The Curse - 05

Night's getting late. However, Leona still didn't manage to dive into her subconscious either. She still rolls to the right, and sometimes to the left. One of her hands was already holding her stomach which had been ringing from hunger. 

She glanced at the clock on the nightstand. It's almost ten at night. Leona should have gone to bed soon, because she is not used to sleeping after nine o'clock. But, she really couldn't sleep in such a hungry state.

"He's asleep yet, hasn't he? It's too lazy for me to go out and meet him," the girl mumbled. 

Unable to take it anymore, Leona finally came out. She walked like someone sneaking so that her steps were not heard by the owner of this apartment. 

She looked at the table. Empty. Could it be that William had put the food in the fridge? Leona went to the refrigerator, then opened it. It is true. There is one portion of the dish that has not been touched at all in it. It must be hers. But, where's the portion one?

"You're hungry in the middle of the night like this?" 

Leona jumped. She could feel someone's warm breath on her neck. She wanted to turn around, but she couldn't. William's position was really very close to her. She was worried that she would bump into the man if she took the wrong step. 

After all, how long had William been standing here? What is he doing at ten o'clock in the kitchen? Didn't he have dinner with Leona's cooking earlier? 

"Could you back off a bit?" Leona asked in as flat a tone as possible. 

"Yes," he replied after a few seconds.

 Leona took a deep breath. He was very sure that the distance between herself and William had not changed at all. William's breath was still blowing clearly around Leona's neck. 

"Back off!" tell her again. 

"I've been back about an inch since you asked for it the first time. Is that lacking?" William asked innocently. 

Surrendered, Leona was as careful as possible, turning her body so that she was actually facing the man. 

Leona didn't want to raise her head which would make their gazes meet. She prefers to stare straight ahead, at the chest of the strange man in front of her. 

"Aren't you going to dinner?" William asked again. 

"I'll eat when you go back to your room," Leona replied sarcastically. 

A small chuckle came from the mouth of the man in front of her, which made Leona feel confused. 

"I can accompany you to dinner. I'm hungry too," he said. 

Leona shrieked. "Didn't you eat my food earlier? I remember clearly that last afternoon I cooked for two servings. And now I have one left. That means that you-" Leona stopped her words when she felt William's unusual gaze on her. Is there something wrong? 

"Why? Do you think I misspoke again?" Leona asked.

"No. It's just that you seem to have forgotten where you are now. You just forbade the owner of this apartment to do what he wants," William replied in an irritating tone. 

Leona pushed William slightly, creating a more noticeable distance between the two of them. After that, she turned to take the remaining portion of meat and handed it to William. 

"Eat that!" Leona said irritated.

"Then you?" he asked. 

"Do you care if I want to eat or not?" spat out Leona who couldn't stand William's behavior anymore. Even though this was still the first day she lived under the same roof with the man. 

"You're right. I don't care at all," William replied as he brought the food Leona gave to the dining table. 

Leona groaned in annoyance. Really, what did this man want? How could an innocent girl like Leona be stuck living under the same roof with him?

But, Leona had no other choice. She had to be patient with him for her biggest dream to become a famous actress. 

Leona tried to calm herself down. After that, he opened the top cupboard and took a packet of instant noodles from there. Luckily she had bought it at the supermarket. She had guessed, there were times when instant food would be useful like this if she lived under the same roof with a human like William. 

Leona cooked the noodles in silence. She didn't want to make a sound at all. After the noodles were cooked, she could have no other choice but to return to face William at the dinner table. 

The two of them ate quietly, neither of them intending to start a conversation. Not long after, William finished eating his meal near midnight. 

"Your cooking is quite good. I don't mind if you cook for me starting today," William said after swallowing his last mouthful. 

Leona rolled her eyes lazily. Just now the man refused her cooking outright. And now, what? He even asked Leona directly to cook it every day. 

"You didn't forget, did you live for free at here? At least be kind to the owner of this apartment," added the annoying man. 

Leona snorted. She lifted her face, and forcibly swallowed the food that was in her mouth.

"Didn't you tell me to stay here yourself?" Leona asked. 

"Yup. And it's for the sake of work. But still you have to pay me as the owner of this apartment," answered William with a flat face. 

Is he serious? Leona has to pay to live in a unit as luxurious as this? Even though it's only half the price, isn't this very expensive? 

Leona's face immediately turned pale. She didn't have enough money to rent a place like this. Let alone this apartment, even a small rented apartment, she can no longer afford to rent it. 

But, she really should be a famous actress. She couldn't just leave. It would be very difficult for her to get an offer to play in a film, especially as a main character like now. 

"How much do I have to pay?" Leona asked carefully. 

In his brain, it was clear how many rows of numbers she had to pull out later. It's dreary. William laughed sarcastically. Making Leona's irritation reappear. 

"Can't we have a serious talk? I'm asking you, how much rent do I have to pay for you?" annoyed Leona. 

"How much money do you have?" challenged William. 

"You don't need to know. Just tell me how much you got from me?" Leona replied. 

William put his elbows on the table. Then, he supported his head with that hand. 

"Do you think if you have more money than me? Do you think if I lack money to have to ask you?" William asked casually. 

"You said yourself earlier, I have to pay. Then how much do I have to pay?" Leona replied. 

"If rented out, this unit will probably be worth around three million USD  for a year. You just have to calculate how long you will live here," said William. 

Leona was silent. She swallowed hard saliva. Is it really that expensive? Even if the kidney was sold it would not be enough to pay the rent for the next few months.

"About three and a half million dollars a month?" Leona asked doubtfully. Then, William nodded in approval.

"But we live together. And even I occupy a smaller room than you. Me too - can I just pay a quarter of it? Even then, I'll pay it after we get paid for the film project," Leona said quietly.

She really had no money. And three and a half million dollars was not small amount to her. That's very expensive. 

Again, William burst out laughing. However, this time Leona's response was different from the previously annoyed one, now she felt more like she was intimidated by the sound of the man's laughter. She was aware of her current position. She couldn't do anything to William. 

"Hey hey, calm down! I don't need your money!" said William which made Leona suddenly raise her face. She really didn't understand what he wanted. 

"Weren't you the one who asked for it earlier? You-" 

"Then, you have money if I'm going to ask you to pay up front?" challenged William which made Leona's mentality go down again. The girl shook her head. 

"Then, what should I do?" Leona asked quietly. 

"Work for me! You can clean the apartment, cook and be the best you can for me," William said in a calmer but serious tone. 

Leona looked into the man's eyes. Absolutely perfect. How on earth can there be a figure like William, moreover, that figure is now right in front of Leona. 

"And you must always remember the most important rule in this apartment," William said making Leona flinch, coming back from her daydream. 

"What is that?" Leona ask quickly. 

"Don't disturb my peace and my privacy!" answered William. 

Leona nodded excitedly. Not hard. She was sure she could do it. Hell if she had to be a servant in this apartment. At least she could stay longer, without having to think about the cost. 

After all, this place was very safe for her. Although she might later be tormented because of William's behavior, but at least she knew, in this place, her safety was no longer in danger. Only this apartment is the safest place for her to live before she will eventually become a famous actress.

***

To be continued... 

Don't forget to stay tuned for next chapter :)