>>Clio
"Why is your stuff here?" Azef looked at me, "Why else would it be here? Don't you already know?" He seemed a little skeptical, "Isn't that why you came here?"
I looked at him dumbfounded, "Why?"
"Didn't Matthew tell you?"
"Tell me what?"
He smirked, "I guess he didn't tell you." He stared at me, "Then why are you here?"
"Tell me what!?" I had no idea what was going on and it was making me confused. I was already confused enough, I had no more space left to think.
"He didn't call you?" Azef folded his arms and I immediately went for my pocket, taking out my phone.
It was 2 A.M and although I was knocked out for most of the day, I had started feeling tired again.
"Why would he call me out of the blue? He was with me a few hours ago." I opened my phone and looked at the screen.
'Three missed calls'
"Oh..." I stared at the screen, "They're from Matthew..." I whispered. But the last two calls were from him. The first one I got when I was at my apartment was from an unknown number.
I frowned as I kept staring at it. Who is this unknown number from? Should I try calling back?
I shook my head.
That does not seem like a good idea. An unknown number calling me right when the Head Hunter was there... I closed my phone when the main door opened. Azef and I turned our heads towards the main entrance as the sound of footsteps coming closer could be heard.
I knew who I was expecting and braced myself.
Matthew emerged from the corner, drenched in rain but the moment he saw me, he was surprised.
"Clio?" He didn't expect to see me here. I could tell from his expressions but I did not want to waste time on anything else before I got my answer.
I pointed at my stuff, "Why is all of that here?" Azef remained still in his place as he watched quietly.
Matthew's eyes traveled to my stuff, then came back to me, "Why else?" He took a step towards me, "Because you'll be staying here."
???
"What?" I knitted my brows together, "Why?"
"What do you mean why? Do you want to sleep in the place where two murders happened? That place is unsafe for a girl."
!!!
"W-what?" His words unnerved me. In the state of fear and confusion, I completely forgot our interaction that happened just a few hours ago. A chill swept through me as the realization set in. Fear, raw and unbridled, clawed at my insides, tightening its grip with each passing moment.
Right, he somehow found that out!!!
"A girl?" Azef's eyes twinkled as he looked at Matthew, "Him?" He pointed at me and then a curious gaze took over his sight as he turned to look at me, "Oh? Explains the scent change," Again? What's this about scents and smells?
"No!" I retorted, "I'm not a girl."
The fear wasn't just about the secret itself but the potential consequences of its revelation.
Matthew walked over to me, the water dripping off of him just like it was dripping off me. I remained frozen in my place, not backing off since I didn't want to show that I was faltering, "Why are you lying about it?" He came and stood in front of me.
But it was his confidence and his grim expression that was making me go weak.
His stature was huge compared to mine, "I-I'm not-"
"I know it was you at the club and the party," He cut me off, "Cherelle Zima,"
My heart dropped to the pit of my stomach.
"H-how?" Instead of trying to pretend it wasn't me, the word escaped my mouth without my consent and the moment it did, I knew I messed up.
My eyes went wide in fear and I zipped my lips shut.
I don't mess up like this but too much had happened in one day and I was too tired to keep myself up and straight.
"That's not what matters," He replied, "What matters is why you're lying to the world."
I've already exposed myself. He already knows and he's confident about it too for some reason, "Why should I tell you anything?" I tried to put some distance between us, "That's my matter."
"Not when you're my employee, and since you're working for me, you're lying to me too and I have a right to know why."
I scoffed at his words, "Well then, I'll stop being your employee!" I retorted, "I quit!" I said, "I don't owe you any explanation."
"You do," He replied, "Especially because you told things to Zhou-Lin and he's a dangerous man!" He seemed to be getting worked up as well, "I said I could protect you,"
I glared at him, "Why should I trust you?"
He was taken aback by my words, "You would trust Zhou-Lin with your story but not me?"
"I don't trust him either!" I replied, "He forced it out of me!"
"And do you think he won't use it against you?"
!!!
"Well..." He was right. He could use it against me.
"You need someone to protect you from the things Zhou-Lin can do." My heart felt heavy. I knew I was in trouble. I knew I was done for the moment he took me with him.
"I'll be fine," I tried to lie my way through it, "He'll expose me, and then what? That's all."
"Oh? With how many secrets you're hiding?" My chest clenched, "You're saying that's all?"
"What makes you think I'm hiding more stuff?"
"The fact that I just learned that your father was murdered by the mafia."
!!!
I stared back at him in disbelief.
My God...
How did he know? How did he find out? No, wait... Did he look into my history??
"I'm going back!" I immediately began to leave while my heart pounded in my chest. This is not good! This is bad! Way bad!!!
I made a run for it when he grabbed my wrist and stopped me from escaping. Then, with a swift pull, he brought me back to my place, "Where do you think you're going?"
I didn't meet his gaze, "Back home,"
He let my wrist go and grabbed my chin, raising it up to make me look at him, "You would want to spend the night in a place like that?"
"Maybe I would have if the door was there!" I raised my voice, "Were you the one who took it off?"
"Why would I do that?" He answered with a straight face, "I have no reason to do something so stupid." He kept his eyes on me and frowned a little when he noticed the tears brimming in the corner of my eyes, "But why are you so worried about a door?"
"Because if the door was there, I would have had a place to hide and lock myself in!" I gulped, "And I wouldn't have to come here!" A surge of emotions, a tumultuous tide of fear, frustration, and vulnerability, erupted within me like a storm breaking free, "I wouldn't have to run like crazy to escape from that psychopath!!" He was right in front of me and I couldn't help myself as I punched his chest with my left wrist, "The only reason I ended up here is because I was running away!"
I lashed out, my fist pounding against him in a futile attempt to release the pent-up turmoil within. Each strike carried the weight of my fears, the intensity of my inner chaos.
In a span of one day, I was put through a lot of things and I was too devastated to try and hold it in any longer. I was trying.
I really was!
And I might have succeeded if Matthew didn't mention my father.
That was the last straw. A reminder that I didn't want to be reminded.
A reminder too painful that I couldn't keep it in.
"As if my life didn't already have enough problems that a serial killer made his way to me too." None of my punches had any effect on Matthew. I know they were pretty powerless since I was exhausted but he didn't even flinch.
"What?" Upon my words he held my wrists next to his chest,
I looked up at him, "Do you have any idea how hard it is?" Exhaustion, both physical and emotional, set in, and I found myself sinking into him, the force that had driven me to strike now crumbling into a flood of tears, "Do you have any idea how scared I was?" I couldn't stop them and the tears started rolling down my cheeks, "How terrified I was throughout the whole day?"
My legs gave away and I would have fallen down if it wasn't for Matthew already holding my wrists.
Just why do worse things keep happening to me? What did I do to deserve this??! I'm only trying to live!!
He slid down with me as I started crying, "I didn't want any of this!!" I sobbed, "I'm already suffering enough! Why are you making it more difficult!!"
He kept his eyes on me, "I'm trying to help,"
"No! You're not!!" I sniffled, "I thought I was robbed when I saw the empty apartment!"
"That's why I was calling you," He said, "To tell you to come here,"
"Why!" I yanked my wrists away from him, "Why would you do that!" And he let me by simply letting me go.
"I said I wanted to help," He didn't raise his voice at me
"You have no reason to go out of your way to help me!!" Then I punched his chest with both hands, "OW!!!" But I didn't realize my right wrist was damaged and the moment I used so much pressure on it, it hurt, "My God!" It hurt like hell and I immediately backed away due to the pain that sent a jolt in my body, "Bloody hell!!"
"Clio," Matthew moved towards me as I coiled into a ball on the floor
I noticed his hand coming towards me, "Don't touch me!" I yelled at him, making him freeze with his hand hanging in the air. I glared at him, "Since the day I met you, things only got worse for me."
I was devastated and all my negative feelings were bubbling up. I don't even know if I meant it or not but I was just scared. I was so scared, so devastated, so tired and so alone, I had to take it out on someone.
And I seethed the words as I looked into his eyes, "I hate you,"