Chapter 4

Willing Victim

"Weak," September can't help but chuckle as he watched Maeve busied herself speeding off while murmuring  how incompetent his people are.

Their speed was actually beyond the speed limit set in the city but who cares? His woman can do whatever she wanted.

"Your men are weak!" she exclaimed as she rested her back on her seat after realizing the distance she had with the others.

"How do you expect my guards to win over a drag racing champion?" Maeve just glanced at him before directing her attention back on the road. Obviously ignoring the fact that he knows her secret hobby.

"So, where are we going?" he asked.

"Does a kidnapper ever told their victims where they were headed?" her sarcasm just made him chuckle once again.

Alright. He's probably the most willing victim of kidnapping. He doesn't care where she would bring him, as long as she was with him, it's fine.

"Why are we here?" he thought it was fine. That she can bring him anywhere and he wouldn't mind but he never expected that she's going to bring him here.

Maeve just smirked at him before shrugging her shoulders and lead the way inside the orphanage in front of them.

September Thorne might be the great manipulator but Maeve Miller is a cunning woman. She wouldn't survive the overseas life alone if she wasn't. September wanted to play? Then she'll give him a game he'll surely never forget.

"Maeve!" the orphans immediately ran towards her right after she was seen. Her cold face was immediately replaced with a warm smile as she slightly slouched to face the children.

"How are you?" she asked and everyone eagerly responded. The head nun of the orphanage approached her with a smile.

"Hello Sister Helena, how are you?" Maeve greeted politely.

"I'm alright, dear. I'm glad you came to visit again," the nun's face turned sullen when she swiftly gave the kids a glance before gently shaking her head.

"No one had visited recently. The kids are actually feeling a little lonely because of it." Maeve glanced back at the kids with pity.

Sunny Orphanage is a small orphanage near the outskirts of the city. There are only thirty to forty kids around and not so many people are willing enough to make the effort to travel that far to check for some kids to adopt with that small number of selection.

Children in this orphanage usually just grew up and took their own paths later on. Maeve glanced at the silent man behind her. Just like him.

September's eyes kept on wandering around. Looking for something that would give him a feeling of familiarity.

"I see you came with a friend, Maeve?" September's gaze fell on the sixty-something nun who glanced at him with a welcoming smile.

"Oh. He's September, September this is Sister Helena. She's the current head of the orphanage." Maeve said, breaking the ice between the two before revealing a name that would surely hit something.

"Can we see Sister Rose?" She asked the nun immediately smiled and nodded. Maeve subtly peek at the manipulator's face with her peripheral to see any changes. And as expected... there was nothing.

Of course, she never thought that it would be that easy to have this man wrapped around her fingers.

He wanted her? Then she'll used that to her advantage.

"Settle down for a while kids. We'll just go to meet with Sister Rose, please behave. We'll be back shortly," the children obediently responded with the nun's order, they sat on one side of the road and played with some toys.

The trio then went upstairs to meet the former orphanage head.

Sister Helena went inside the room first and Maeve was just about to go inside too, but September pulled her and pinned her on the wall near the door.

"What the hell are we doing here?" He hissed in a whisper level voice.

"You've been asking for my time and now that I am here with you, there's no thank you atleast?" She asked in a playful voice as the smug smirk finally loosened on her face.

It was just a silent guess on her side but September's reaction was enough to confirm her conclusion.

September's eyes squinted at the woman in front of him. He was trying to decipher what might actually been running inside that pretty head of hers.

She had investigated about him. He was sure of that. Everybody knew that he was an orphan and that he grew up in an orphanage. But nobody knows the exact orphanage where he came from, this is the first time somebody had meddled with his past.

He doesn't even have an idea how she was able to come across that information without him knowing.

"Maeve?" They both halted as they heard the approaching sound of the nun's footsteps heading towards their way.

Maeve raised her left brow while their eyes still locked together. Her eyes was somehow filled with dancing amusement and endless challenge.

"Maeve?" The nun called out once again and this time it was nearer.

"Coming Sister," Maeve responded with a smirk of victory as September took his arms away from her.

"September?" Hearing his name being called in a tender manner almost made September jump.

"S-september?" He heard a weak voice  asked. He took a deep breath and finally entered the room with a passive face.

That's pretty impressive. Maive thought as she watched the great manipulator's acting tough. Her eyes went down to the old woman who was lying on the bed.

Sister Rose's tears were flowing as she stare at the man who entered the room.

"Come here, child." She called out.

September's dark gaze fell on Maeve first who was silently enjoying his tormented state. He then took a step forward to the bed, giving the nun who raised him the chance to fully stare at him.

"You had a rough childhood but you grew up well. I'm proud of you, hijo." The old nun complimented as she gestured for him to go down a bit so she can ruffle his hair like how she used to do before.

Sister Helena looked up to Maeve with a questioning look. But Maeve was too busy observing September and commiting his expression to memory to notice that.

Who knows? Maybe one of those could be used as a counter-attack if ever the manipulator started his moves.

September slouched a bit to let the nun do what she wanted. He was glad that his back was turned to Maeve, or else she might see the forming of tears just below his eyes.

Seeing the one who raised him after years of being alone brought him the feeling of familiarity that he was seeking for earlier.