Author's Note: There will be Triggering Content in this chapter. If this is too much for you please avoid reading. You have been warned ahead.
⊰᯽⊱┈──╌❊╌──┈⊰᯽⊱
A day has passed by since Venus and Pearl were staying at the safe-house. This place was two hours away from the minor family's mansion. It was a small house with two floors. In the bottom floor there was the living room and the kitchen that were connected to each other. While in the top floor there is a bathroom and a bedroom with one bed.
All the things that were hidden inside of the secret room were brought to the safe-house and they were concealed in plastic bags. They needed to empty the room since the main family was going to inspect it today, and there couldn't be anything suspicious left behind.
One bodyguard was sent to the safe-house to remain outside to guard the entrance and keep Venus safe just in case someone were to find her. Which it was something that was most probably not going to happen since nobody knew of this place that is far away from the city. Only the minor family knew where this safe-house was located.
Pearl hasn't eaten anything in a day, and she was basically starving. Yet, she also didn't want to eat the food that Venus brought her since she was afraid that it could be poisoned. She didn't trust Venus at all, especially after everything she went through the night before yesterday.
Fortunately, she wasn't tormented the whole day yesterday since Venus spent most of her day in the living room watching television and reading books while Pearl was staying inside of the bedroom, still handcuffed and doing absolutely nothing other than praying and crying.
Venus had attached a chain to the steel handcuffs that Pearl was wearing, just to make sure that she wouldn't get out of the bedroom. The chain was only long enough to allow her to go to the bathroom, but that was basically it. There was no escape for her, and that fact terrified her. Was this really the way that Pearl was going to die?
That morning, Venus finally went to the bedroom after sleeping the whole night at the couch from the living room. She had completely fallen asleep there, and didn't went to check if Pearl had eaten her food from yesterday.
When she entered the bedroom, she realized that the plate of porridge was still untouched on the floor. The food was probably already bad after being there for the whole day yesterday.
Was Pearl really trying to test Venus' patience? Because if she was, then she has succeeded to piss her off today.
"Are you not going to eat it?" Venus asked Pearl as she crossed her arms, leaning against the door frame.
Pearl was sitting on the floor with her knees up and her chin resting on them. She gazed up at Venus and shook her head quietly with a serious expression on her face. Her eyes were still puffed from crying all day yesterday, but her stare was still fierce as if to prove that she was not afraid of the person standing in front of her.
"You know that you're wasting food, right?" Venus' voice sounded threatening as she approached Pearl and crouched down in front of her. Their eyes locking into each other as they faced one another.
"I know, but I don't want it." Pearl responded in a defying tone, only provoking Venus' anger even more.
"I'm not asking you if you want it. I'm telling you to eat it because you are wasting food." Venus frowned as she slid the plate closer to Pearl.
Pearl gave her a glare this time, "And I'm telling you that I don't want it! I don't want any food that you give me!"
The thin rope of patience that Venus had left immediately snapped after hearing this and with an abrupt move she grasped Pearl's loose hair, launching her face towards the plate.
"Hmf-!" Pearl couldn't breathe as her nose and mouth buried in the rotten porridge, choking her and making her cough. She didn't know for how long she was struggling to get free when Venus pulled her hair back up, lifting her messy face away from the plate.
Venus began to laugh like if she was mad.
Correction, she is really insane!
"How is it? Is it yummy?" She asked with a sneer on her face.
Pearl didn't hesitate and spat the food out from her mouth, which landed directly on Venus' cheek. This time, she was the one that started to laugh at her as she watched Venus wiping away the spit from her face with her long sleeve.
"Alright, I see that you have the guts to mess with me, Pearl." Venus said before harshly pushing Pearl's face into the porridge again. She cackled more loudly as she heard Pearl gagging like a pig on the rotten food, her body twitching as she was fighting to breathe.
Ugh, so disgusting!
After lending out all the anger, Venus finally let go of Pearl's hair and breathed heavily. She watched how Pearl slowly lifted up her face away from the plate, coughing up all the food to the floor.
How could someone be this cruel?
"A good pet needs to be obedient and listen to their owner." Venus extended a hand and patted Pearl on the head. "Next time, remember to eat your food, okay?"
Pearl was panting rapidly as she tried to get some air back to her lungs. Her brown eyes narrowed. She felt her head spinning around and she knew that it was dizziness. The rotten smell of the porridge was disgusting and it was making her feel nauseous.
Venus left Pearl on the floor and stood up to check on the other pet. "Sorry about that. Did I scare you, buddy?" She spoke to the hedgehog that was in a small cage on top of the table from the bedroom. "It's time for you to also eat some breakfast." She told the tiny creature and poured some animal food for him to eat too.
For how much longer did Pearl needed to tolerate this kind of torment?
⊰᯽⊱┈──╌❊╌──┈⊰᯽⊱
Parker was picked up by Paris and Kai in the afternoon. He was brought to the mansion of the major family and they were currently eating some lunch together at the dining table.
There were different kinds of foods served on the large table and it was difficult to choose which one to eat first. Parker was not used to all of this and it took him some time to adjust. He also hasn't spoken a single word to anyone since he arrived. Everything was too overwhelming for him. He didn't know whether he was happy to be here or not, but what he did know was that he was going to miss his old home a lot.
Their house was not going to be selled. It was just empty for the meantime since they were going to be living here with the major family together.
Parker placed another spoonful of curry into his mouth and chew on it slowly. The taste was exquisite. The maids from this mansion were definitely extraordinary to be able to prepare something as delicious as this.
Kai could only smile lightly as she saw him enjoying the food. At first she thought that Paris' brother was uncomfortable to be here, but it seemed like he was just trying to get adapted to the new environment.
"Don't eat too fast or you're going to get a stomachache." Paris warned him as she let out a short laugh. She picked up a napkin from the table and wiped away the crumbs of rice from Parker's lips.
"Sorry." Parker muffled with the food still in his mouth. The curry was so good that he had totally forgotten about table manners. But he couldn't be blamed because his sister was exactly the same.
Two siblings with similar traits and habits indeed.
"You finally said something. Are you ready to talk to us now?" Paris asked him and continued eating the food from her own plate.
Parker nodded with a pout, placing his spoon down on the table. He swallowed the food in his mouth before speaking, "If you are becoming Ms. Kai's girlfriend, then who is going to be her head bodyguard now?"
Paris and Kai glanced at each other hearing this. They were not expecting for him to ask that specific question first.
"We are trying to find a new bodyguard for her, don't worry about that. There's so many to choose from, we are just trying to decide which one is the best from all of them. It will take some time." Paris responded.
Parker downed the glass of water in front of him before asking another question, "And what made you decide to work here? Give me a reasonable answer. I still don't understand why you didn't tell me about it sooner. Do you even know how I feel right now?"
There was silence at the table for a while as Paris thought of it before answering, "I know. I'm sorry. I really shouldn't have hidden things away from you. I admit that I was wrong for doing that, but the main reason why I started working here is because of you. I wanted you to attend university as well as to have a bright future ahead of you." Paris let out a sigh before continuing, "I didn't think that it'd get this far. I promise you that. I did all of this because I was thinking of you, Parker."
Parker had a sulky expression on his face as he heard his sister talking. Even if what she said was true, it still would've been dangerous. Parker wouldn't know what to do if something were to really happen to his sister. He would probably fall into depression.
"If you did all of this because of me, then you need to also understand how I feel." Parker felt his eyes tearing up. He was trying really hard not to cry like a little child right now. "We only have each other, Paris. If I lose you, then I...I d-don't know what I will do. I'll be all alone." He sobbed and choked on the tears that he failed to suppress them back at the end.
Paris could feel her heart cracking as tears rolled down her brother's cheeks. It was not her intention to hurt him like this. She didn't want to make him cry. This was all her fault. "I'm sorry, Parker." She told him in a soft tone of voice. "But I promise you that I'll be fine. You're not going to lose me. I'm right here. I'm not leaving anywhere." She stood up from her seat and reached out to hold the side of Parker's face, stroking it gently with her thumb. "Don't cry, okay?"
Parker pursed his lips as he let his sister wipe away the tears from his eyes. He felt really embarrassed for crying in front of his sister in law too. Kai's first impression of him will probably be that he is a cry baby, and that was not true!
"If something happens to you, I swear that I'll be very mad and I'll never forgive you." Parker pouted and threw himself into Paris' arms. They were having a tight and warm embrace.
Kai watched them with a smile still on her face. The relationship that these two siblings have is so beautiful and she admires it. She wished that Kyle could hug her like that one day too, but Kyle is too distant and doesn't like being affectionate. It would be rare of him to do such a thing.
"Can I ask you something?" Paris told Parker as they slowly released each other.
"Mhm." Parker nodded.
"Do you accept the relationship that I have with Kai? Is it okay with you if I take care of both of you from now on?" Paris eyes were glistening as tears formed in them, but she was for sure not going to cry.
Parker shifted his eyes to look at Kai who was still sitting quietly at the table, then he glanced back at Paris who was in front of him. "If you love her then who am I to oppose that? You can like whoever you want." The corners of his lips curved up into a smile. "So yeah, you can take care of both of us. I'm fine with that."
Nevermind...
The tears were already overflowing from Paris' eyes as she embraced her brother for a second time.
Fuck!
Paris was a crying mess just like her brother.
"Why are you just sitting there? Get your ass up and join the hug!" These words that Paris shouted were directed at Kai.
Kai glanced around before pointing at herself, "Huh? You're talking to me?"
"Yes, you dumbass! Who else is inside the room besides you?" Paris replied.
"Oh, coming!" Kai didn't think of it twice and immediately went to embrace both of them at the same time.
There was a new kind feeling that Kai was experiencing right now. She had never done a group hug before but now she knew how it felt like. Is this the way a real family would normally hug?
It was such a warming feeling...
⊰᯽⊱┈──╌❊╌──┈⊰᯽⊱