DIAZ MANSION*

★

Pearl was about to start crying again when the door opened.

Excited that her dad came back for her, she rushed there, but she met a different face.

Uncle Richard's.

"Hello, beautiful girl" he smiled.

BACK TO THE PRESENT*

Tears were already sliding out of the corners of Pearl's eyes as she wriggled in bed, trying to wake up from the nightmare.

"Noah" a voice called softly, rocking her cheeks gently.

She stopped wriggling.

"Noah" the voice came again, whispering against her ear.

She moved her long lashes, stilling completely.

A sniffle left her nose.

"Noah" the voice came for the third time, a familiar thumb rubbing the shell of her ear.

Her eyes opened, but they're drowsy.

She sat up in bed immediately, climbing the laps of the person and wrapping her arms on him, her warm body folding to his own.

"Don't leave..ok?" She whispered in a small voice.

Just like the other time at Forte, she's probably thinking she's still dreaming.

Roonie stroked her hair, his eyes blank as her tears stained his neck.

"Hush, close your eyes and sleep back for me" he whispered.

As if spellbound, she slept off within seconds, on his laps...in his arms.

*

DIAZ MANSION*

Rue was fuming around the living room, and at the same time boiling.

She was only able to come home after receiving treatment, but her chest still hurts and she's probably still breathing internally.

How dare he?

How could Roonie do that to her?

Rook should be fine by now, so they have to look for ways to make him pay, but that's not even the pressing issue at hand.

Her father is currently at the hospital, still unconscious as a result of what Jeremy did.

It was the maid who told her, and when she went to check on him, his condition is bad as hell.

She might just kill Jeremy tonight.

That same minute, Jeremy came in, looking damn dangerous and stiff.

"What did you to dad? Huh? You want him dead? Answer me!" Rue blocked him.

"Out of my way" he glared.

"Say that again, idiot!" She spat.

"Buzz off!" He pushed her, and Rue fell on the ground.

"What the hell!" Rue spranged up and elbowed him on the stomach.

Jeremy staggered, hitting his head hard on the wall.

He touched that spot, and when he saw blood, his eyes reddened.

"I'll kill you" he muttered, dashing for the kitchen.

"Come back here, fool!" Rue rushed after him.

When she got to the door, Jeremy came out with a knife, and without waiting, he shoved it into her chest.

"Urghhhh!!!!" Rue groaned, her eyes wide with shock, terror and horror as her blood wet the ground.

"Jer...

Before she could finish, Jeremy removed the knife and jammed it back into her chest.

Blood splurged from her mouth, and more of it painted the ground as another hellish scream left her mouth.

Her blood sprayed on Jeremy's face, but he didn't stop.

"I'm done being a fool for everyone especially you! You've never treated me like a brother and father never treated me like a son!...no one has ever treated me like a human! Everyone is mad!!!" He yelled in an animalistic frenzy.

He stabbed her repeatedly for more than ten times, and by the time he was done, Rue was already dead.

Absolutely. Dead.

He dropped her body with the knife, his hands, face, clothes and shoes stained with her blood.

His body was shaking vehemently as he ran to the storeroom to get a shovel and a digger.

He threw them in his car trunk, then he came back for Rue's body.

He carried it out to the trunk too and made sure to lock all doors before zooming out of the property.

He drove to a thick forest in that same street and made sure to go deep before stopping the car.

He got the digger and shovel, crying as he started digging.

"It's over...I won" he laughed despite the tears.

"I won!"

"I won!"

"It's over...I won!" He grinned.

After digging shallowly for about two hours, he threw Rue's body inside.

It only took thirty minutes to cover the body with soil again, burying her totally.

He then covered that spot with dried leaves to avoid suspicions.

He let out a foggy breath.

"I'm coming for you too, Banks... I'll kill you!" He laughed sickly.