CHAPTER 16: YOU’RE DEAD
CHAPTER 16: YOU’RE DEAD
LILY’S POV:
The next few weeks went perfectly, I didn’t cause trouble and Nikolai was no where seen. I saw him just once after that day for breakfast.
He usually leave early and come back very late in the night, makes me wonder what his work was about.
I diligently obeyed him and I stayed out of everyone’s hair.
I knew Nikolai still keep tabs on me but I tried not to make any wrong move.
I recently had a nightmare where Papa was hanged upside down and I couldn’t help him, it was so terrifying.
‘I need to get out of here as soon as possible’, I thought to myself.
I patiently waited for whenever Nikolai would travel or go out for days, I thought escaping then would be easier.
And as if the universe answered my prayers, he went on an urgent business trip.
“I would be gone for three days”, he said to me over dinner that very rare night.
‘That was more than enough days for my escape’, I smiled.
“Do not try anything I won’t…”, He said as he stabbed his meat while grinning at me. I swallowed hard.
I became so eager and at the same time unsettled, ‘What if something goes wrong and I get caught, what will happen to me?’, but there was no enough time to worry.
“I won’t”, I replied.All content © N/.ôvel/Dr/ama.Org.
“Good to know”, He said and focused on his food.
Nikolai left very early the next day and I put my plans to work at 12 midnight.
Even though I was scared of the dark, I couldn’t risk being seen.
I’ve studied the routine of the guards, they always change shift after every 6 hours. Two guards stand guard from 6am to 12 noon outside my room and then another two come immediately to take their place till 6pm till 12 mid night.
‘I have to leave before the other two gets here’, I said to myself.
I didn’t take anything with me because I didn’t bring anything here in the first place. Nikolai got me new clothes and toiletries after he started being nice to me.
It was 11:59pm and I tiptoed to the door, I placed my ears at the door to listen to any movement. I heard the two guards say something that wasn’t English and they retreated.
‘Why don’t they normally wait for the new set of guard to arrive before they leave?’, Well, still good for me.
I slowly opened the door not to make any unnecessary noise, from what I know, the next guard for the shift would arrive in less than a minute, so I have to move fast.
The hallway was dark, quiet and scary, I could hear the night birds cry and the cicadas singing.
‘I’m sure all the maids have retired to their quarters’, I assured myself.
My legs moved quietly out of the hallway and down the stairs, I almost tripped over because of how dark it was but I couldn’t afford been seen.
I took a deep breath and continued moving down the stairs. I knew leaving through the main entrance was a bad idea, so I walked into the kitchen and I saw another way out.
“Who’s there?!”, I froze when I heard someone ask, with flashlight pointing towards my direction.
‘Oh God. Not so fast!’, I closed my eyes shut and prayed. I slowly turned around with my eyes still closed, accepting my fate of what’s to come next.
“It’s me men! Get that flash out of my face”, I heard someone else say.
“Oh, sorry”, The first guy said.
I immediately opened my eyes and saw I wasn’t caught. It was just the guards for the next shift outside of the kitchen.
I quickly hid out of sight and waited till they were gone before proceeding to continue my escape.
I got to the door that led to God knows where, I didn’t care I just need to be out of this mansion.
Getting to the doorknob, I tried on it and it wouldn’t open, “Shit!”, I cussed quietly.
‘Why did I think this door would be unlocked in the first place?!’, I said.
I kept turning on it, praying it would magically open.
When it didn’t open, I let go of the door knob and sat on the ground, feeling frustrated and discouraged.
‘I’ve finally gotten a chance to leave this hell hole but look what happened?’, I pouted. It didn’t cross my mind that the door would be locked.
Then I remembered I had a hairpin in my hair, “Yes!”, I quietly yelled. I took it out of my hair and inserted it into the keyhole, I saw this work in movies, it just might work.
I tried and tried but nothing happened, after a little while I heard the door unlock and my eyes widen in excitement. I don’t have time to be happy, I need to leave here before they notice I’m gone.
I opened the door and left, closing it behind me slowly.
The universe was on my side because the moon was up, it shine it’s light above me, guiding my feet. I ran like never before, like I was being chased by an evil spirit.
Even when I almost ran out of air, I still kept running and running, I didn’t stop. The mansion was far from the gate and I wondered why I didn’t set my eyes on any guard.
‘Are they on a break?’, I didn’t want to think to much, getting out of here was the main goal.
I sighted the main gate and I could feel the joy in my heart. I remembered when Nikolai brought me here, this gates were flooded with body guards.
‘Something seems off’, I said to myself before my feet slowly came to a halt.
I was just about 6 feet away from gate when I saw a figure sitting on a chair, legs crossed.
My eyes grew wide in shock, my heart racing not from the marathon I just ran but in shock.
“Nikolai?!!”, I exclaimed.
“Hey Lily”, He replied, lips in a straight line.
“Uh- wha–what… how?”, I stuttered.
Of course I couldn’t find the right word! He was supposed to be on a business trip and be back days later, not soon!
He stood up, hands in his pants pocket and he walked towards me, with a smirk on his face.
I didn’t need to be told to retreat, I moved backwards, eyes still on him and in shock.
“Didn’t expect me to be back early?”, he asked and I shook my head.
His one step forward was my three steps backwards. He caught up to me but he didn’t stop in front of me, he walked away.
“If you know what’s good for you, you would follow me”, He said without turning back. I knew more than anyone not to defy him.
I was shaking in my skin, scared of what would happen next if I go in. I knew I had no other option, I was doomed.
***
We were in his study, him sitting on his chair and me forced to kneel in front of him, I was already crying. He instructed his guards to leave after they held my to my knees.
It was left with him and I.
“I–“, I tried to say before he interrupted me.
“You better not speak”, he warned and the words I wanted to say got cut in my throat.
Minutes passed and he kept staring at me, eyes so dark and burning with anger. I couldn’t even look him in the eyes.
“So, you tried to leave huh?”, He finally said, smirking.
“No… no–“.
“Speak again and I will have your tongue and feed them to you!!”, he barked and I shivered.
“How stupid can you be? Thinking I would go on a trip and leave my mansion unguarded?! How were you planning on leaving here when the gates were locked?…”, He said, laughing at me.
I shut me eyes in shame and the tears came pouring down. I had so many things to say to him but I shouldn’t, he could actually kill me.
Then I opened my eyes, staring at my hands that were on my thighs.
“I have been nothing but nice to you and I am never nice, Lily… No wonder you got played by your little boyfriend and your so called best friend”, he continued.
That did it.
“What di–did you just say?”, I asked in shock. I would have remembered if I spoke about the incident with Olivia with him but I didn’t.
‘How? How did he know?’, I wondered.
“Surprise, are we?…”, He scoffed, “Know I understand how you got cheated on, you are so gullible and stu–“, I didn’t let him finish his sentence when I got up from my knees.
“No! I am not stupid!”, I raised my voice at him. I had it up to my neck, I wouldn’t stand here and let him blame me for what happened between me, Troy and Olivia.
“Hm, finally found your voice?…”, he said, he walked towards me and I got scared, I slowly moved back, he stopped in his tracks and smiled mischievously, licking his lips.
“Your friend sold you to that slave auction house for 5 million dollars, she’s probably somewhere enjoying herself and your stupid self is here–“.
“I told you I’m not stupid! Stop calling me that!”, I argued back.
“Well face it cupcake! You are naive!”, He said.
“No stop it!”, I said as I closed both my ears with my hands, that didn’t keep him from saying more mean and hurtful things to me and I kept shaking my head.
“No… SHUT UP!!!”, Immediately it came out of my mouth, I instantly regretted it, before I could say something to redeem it, he rushed to me in flashing speed, he grabbed me by my throat and pinned me to the wall, his face morphed into a complete monster, not the handsome man I saw during breakfast.
“You are dead”, He growled as he kept squeezing my throat and I struggled for my life.
…..