Just like I planned, I stay in bed until 1 p.m. I woke up around 10 to take a bath, and I ended up falling right back asleep after the bath. Breakfast? Not even a passing thought. Right now, eating feels like the last thing on my mind.
I barely slept at throughout last night or this morning. Now, my head pounds with a splitting headache, and I'm convinced it'll only get worse if I leave my room. Every time I closed my eyes, the same haunting images greeted me with a mysterious man covered in blood. The same mysterious man I saved yesterday.
"Save me," he'd whisper, his voice desperate. And every time I tried to save him, another face would appear. Kaden's face. He'd step out of the shadows and say, "Luna, I'm here. Come to me. Save me."
Who do I choose? Kaden, of course. But as soon as I did, the other man would break down crying… and then explode. His blood, staining my body. That's exactly what kept jerking me awake every time I fell asleep today.
A knock at the door pulls me from my thoughts. It's Lilith I can tell. She only has the guts to disturb me while I'm asleep.
"Are you awake, ma'am?" she calls out.
For the hundredth time, I've told that woman to stop calling me "ma'am." I'm not old!
Without waiting for her to knock again, I rush to open the door, and the speed of it surprises her.
"How many times do I have to tell you? I don't like being called ma'am. Good morning, by the way." My mum always taught me to greet elders first, and Lilith is way older than me older than my mum and dad, even. Of course, she deserves my respect.
"You are my boss, and you are a she, so 'ma'am' it is," she replies stubbornly. "What would you like for breakfast ma'am ?"
"I won't eat if you keep calling me ma'am. Bye." I start to close the door, but she yells, "Wait!" so loudly my ears nearly bleeds.
"Rhea, darling," she says through clenched teeth, glaring at me. "What would you like for breakfast or brunch, rather?"
Lilith insists she finds it awkward to call her boss by name. I find it even weirder having someone older like her calling me 'ma'am' or 'madam.'
In my dad's office, the older staff call me by my name at least the ones who are the same age as my parents or older.
"You know the things I like for breakfast, Lilith. Make one of those, and I'll eat it."
I smile at her, and she smiles back. I love seeing old people smile it's like sunshine breaking through a cloudy day. Sometimes, when I see older people begging on the street with their kids or grandkids, I can never decide if I should feel pity for them or be angry at them. But Lilith? She's not the type to make her kids or grandkids suffer.
Lilith has one of the kindest, purest hearts I've ever known. When she says she loves you, she means it no cap. She rarely hates anyone, but if she does? Run. If she hates anyone, it's probably one of the people I've put in jail.
The last time I had a fever, she cried. Literally. She's terrified on my behalf whenever I take on a case. She even offers to do my laundry, which I always refuse. When I'm exhausted, she cries with me. She's always there.
How did I meet her?
It was three years ago, in my dad's office. I was still in law school then but already making enough money to build my own house not the villa I live in now, though. I'd gone to my dad's office to discuss the new partners we were bringing on. My dad was in a meeting, and Lilith was cleaning his office.
That wasn't the first time I'd seen her. I actually met her when I was seven she was cleaning my dad's office back then too. But I didn't speak to her until I turned twenty two. That's when I asked why she was still working as a cleaner after all these years.
Her reply was, "I don't care what I do, as long as it provides my daughter and don with a stable education, clothes, shelter, and food. This job gives them all of that."
She wasn't wrong. My dad's company is the highest paying company in the country. Even the entry level workers like cleaners, earn at least $300k a month.
I told Lilith to come work for me instead and that I'd pay her, $500k instead. She thought I was bluffing as I was a kid to her. She believed me when I told my dad about it.
She basically started earning the same amount ordinary clerks earn in my dad's company, without breaking a sweat.
Now she earns $700 grand. I'm considering increasing it to a million but Lilith would clobber me and think I'm giving her too much. She deserves it though. She doesn't earn up to my guards. Every Patel personal guards earn at least two million dollars a month. Normal guards earn a million. My butler earns the same amount Lilith earns.
Lilith is like an older best friend.
I go downstairs for breakfast. Brunch actually.
The aroma of what Lilith is cooking assaults my nose and my stomach finally remembers it hasn't had any food in it. I spot Mike and Felix bickering at the end of the stairs. J pray silently for the millionth time that those two won't end up actually fighting one day.
They're both the best at fighting and guarding honestly. I dared Mike to spar with me one day. I got tired of his gentle blows and called him a weak pussy. I lost my senses for rest of that day. He gave me the most painful punch ever. He even said that was his weakest punch honestly. And I believe him. I have seen him breaking people. Literally.
Felix on the other hand, is like a freaking bomb. He gets pissed off easily. When he does, it takes chains to calm him the fuck down. Literally. He has never hit me though. He finds me suicidal and psychotic just because I want someone like him to hit me. What? I can also fight. I have landed a blow on Mike before. I ended up hurting my knuckles but at least he bled… due to my ring.
"You two stop bickering. You look like a gay couple it's cute but creepy". I walk past them before they could say anything. I feel their presence behind me though. "Tyson said he'll come over in the evening to check on your boyfriend" Mike is responsible for giving me all the informations and stuff. Felix is most times quiet. The only person that can rile him up and get him to speak his Mike. They're like lost twins.
"Boyfriend?" I raise an eyebrow at Mike. Sometimes i don't even know what the fuck Mike talks about.
"The man you brought in yesterday. Isn't he your boyfriend?" He should've asked before concluding. This boy!
"Mike, you follow me almost everywhere. Have you ever seen me with any other guy except uncle Ty, my Dad and my brother".
"No". I sigh and walk into the kitchen.
The kitchen. My kitchen, is equipped with modern appliances, including an oven, a stove, and a refrigerator, all seamlessly integrated into the design. Open shelves line the walls, displaying various kitchen items and adding to the contemporary look. There's a potted plant on the floor and I still don't know who put that there. Must be Lilith.
The centerpiece of the kitchen is a large island with a dark marble countertop. The island features matching dark marble on the backsplash and part of the island itself. There are five vibrant orange bar stools around the island, adding a pop of color to the space.
The dining room is located beside the kitchen on the right side. I never use the dining room unless my parents are over or visitors. Whenever Malena my best friend comes over we eat in the kitchen. I basically eat in the kitchen almost everyday.
"Lilith. Prepare the medicine for him. I'll continue with the food". I thought she would question me. Guess I was wrong.
Lilith barely questions my choices. I like that about her. It's almost like she's confident I don't make terrible choices and trusts me.
Unlike Mike. Sigh.
Breakfast went well—brunch actually. I hear for my case solving room without waiting for my food to digest. The most frustrating room in the house is my case solving room. You might think it's where I put puzzles together. Where I examine evidences and stuff but no.
Maybe I do, but just once in a blue moon. When it comes to actual cases that I take on and I need to be alone, I go to a small house I built for it in the forest.
This room is the forbidden room of this house. No one is allowed in except myself. The first time Lilith thought of cleaning the room two weeks after we moved to this villa, I yelled at her, forgetting I didn't warn her yet about not entering the room.
That night, I apologized and allowed her pull my ears to her satisfaction. She asked about the room but when I refused to say a thing she didn't prob further. She didn't know much about Kaden but I am sure as hell she knows who he is to me. Almost everyone in my life does.
The room, I built it for Kaden—well to look for Kaden. It's been like this since I got to law school which was 3 years ago. Every single house I lived in, had a spare room where I could look for more clues that would lead me to him. Most times I would sit down all alone in the room with my EarPods on full blast while I listened to the cranberries and try to dig deeper into what happened in Oxford that could've made Kaden want to disappear.
Though I've been contemplating another theory of Kaden already planning his disappearance before he even moved to England. He is Kaden after all.
I have uncovered only a few secrets but those aren't enough to make someone want to leave. Hence, the contemplation of him planning ahead. But the issue here is, why would Kaden want to leave without me or without saying goodbye or without telling me where he was going to. Unless I didn't matter to him like he did me. I don't want to get stuck up on that last part.
He left you because you don't matter to him and you know it. There's that demon again. Always lurking like a flipping pest. Always on my shoulder telling me the most negative things. I won't succumb to it. Not today.
"Felix and Mike come with me". I walk ahead, towards the forbidden room without waiting for their response. For the first time ever I am taking someone—two people to the forbidden room. Mostly because I need their help.
Felix has a talent for being able to dig up the most hidden information both legal and illegal. There was a time I had this case where I had to prove a step father was a pedophile. And apparently, Felix found a video that was released of him, deep throating a dead 7 year old. Funny how necrophiles are actually real. Imagine a sane human getting a release from fucking a dead rottening person. The video did get wiped from the internet but Felix still got it. I proved the man to be a pedophile and a necrophile. He committed suicide since he couldn't get a vegetable to screw or a kid.
Guess who didn't give two shits. Me.
"You're letting us into the forbidden room". Coming from someone that barely talks I am surprised he asked—Felix I mean. "Yes. Got a problem?" I don't wait for a response before walking in knowing they would follow behind.
I walk in with Mike and Felix tailing behind. The room is clean and organized, with computers humming quietly on sleek, modern desks. I always clean the room and I never turn off the computers. There are shelves lined with carefully arranged documents. A floor-to-ceiling window dominates one wall, offering an exquisite, uninterrupted view that feels both calming and inspiring. The neon teal green lighting bathes the room in an otherworldly glow, adding an electric vibrancy to the minimalistic design.
A transparent white glass board takes the left corner of the room, crowded with pinned pictures, scattered notes, cryptic drawings, and hastily scribbled words that evoke the chaotic energy of a genius at work—or perhaps someone unraveling a tangled conspiracy. It's kind of the latter. The contrast between the organized elements and the feverish creativity on the glass board makes the room feel like the intersection of order and obsession. It's the kind of space where ideas are born, plans are hatched, and secrets unravel. Mostly Kaden's secrets.
"Felix I need you to take a look at this" I settle on the chair at point to the screen of the monitor. "A video was uploaded five years ago on England's daily mail,it was taken down in less than 48 hours later. I know this is your forte which is why I called you and Mike. You take care of the England video. Mike. I got information that a fight broke out in Russia between two families. I have this hunch there's more. I can't access the cameras from the area the fight happened. Can you work it out".
Felix already started doing his work right after I dished out the order. Mike grabs a chair and settles on my left. There were four monitors in total and three laptops. Mike is good at what he does and so is Felix. I am confident they will provide me with the answers I need which is why I didn't not hesitate to bring them with me to this room.
I found Mike and Felix at a little convention. There, they hacked into the controls of the building, turned off the lights and security systems just so they could get access to the vault where illegal money, gold and diamonds were kept. Everyone then was taken by surprise due to the blackout they had caused. Of course I adapted to the darkness and managed to catch Mike through my peripheral. I chased and followed after him stealthily till I saw him in front of the vault.
Even I admitted it was a really big vault for that kind of company—but I was curious nonetheless. Mike was from no agency so he couldn't have been on a mission. So I did a thing you would call stupid. I take out my gun from the back of my pants and point it at his head—the back of his head. "Turn and take of your mask". I ordered him and he did turn but didn't take off his mask. Instead, he stared at me with cold eyes that could shoot glazers at me, almost like mine. We had a short fight which of course he won. He didn't hurt me but he took my gun away. I watched as he took a video of all the money and how he uploaded it. He faced me and insulted me by saying I was covering up for the bad people.
Long story short. I offered him a deal. I would help he and Felix uncover dirty secrets like that one if they worked for me.
Here we are today. They work for me.
"Got it" They say in unison. As expected.
"The video from oxford disappeared a minute after seeing it but I got it to the drive. You can watch it anytime you like". Felix hands me the drive and i look at it as if I am looking at a masterpiece.
"I have saved the the of the fight to your cloud. There's an issue though. The last clip got erased permanently and it's impossible to get it back" I believe Mike. When he says it's impossible to get then it is impossible to get.
"I did get some clips and I am sure they will help you a lot". I switch seats with Mike to watch the clips from the fight.
It's is pure gore. I have never been able to stand gore. I can stand blood to some extent but seeing someone being killed is something i can't stand. It's a man. The first clip shows a man being stabbed repeatedly. They were stabbing his left arm slowly. Since they didn't kill him straight up, they wanted to torture him. Why though?
One of the men surrounding the man slaps the victim. "You are a worthless fool that is only worth to be used as bait" I could hear the venom laced with his voice. They stab his shoulders next. I watch with so much irritation and curiosity. What could he have done to warrant this kind of torture. Who were the guys torturing him?
I continue watching, hoping to get answers. I notice four shadows. Why didn't I notice that earlier. The four shadows don't move or shake. Are they also victims?
No they wouldn't be standing if they were victims. The video starts glitching and I think that's all. The next clip though—I see a bunch of men holding guns. Not all of them though. Men on the left and on the right, all looking bulky and huge. It looked like war. A gunshot is what I hear next. I'd be lying if I say I wasn't startled. I don't see who the bullet hits before the clip ends. The end.
That's all. Nothing else. I didn't want to watch that again. "Mike watch the first and last clip again and take note of the tattoos the men had. There were four shadows. I don't think I noticed them eventually appearing. Watch every clip incase they showed up" without giving any other reaction, I move back to my seat, opened the drawer and bring out my laptop.
I collect the drive from Felix so I could watch the video Felix retrieved. There was no sound but I could see everything happening clearly.
There was a woman and a man. The woman didn't look familiar, even though I could only see her back. The man though, looked familiar—too familiar. His hair, his height, his jawline, his posture, the aura he gave. Everything was too familiar but he didn't look like someone I knew. I don't get enough time to study the man before I watch the woman wrap her hands around his neck in a tight grip. She pushes him against the wall and says some words—nasty words. I can tell with the way her lips moved and by the tightening of her grip around his neck. The next thing I see is her wrapping her hand around his groin. She squeezes so hard that I feel the pain the guy's feeling. His face contours but he doesn't push her away and neither does he beg her to stop. He remains quiet throughout the assault.
When the woman eventually leaves, I notice the back of the man and he had a jersey on. The back says the most horrifying thing—Kaden. The name on the jersey says Kaden.
I just watched Kaden getting assaulted by a woman.