Meet The Conditions

"Seriously, what the hell!” I sputtered, my lips twisted into a frown. The absurdity of his declaration was absolutely baffling.

"Your slave? Are you joking? First thing in the morning, no less!" I raised my voice, incredulity seeping into my tone. 'What an idiot!'

"Reina," he began, his voice held a hint of impatience. "I know it's difficult for you to act with any semblance of normalcy, but I'm not here to engage in some childish game." He lifted his head, his gaze pierced mine with a startling intensity.

His eyes, they usually were so calm and unreadable, now seemed to glow, reflecting a brilliant, almost demonic red. "Are you wearing lenses, by any chance?" I attempted to divert the conversation, his intimidating countenance made me feel quite uncomfortable.

"No. I will explain more when the time is right." he answered casually, adjusting his tie as he did so. I had to admit, the man had a sense of style. His wardrobe was a walking, talking fashion trend. Or maybe it was just his model-like physique making even the simplest outfits seem high fashion.

"When I tell you to come, you come. When I tell you to go, you go. When I tell you to remain silent, you obey. No questions, no matter how peculiar the situation appears to be. If you dare to ask, well…" He glanced pointedly at my bandaged index finger, "...the blood in your veins will turn venomous and a fragment of your soul will shatter."

“…”

An awkward silence pervaded the confines of the car. I was stunned into speechlessness. After a tense moment, I burst into laughter, “hahah” playfully punching his arm. "You're quite the comedian today, aren't you?"

"Do I seem to be joking?" His voice was calm, but his eyes bore into me with a chilling seriousness. "You signed the contract. It will be detrimental to you."

The atmosphere in the car shifted, becoming heavy and ominous. The sleek, two-seater sports car he was driving seemed to emit a strange, smoky aura from the back. The scene reminded me of some horror movie where the victim is pursued relentlessly through a dark forest by unseen entities.

"Sorry, but what exactly is going on?" I asked, my confusion was growing by the second.

"I am not who you imagine me to be. You'll soon realize this yourself. Just remember, you're not allowed to ask questions." He placed his hands on the wheel and accelerated, the car lurching forward.

I was thrown back against my seat, struggling to fasten my seatbelt. "Slow down!" I yelled, my heart pounded in my chest faster. Was this jerk trying to kill me?

"We’re late for our first meeting," he said as he focused on the road ahead. "We need to hurry."

Ignoring my protests, he drove like a man possessed, reaching the company’s building in less than ten minutes. My eyes were wide with shock and adrenaline, the speed of the ride leaving me dazed.

"Do you plan on living in my car? You'll be late," he said, his voice sounded like it was laced with sarcasm.

"Of course not! I wouldn't live in this car if you paid me!" I retorted, ignoring the hand he offered to help me out of the car.

"You don't like it?" His eyes narrowed as he stepped back, looking slightly taken aback.

"No offense, but this car is dreadful!" I straightened my dress and clutched my bag closer.

"Wait, what?!" He spluttered, hurrying after me. "Are you telling me that no one here thinks this car is cool? What do huma-, erm... what do they think of it?"

"A mashup of blue and orange? Seriously? Are you stuck in the nineties?" I paused to throw back at him.

"So what color car would you prefer?" His question held a tinge of curiosity.

"Anything but yours!" I retorted, quickening my pace to put some distance between us.

"So what color would it be then?" He persisted, matching my speed effortlessly.

"Red! I would go for red," I answered, hoping that would put an end to his relentless questioning.

"Hmm… Red," he mused, the corner of his lips curling into a pleased smirk. "An interesting choice."

As we entered the building, he led me to the left.

"Where are we going?" I asked, but he only tightened his grip on my wrist and said, "We have a meeting to attend, remember?”

Instead of heading to the familiar sixth floor, we took the lift down. "A parking lot? Really?" I asked, my eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"It's not what you think. Just follow me and keep quiet," he ordered. We walked through rows of parked cars until we reached a door, a bright red one.

"Just keep quiet and let me do the talking," he repeated.

"Fine!" I huffed, rolling my eyes. His strange behavior was making me uneasy, but I kept my mouth shut.

Suddenly, he wrapped his left arm around my waist. "Shh… I know what you're going to say," he interrupted before I could protest. "You need to act like my wife here."

As we passed through the parking lot, I noticed a group of strangers clustered around a vintage car, their excited chatter was filling the otherwise quiet space.

A woman in a bright yellow dress was gesturing animatedly, attracting a small crowd of onlookers. A burly man in a leather jacket leaned against the hood of the car, seemingly uninterested in the spectacle.

The sight of these random characters added to the surrealism of the situation, making me feel like I was in some kind of bizarre dream.

But for now, I decided to play along with his charade, curious about where this strange day would lead me.

‘As if anyone would want to marry a man like you…’

“They do, actually.” He interrupted my inner thoughts, “you would be very surprised how many candidates would willingly give me their souls to be in your shoes right now.”

“What the-? How?”

How could he hear my inner thoughts??? I was sure that I wasn’t speaking out loud.

“Well, maybe…just maybe next time keep it more quiet, away from my ears.”

He tightened his grip and pulled me closer, “now…act like my wife.” And we entered.