Chapter 2

How could this be possible?

Esme could not believe her eyes. For a moment, she felt like she was not awake. She was seeing him in her sleep, like always, but she knew it was not.

It was not her nightmare anymore. He was standing right in front of her…..again. 

A tear slipped down from her eyes as she peered into his familiar grey eyes, which her child had also received from him.

Esme's mind had gotten completely blank. She could not process or understand anything but it was until her glossy eyes accidentally trailed downwards and she saw him holding a gun, which was wrapped in blood. Both of his hands were also stained with blood.

Horror engulfed her. She instantly recoiled her steps back.

Taking her terrified eyes up, she looked at him again. 

He had not changed. He was still that monster he used to be five years ago.

More tears filled her eyes which got stuck into his numb grey eyes that were gazing at her with a deadly silence, like they were trying to read every single detail of her existence.

“Mr. Salvino…” Maeve's panicked voice echoed, but it didn't succeed in making them break their intense eye contact, where one pair of eyes were brimming with fear and agony while the other was trying to comprehend the depth of that fear.

Seeing Esme standing right in front of the owner of that manor, Maeve panicked. She ran towards them hurriedly.

Maeve stood beside Esme and seeing her state, Maeve understood Esme had seen those things which she should not. This terrified Maeve even more because she knew what kind of dark secrets this lavishing manor had been hiding and what kind of a dark soul ruled this manor.

Maeve looked at him only to find his deadly-calm gaze fixed on Esme, which made Maeve instantly step forward and stand in front of Esme.

“Mr. Salvino, it's my fault. I…I forgot to warn her to not come out of her room after 12. Esme is innocent. She was not aware of the rules here,” Maeve immediately tried to shield Esme because she knew what kind of cruelty resided inside that man in front of them, who didn't believe in any kind of forgiveness or mercy.

His eyes continued to remain on Esme, who had downcasted her head and her body was hidden behind Maeve.

“Mr. Salvino, I…I am really very sorry. She will learn. I….”

“She will not step out of this manor without my approval,” his diabolically throaty voice finally reverberated.

His words made Esme snap her head upward only to see his fatal gaze still on her. She gave him a stunned look. How could he make such a decision for her? He wanted to cage her here?

Esme was about to speak out for herself but Maeve held her hand tightly to stop her.

“Your words will be obeyed, Mr. Salvino,” Maeve uttered to that 33 year old man, standing in front of them, and then she lowered her head before him.

Esme looked at her, startled. What was even going on around her? What kind of a dread she had welcomed herself into?

Esme witnessed him passing her one last glance, and then he turned around and walked away from there.

Maeve exhaled a heavy breath.

“I…I will not work here. I want to leave from here right now,” Esme said, petrified. Even her words came out as a stutter. That man's mere presence and his few words had shaken her soul in fear.

Now she just wanted to run away from him with her daughter as far as possible. She could not let him see Elea. What if he would recognise that Elea was his daughter? No, he would hurt both of them.

He would hurt her child and she was never going to let that happen.

Never.

“I don't want to continue this work,” tears fell from Esme's eyes.

“I…..”

“You can't leave this place anymore, Esme,” Maeve spoke out, shutting Esme in the middle.

“Not without his permission,” helplessness was evident in Maeve's tone, along with a deadly warning.

Esme clenched her palms.

“This is illegal. This is wrong. He cannot hold me here,” Esme retorted back, both afraid but at the same time, angry too. 

How could someone think so irrationally?

“He is no one to decide for me. He….”

“The second you stepped inside this mansion, you have handed over your life to Luka Salvino, Esme, so now…he is going to take each and every decision regarding your life, especially after what you have just seen here,” Maeve's tone was calm but her each and every word ignited a havoc inside Esme's heart.

“Go back to your room and forget what you saw, and do not dare to even think about escaping,” Maeve warned her.

Esme was aghast.

“Because the worldly rules, we are aware of, bows in front of Mr. Salvino, so they doesn't work here,” 

Esme wordlessly listened to Maeve and saw that vulnerability brimming in her eyes, like Maeve was aware of the sin burning inside this mansion but she knew no one could ever do anything to stop that sinner from committing that sin over and over again.

It was a place, which he had made and only he ruled.

“Go back to your daughter and at least for your child's sake, don't do the stupidity of escaping. It's my request and warning to you,” Maeve said and squeezed Esme's hand, whose mouth got sealed completely.

She didn't even know what to say or ask Maeve, especially about that breathing devil.

“Obey him and he will never harm you. That's the biggest rule to survive in this place. Now get back to your room,” Maeve patted Esme's arm. 

Like a statue, Esme stared at Maeve. What kind of destruction has trapped her now?

She travelled her eyes towards the direction he had gone. Why did it have to be him again?

No, she was not going to stay here and obeyed that monster. She would not wait for his barbaric gaze to fall on her child.

She would escape with her daughter as soon as possible.

The next morning, Esme entered the hall where she saw Maeve was already present, like she was waiting for someone, but when her eyes fell on Esme, they widened in shock.

“Esme, what are you doing here?” Maeve asked, concerned and afraid. It was still very early in the morning because the sun had still not properly risen yet and it was not the time for Esme to be here.

“Go back to your room. You should…”

“I don't want to stay here. I am leaving right now,” Esme spoke out, using her firm and hard tone, because this was enough for her patience. She was not going to let that evil prevail in that place to overpower her.

Maeve gave her a look of disappointment and even fear.

“Esme, I told you last night that he….”

“I don't care about his rules and what he said because I am not going to follow them,” Esme fisted her palms in anger. The madness to leave that place before he would recognise her or her daughter was so high that she didn't think about anything else.

She just wanted to get far away from that place and that man before her daughter would get in front of him.

“He cannot decide for me or my life, so I am leaving this place right now,” saying that Esme turned around but her body numbed, seeing him standing right in front of her again.

The coldness in his gaze seemed to intensify which made her understand that he had already listened to everything.

For a brief moment, his sinister eyes peered at her before his steps started growing nearer.

Esme's bravery shivered, seeing him walking closer to her direction.

“Mr. Salvino, I….” Maeve attempted to intervene.

“Leave, Maeve,” his deep voice commanded, freezing Maeve in her place. His eyes didn't leave Esme, even for a second while his steps paused right in front of her. 

Esme clenched her clothes. His presence was enough to scare the life out of her.

“I want to have this conversation with my new maid in my own ways now, so leave,” his words made Maeve send a scared look to Esme before she turned around and walked out of that hall, leaving them completely alone.

Esme swallowed, seeing that man so close to her again whom she had never wanted to see even in her closed eyes willingly.

His serene grey eyes looked down into hers with nothing but a dreadful emptiness. The emotions on his face seemed hollow but Esme had never witnessed a hollowness to feel so treacherous.

If his silence scared her so much, she didn't even know what his anger was going to do to her.

“So you were saying something to Maeve,” his words took her out of her thoughts. She blinked.

He had really not recognised her. Probably, he didn't even remember her or that night because they both were heavily intoxicated that night, and she escaped him before he could even get to see her with his sober gaze.

“I would like you to repeat them in front of me, Ms. Hadley,” his tone remained calm but she could clearly feel that warning hidden underneath it. He was threatening her bluntly to even dare to repeat those words which she had said to Maeve about him and her leaving.

Esme curled her fists more aggressively but kept her mouth sealed.

“I said…. repeat what you have just said to her,” his facial expression slightly twisted.

Esme swallowed.

“I don't want to continue this work here. I am leaving,” she spoke out finally.

Esme witnessed his jaw tightening a bit before he took a single step closer to her.

She instantly backed away, terrified of letting his closeness cross those forbidden boundaries between their bodies, which they both had completely broken that night five years ago.

His feet paused, seeing her backing away. His eyes took a brief but complete overview of her whole body and then his gaze landed on her face.

“I will repeat it for you for the last time,” now his voice turned more deep and almost diabolical to hear.

Her heart shuddered in fear.

“You are not going to get out of this place without my approval,” he cleared it out for her but Esme refused to acknowledge the patience he was trying to hold here with her.

She gritted her teeth.

“You cannot hold me back here against my will. This is illegal. You are no one to take such decisions for me,” she spat at him, angrily and with a raised voice. His jaw clenched more firmly now.

“You cannot do this. I….” 

“Enough,” he roared at her, making Esme flinch in fear. 

“Keep your f*cking voice low, woman…. before I start regretting letting you alive,” now his facade of calmness had faded. He was trying to deal with her calmly and with patience, believing she was just a maid here, who accidentally witnessed all those things last night which was prohibited for her eyes, so he was thinking of just caging her life, not ending it, unlike he did with everyone else who had witnessed such things, but her bravery and big mouth were making him think otherwise now.

Terror washed over her. 

He extended his hand towards her. Esme thought he was going to grasp her to hurt her but he placed his hand on the table behind her and slightly slanted his body closer to hers.

“And the only way you could leave this place without my approval is…. giving up on your breathing,” he uttered, gazing into her bright green eyes which were on the edge of filling with tears.

Now she looked terrified and that was exactly what he was craving.

Her fear.

Her submission. 

“I will gladly allow your dead body to leave my place, Ms. Hadley,” his gaze roamed all over her completely bare face, which looked dull, pale and had multiple marks on it, and his eyes devoured every single detail of her which had successfully caught his complete attention.

He saw her eyes watering. She knew he was not just scaring her. He was actually capable of killing her and what she had seen last night, it had confirmed that she was not going to be the first life he was going to take.

He was a cold blooded murderer and she knew his hands were already stained with the blood of numerous lives.

Perfect for her.

“Now….if you want to leave then I will be more than willing to stain the floor of my manor with blood again, but this time….” He pushed his face a bit closer to her.

“You will be aware of whose blood it is going to be, Ms. Hadley,” hearing him, a tear trickled down from her eyes.

Where had her life taken her?

“Mumma…..” Elea’s voice pierced her ears.

Esme looked through the corner of his shoulder and her soul froze, seeing her daughter standing at the door who was rubbing her eyes.

All the colours drained from her face, especially when she saw him turning around towards the direction of the door.

What would happen the second his brutal gaze was going to fall on her child? 

On Their child?