A Gilded Trap

********

Ontario suburbs, Roberto Gambling house

In an underground room.

"Do you know what happens to debtors like you? They never live to tell the story of what happened to them. They tell the story in hell to fellow debtors like them". Robert grinned evilly as he tightened his grip on the man's neck.

The man was on the floor, his clothes drenched with tears and sweat as he pleaded for his dear life.

"I promise you, a week, no! Two days...... He couldn't complete his words as his skull bursted open smearing everywhere.

Robert's heart is probably sold to the devil because he didn't have even a single ounce of mercy in him.

He owns a gambling house and gamblers end up going home with nothing because they bet over and over again with the money they won till they are left with nothing. He also lends money to people which they are to pay back with huge interest at the fixed date. Losing their life is the remedy if they fail to pay the debts.

******

ROBERTO'S OFFICE, SAME GAMBLING UNDERGROUND HOUSE.

"My little ugly duckling, come to me" Robert dragged Carie to himself as he caressed her body roughly.

Carie was fidgeting already as she knew she was in for another round of torments that night. She was brought into the devil's den twelve years ago by her own father and since then it has been hell for her.

Robert derives pleasure in bullying and punishing her. He tames his angry beast by molesting and abusing her, thereby inflicting heaps of scars all over her body.

"Don't be scared, little puppet, you should have been used to this already. Well, I have a huge task for you and if you could perform well, you'd see a good side of me". He twisted her ear as she winced painfully.

Her head was bent low as she wouldn't dare look into his eyes. She hiccuped painfully as she cursed her damn life.

"You would go in disguise as a maid to the Blacks villa. I already applied on your behalf, thanks to your stupid stars that you were picked. There's a golden watch in that villa which you are to pick. That's your main mission. I would give you a communication device which you would use in updating me on how things are going. Your work starts tomorrow"

Her eyes widened in horrór. She's going to the almighty Blacks villa. This is choosing between the devil and the red sea.

" A mistake from you and I feed your heart to my hungry lions. Get the damn golden watch in just a week and get back here. You belong here alone, okay?". He roared dangerously as he pinned her to the wall.

She nodded fearfully, gasping for air. Robert released her and went out of the room.

Maybe this is an opportunity for her to leave the hellhole she had lived almost all her life.

***************************

THE BLACKS VILLA, ONTARIO CITY

"Good morning sir". Theo, the personal guard, greeted as he opened the door for Abel Blacks as he walked with elegant and yet powerful aura out of the mansion. His face, void of any emotion, was perfectly shaped, his thick eyebrows, chiseled jawline, and a little pointed nose giving him a demi-god look. He has a broad yet firm shoulder, porcelain like skin ranking him the top handsome billionaire in the city.

He only nodded, bumping into a tiny figure as he was focused on his iPad.

"Miss, you could check out the building later, how could you be careless" Miss Yvonne, the villa cook who brought her in, scolded angrily.

"I'm sorry, I...I.." Carie fidgeted fearfully as the pair of cold eyes stared at her.

Miss Yvonne quickly spoke up as she knew better than to keep the cold-hearted young master waiting.

"She's the new maid who was sent from the agency. She'll be more careful from now on and...." She stopped talking as Abel started walking towards the car with Theo trailing behind him.

"Hey you, Carie or Marie. You are from the agency, so it is expected of you to be professional or you'd be sent back this instant". Yvonne glared at her as they walked into the house.

Carie was awed by the beauty and awesomeness of the mansion as she kept turning her head till they got to her room.

What she heard about the Blacks from the suburbs was just like a prelude from a whole music.

The moment she got into the room, a gasp escaped her lungs as she jumped on the soft and fluffy bed, giggling happily. She's going to enjoy this while it lasts.

She was still mesmerizing the cool atmosphere when her hearing aid beeped. Her heart skipped a beat as she clicked the aid in her ear. The devil's voice boomed in the device.

"Little missy, your time starts now. He should be off to work, go and search for the damn watch". The device beeped and she released the breath she had been holding. This man is definitely going to be her end.

**********

TWO HOURS LATER......

Carie is on the last floor, the master's floor. She decides to do a little cleaning in the hallway. "He must be a neat freak". She thought. The place was sparklingly clean already.

She turned to the door by the left, his room. She remembered Miss Yvonne's previous warnings. "You are to only clean up, don't touch anything in the room, it's dangerous for you to do so".

"What's special about the room anyways?". She scoffed as she slowly opened the door, a wow escaped her lips the moment she got into the room.

She hurried into the room as her eyes kept growing wider every second and steps she took further into the room.

Everything in the room is purely white. The paintings, designs, furniture, cabinets, curtains and even bedspread. There was a big drawing of a half moon with a little hand holding the moon on the wall.

"So weird," she muttered, trailing her hand on the drawing before diverting her attention to the other part of the room.

After taking in the beauty of the room for a while, she sets to clean the already glittering room. She was about to step out of the room when a thought struck her. The golden watch!!

Carie ransacked the whole drawer in the room. She had checked the jewelry boxes in search of the golden watch, she proceeded to the closet and was still checking out the piles of suits arranged like a clothing store when the door creaked open.

She froze on the spot in horrór. Is this going to be her end? She slowly tiptoed into the inner part of the closet and hid behind the clothes.

The approaching footsteps made her almost pee on herself. The footsteps definitely belong to a man, she thought. "But what is he doing at home by now? I heard he closes late at night". She bit her lips so hard that she winced in pain.

The closet door suddenly opened and the clothes she was hiding behind were dragged to the side revealing her face.

Pairs of cold and dark eyes peered at her as she shivered.

"Get out". His voice echoed calmly yet exuding authority.

She bowed her head in apology before running out of the room.

________________________________

ABEL STUDY ROOM, BLACKS VILLA.

Abel Blacks was sitting behind a table. His gaze was fixed on a particular spot. He took the watch he had been looking at for a while, then caressed it lovingly before placing it back into its box.

"I will keep you safe with all my heart". He muttered as he closed his eyes, some memories flashing into his head.

FLASHBACK, TWELVE YEARS AGO

"Abel, remember daddy and mummy loves you and would always love you. You have to go now. Take this with you, keep it safe and don't let it slip from your hands. Now go! go! run!!". Ten years old Abel was pushed by his father who was at the verge of dying. His mom is already dead in the pool of her own blood. They just had a car accident and surprisingly, he was not injured in any way.

He kept looking back as he ran along the lonely street. His father was waving his hand weakly at him. He clutched the watch tightly in his arms as he cried painfully.

FLASHBACK ENDS-------------

A knock sounded at the door when he pressed a button on the table, opening the door.

Carie entered with cleaning tools in her hands. She had planned to apologize and rehearse a perfect lie to clear herself as she was caught in the closet. She anticipated him to send for her or punish her but she ended up sleeping off and woke up with the aim of clearing herself before him. She can't afford to make mistakes now.

After getting no response to her greetings, her little confidence flew away. She was still thinking on how to start when her eye suddenly caught a shiny box on the table and she gasped surprisingly. That must be the golden watch! She exclaimed in her mind, she was so lost staring at it that she forgot herself.

"When you are done watching, you can get out". An eerily cold voice jolted her out of her thoughts.

"Sorry sir, I'll clean now". She muttered and started cleaning but kept glancing at the watch which Abel took again and kissed deeply, his eyes were misty and full of care for the watch, he then left the room gripping the watch tightly.

"Woah, it must be so special to him, is it from his lover? Why is Roberto after the watch? God, I hope I don't get into trouble". She sighed, resuming her cleaning.

**********************

ROBERTO UNDERGROUND HOUSE.

"Don't you trust me anymore? Don't underestimate that little duckling at all. She is more than capable for the job. Relax and watch as we get the fucking watch". Robert laughed cunningly as he spoke to the man who had a little smile playing on his rough face.

"That bastard daughter of mine should not just mess this up, just as her mother messes things up or I'm gonna make her see hell on earth". Dante Keys, Carie's father grinned hatefully sipping from the wine on the table.

"I can't wait to be in money, so freaking wealthy so I'd rule the world the way I deem fit'. Roberto laughed maniacally while Dante chuckled inwardly.

'Fool! If only you know'. Dante thought.

********

THE BLACK'S VILLA

Carie couldn't sleep at night as she was anxious and scared of what the future holds for her and at the same time couldn't keep her mind off the beautiful dazzling watch.

"Isn't it some sort of valuable item? Why does it feel like I'm in the dark and everything seems off? She soliloquized.

"You've always been in the dark, dude". Her subconsciousness told her while she scoffed frustratedly.

She stepped out of the room and headed for the kitchen. She got a glass of juice from the fridge and was about to step into the balcony when she heard some silent sobs and weak groans. She traced the sound and was extremely shocked when she saw the almighty CEO with the cold and aloof aura, the dim light revealed his face which was filled with tiny teardrops, his hands tightly clutching to a shiny item.

He was looking so helpless and weak that for a minute she doubted if he was the all powerful young master. A feeling surges through her at that instant and she suddenly wants to hug him and tell him all would be okay.

After a while, she heard him mutter some words as he held the shiny item which turns out to be the golden watch to his chest.

"I am sure you are in heaven smiling as I keep this safe and intact. I will continue to do all I could to protect, love and cherish this just as you've told me". His voice was clear now and his face is now back to its known state- cold and expressionless.

Carie ran in quietly as he stood up. She slumped on her bed, widening her eyes in shock.

"The watch must be so precious. It's from someone close to his heart, definitely. He looked so pitiful, woah!! Almighty Abel Blacks''. She exclaimed in shock as she kept soliloquizing.

She kept wondering what connection Roberto has with the watch till she drifts off to sleep.

******

BLACKS GROUP, ABEL'S OFFICE.

Abel was clicking on the computer on the table diligently when he suddenly jolted up.

"Shit". He cursed.

He grabbed his keys and rushed out of his office.

"Sir, is everything okay?". Theo, his personal guard, asked. He ran after him as he got no response.

They got to the car and he ordered the driver to drive home as quickly as possible. They got home in no time and he got down speedily heading to the house.

Carie was in Abel's room, cleaning the white plastered table in the room when her eyes caught a shiny box on the table.

Yes! The opportunity she had been waiting for. She would just take this and be out of the mansion before anyone notices.

Her hearing pad beeped, she tightened her fist nervously as she clicked on it.

"You should have gotten the watch by now. Right?". Roberto's deep voice echoed in her ear.

She bit her lips as she held the watch. "You can do this, Carie". She thought to herself.

"Bitch! Cat got your tongue?". He roared angrily.

"Yeah...I.."

"Good! Get the fuck out of there".

She was about to respond when she heard hurrying steps approaching. She quickly hid the watch in her shirt.

The door opened, revealing a sweaty and worried Abel. He walked straight to the table almost pushing her away.

He ransacked the table, opened the drawer but found nothing. He banged his fist on the table, scaring Carie.

"Where is the golden, shiny box here?". He asked, breathing heavily, his face filled with expectations.

"I...I..".

"Talk properly to me now". He gripped her hands tightly, his eyes beaming red with unexplainable emotions which got Carie scared. She had no idea he could act this way.

"I haven't seen any watch here sir". She said, trying to get free from his grip.

He looked at her for about a minute before releasing her.

"Get out". He ordered, and she ran out of the room with her cleaning tools.

She got into her room, breathing heavily. She was pacing around the room when her pad beeped again.

"What the heck are you still doing in there, you silly brat". Roberto thundered.

"I think I'm mistaken. I just checked out what I saw, it's not the description of the watch. It's just an ordinary gold watch". She lied perfectly, giving no room for doubts.

"Fuck! It seems you've missed your torture and that's why you are acting like a dumbass. See, duckling, if you don't get that freaking watch before tomorrow, you are gonna kiss your ass goodbye.". He threatened, then ended the conversation.

"Damn! Is that bastard monitoring me in a way". She murmured, pacing round the room.

Meanwhile, Abel had literally turned his room upside down.

"No, it can't be. I freaking kept it here". He muttered as he tried to remember what happened last night.

FLASHBACK.

He stood up from the balcony and went to the mini bar. Anytime he teared up a lot, he had to drink himself to sleep, else, he would have sleepless nights which would result in him confined to bed for days. He doesn't want that as he has piles of work to do.

He mixed his favorite alcohol, poured it into a glass, and drank at a go. He drank several glasses and when he felt drowsy, he staggered to his room.

He climbed his bed, then dropped the watch beside his pillow. He picked it again, then dropped it on the table.

FLASHBACK ENDS

One thing about him is that, no matter how drunk he gets, he always remembers everything around him.

"So what's happening? He sighed as he pressed a button by his bedside table.

Miss Yvonne came in a few minutes later. She gasped in surprise as she saw the disorganized room.

"That maid, are you sure she's from the agency?"

"Yes, I got her myself. She is one of the most qualified according to the director. Is there any problem?". She asked.

"My golden watch is missing". He explained. Miss Yvonne and Theo are the only ones who knew about the watch.

"What?!! How could this happen? I'll be right back". She gasped as she ran out of the room.

She went straight into Carie's room. She met her lying down with her gaze fixed on the ceiling.

"Hey, hey. Get up. There is fire on the mountain." She said dramatically.

Carie quickly sat up, her heart slamming speedily against her chest. What if she got caught? Is she gonna die like this?

"There's a special possession that is handed to the young master. It's just as important as his life. It would wreck him if he can't find it. Please dear Carie, do you by any chance take a golden watch in his room?. Miss Yvonne asked, clasping her hands together pleadingly.

Waves of guilt surged through Carie's body. She smiled lightly, taking Miss Yvonne hand in hers.

"Miss Yvonne, there's no cause for any alarm or panic. The watch would definitely be somewhere in the room. If you don't mind,we can go check together". She said, perfectly covering up her nervousness.

Miss Yvonne agreed and they left the room together. Abel and Theo were not there again. Carie head was in turmoil as she wondered how she was going to drop the watch in the room. Her eyes suddenly caught a mini bookshelf enjoined with the closet. It looked untouched. She hastily walked towards the shelf and carefully dropped the watch before Miss Yvonne could look her way.

They searched every corner in the room and headed towards the closet when Abel came in looking like a kid whose favorite candy was taken away.

He suddenly dashed towards the shelf, his hand swiftly roam around the top. He took the watch and exclaimed in relief.

"You can all go. I think I kept the watch here yesterday and not the drawer. Go and relax for the stress you've gone through". He said in his usual cold voice but was obviously laced with relief.

******

Carie couldn't sleep all through the night as she felt madly guilty and at same time tried to figure out her next action.

An idea suddenly struck her and she jumped happily. She took her device from the table and clicked a button. Roberto's voice came up.

"Seems the little duckling can't get any sleep. What do you have to say?".

"I actually have an idea. I would make him fall for me. A man in love is susceptible to danger. Give me a week please". She pleaded, sounding as serious as she could.

"Hahahaha. You think that coldblooded lad has a heart for love. You also think he can fall for an ugly bitch like you. Go, go, go Carie''. Roberto mocked.

"I promise you will receive good news from me before next week. Please let me do this". She continued pleading.

"A week, bitch. I want that damn watch, okay". He said and went off.