Her Rebirth.-Chapter 114

When his boss first assigned him to watch over the soon-to-be Madame, he had been honored—elated, even. He had sworn to protect her with everything he had, imagining threats lurking in the shadows, enemies plotting her downfall. But days passed, and nothing happened. Her life seemed... normal and quite peaceful. That was until this fateful day. He had been watching the madam closely when he received a call to watch her more closely.

He didn’t know why, but he obeyed. He followed as she went to a place that was somewhat of a slum, watched as a young girl came happily to welcome her, and they both went inside. They didn’t seem to be in the best of relationships, though. He watched as the young girl came out from the house, all happy.

She glanced around and for a fleeting second, her eyes paused in his direction.

Impossible. She couldn’t have seen him.

He shifted slightly, uneasy.

He watched as she turned away and went to a pastry shop just across the street. Ten minutes later, she came back, and everything seemed just fine.

That was until the house where the madam and young lady had been began to burn to the ground.

He had dashed in hurriedly, but they were nowhere to be seen.

How?

How?

He was in trouble.

....

Secretary Wen stood rigid at the door, throat tight as he watched the man behind the desk slowly raise his eyes from the file in front of him.

Kai’s gaze was almost playful, a small smile playing on his lips.

"Speak."

Wen’s fingers trembled. The chances of him dying after delivering this news were dangerously high. But still...

He bowed his head. "Sir... we’ve lost contact with Miss Amelia and Miss Lilac."

Kai’s smile froze, and his eyes slowly darkened. The air around them became suffocating, and Wen found himself flinching from being just under his gaze.

"Explain," he said, his voice a low growl.

"They were last seen in District 9. Our man was shadowing them as per your orders, but there was... an incident. The house they entered caught fire. When he went in, both were gone. No bodies. No signs. No blood."

Silence.

The kind that stretches tight enough to strangle.

Kai stood slowly, pushing back his chair. His hands clenched by his sides, jaw tight, a vein twitching in his temple.

"You’re telling me," he said quietly, "that two people whom I placed under constant surveillance, vanished into thin air? And the best your men could do was watch a house burn?"

Wen flinched. "We’ve deployed a team to scan the perimeter. We’ll sweep every camera in the district, we’ve shut down the roads—"

A chilling laugh rumbled from Kai’s lips, causing Wen to stiffen.

Gone.

Gone?

He closed the file in his hand calmly. Then he stood.

"Tell me something, Wen," he murmured, his eyes locking onto the secretary’s eerily. "What use are eyes if they fail to see?"

Wen stiffened. "Sir—"

Before Wen could blink, he found his back slammed against the wall with Kai’s fingers wrapping around his throat, tight enough that any tighter he might die.

"You were supposed to protect her," Kai hissed, his eyes cold and devoid of emotion. "My Amelia. And now you come here to report failure as if it’s just a minor inconvenience?"

Wen choked, struggling beneath Kai’s grip, hands clawing weakly at the arm that pinned him. His vision blurred, the air whistling through his tightened throat.

"I trusted you," Kai whispered, his lips curling into something that wasn’t quite a smile. "And yet you let someone take what’s mine. Do you know what happens to people who take from me?"

Wen’s knees buckled.

Kai leaned in closer.

"I’ll break their fingers. Their spine. I’ll peel the skin from their face while they scream. And you—" his grip tightened, "—you’ll join them, if she’s not found."

Wen let out a strangled gasp.

And then, Kai let go.

Wen collapsed to the floor, coughing violently, his eyes wide with horror.

He had almost died; he had just escaped death.

Kai straightened his suit jacket, exhaling as if nothing had happened.

"Get up," he ordered coolly, stepping over him like discarded trash. "Mobilize everyone. I want every camera, every rat hole in this city searched. If you don’t find her..."

"...you won’t live to regret it."

....

Amelia’s lashes fluttered as she felt a deep, pulsing ache blooming behind her eyes. The scent in the air was of lilies, specifically oriental lilies. It was unlike the cool smell of coffee and wood in Kai’s room.

She shifted instinctively, but—

Clink.

Her wrists jerked, but they felt restrained. And she felt something cold bite into her skin.

Her eyes snapped open.

She was lying on a bed, the mattress plush beneath her, sheets soft and expensive. The room around her was well-furnished. Its walls were decorated with peach wallpaper, and on the wall were various portraits—various portraits of her, sketched and painted in varying styles—smiling, sleeping, laughing, even crying.

Where was she? The last thing she remembered was the room, and then Lilac’s voice.

Her eyes widened, mostly in fear.

Had Lilac brought her here?

What was she up to?

She moved again, slower this time, and heard the soft rattles of the chains that bound her.

Both her wrists were shackled and tethered to the headboard. Her ankles too. There were padded cuffs wrapped around them, as if it was done out of care.

Her heart pounded, her thoughts reeling on what to do, trying to understand what kind of twisted thoughts Lilac had to do this to her.

Then the door creaked open. Amelia snapped her head up just in time to see Lilac step inside, holding a tray.

She was dressed in a soft pink dress, hair tied back in a sweet ribbon, and a smile blooming across her face like everything was perfectly normal.

"Sister," she cooed, "you’re awake."

Amelia’s body froze and her fingers trembled.

"Lilac," she said with a low voice as her eyes locked with hers. "What is this?"