CHAPTER 3: WHEN IT'S TIME

[IXORA'S ROOM]

"Are you trying to say that he already knows your name?" Hazel asked.

Ixora nodded.

Hazel held her shoulders. "How is that even possible?"

"I have no idea," Ixora replied.

Hazel sat beside her.

"This can only mean one thing."

"What?" Ixora asked, looking at her.

"He's also crushing on you," Hazel squealed.

"That's not the reason," Ixora said.

"What do you want me to say?" Hazel asked, scooting further back on the bed.

Ixora went to the window, and the cold breeze slapped her skin.

"Inside there, I felt... it was different and... I can't explain it," Ixora breathed out.

"Ixora, quit overthinking yourself. You-"

The door creaked open, and Georgia walked in with a tray in her hand.

Her heels clicked loudly across the marble floor.

"Xora," she called.

Georgia, Ixora's mother. 

Ixora didn't reply. 

Georgia looked at Hazel. "I will see you later, Ixxy," Hazel said, understanding the look.

She left.

"My baby," she held Ixora's hand and made her sit on the bed.

"Why do you look worried?" she asked.

"I'm fine, Mum," Ixora said.

She and her mum don't get along. 

Whenever her mother begins to display affection towards her, she wants something.

"You can tell me anything," she said in a soft tone.

"Spill it out, mum," Ixora said, tired of her pretence.

"How was the interview?"

She was right after all.

"It went well, mum. I can start tomorrow."

"Why do you need to work for somebody?" she began, rubbing Ixora's arm. "You are our daughter, the first lady's daughter. You shouldn't work," Georgia said and carried the tray of food.

"Mum, just let me be," Ixora said and lay on the bed.

"If that's what you want," Georgia said. "I will leave."

"I will leave the food here in case you get hungry."

Georgia glanced at her before leaving the room.

"That stupid daughter of mine. I wonder how I birthed someone as dumb as her." 

While climbing down the stairs, a call came through.

Her face turned cold.

She swiped green.

"Speak."

****

[HELL DEVILS [HD] HIDEOUT]

The house was in a secluded area with nobody in sight. All other houses around the area have been abandoned.

The inside of the house was dominated by red and shadowy lights, giving off the intimidating aura of the devils they were known for. 

The walls of the apartment were painted red. There was a skeleton head painted on the left side of the wall. 

Their name, Hell Devils, was also written boldly on every piece of furniture. There were some ominous symbols and grotesque sketches which adorned the wall, including one of a young boy covered in blood, and numbers written with blood. Some writings were written on the wall in Italian, and some drawings were beside the writings.

Maddox and Jaxon were already inside when Drexton came in.

"News?" Jaxon asked with a smirk, puffing out thick, dark smoke from his cigarette.

"Hmm," Drexton replied.

Maddox raised his head from the table. There was some white substance below his nose, giving him a mad look, fitting the short form of his name, Mad. 

"And play pet?" he asked, sniffing.

"As expected, she came," Drexton replied, a wicked, sinister smirk forming from the corner of his lips.

Maddox nodded and returned his head to the cocaine on the table.

"When do we start?" Jaxon asked.

"When it's time," Drexton replied, heading upstairs.

"Pet chick won't last a second with him," Jaxon grinned, relaxing deeper into the chair.

"She deserves it," Maddox replied, taking a long sniff.

***

[CAIUS HOUSE]

A car pulled up in front of the house.

Bonnie and Lorraine alighted from the car, both dressed in classic, expensive outfits.

Bonnie wore shorts over a tank top and pink sneakers, while Lorraine wore a red-fitting gown that stopped at her knee with a slit in the middle.

"Mum, I told you it was only a slight headache," Bonnie said, her eyes fixed on her phone as they walked in.

"You are my princess. I have to take care of you," Lorraine said.

The door slid open, and they met Caius sitting in the living room.

A newspaper covered his face. 

Bonnie sniffled in the air.

"Drexton was here," she said, sniffing more of the air.

She rushed to her father.

"Dad, did Drexton drop by?" she asked.

Caius didn't reply.

He knew his daughter and her mad obsession with Drexton.

Bonnie turned to her mother with red eyes.

"This is all your fault. If you hadn't taken me to the hospital, I would have seen him," she glared at her mother.

"But darling, it was for your own..."

"I would rather stay and see Drexton than to..." She stormed out of the room, making sure to slam the door very loudly.

Both Lorraine and Caius said nothing.

They heard the car's engine roar to life.

She had left the house.

Caius shifted his gaze to Lorraine.

"I will give Stacy a call," Lorraine said, going upstairs.

***

[BLACKTHORN AUTOMOBILE]

That one feeling of getting caught when trying to steal is what Ixora was feeling right now under her boss's cold gaze.

She was late to work, and that too on her first day.

It is bad for a first impression.

She's sure if looks could kill, then she'd be six feet under.

How could she be so careless? And her mom didn't even think of waking her.

Not like she was expecting it.

But then again, his stares.

There's something about it that always gives her the creeps.

She was late, she got it, but the least he could do was yell at her or even fire her. 

Why stare at her for so long?

It'd been more than fifteen minutes, and his gaze was still on her.

The first feelings she got under his gaze were there again.

The hairs on her body had all stood.

Why her?

She had gotten tired of the stare.

Gathering enough courage, she slowly raised her head, and her eyes met his gaze.

As if the heavens were watching them, a thunder rumbled in the clouds.

Ixora tore her gaze away from him, only to see a paper in front of her.

"Your signature," Kian said beside her.

Was this how it was done?

She opened the paper to read.

Her eyes went to him again, and she found him still staring.

He had been in that same position for the past 20 minutes.

He hadn't blinked...or did she not see it?

As if hypnotized by his intensifying gaze that had done nothing but give her the creeps.

She signed the paper without reading it.

His eyes twitched, which she saw.

"Good, Ixora. Resume your work," Drexton said.

His words rang in her ear for the third time before she was able to understand them.

Resume her work? Just like that?

He didn't say anything about her being late.

Kian collected the files from her.

"Come with me," Kian said and left the office.

Ixora turned and started leaving.

Her feet suddenly felt heavy, really heavy, and she knew he was staring again.

She exhaled.

"Why does he like staring at me?" she thought.

A thought that had no answer-a thought that would linger in her mind longer than she had expected.