Her eyes were glued to the floor. The blood rushed to her face and it grew hot with ever second he stared at her.
"You see, I don't exactly remember it well. The memory itself hadn't even crossed my mind until that day when we both sank down in the pool. At that time, I refused to believe that it was you. Instead, I chose to believe I had simply mistaken my recognition, presumed that my memory was faltering. Until recently, then my doubts all went away." He stared at Fayth, recalling the pictures. "I was about seven back then, maybe eight. I remember four black limousines. I remember that it was night. A warehouse. Trees all around. I remember the screaming. A lot of screaming. I remember putting down the window, and there you were, curious as I was–getting out of your limo and walking slowly to the warehouse. Same exact mole on your neck. I remember getting down with you. You held my hand as we both made our way to the door, opened it...and looked inside. I remember seeing them. The men in suits. Do you remember?" His eye became dull and terrifying. "Do you remember how they decapitated that man's head? So damn slow that you went to the nearby tree and vomited your stomach's content. I stood there watching them. Those men in suits. They were the first to ruin my damn childhood."
Fayth clenched her fingers and whimpered at the awful memory that tried to break into her thoughts. She pushed it out and closed her eyes shut, a hot sickening feeling revolving inside her stomach.
"That being said, that girl...how did she end up there that night? That poor girl, why would she be surrounded by men in suits? Who, that day, was her father in that group?"
Fayth glanced up at him, questioning how much he knew. Does know everything about me now?
"What's your real name?"
Taken by surprise, Fayth almost gasped, but she held herself together. She looked up at him, studying his expression.
"Tell me that and you can go."
She looked back down at the floor. No, he doesn't know who I am yet. Definitely not. He somehow figured out the childhood resemblance through a picture he found. I don't know from where, but it seems like it barely gave him any information.
She looked up at him again. "Rihanna is my real name. My last name isn't Gessner."
He studied her, her body language, then looked back into her eyes. "I told you I read people. You lied again."
"Rihanna is my real name. My last name isn't Gessner." She repeated, deciding to stick to her new lie. Recalling Violet, she quickly added. "I was adopted by a rich family."
He sighed in frustration. "Fine, let's say it is like that. What's your real last name then?"
"I can't tell you."
"Why?"
"You might use that information against my father. With what happened during that incident nine years ago."
They stared into each other's eyes, challenging one another.
He gritted his teeth. "My father was there too–"
"Your relationship with your father isn't one to gloat over. I heard all about it from Anthony and Bubbles–Dawn, I mean. You wouldn't care enough if your father was put to death."
This, this he didn't like. His expression changed. It was sullen and even more cold, if that's even possible. Holding his temper, he sighed again. "What's your last name?" A hint of anger was in his tone.
"I will not tell you." She argued.
"Your name." He insisted, becoming angrier.
She looked away and pursed her lips.
His nose flared.. "I said your name. Your full real name. I want it right now."
"I told you–"
He stood up in anger. "Everything you've said, every word is a lie!" he exclaimed with a deafening tone.
Fayth swallowed and looked down at her feet, fear conquering her body again. She began shivering under the pressure he'd put her through and she sincerely wished she could turn back the clock, realize what a bad decision she'd made, and never had enrolled into the Academy.
He breathed in and out to clam himself down. "You don't understand what you're doing to me."
She gritted her teeth. She knew exactly what she was doing to him. But it'll be her death before she could be honest about herself. Him sensing the sensitivity behind what the truth could hold, of what the bigger picture she was hiding could be, was even more of a threat to her. It was more of a reason why she was going to hold onto her secrets for dear life.
He brought his phone out and dialed a number. "Do you know where Charles is right now?"
She kept quiet.
"I had a feeling you won't cooperate as much as I would've liked. I thought you'd be willing to let me be your therapist. I smiled. I was encouraging. But nothing is going to work with you."
She looked away, feeling cornered.
"I have him. He's being tortured so severely, that I, the person in charge of his suffering, nearly felt sympathy for him."
She finally looked up, her faced washed out with disbelief. "No."
He clicked the speaker on the phone.
"–Don't!" Charles' voice came bashing from the phone. "Don't you dare touch her!"
"Hello Charles." Lexis' seductive voice said with a smile. "I have a few questions for Rihanna. She, despite my personal involvement in her past, is not cooperating. I apologize for having to retreat to this method, but it's the only way I could think of that'll get her to talk. Your pain ends when she does."
"Rihanna. Don't listen to him. I'm okay. He's a fuck–aaah!'
Fayth jumped in her seat and screamed as Charles yelped in pain. "Stop." She begged Lexis. "Please stop. I'll answer all your questions. I'll do anything you want. Just stop hurting him."
"Don't, Rihanna. No–"
Lexis hung up the phone. His face had no portrayal whatsoever of any emotion that could be meaningful towards what he was doing to Charles. He sat down, crossed his legs, and relaxed back, unmoved.
"Very good. I think..." He spoke calmly, like a screaming human being in pain wasn't just speaking on the phone with him. "Now, we can talk business."
He's immune to pain.
The tears that escaped her eyes at Charles' voice were drying slowly on her cheeks.
He's immune to feelings.
The leftover tears burned her with their salty texture.
Business?
She closed her eyes, thinking.
Minutes passed before she reopened them and stared at Lexis.
He stared at her, and for a moment, something in his eyes changed. He cocked an eyebrow. "Your expression... You look like someone I see in the mirror now."
"Let's talk business." She said. "I have an offer. I'll put it on the table, but I want things in return for it. It'll be a little more than difficult to get it done than I'd like, but what I'll get in return will motivate me to get done nonetheless."
"Strategist." He emphasized. "Never failed to impress me. What is it that you want?"
"A few things" She said. "Charles, leave him alone."
He nodded his head. "Okay."
"Stay out of my business too. Don't dig around me anymore."
He kept quiet.
"Joshua. Bring him back to the Academy. Enroll him into the Business class too."
His jaw twitched, but again, he kept quiet.
"And Dawn." She stared into his eyes. "I was to be able to see her daily, no matter what happens between you and I."
"That's quite a bit of things you're asking for. What can you possibly put on the table from your end?"
Fayth bit her lip and clenched her fingers.
"There is a certain glitch, because of it, your father is tying you down with the threat that he'll take away Dawn from you if you don't follow through with it. I've overheard some things you and Jessie talked about. And from what I understand, if he goes through with it Ellis will prosper with stocks and money that will pay off a lot of things. Because of this, he will keep pressuring you, using any method he could. He has hope after all, and that hope won't go away until that glitch does."
His expression changed, entirely changed. The surprise was more evident than anything else. "What are you saying?"
Immunity can only work for things its familiar with. And I'm a stranger to you Lexis.
"Your arranged marriage with the Armstrong Next heir, if that glitch is removed, you can do whatever you want, and your father wouldn't have hope in that partnership."
Lexis stared at her, his expression unreadable again.
"I can remove that glitch. You'll get a phone call from your father today telling you that it's all over."
"Impossible."
"Very possible."
"How?"
"I have connections. Connections that brought me into the Academy. Connections that could do many impossible things for me. I'll do it flawlessly too. Not a single suspicion that you were involved."
His eyes searched hers, confusion overtaking them again. "Who are you?"
"Remember, you can't do that anymore. It's part of the deal."
He stared at her, thinking it through. She could see how much he liked the offer. He suddenly began staring at her with a certain expression that made her uncomfortable. "It's done. I'll do it all, and you get your end of the deal done."
"Everything?"
"Everything. You'll see Joshua back in the Academy tomorrow morning as well." He stood up, then terrifying Fayth half to death, he threw a knife out of his pocket, where it landed an inch away beside her.
"I'll leave you alone as well." He brushed his hair back with his fingers as he stood by the door, staring at the floor between them. "If I were to say it in all honesty, I cannot completely promise that. I might not do this anymore, but my curiosity will never drain." He nudged his head toward the knife. "Help yourself out."
And with that, he left the room.
She turned her head, bit the knife with her teeth and pulled it out, then dropped it in her lap and opened her legs to let it fall on the chair. Lifting herself, she tilted the chair slightly back, grabbed the knife with her hand and began cutting the rope.
But a stranger is only a stranger for so long....