Ch. 4: Keyu

Astrella's point of view

  The hallway seemed to stretch on forever. At the top of the stairs, Dax stopped and turned to face me. 

“Welcome to my home,” He held my gaze, unblinking, daring me to be the first to look away.  It was a line he had clearly said countless times before, but the way it rolled off his tongue made it sound more like a threat than a greeting. 

I didn’t respond. There was nothing left to say. 

“Feel free at home,” he mumbled. His eyes softened, though it did nothing to ease the tension between us. “He’s been longing to see you.” 

I remained motionless, my feet firmly planted. “Is it San Pedro? No thanks, Dax.” My voice, sharp as broken glass, cut through the silence. 

Dax sighed as if my resistance was nothing more than an annoying inconvenience. “You think you have a choice?” He stepped closer, his presence suffocating. “You don’t, Astrella. This is my world now. You’re just a guest in it. If you want to leave, you’ll have to earn that right. And I’ll be the one deciding how you do that.” 

I took a deep breath, trying to compose myself. Every part of me wanted to fight, to scream at him, but something inside told me it wouldn’t do any good. 

“Okay, tell me that again when you’ve become my favorite animal, Dax,” I scoffed, my voice raw. “You already chose to be my enemy. I’m not your pawn. My father doesn’t even care about me. It’s useless to use me. If you think this will make you feel better—” 

“It’s not about what makes me feel better,” Dax snapped, his voice like a blade. “It’s about justice. About making those who ruined me pay for everything they took from me. And you’re part of that equation. Your family is the reason I’m here. The reason I’m this.” 

“Aiissh,” I cut in, rolling my eyes. “You’ve said that already. And just so you know, you’re still not my favorite animal. Guess that’s your permanent spot, huh? Also, don’t even think about cooking anything else. You’re dangerous in more ways than one.” 

He stepped forward. Brilliant animal. “Okay, for now, I’m not able to be your favorite animal. But you know what?” he spoke in a clipped, biting tone. “Do you think I wanted to turn into this monster? Your father’s betrayal broke me. I had to rebuild myself. From nothing.” 

My chest tightened, but I refused to let myself feel sympathy for him. “Oh, what animal are you again? Oops! Stop! I don’t want to know.” 

Something like pain flickered in his eyes, but it vanished in an instant, replaced by rage. “So unserious. I didn’t ask you to want to know me. I don’t care whether you like it or not. But you will respect what I’ve become because you have no choice in the matter.”

  Dax turned and started striding again, and for a moment, I just stood there, wanting to kick his peachy ass. Fúck this animal. There is no way in hell that he is ever going to be my favorite. 

But I took a deep breath and forced myself to follow. He led me to a large set of double doors, and with a swift motion, he pushed them open, revealing an expansive, dimly lighted room. It was an office, but it looked like something out of a nightmare. 

A large desk sat in the center, and behind it, a man stood. Tall, broad-shouldered, with dark hair pulled back into a tight ponytail. 

Dax stepped in without a word, his presence suffocating. The other man didn’t acknowledge us immediately. He lingered by the window, watching the night, hands clasped behind his back. 

“Keyu,” Dax uttered, his voice deep. “This is the woman I told you about. Astrella Honey Salcedo.” 

Keyu turned around slowly, and the second our eyes met, his gaze hit me like a physical blow. He didn’t smile. He didn’t speak. He just stared at me like I was some new object to be appraised. 

I felt my skin crawl under his scrutiny, but I refused to show weakness. I had dealt with men like him before, men who thought they could own me, break me, destroy me. 

“Oh, I see why Dax was so determined to keep you,” Keyu said, his voice was a whisper of danger, soft yet laced with the weight of unspoken threats. “You’ve got that fire in your eyes. Did he tell you he’d burn the world for you? Woah, aren’t you daddy’s girl? Where is he now?” 

I clenched my jaw, refusing to give him the satisfaction of a reaction. Dax stepped forward, his posture stiff, his jaw clenched. “Keyu is someone who has helped me build my empire,” he stated, his eyes avoiding mine. There was something strange in his voice, almost like a confession. “He’s been a loyal ally. And he’s eager to meet you.” 

Someone? A special someone? My forehead knotted. 

“Woah. Loyal, you say? You mean western dog with rabies clinging to you?” I scoffed, my tone cutting. If this wasn’t such a serious situation, I’d be laughing my ass off. “You think you have loyalty here, Dax? These men," I pointed at Keyu, then back to him, Dax, "this life you’ve built, there’s no loyalty. Only betrayal. Only fear. Only animals foaming at the mouth.” 

Keyu chuckled darkly and took a step closer. “Feisty. I like it. But I think you misunderstand,” he murmured smoothly. “Loyalty isn’t what you think. It’s about power, sweetness.” He turned to glance at Dax. “And Dax? He’s the one holding all the power now.” 

A suffocating sense of claustrophobia wrapped around me, choking me. Two men trapping me, one consumed by vengeance, the other driven by whatever twisted desires fueled him. Neither of them cared about me. Neither of them cared about anything except their ambitions. 

Honestly? Why couldn’t they just marry each other? They were giving the same damn energy. 

“Shibal, you’ve all lost your minds,” I gasped; I didn’t raise my voice, but the venom in it was enough to silence the room.   “I think I’d rather crawl back into my mother’s womb if this is your grand plan.” I sighed, trying one last time. “Dax, this can’t be what you want, right?” 

But my shoulders dropped as soon as I saw the look in his eyes. “I’m sorry, Astrella,” Dax said, his voice rigid. “But you don’t get to tell me who I am anymore.” 

My chest tightened, grief clawing its way up my throat. This wasn’t just a double kill. This was a fvcking triple homicide. 

Keyu stepped even closer, a sinister smile curling on his lips. “This is how things work now, sweetheart,” he smirked. 

“I’m thrilled to join.” His voice dripped with mockery as he leaned in. 

“You’re in Dax’s world. And in his world, everyone pays the price.” His eyes glinted with amusement. 

“How much are you again? A million dollars?”