Her Safe Haven

Four.

The entire next morning felt like a blur; [Name] woke up early, her mind too restless to sleep longer than the three hours she received. After throwing on some clothing she had found crumbled in the corner of her room, she went down into her store and began to bake. Every recipe was her own creation, so it luckily didn't take much for her hazy brain to manage.

When she had gotten home that night, after the party, she went straight to her laptop to look the young millionaire up. Doflamingo- young millionaire. Her heart dropped to her gut as results came up immediately, not having to stray any farther than the first page of results. The title alone in the first article is what immediately made her regret going to that fucking party.

Doflamingo Donquixote- Now One of The Seven Warlords

One of the powerful humans in the continent that is sworn to aid in the military if the government requests it, also meaning one of the few people not in the actual government that is legally granted a devil fruit. Not only was this bad for her personally, but it means he's strong and has a devil fruit.

This means he truly could make good on his claim...

She swallowed hard, fighting the shaking in her hands; she tightened her fists, pinning them to her lap. Her victory, was not taking her eyes away from his face as she asked, "are you going to kill me, then?"

His laughter shook the room, and he settled into the cushions of the couch, re-crossing his legs.

"I'd like to have a word alone with Miss. [Last]," just like that, they were alone. She sat still, because despite Doflamingo losing his (who she assumed) bodyguards, she knew he was probably the largest threat. She hardly felt safer.

"[Name]?" The tray she was holding clattered to her feet, a startling contrast to the silence that surrounded them. Stunned, she hesitated to pick it up, giving Viola enough time to bend down to do it for her. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you!"

"No, no, it's my fault." Even her voice sounded distant, slower than normal. Viola placed the empty tray in the sink nearby, before turning to face [Name], her thin brows furrowed. [Name] showed a tired smile, "what did you need?"

Viola stood across from her, watching carefully, and [Name] tried to focus her attention elsewhere; in the two years they'd known each other Viola was always able to read her in ways that she could never understand. Viola put a hand on her hip, her own features grave-perhaps [Name] would have noticed if her mind wasn't so occupied. "You saw the news, then." [Name] kept her eyes down, trying to recall whatever event Viola was referring to. The news from a couple days ago? "I was actually going to come over to ask if I could take this personal day because that.... New victim..."

Viola's voice cracked, and [Name's] mind instantly cleared. The taller woman, who's known for her quick remarks and leveled attitude, was holding back tears as she talked to her. "I knew him, s-so-" Viola's eyes widened as she was suddenly caught in a warm embrace; her face was forced into the crook of [Name's] neck. There was only a moment's pause before Viola embraced her back.

"I'm so sorry. Yes, of course you can take the whole week off if you want!"

"Thank you, [Name]. That won't be necessary, but I appreciate it."

"I'm not going to kill you, what I have planned is going to take months, years, even." Each word felt coated in poison, a death sentence. "I'm going to make him slowly watch as I take away everything from him, starting with you."