Chapter 4 4

Nicklaus's mother burst into tears upon hearing these words. Nicklaus, hidden in the wardrobe, was trembling all over, unable to move.

She had killed his sister!! Tears filled his eyes as he bit the back of his hand to hold them back. He could taste the metallic taste of blood on his tongue, but he couldn't afford to betray himself.

He saw her slide her hand inside her coat and pull out a small pistol.

"That gun right there is like a paperweight. You won't hear anything, you won't feel anything, until your blood rushes to your mouth and you collapse, dead." She raised the weapon, removed the safety, then aimed at her mother's head.

No matter how hard he tried to look away, he couldn't. Nicklaus stood there frozen, watching this woman point a gun at his mother, helpless, utterly helpless.

- Catherine, please, we can still talk... wait...

But she wasn't interested in what he was saying. She fired. It wasn't at the head-she'd aimed for the neck.

- No!! No! What have you done? What have you done! Lily! Lily! - her father screamed, taking her mother in his arms. She hadn't died instantly. It was as if Catherine had done it on purpose, wounding her neck so that her death would be slow and painful.

Her mother's blood flowed like water from a broken faucet, splashing onto the walls. The pink sheets turned dark red in seconds.

His father desperately tried to stop the bleeding with his hands, but to no avail. His mother gurgled, choking on her own blood, and then died in his arms.

Tears streamed down her father's face as he watched the life slowly drain from his wife's body.

-My mistake... I wasn't trained to handle a weapon. But honestly, why the tears? Wasn't it epic? - she said, bursting into laughter.

"Kill me and be done with it! Daughter of Satan!" her father screamed, his entire body soaked in his wife's blood.

-Oh yes, darling! I'll do that now. - She pointed the gun at his head.

-I hope in your next life, you make the right choice. Goodbye, Jeffrey! - And bang, the trigger was pulled. His father collapsed backward, his head tipping just below the edge of the bed, causing his eyes to focus directly on Nicklaus.

Blood trickled from his forehead and fell to the ground.

- Find the kid!

- Yes, boss!

She stood for a few moments, gazing at the corpses, then smiled victoriously before leaving the room. The men followed her.

But the worst part was that Nicklaus had to stare at his parents' dead bodies for nearly six hours before the police arrived and rescued him.

The incident scarred him forever. He lost everyone he loved-his sister, his parents-in a single day, and he had seen them die. From that day on, his life was plunged into horror. He didn't speak for nearly two years. And when he came to, he was a shell of his former self.

*

Tiana sat by the window, looking outside. She loved the view of the vast grounds from her room. A gardener was mowing the lawn, and three maids were sitting on a bench under a flowerbed, laughing about something. The air was pleasant; it soothed her worries, even if only for a moment.

When she first arrived, she was so panicked that she hadn't bothered to take in the surroundings. It had been five days since she'd been taken out of the dark room, and knowing she'd be there for a long time, she had to get to know her surroundings.

The estate was immense. Three gates protected the entrance, each guarded by more than twenty guards day and night. It comprised three mansions. This man lived in the one at the heart of the estate, where she also resided.

The mansion was enormous, with three floors. The servants lived on the first floor. No one lived on the second floor. And he lived alone on the top floor.

She wondered why no one stayed on the second floor and why he had the top floor to himself. Then she shook it off-it was obvious no one wanted to live near a demon like that.

She hadn't been told anything since she'd been freed from the dark room. She'd thought he'd come to see her that night, so she'd stayed awake all night, waiting for a knock at the door. But until morning, nothing had happened. It had been five days, and she still hadn't slept a wink. Every night was torture.

She was still lost in her thoughts when suddenly, everyone started running. She stood up immediately, wondering what was happening. Even the gardener had started to flee. She thought they might be under attack. She quickly locked her door, her heart pounding, a part of her wishing it was really an attack, so that her ordeal would end.

Back at the window, she saw no one; even the pretty birds singing in the flowering tree had flown away. Then she saw a procession of cars approaching the manor. She didn't know the makes, but she knew they were expensive: five black cars, moving slowly before stopping in front of the house. Four doors opened, revealing terrifying men who ran to cautiously open the central door.

Tiana's brows furrowed. Who could possibly be causing such panic? Then he walked out. He was looking at something on his phone, as if this was all normal. He looked up and said something to his guards, who nodded in unison.

It was the first time she'd seen him return to the manor since he'd arrived. She hadn't known this was the usual routine.

She wondered how much harm he had done to inspire such fear. From a distance, he seemed normal. His dark eyes, his terrifying aura, none of it was visible. He looked like a living god: charming, breathtaking. But that was from a distance. Up close, you could see the monster he was.

As if sensing her gaze, he turned his eyes to her window. Tiana's heart skipped a beat. But she didn't move. She had turned off her light. There was no way he could have known he was being watched. As if his instincts were correct, he looked away and entered the mansion.

He had his own dining room upstairs. In fact, everything he needed was upstairs. Tiana waited a few minutes for him to come up before leaving her room. After dinner, she returned to her room. She brushed her teeth, took a bath, put on her nightie, and went to bed.

She hadn't spoken to her sister since she left. They had confiscated her phone the day she was locked in the dark room. She hadn't seen those men since, so she didn't know how to get it back. She hoped her sister was okay.

Before she left, her father's creditors had been harassing them. She wondered if they had returned.

Tiana fell asleep quickly. She hadn't slept in days, her eyelids felt heavy.

She had only slept for about thirty minutes when there was a knock at her door. She waited, and the noise was repeated, louder. Rubbing her sleepy eyes, she got up and unlocked the door.

Sleep vanished immediately when she saw Ma' Lee standing there with three maids. She had learned from the other servants that this old woman's name was Ma' Lee, one of the boss's most loyal servants. Tiana wasn't surprised-she was as cruel as her master.

As soon as she opened the door, the old lady pushed it open unceremoniously and entered, followed by the three maids. One was holding a basket full of clothes.

Tiana's heart raced. Only one possible explanation presented itself to her-even though she refused to believe it, she knew what it meant.

- Go take your bath.

Ma' Lee said, without deigning to explain further.