Chapter two

Dario woke up in a large room, bright rays pierced through his eyelids, prompting him to reflexively shut his eyes and raise his hand against the sudden intrusion of light. He realized it was already morning.

He immediately jerked up from the bed after realizing he didn’t know where he was or how he got there. After so much thought and headaches, he remembered he was kidnapped on his way to the hospital.

‘The money!’ Dario’s heart started racing when he remembered.

He searched his pockets and found the money. This took him by surprise because how come his captors didn’t take the money? Also, where are they?

All he could hear were footsteps from outside the door. He was already trying to figure out an escape plan and find an escape route when the huge door swung open.

“Good morning, young master. I trust you slept well? Shall I prepare your bath water sir?” A maid said, bowing.

Dario’s brows furrowed in confusion as his eyes darted back and forth. What in the world is going on?

He didn’t say a word so the maid, still bowing, repeated, “Good morning young master. I trust you slept well? Shall I prepare your bath water sir?

Young master? Dario was too shocked and confused to answer so the maid went into the bathroom to prepare his bath.

After a few minutes, she came out and informed him that his bath water was ready, then left.

When she left, Dario walked to the bathroom door to see if there was a bath actually ready for me. He peeped, then walked slowly towards the bathtub.

The bathtub was made of gleaming marble and when Dario felt the temperature of the water, it was not too hot and not too cold.

He couldn’t wait to sink into that bath so he quickly undressed and dropped gently into it. His body was dirty and smelly so he really needed to have a bath.

The bath water, pristine and clear, had floating on it, petals and fragrant bubbles that released a delicate perfume into the air.

This is the first time Dario is having a bath like this, he felt like royalty. As he sank into the bathtub, the water enveloped him in warmth, melting away the built-up tension in him and all of his worries.

When he came out, there were already neatly pressed clean clothes on the king sized bed. Dario then changed into them.

Oddly, he was going with the flow effortlessly and he wasn’t even trying to escape anymore.

If he had been kidnapped into a fairytale, then he’d rather stay here, he thought.

He heard a soft knock on the door and answered, “come in.” A maid, different from the last maid, came in and said, “Young master, your food is ready. Please come with me.”

At the mention of the word “food”, Dario’s stomach grumbled as if it was dying to be fed. The day before, he hoped to grab something at the family reunion, but he couldn’t so he didn’t have anything to eat at all.

He followed behind the maid, who led him to a royal dining table. The table was grand, befitting the prestige of royalty. It was made with fine woods, adorned with intricate carvings and had gemstones on it.

As large as the table was, there was as much food on it. A full huge chicken at the center, fruits of different kinds, wines and several delicacies spread across the table.

“Sir Bruce will be here soon. Enjoy your meal, sir,” the maid said and left.

Dario's eyes were still widened in awe at the sight before him, his gaze lingered over the abundance of food, each dish more lavish and tantalizing than the last.

All his life, he had never seen so much food gathered in one place and this had his heart swelling with wonder.

He didn't wait a second before he dug into the food. He ate like he had not eaten in years.

‘Where have those kidnappers been all my life?’ he wondered as he dug deeper into the food.

After he was satisfied, he decided to walk around the mansion. Everywhere he passed, the servants at the area kept bowing to him. Dario paid them no heed however, he was curious to know who brought him here and why.

Although Dario was lost and still nervous, he kept walking down the luxurious hallway and admiring the paintings on the wall.

A particular frame made his steps halt abruptly. The picture showed a man in his late twenties that looked almost exactly as Dario. For reasons unknown to Dario, looking at the picture filled him with a deep sense of connection.

He stared at it for about five minutes then asked one of the servants passing by, “who is this please?”

The servant only bowed and left.

Out of the servants he asked, none gave him an answer because Sir Bruce had given a warning against anyone giving him any piece of information till he was back.

Dario left and continued his tour. He realized that this man who looked like him in his twenties was alone all his life. There was no single family portrait or painting, just pictures that depicted scenes of battles won, treaties signed, majestic castles and the likes.

As Dario wondered why the man had this huge mansion and numerous servants but had no family, a sense of empathy washed over him. He felt really bad for him even if he didn’t know this man.

Dario didn’t have the best life but he had his only family, Maria, to go through life with. And it made life more meaningful.

Dario’s tour was interrupted when a servant came and said, “Young master, Sir Bruce is here. Please come with me.”

Dario expected Sir Bruce to be someone high and mighty because he thought he had to be the owner of everything around him and the servants regarded him with so much respect. But he was wrong.

Sir Bruce was only an old man that had a distinguished and formal appearance. He wore a tailored black suit with a crisp white shirt, a black tie and polished black shoes. His outfit was complemented by white gloves, adding a touch of elegance.

When the old man saw Dario, his eyes widened in astonishment, he rushed over to him and bowed deeply.

“We finally found you, young master Reynolds!”

“Reynolds?”