"I'm not going to ask for your permission."
I wasn't sure if this was my luck to always wake up to yelling or that it was that Ace always yells but his voice instantly woke me up.
"Well, you should. Because we all live here." An unfamiliar voice responded.
I groaned, blinked, and rolled on my back. What were they talking about and why were they yelling? I scanned the room for any sort of clock. When I saw that it was 7:15, I wanted to get up and yell at them for waking me up that early when I slept so late.
"Did you forget who you're talking to? Because I can easily remind you."
His words were so harsh and cold but that made me curious about what happened and what made him speak with that tone to someone who apparently, lived with him in the same house.
"Ace, you're not thinking clearly. I know she's his daughter and you want to protect her just for him but there are limits." The unfamiliar voice responded. My eyes widened and my heart dropped. Are they talking about me?
"Lower your voice," Ace yelled. That was ironic how someone could yell about yelling. I got myself out of bed, put my shoes back on, tiptoed to the door and pressed my ear against it to hear everything.
"Ace, for fuck's sake, think clearly for once." The man hissed.
"You're the one who's going to teach me how to think?" He laughed, "I'm going to take your permission or anyone's permission."
I frowned. "She is here now, and she will stay here until I say otherwise."
"I can't believe you, Ace, I can't believe you have the heart to sleep in the same house with the one who created all of this."
My heart dropped. Without thinking about my actions, I pulled away from the door and twisted the knob. I walked out in the hallway and faced their angry eyes, staring straight at me.
"A-Are you talking about me?" My voice was weak, and I hated it. But I was scared. I was terrified. What did I create? Am I causing them problems by staying here?
"Talia, go back to your room." Ace coldly waved me off.
"No, I need to know what I did." I stepped closer which angered Ace and made him take a step in front of them. That gesture was enough for me to know that they were indeed talking about me. And that made my heart beat faster.
"Talia, go in the room, now." His voice was getting louder, but I ignored him.
"What did I do?" I looked at the three boys that were standing behind him.
One of them smirked and said, "she really doesn't know?" From his voice, I recognized that he was the one who was talking to Ace when I was in the room.
I looked straight into his eyes, "what did I do?"
"Romeo!" Ace warned him.
"No," I looked back at Ace, "why don't you want to tell me?"
"Joe, say something," Romeo said to the man next to him, but he shrugged and stayed silent.
"There is nothing you need to know, Talia." He was starting to get angry, but so was I. I looked at Romeo and nodded, "tell me". He shook his head and bit his lip. He dug his hand into the pants pockets and turned his back to me. I wasn't sure if he was making fun of me and trying to hide his laughter, or if he was angry and held himself back from firing back at me. Either way, I didn't care. All I wanted was to know what I did to them for him to talk about me that way.
"Romeo, tell me," I yelled.
"Talia," his voice got louder, getting closer to me, "in the room, now."
"I am not leaving until I find out," I fired back. His face changed and his skin turned red, he took hold of my arm between his hand and dragged me back into the room before I could react. I freed myself from his tight grip when he shut the door behind him.
Before I could yell at him, he surprised me by beating me to it, "what was that? When I tell you to go back in the room, you go back in the room. You're here under my eyes. So, when I tell you something, I say it for a reason and you have to listen. This is the last time I will allow such arrogance and stupidness from you, Talia."
I was mesmerized by the way he was talking to me that it took me a few minutes to take it in. "Who do you think you're talking to like that?"
"Don't start!" He pointed his index at me. I was taken back by his tone of voice.
"Listen, if you think you brought me here to control me or that I will listen to everything you say then you're wrong. And don't think that your loud voice will make me get scared and follow you. I am not obliged by all of this. So by tonight, I will be gone." I was calm and patient. But I made my decision. I didn't want to create problems and I was in no way going to stay under his roof if he thinks that if I stay, he has control over me.
"Gone where?" He laughed sarcastically, "are you stupid? There are people looking to kill you out there."
"I'd rather be killed than talked to like you talk to me." I fired back. I walked past him to leave the room, but he grabbed my arm. With one switch, I pulled my arm from his grip and slapped him on his cheek, "don't hold me like that ever again." I hissed at him. I glared at him with red eyes then turned to leave again. I opened the door but before I had a second to step out of it, the door was shut again. "Let me go!" I yelled. He was driving me crazy.
"You can't leave!" He yelled back. Maybe I was driving him crazy too.
"I want to leave. I want to die." I nodded and tried to push him out of the way, but he didn't move, "let me go!" I yelled.
"No," He screamed back.
"Why!" I yelled louder as if we were having a competition whose voice was louder.
"I would love for you to leave but I promised your father I would take care of you." His tone lowered down but his eyes never blinked, looking straight into mine. "So, you're not going to leave until I say so."
"I want to leave." I coldly repeated myself, not knowing what to say to make him change his mind and let me go.
"No." he simply said.
I groaned. I wanted to grab him and pull him as hard as he pulls me to his car and tells him to drive me away from this place. My fists clenched and my eyes were scanning every inch of the room. He knew that I won't be able to get out of this place. He knew that even if I wanted to leave, I needed a car. I started to think about it more. Even if I have a car, I need to pass by the entrance and I was sure that whoever was standing on it knew not to let me out. Why would dad have a room in this house? The room was huge with his portrait filling half of the wall on top of the bed. "What did you do?" I whispered, looking straight into my father's eyes. I let my eyes rest for a few seconds then opened them again, letting them run over every other part of the room. The empty desk, the large clock, two tall white curtains from the ceiling to the floor on each side of the bed and two others on the left side of the bed, with two big couches and a rounded table in front of them.
I walked to the bed and sat down, letting out a long sigh. Why would dad have this room? This royal room didn't look like it belonged to someone who owned a company. Who is even Ace? And who are the others? I didn't know if they all worked with dad in his company or were his friends. And if they worked with him in his company, why do they have this house? And if they are his friends, why did he have this room?
I looked around the room again. And if all that is normal to have, why is the place in the middle of nowhere? Were they doing the company job here? Why not in the company? And what was this Romeo guy saying? What did I create? What did I do for them to hate me so much? What did dad do for people to want to kill him then kill his daughter? So many questions attacked my head. I held my head between my hands and closed my eyes. These thoughts overwhelmed me. I wanted to be home. I wanted to lay in bed. I needed peace again. I wanted to feel safe. I pressed on my head with my two hands from all the heavy thoughts and the unanswerable questions, hoping they would go away.
I need to leave. I need to find Ace. I got up and walked to the door. I sighed to calm myself a little bit, but it didn't do much. I pressed my ear to the door to make sure there was no one before opening it. I slowly looked outside. When I didn't find anyone and didn't hear any sound in the whole floor I stepped out of the room. I hurried to the stairs. I walked to the floor with all the boys' rooms. I looked from the big balcony to the first floor and found no one. It was weird how everyone was nowhere to be found but I took it as an opportunity to run down the stairs and to the door. I didn't look behind me once. I opened the door slowly and looked outside. They were all standing down the big stairs that lead to the front door. I stood still for a few seconds to think about what I would do. I looked to my left and silently ran to the bushes and hid behind them. I looked again to make sure they didn't see me, but I saw a strange thing.
Ace was standing, with his back facing me, his hands in his pockets and a lot of men were walking towards him and back, transporting boxes into a big truck. I frowned. I saw Romeo and Joe going back and forth. I looked back at Ace, with his long black coat, boots, and black pants, watching everyone as a leader. What caught my attention was way different from all of this, each one of these men had a gun tucked in their back pocket and Ace's was in his coat pocket. Is that even safe?
"Ace, the stuff is all almost in the car," Romeo yelled from far.
Ace nodded. "Count the money." He pointed at the three suitcases right at his feet.
I was confused about whatever they were doing. I kept thinking about what was inside these boxes and why they were getting all this money.
"Joe, close the truck and come, Romeo and Niko will go." Ace turned to walk back to the car. I gasped and moved behind the bushes. "Boys, make sure to count the money correctly, I really don't trust this guy, last time was really not fun," he yelled at Romeo and what I assumed to be Niko as they get into the cars and are getting ready to drive. Joe joined Ace on the stairs and walked up the stairs and to the house. What they said intrigued me, but I was more focused to leave without anyone seeing me than knowing what was in the boxes.
I scanned the fences and the front gate, trying to think which is safer for you. Suddenly, I felt a hand on my shoulder. I jumped and gasped. When I turned, my eyes were greeted with Ace's angry eyes.
"What the hell are you doing here?" He hissed.
I didn't know what to say but I didn't think much of it too, "what! I was just looking around."
He raised his eyebrow and rolled his eyes. "Didn't I tell you not to leave the room unless –"
"Ace,"
Both our eyes turned to whoever yelled from next to the boxes, Romeo looked back at us and waved at Ace. Ace looked back at me, huffed, and grabbed my arm to lead me inside but I stopped him.
"I'm leaving," I clenched my jaw. My only concern was how to get out of there.
He stared at me for a few seconds then grabbed my arm again and pulled me harder up the stairs. We walked inside and he closed the door behind us. He looked at me for a couple of seconds then shook his head and looked away.
"You're abnormal. Crazy!" His voice was low as if wanting to leave stopped bothering him.
"If you hate me so much then let me leave!" I fired back, bringing his eyes back to me.
He opened his mouth to respond but the door opened, cutting what he was going to say again. Romeo walked in, gave me a death stare, and looked back at Ace.
"Is she still whining about wanting to leave?"
I stared back at him, watching him from head to toe, his long wavy dark hair that barely touched his shoulder, his narrowed dark blue eyes, his jaw sharper than a knife, his thick eyebrows, all that on one hand and his evil smirk that he gave me every time he was around on the other.
Ace ignored what he said, "Is everything okay out there?"
"Yes, they're getting ready to leave, I came to tell you something quick before we go." Romeo looked at me and smirked, with gum in his mouth. For some reason, every time I saw him, I felt like I was an amusement to him.
"Look," I broke the silence, "I will just leave and save everyone the trouble. Just tell me how to go and you simply won't see me again."
The laugh Romeo let out annoyed me but what he said irritated me, "let her go, man, if she says she can protect herself, then she's responsible for whatever happens to her."
Ace gave Romeo a stare that made him step back, then Ace looked back at me.
"I can't."
"Why!" I yelled.
"I told you before."
Romeo let out a sarcastic laugh, "how ironic that the person you're protecting is the person responsible for our boss's death."
"Romeo!" Ace yelled, for the first time with such anger that moved the walls, along with my heart dropping. I felt dizzy for a few seconds. I was speechless.
"W-what?"
"Romeo!"
"No, she has to know." Romeo yelled back at Ace then looked back at me, "yes, what I said is what you heard,"
Ace stepped closer to him but he didn't stop.
"You are the reason..." before he could say anything Ace's fist met Romeo's jaw. Romeo looked at Ace with so much anger and hatred, "she has to know!" He yelled. His voice was full of rage and pain.
"When I say shut your mouth, you shut. Your. Mouth." Ace's tone didn't match his action at all. His tone was calm and low, the opposite of my emotions.
"R-Romeo, explain to me, h-how am I the reason for my father's death?"
"Talia," Ace turned to me.
"No,"
"Talia, stop." He stepped closer to me, but I stepped towards Romeo.
"Tell me." My voice was getting louder. I was getting impatient. I was fighting my tears from falling. I didn't want to show my weakness. "Tell me," I screamed.
I realized that I was going to hit him or punch him in any way after I was held back by Ace but that didn't stop me. I moved my body from Ace's grip and grabbed the gun in his pocket then stepped back.
"One of you, explain to me right now what he just said, or I will kill you both."
My heart was racing, and my vision wasn't clear. Even my hands were shaking.
"Talia, calm down." Ace tried to step toward me, but I stepped back and held the gun tighter.
"Tell me," I yelled again.
"Talia," Ace tried to calm me, not looking scared or not thinking that I had the courage.
I pulled the trigger. "Tell me now or I will actually kill you,"
Romeo's facial reaction changed from calm to alert but not Ace's.
"Fine." His voice was still calm and his nerves still relaxed "I will tell you everything."
My vision was a movie scene of a gun pointed at Ace and his hands are moving in slow motion in defense, trying to calm me down. That was my last image before I let my eyes blink for the first time in so long. My tears finally ran freely on my cheeks.