Chapter four: A dark past

Betty felt bored doing nothing all day, she had no access to internet, Tv, as her phone was taken from her on the day she was abducted, she already spent weeks studying the environment, she knew every route, basement, in and out of the mansion, the desire to try something new spawn within her.

“There must be something in the library to keep my day going”.

She goes to the library going to get a book to brighten up her dart, She notices the library door slightly opened.

“Someone must be in here” she peeps through the door. Mateo was lost in the flow of creation, his pencil scratched against the paper, Betty watched him.

“What is he sketching on that paper?”, her hand touches the door and it creaks nosily, she gasps and hides her face not to be seen.

“I know you’re there” Mateo spoke in a calm soft voice, “you can have a closer look if you want to” Betty opens the door gently, she walks towards Mateo “I’m, I didn’t mean to……..”.

“It’s a drawing to express my world”. He cuts in.

“Your drawing? Can I see?” Betty’s eyes landed on the sketchbook, her curiosity piqued. A young boy standing with a golden egg surrounded by vultures.

“Is this his world?” She thought within herself.

“You must be the young boy then, what is the egg for?”.

“Someone I swore to protect with my life, she turned to him hoping to get more answers, his gaze meeting hers. For a moment, they just looked at each other, the air thick with tension, Betty quickly turned her face then cleared her throat.

“Can I be your model?” Noticing his curious gaze.

“I’ve always wanted….. to be someone of inspiration for something, maybe I could inspire you to make a perfect portrait for myself, I don’t mind if it happens now……pls”.

“Mateo felt his heart rate quicken, his senses heightening “you’d want to be a source of inspiration to my drawing?.

“Yes, I have nothing” else doing the whole day, I can’t even have my phone and I’m also curious to see what you’d create”.

He smiles and gestured to the chair opposite him, happy she was ready to get along, his voice low and husky.

“Have a seat then”.

The air was charged with tension as Betty settled into the chair, her eyes meeting Mateo’s. The silence between them was palpable. The only sound was the soft scratch of Mateo’s pencil on paper.

“No, something’s off” he looks at her seated on the chair.

“What’s wrong “ she asked looking confused.

“Can you stand for a minute ?” He walks towards her, she stands in fear and steps back.

“Hold on” he speaks softly, he reached for the scarf on her shoulder and takes it off, her arms bare revealing her fair skin and cleavage. Betty and Mateo stand facing each other, the air thick with tension as the lock eyes. The intensity of their gaze grows deeper, a spark of attraction between them crackling like electricity.

Mateo’s eyes, dark and piercing holds Betty’s gaze, drawing her in with an irresistible force. It was her first time standing so close to him seeing his unique feature so bright at such close range . Betty’s eyes bright and expressive, sparkles with curiosity and intrigue. They look into each other’s eyes, a connection sparks.

In that moment, time stood still, the world around them faded into the background leaving only the two of them suspended in the sea of attraction and desire.

Standing close, Mateo leans closer, his lips inches from hers, his eyes full of desire, Betty’s eyes flutters closed, her hands drifting up to Mateo’s chest, her fingers tracing the lines of his muscles but at a spot her finger brushes against a scar on his chest, feeling vulnerable he turns away and covers the scar.

What was that?

He sighs “a reminder of my sins”.

He turns and looks into her searching eyes desperate to know the story behind the scar.

“You want to know the truth behind the scar” He asks in a low and husky voice.

Betty nodded, her heart racing with anticipation, Mateo’s eyes seems to flash with pain, his jaw clenched in a tight line.

“I used to be part of them, The Daga’s family” he said “I was one of them”.

Betty’s eyes widened, her face pale.

“What do you mean?”.

Mateo’s gaze turned inward, his eyes haunted “I was cruel, ruthless. I did a lot of bad things, anything to climb the ranks, that’s how I earned the title “The fair demon”, I was a monster amongst men.

The air was thick with tension as Betty listens, her heart pounding in her chest.

“But……..……. I got out” Mateo continued “when I choose to leave, I was tortured, put in chains, locked up for years not seeing the outside world, I was made a prisoner in a place I once felt free, living like a king, now a nobody until I found a way out, somehow all the scars all vanished but this right here” he touches his chest “never did….it stayed as a reminder of my past, reliving those memories every day, the pain, I’ve been living the guilt of my sins for so long now”.

The room fell silent. Betty’s eyes searched Mateo’s eyes as he looks into hers, she saw the pain, guilt and determination in his eyes.

“That’s why you have to trust me, I’m the only person who understands you and if I ever wanted you gone, I’ve always known everything about you Miss Betty Humphrey, I would have done it without bringing you here”.

Betty felt like she was standing on the edge of a cliff, staring into the abyss, she did not know what to believe or what to feel but one thing was clear to her, Mateo was right, if he wanted her dead he would have done it on the first day but she still had questions on her mind, why did the Daga family want her dead? What’s really going on?.

He looks at her reading the possible thoughts that came across her mind.

“I need to be somewhere, you can stay here if you want to, your portrait has to wait” he walks out leaving her to process the newfound revelation in her head.

Walking down the hallway Mateo receives a cryptic message from an unknown number.

“You’ll can’t protect her for long” it read “she’ll be ours soon”.

He stood still for a moment.

“The Dagas are getting desperate”. He looks at the message and smiles.

Betty stands at the balcony, trying to make sense of everything she heard and how she’s connected to all these, she hears a faint nose coming from the balcony. She walks over and sees a piece of paper fluttering in the air, she picks it up and reads the message scribbled on it.

“Trust no one, I will save you soon- A Friend”.

Betty’s heart skipped a beat.

“Who could have written this? And what did they want from me?”.

She looks round the room feeling a sense of unease. Am I being watched? But by who? She closes the window immediately running to her room like there was someone chasing her.