I decided to buy one and drank half of it.

The cold water helped me quench my thirst, but soon after, I felt dizzy and realized that the water I drank must be drugged.

"I'm being kidnapped!" That was the last thought in my mind before I finally passed out.

Chapter 9 Vacation Leave

You might like