Episode # 4:- “A Kiss in the Dark”

Hailey opened her eyes but quickly closed them again because her head felt heavy. She placed a hand over her forehead and, after a moment, opened her eyes again. She gazed around and found herself in unfamiliar surroundings. With a foggy mind, she sat up in bed, noticing Abria sleeping on a nearby couch.

Hailey looked around again and remembered that she had been having lunch when her vision started blurring and her chest began to hurt because she couldn't breathe.

"Ma'am, you woke up? How are you feeling now?" Abria, now awake, asked as she noticed Hailey sitting up.

"I'm fine," Hailey replied in a hoarse tone. Abria immediately filled a glass of water and handed it to her.

"Where are we?" Hailey asked after drinking the water.

"You fell unconscious. Mr. Caleb called the doctor, who said you had a severe allergic reaction and needed bed rest. So, Mr. Caleb brought you to his place," Abria explained.

"These clothes?" Hailey asked, noticing she was wearing a comfortable nightdress.

"Skylar brought them. I changed your clothes," Abria replied.

"Thank you. You go and take a rest. I'm fine," Hailey said softly.

After making sure Hailey was okay, Abria left for her room, telling her that her cellphone was on the side table.

Feeling lightheaded, Hailey settled back on the bed in a half-lying position and picked up her cellphone. She started checking it and found three missed calls from a private number in the call log. She was staring at the number, lost in thought, when her phone started vibrating.

Realizing that Abria had put it on silent, Hailey answered the call. "Hello," she said, but like before, there was no answer.

"If you don't want to talk, then why are you calling me again and again?" Hailey exclaimed, taking a deep breath at the end as she still wasn't feeling well.

"Take rest," the caller said from the other side and disconnected the call.

Hailey stared at the phone, puzzled and frustrated. The voice had been deep and calm, with an air of authority that unsettled her. She placed the phone back on the side table and lay back down, her mind racing with questions.

Who was this person? Why were they so interested in her well-being? And how did they know about her situation so intimately?

Hailey kept turning on her sides for a while, but when she couldn't sleep, she got up and went towards the washroom. She splashed water over her face and took a calming breath, feeling relieved by the cold water. After using the washroom, she came out, gazed around the room again, and walked towards the window, which had an attached balcony. The soft and cool wind gave her peace. She closed her eyes for a moment to feel the calmness of the night.

A shadow appeared behind her. Hailey, standing with her eyes closed, suddenly felt a soft kiss on her neck. Her eyes opened with a jerk, and she swiftly turned around.

Nobody was there. She kept a hand over the area of her neck where, just moments before, she had felt the kiss. "Who is there?" she exclaimed and hurried back into the room. She looked around, even checked the room door, but it was closed.

"Am I hallucinating?" Hailey murmured, keeping her hand over her neck again. She walked towards the balcony and looked around once more. Later, she thought that perhaps the medicine was causing her to hallucinate, so she locked the balcony door and returned to her bed. Dimming the light, she lay down and slipped into a deep slumber within no time as now also medicines effect was high which doctor has given to her.

The shadow emerged from the hidden corner of the balcony and silently unlocked the door with a spare key.

The figure entered the room and approached Hailey, who was now sleeping with her right hand under her cheek. He knelt beside her and softly caressed her cheek.

He held her hand, which was resting on her elbow, and looked at the inner side of her wrist. He caressed her scar with his finger and kissed it softly. With great care, he put her hand back and kept gazing at her as she slept with a soft snore.

After a while, the figure stood up, pecked her cheek, and quietly left the room.

"Eager, aren't we?" He heard a voice as he was going upstairs and found Caleb standing there with a teasing smirk on his face. Caleb had seen him coming out of Hailey's room.

He didn't reply, just glared at him hard and left. Caleb chuckled and looked at the closed door of Hailey's room.

Morning:-

"Ma'am, you are not well, please," Abria exclaimed in a worried tone. When Hailey woke up that morning, she was burning with fever. The doctor explained that it was an aftereffect of the allergic reaction. However, being stubborn, Hailey was adamant that she wanted to go.

"I'm your boss, not you. You will not dictate to me what to do or not," Hailey said sternly, picking up her cellphone and bag. Abria tried to stop her; the doctor had already said that traveling would not be a good idea at this time, but Hailey insisted on going to her office. "We are getting late for the flight," Hailey said and left the room.

The first thing she did in the morning was to book the tickets. Abria, with a helpless look, followed her. Hailey's face was red, indicating the intensity of her high fever. Abria suggested that she rest here, and that she would go instead.

Hailey turned a deaf ear to Abria's pleading and walked towards the main door. "Where are you going, Miss Andreev?" As her hand was on the doorknob, Hailey heard a voice and looked in its direction.

Caleb was standing there with a serious look on his face. "You should be resting in the room at this time," he said firmly.

"Look, Mr. Caleb, thank you for helping me yesterday. But right now, I want to go. We can discuss further business details in the office," Hailey said, trying to open the door, but it was locked.

"Take Miss Abria with you. I need to talk with Miss Andreev," Caleb said to a nearby guard, nodding his head towards Abria.

Abria looked at Hailey but then left reluctantly.

"I'm getting late for my flight," Hailey exclaimed angrily. Caleb kept gazing at her flushed face. "Your fever is getting higher, and I can't take the chance. It would be better if you rest here for a few days. I'll send your P.A. back; she'll handle your office matters until you return. My manager will also go with her to help in all possible ways," Caleb said.

"No, thank you," Hailey spat, turning towards the door again and trying to open it, but it was locked. "Open the damn door," Hailey yelled in frustration, but Caleb stood unaffected.

"Your room is right there. I would suggest going back and resting as much as you can," Caleb said calmly.

"You are not my father, don't you dare dictate what to do and what not to do. We have only signed the deal; that didn't give you the right to boss me around. I'M NOT YOUR SLAVE," Hailey yelled again.

"For the last time, I'm saying open the door," Hailey demanded.

"And for the last time, I'm saying go to your room," Caleb replied in a stern yet firm tone. Hailey, hearing this, fumed in anger. She stormed towards him angrily, and before Caleb could react, she punched him hard on his face, causing a cut near his lips.

For a moment, Caleb was blank; it was hard to digest that she really had punched him. He looked at her with fiery eyes and wiped the corner of his lips. She was still standing there, fuming. He looked around and found guards, including Abria, gazing at them in shock. Abria's hand was over her mouth, her expression horrified.

"I think listening calmly to others is not in your dictionary at all," Caleb said, and before Hailey could react, he gripped her arm and dragged her towards her room. "Leave me," Hailey said, trying to free her arm from his iron grip.

"Sir, please, forgive ma'am, please," Abria ran behind them. But Caleb pushed Hailey onto the bed in her room. "Now, I'll see how you can go out from here, Hailey Andreev," Caleb said through gritted teeth and locked the door behind him as he left.

"Sir, please," Abria pleaded, but Caleb raised his hand to stop her. "It's for her betterment. You go, I'm here to take care of her," Caleb said in a soft tone.

"Sir, but, ma'am," Abria questioned.

"For now, it's better for her to stay here. You need to go now." Abria heard a deep voice from behind. She slowly turned around and gazed at the figure standing tall behind her at a little distance.

"You?" Abria questioned and looked at Caleb.

"Cassian Holt, CEO of the Holt Group of Companies," Caleb said.

Abria was tongue-tied after seeing the famous Cassian Holt standing in front of her. No one had seen the Holt Company's CEO's face before, and here he was, just a few feet away from her.

To be continued...