There was a mad gleam in his bloodshot eyes. She got pressed instantly and was in desperate need to pee. She knew what he was asking, but she decided to act like she did not.
"What are you talking about?" she managed to ask without stammering."You know what I'm talking about! Don't play games with me!" he yelled, using his whole hand to grab her jaw and squeezing it tightly.She winced in pain. With gritted teeth, he said, "I will only ask one more time." He released her jaw and took in a breath. "Do you know?""Yes, I do." she whispered, her head returning immediately to face the floor."Oh, my bad. I told you so many things I shouldn't have." He spat. "First of all, this place. I should never have brought you here."The location of the tunnel was the outskirts of the city. It was a hidden area. A place John discovered when he was a little boy.John brought her here whenever he wanted alone time with her. She had always viewed John's choice of recreation and place of relaxation as weird, but she didn't mind. His idea of romance was too bizarre, but Celine never read meaning into it. If only she knew. John kept dropping hints that he wasn't normal. She had ignored it all.They believed that they were the only two people that knew of this tunnel, or so it seemed. So when those killings started, and they couldn't find the culprit, she knew where to find him."Then, I told you how much I hated pregnant women and babies." He laughed out loud. "As if that wasn't enough, I showed you my obsession with red ribbons." Stepping closer to her, he grabbed her jaw again, "Wasn't it so easy for you? You didn't need to think twice to know it was me, did you?" he asked. It was rhetorical.Celine did not respond. She just stared up at him. His hate for pregnant women and babies was the particular reason she broke up with him. It began to worry her the day he started to rant on and on how they were disgusting. How nice it would be to slice open the bulging stomach. He always said it as a joke. She finally knew it was, as a matter of fact, not a joke when he had an orgasm watching a movie scene in which they butchered a pregnant woman. That was when she knew that he had a psychological problem, and he needed medical attention. She told him that, and he flared up, so she broke up with him.Now he is acting out the same thing he watched in that movie, so it wasn't hard to know it was just him. He just added the ribbons, clearing up all doubts."So tell me, Celine, why haven't you reported me? Why haven't you exposed my hideout?" he asked, smiling down at her."Because I need you," she said simply. John tightened his hand around her jaw."You need me! Oh, of course, what did I expect? It is obviously for your selfish reasons." He said through clenched teeth."John, please just hear me out.""No! Shut the fuck up!" he said, then laughed a sadistic laugh. "Here you out! Wasn't those the same words I said to you when you wanted to leave? But you won't have it. I needed you, but you didn't care! All you cared about was yourself!" he laughed out again. "I do not blame you. I mean. Who would want a deranged boyfriend?""John. I wanted to help you. You know I wanted to, but you didn't let me." Tears were streaming down her eyes now. Her jaw was hurting."Shut up. Celine. Shut up! You wanted to take me to an asylum. How is that any help?" John screamed."I begged you. Begged you not to leave, that I will correct those things and fix my problems myself, but you refused." His voice was calm.Then he screamed, "You wanted things your way!" His hand tightened even more around her jaw, his nails digging into her skin. "You were the only one keeping me sane. I needed you to remain sane. I needed you, Celine. I am who I am today is because of you!""John, please, it hurts." She begged. She was beginning to whimper."Oh, does it? Because pain is the only emotion that I want you to feel." He said, smiling, then tightening his hands further. "What guts you had to come here, Celine, and say you need me. Do you have a death wish or something?" he laughed again. His sadistic laugh was becoming too frequent. Celine was sure it would give her nightmares."Do you know?" he asked, glaring down at her. "That I could slaughter you into tiny pieces then bury you under the entrance of this place, and absolutely no one will know about it, where you are and what happened to you." A psychotic grin spread across his face.Celine was on the verge of screaming out in terror. She regretted ever deciding to come and meet John for help."Regardless, let us hear it. What do you need me for, Celine?" He asked, releasing her jaw and placing a distance between them. Celine breathes out a sigh of relief. It was good finally having some space for herself. She could now breathe fresh air. She rubbed her jaw, desperate for some kind of relief from the pain. She looked up at John and spoke."I need you to find out who murdered my parents.""And when I do?""You bring them to me. I want to torture and kill those bastards with my bare hands."John laughed. Not sadistically this time. It was a burst of amused laughter. Hard, he was grabbing his stomach. "As I said, Celine, you have some guts. You come down here, knowing you possibly won't come out alive. You do all that just to tell me this? You are an idiot.""I know it sounds stupid, but it's not. If I go through legal means of getting justice, I get the honour of avenging them personally. The stupid law would take over.""And why do you choose to come to me? There are many illegal private investigators out there.""Well, that's the catch. I need you to take the blame."John just stared at her. That statement had taken him back completely.In one swift move, he went over to her. He grabbed her neck and squeezed it. "Do you think I kill to get caught? I kill because I can't help it. I get excited by it, and it's my only way of getting sexual satisfaction!" John said through gritted teeth, obviously very mad. He was fuming with anger.Celine grabbed his hands, trying to release them from her neck. "Let me explain." she breathed out. It took a while for him to calm down. When he did, he released his hand.Celine coughed repeatedly, trying to make out words. "When I say take the blame, I don't mean turn yourself in. I just need you to do that red ribbon thing for me, so they'll think you are just changing victims.""I am not changing victims." He stated"Yeah, I know, they'll think you are, and you'll confuse them.""Why should I even do this for you? What do I stand to gain? I hate you, and the last thing I'll want to do is help you. What gave you the courage to come here and think I would?"Smiling, Celine was the one to walk over to John. "Don't you see? I've been closing my mouth all this while. I hope you do know I can open it at any time." Even she was beginning to wonder what kind of courage she had for her to say that."What do you mean?" John asked, one brow raised slightly up."You do this for me, and I keep my mouth shut."John laughed out loud. He kept laughing for over one minute. Celine just stared at him, confused."I never knew you to be this dumb." He said, a frown forming on his face. "If I was worried about being reported, I could kill you right here and now. Let me remind you." He replaced the frown with a smile, "So how about we do this on my terms."Celine has never felt this stupid.He was right. This idea was dumb.She hadn't thought through her plan before jumping into action. "What do you want?" she asked grudgingly.His psychotic grin appeared again. "Your body." His bloodshot gaze wandered over her figure in a way that made her regret ever coming here."You know, I can't help but wonder if you are still a virgin. We never got to -""I'm not having sex with you, John." She interrupted him abruptly. He laughed out, then started walking toward her. She stood her ground. She didn't move.When he got close to her, he whispered into her ears, "Do you have a choice?""I do, and I'm not!" she said, trying to control her anger."You don't because I'm not letting you leave here without a deal. If we don't make a deal, I'll have to kill you because you'll leave here and-""I won't report you." She interrupted again"Oh good, but that is not good enough. You can say you will not but do otherwise. So we are making a deal," John said, clapping his hands together like an excited child that has just been given candy.Celine hissed, frustrated. "Please, John, something else, please." She begged. She did not want to look pitiful, but she did not have any other option. She could not have sex with a serial killer, a deranged one at that. Besides, that was not how she planned on losing her virginity. Not to this psychopath."Ok. Something else." He said. Celine breathes out a sigh of relief."Ten million dollars!" he stated."What!" Celine screamed. "Where would I get that kind of money?""I do not know. Is that supposed to be my business? Do your end of the deal, I do mine.""Hold up, that is not a deal yet.""I'm not changing it. Your body or the money." He started yawning like he was bored.Celine felt the urge to just stomp over to him and rip his mouth apart. She glared at him, trying to control the anger boiling up in her."I do not know where to get ten million dollars. I do not steal!""You have the first option." He smiled. She wanted to give him a resounding slap that would wipe that smile off his face."I am not having sex with you either." She spat."You do not have a choice, Celine. Do you not see the whole point of this? There is just no way you can get that kind of money. So I practically gave you just one option here. Something you can give. Your body.""Deal!" she said through gritted teeth."Oh good girl, good girl. I know you are smart." He said, grinning and gazing through her body."I will give you the money, and that is a deal." That was a better way to wipe out the grin from his face.It was late noon by the time Céline got back home. She was so grateful that she had come out of the den that John now called home alive. That psychopath scared the shit out of her, but she refused to show it, refused to give him that satisfaction.She felt good to be home. She was in her living room with the TV on, though she was not giving it any of her attention. The last thing on her mind was whatever was showing on the TV. She was too distracted to know the station it was on. Her thoughts were on her encounter with John and their conversation. She had no idea where to get such a sum of money John demanded. Even if she saved up her salary for a whole year, she still would not be able to realize such an amount. The truth was Céline did not have any idea how to get it. She had just made a deal with John so she would be able to come out in one piece. If Céline had not made that deal, John would not have hesitated to kill her. She could not accep
"Can I see that?" Céline asked, stretching out her hand. Her aunt closed the newspaper and handed it over to her. Céline took it from her aunt and flipped the pages looking for the news on Damien. It was not hard to find. On the top of the page where it was, boldly written. "DAMIEN CULHANE, IN SEARCH OF A WIFE!"She chuckled, amused by such a title. She quickly read through, getting more interested with every word she read. Céline finished scanning the page and handed the magazine to her aunt with newfound excitement."Well, basically, I think his mom that put that in the news," Céline spoke up."Why would she do that?" Her aunt asked, confused by the conclusion she made."She is probably anxious to get her son a wife, seeing that she is not getting any younger. So she is going to whatever extent she can, including using the media.""Hmm, you have a point, but I doubt it." Her aunt said with a frown staring straight at Céli
Damien wondered the kind of energy God gave women as he listened to his mother rant on and on without so much as pausing to take a breath. "This is the sixth woman, Damien, the sixth! ""You are not getting younger, Damien, so you need to get married and settle down. I have been trying so hard to find you a model wife, one that calm take care of you and tame you somehow""Are you even aware that you have to pass your business empire to someone? And if you don't, you are just going to let it die with you, young man!"His mother never ceased to amaze him. Did she not just say he was not getting any younger, and then she called him a young man?"Mom, would you let me breathe? I am just thirty and not that old yet." He replied and sighed. "Some men marry at forty, and I'm not even close to forty".It was obvious mom was not pleased with what he just said. She looked ever ready to lash out her anger. Here we go again, another round of unending rant."F
Celine paced around her room, anxiously waiting for her aunt to return. It's been a while since she left. Céline was beginning to wonder what was taking her so long to return. She had texted her aunt to check her email inbox if there was a reply to her inquiry and application/request to the court and marry Damien Culhane.It sounded crazy enough in her head, and Céline could never bring herself to say it out. She had stopped too low.Had she been rejected? Was she not pretty enough? She tried so hard to look beautiful in that picture. She was tense, thinking about the outcome. She needed an answer now.If her aunt doesn't return soon enough, she might lose it."Oh God, help me. Help your poor daughter." Céline clasped her hands together and shut her eyes tightly. She desperately needed this.The sound of the front door closing brought her out of her thoughts. That must be her aunt. Without second thoughts, she ran down to meet her.
Friday was usually a hectic day for Damien. Damien has been sitting at his desk all day long, paperwork piling higher and higher. His butt started to hurt from sitting down for long, and his hand was stiff from writing and typing.Looking at the paperwork still left, he wondered what he had been doing all this while. The pile, a piece of mocking evidence that he has done nothing much. Well, what did he expect? He was the owner of nearly half the restaurants, boutiques, clubs and hotels in the state, so there would be lots of paperwork. Of course, he could afford a personal assistant, but he was carefully avoiding being a victim to the stuff usually depicted in cliché movies. Call it absurd, but he was not taking any chances.Pulling his chair backwards, he stood up and stretched, relieving the tension in his muscles.He glanced at his watch. It was 9:45 pm. He packed his things and headed out of his office. The deafening silence of
What she was wearing was simple, yet something about her made her stand out. There were a lot of classy dressed women on the dance floor. She was just on a crop top, cargo pants and boots, yet she was the one that drew his attention. He watched her closely. She was dancing with so much energy as if drugged by the music. She moved her hips like their only special purpose was to sway. The vibe radiating from her made him itchy to get on the dance floor and spin her away. He had not even seen her face yet!He patiently waited for her to turn around and face him, careful not to lose sight of her. When she did, he was completely and utterly charmed. He was not one to stare, but that was what he was doing right now, his jaw agape. This beauty was alarming, one you could not just ignore. With his jaw almost dropping to the floor, it was a surprise that Damien was not drooling. He took his time to take her in. She had red hair, and she tied up in a ponytail. The
Oh, Lord have mercy, who on earth did she just see? Was that Damien freaking Culhane! She turns around to face him properly to be sure.“Madame, were you leaving without your drink?” She raised her hand abruptly to shut the bartender up.It was like a reflex move. She would deal with the embarrassment later. “Damien? Damien Culhane?” She asked to be sure her eyes weren’t deceiving her. If her eyes were, then her ears would not.“Yes, you know me?” He had a dreamy look in his eyes and was acting like he was trying to keep his balance and avoid falling off the long bar chair.The Damien she imagined should be more collected considering he was rich and famous. Was he drunk or something?“Of course, I know you! Who in the state does not?!”“I do not, or I did not, you popular bro?” The
The universe worked in mysterious ways. She has been killing herself for the past two days trying to cook up ways to meet and seduce this man, and here he is willingly presenting himself. Who ever thought it would be this easy.“Hello?? Uhm.” The bartender said, clearing his throat. “Lady and gentleman, I’m still here, you know, right in front of you in case you forgot or have not noticed.”“Nope, we did not forget, now would you stop interrupting?” Damien replied.Someone needed to tell him that!“So will you? Please, baby.” he seemed desperate.Oh hell yeah! She would not miss this opportunity for the world. After tonight, she would get this man to marry her. “Yes,” she said, trying not to sound desperate herself.She heard the bartender sighed. P