The sun has just set, with a small part of the sky on the western horizon still bright with a rosy orange thick cloud. Meanwhile, the dense woods around the cemetery are already so dark.
She walks hurriedly, no longer caring about the snake venom in her blood. Even so, she still drags her left leg because of the burning pain in her left thigh.
“What kind of liquid did he give me?”
Over time, the pain has subsided, but not with her irritation. She continues to grumble, until she sees a man in the distance.
It’s a tough looking guy with a barren head in his mid 40s. The man is also noticing her presence, and raises one of his hands.
“Young lady!” He calls with a hoarse voice.
“Alfred! What are you doing there?” asks the girl.
Soon, she also notices another man, lying face down on the ground near the tough looking guy she called Alfred. As she gets closer, she realizes that it is actually Thomas.
“This guy? What did you do to him?” she asks.
She intends to check on Thomas’s condition, but Alfred prevents her. Carefully, he pushes the katana away from Thomas' hand using his right foot.
“Was this your doing?” the girl frowns.
“What? No! He was already like this when I found him a few minutes ago,” Alfred explains.
“Is he still alive?”
“I guess so!”
Now the girl understands what makes Thomas not come back to her with help. She didn't know that Thomas himself was not in a very good condition, and she is still oblivious why Thomas came to her crawling like an undead coming out from the grave.
“I tried to call your phone earlier,” says Alfred. “But it wouldn't connect. So I decided to look for you and found him lying here.”
“Ah? My phone?”
The girl just remembers she dropped her broken phone near her mother's grave. She hurriedly goes to that place to pick her phone back.
“Naomi, where are you going?” The tough looking guy catches up to her.
“I dropped my phone at my mother’s grave,” she informs.
“Did something happen?”
“I was just bitten by a snake earlier.”
“What?” Alfred holds her hand, looking awry. “What kind of snake? Where did it bite you?”
“It’s okay! I’m fine,” the girl named Naomi ceases Alfred’s concern, and keeps walking.
But then, she suddenly stops. She checks that injured part on her left thigh, expecting to find some burn scar because of the previous green liquid. But no, it looks so smooth.
“Eh?”
“What’s wrong?” asks Alfred.
“The snake’s bite wounds?” the girl mumbles.
“Did it bite your thigh?”
Alfred wants to check her left thigh, but the girl immediately slaps his head.
Plak!
“Aw! What was that?” Alfred rubs his barren head.
Naomi ignores the man, and hurries back to her mother's grave. As a businesswoman, the contact list on the phone is much more valuable to her than the phone itself.
She runs a property business, with client mostly wealthy people in Iodrana. No one knows when someone will contact her to make a deal.
On their way to the cemetery gate, Naomi and Alfred still find Thomas lying on the ground. Alfred, who is walking in front, doesn’t really care about Thomas' condition. He only glances briefly in passing.
“It’s getting dark here,” he says as he keeps walking in a hurry. “I might get in trouble if your father finds out that you got bitten by a snake in a place like this.
But then, when he looks behind a little, he realizes that he has been walking by himself for a while. He turns back, and finds the young lady standing near the unconscious Thomas.
The girl is still looking upset. But she can’t get rid of all her confusion and curiosity about Thomas' identity, as well as the strange liquid that Thomas gave her.
“Hey, Naomi!” Alfred calls.
“Alfred! Come here and pick up this guy,” says Naomi in half shouting.
Alfred comes to her. Confusion is clearly seen in his face. “What did you say?”
“Take this guy to the car,” she exclaims.
“What? Why? Do you know him?”
“Just do as I say!”
“Hey, Naomi! Look! Your father hired me as a driver, not to be your lackey. After all…”
“Shut up, and take this guy to my car!” the girl snaps. “And never call me by my name! I admit I’m not the one who pays you. But you still need to treat me with more respect.”
“Or what?” Alfred rebukes coldly. “Your father pays me as a driver, and being your driver is my job, no more than that. If you don’t like it, feel free to tell it to your father.”
Irritated, the girl rummages her purse, and takes out some dollar bills. She then gives the money to Alfred without counting them.
“Sigh!” Alfred looks so uninterested. “It is not about money. It’s about your safety. Do you even know who this guy is? I bet you don’t!”
“He… He is my boyfriend!” The girl looks hot and rather blushed.
She doesn’t know who Thomas is. But she has a strong believe, based on her prayer in front of her mother’s gravestone, that it was her fate to meet Thomas.
“I didn’t know you had such a low taste on a man,” Alfred sneers. “He looks too humble to your liking. Well, I know you lie! You didn’t look like you knew him earlier. Now I’m curious, what are you going to do to him after this? Are you going to turn him into your slave after saving his life?”
Naomi’s eyes are widened, glaring with a deadly stare. She looks so offended by his words, and starts pressuring him.
“Now, I’m giving you a one-time payment for one job, to take this guy to my car! Is it that hard to do, or is the money not enough?”
After taking a long sigh, Alfred lifts Thomas up and carries him on his shoulder. And the girl, God knows what’s inside her mind, picks Thomas’ katana and follows Alfred from behind.
“Are you going to bring him home and introduce the guy to your father as your boyfriend?”
“Shut up!”
“Just saying, there’s no way your father will let this man enter his house. Why don’t we take him to the hospital?”
Naomi glances at Thomas for a moment. She remembers how scared Thomas was when she tried to call the police before.
“No! Just take me to Strugist Hill!”
The next day, Thomas squirms on a cozy bed. He comfortably rubs his head on the soft pillow, and then opens his eyes. He looks so satisfied after having a good sleep.He takes a deep breath before closing his eyes again, wanting to enjoy the cozy bed even more. But soon, he suddenly opens his eyes wide.He sits up and looks around, finding himself in a rather spacious luxurious bed room. By the look of it, by the pink wardrobe, the shape of the dressing table, and the blanket currently covering him, it’s certainly a room for a girl.“Where am I? How did I get here?”He rubs the blanket on his knees. The legs are still heavy, but somehow, he can move them more freely than before.He uncovers the blanket, intending to leave the bed. But he is shocked to find that he is completely naked, and immediately covers his body again.“What the hell?”In a hectic, he tries to rub his private part, worrying about something. Whether it is just a morning wood or something else, he finds his little b
Thomas doesn’t give her any answer. He deletes Carina’s number from the out-going call list in the phone before giving the phone back to Erica.“Sorry, I need to go,” says Thomas as he walks away.The girl looks so awry, staring at Thomas’ back while holding the phone.But then, she finds Thomas wobble so weakly, causing her assessment of Thomas to change slightly.She starts to think that maybe Thomas is just a weak person who happened to be a victim of some bad people.Thomas’ appearance does give him an impression of a genuine countryside man. Erica finds his face looks too kind to be a criminal.“Are you okay?” she asks. “Are you sure you can go out by yourself? What about the food I gave you before? Have you eaten yet?”Before Thomas gets the chance to answer, he already stumbles and falls rolling down the stairs.“Hey, be careful!”Erica rushes to help him, and finds Thomas’ legs shaking as he tries to get up by leaning to the stair railing.Her face contorts, looking silly whil
“Um, Sir!” Nancy comes to Oliver, trying to handle the situation. “Please, let me talk to him for a moment. I’ll come to you soon.”“No, you don’t have to,” Laura interferes. “We know that man well. There’s no need to talk to him. Just kick him out of this place.”“But…” Nancy looks so unsure with that idea.“Believe me! He is not one of your customers,” Laura continues. “One look is enough to tell that he is just a cheap country bumpkin. We just kicked him out of our house yesterday. And I am sure he is just looking for a place to rest by coming here pretending to be a customer.”Despite what Laura said, Nancy still approaches Thomas and treats him kindly.“Excuse me, sir! Did you know this house belongs to Saunders Property Trust?” she asks.“I know,” replies Thomas shortly.“We are holding an open house for business purposes. Although the house is open to the public, we expect only those who have serious interest in buying this house,” Nancy explains.Thomas glances back at Oliver,
Sylvia can’t say a word. It’s something she has been worrying about so far. It’s too much for someone to send that many hitmen to kill Thomas who is just a countryside man. She knows she was the real target, and they can just come to her again.Right after saying all his suspicions, Thomas stares at Laura full of intent, making that lady so awry about something.“Enough with your bullshit,” Laura snaps. “We know you only wanted to squeeze Donovan’s money, and now you are trying to shift the blame to save your face! Joaquin! Kick him out of this house!”Laura’s husband comes to Thomas, and then grabs his clothes. He harshly drags Thomas before forcing him to get up. Soon after that, he throws him toward the family room.As Thomas tries to get up, his attention is diverted by a pair of smooth, beautiful legs in high heels. He then looks up, finding Naomi Saunders standing over him, the same girl he met yesterday at the cemetery. She doesn't look so happy at all.The incident at Boslow Hi
Not to mention about Naomi’s beauty which is far surpassing hers, causing the naïve girl so awry for losing her man.“Oliver! You know her?” Sylvia inquires.Oliver is shaken from his anger, and immediately puts on an ignorant face before averting his face to his fiancée.“Not really,” he denies. “I just know her as a fellow business person.”“Oh, how cruel of you,” Naomi sulks childishly. “Didn’t you once whisper in my ear that you never tired of fantasizing about my beauty before going to bed? Well, I don’t mind if we never end up together. But how cruel, now you act like you don’t know me?”Sylvia glares her eyes straight at Oliver, causing Oliver so scared. And Naomi, she looks so amused, noticing that she has successfully sparked a conflict between them.“Is this the girl you try hook after the failure in seducing me?” she teases. “It really saddens me that you give up too soon! You were so brave and bold last time, you know?”“Naomi, please!” Oliver laughs awkwardly. “Stop with
She then comes closer to Oliver and whispers right before his face. “The Gregory could just cut ties with you if you can’t even protect our honor here, and your engagement could be called off.”It puts Oliver in a big dilemma. But then again, it’s just another $800k from the previous price he has agreed on with Laura and her husband.He then turns back to Naomi, intending to make a deal based on Laura’s condition. However, Naomi already shows him her brand new phone, with a serial number of her bank account displayed on the screen.She has just learned that Oliver is buying the house as a part of the deal for his engagement with Sylvia, and sees it as an opportunity.“Six million dollars,” she states the price. “Transfer that amount of money to this account right now, and then bow down and apologize to my boyfriend. Only then will I consider all the problems between us solved, and this house will be yours.”Oliver stares at Naomi right in the eye with so much resentment. “You delibera
He recognizes the faces of the two men who just expressed their disappointment. He doesn’t know them too well, but he believes they had some business with his dad before.An awkward smile is the only thing he can give while receiving a long sermon from his father on the phone. He then takes a distance and continues the talk with his father away from those people.“What should I do now? Should I also buy this house for Joaquin Underwood for six million dollars?”[Son! Do you realize what stupid thing you have done? This is not only about your engagement with Sylvia, nor about the house or those six million dollars! You're going to put me in a difficult position with Adam Saunders. You’ve turned this into a bad business because of your ignorance. Go back to her and accept all the conditions. Pay it all with your own money!]“With my money?”[Or I’ll kick you out of the family! That’s the only thing I can do to avoid conflict with Gregory and Saunders, you understand me?]The father ends
The girl can’t hide her guilty looks, realizing that she has accidentally unveiled what’s inside her dirty mind.“Uh, I, I, I mean your body!” Naomi refutes in stutter. “I didn’t touch your body! Look! You passed out with wet clothes. I couldn’t just leave you like that. You could get a cold.”“So you took off my clothes?” Thomas asks slowly.Naomi nods a few times, so fast, with rigid movements.“And you saw everything?”Now the girl looks so guilty, crossing her fingers in her chest. Still with blushing cheeks, she glances to the left to avoid Thomas’s intimidating gaze.Thomas turns around, rubbing his head with a frustrated expression, and then limps away from her.“No, please!” Naomi rushes to him. “Don’t be mad at me! I had no other choice!”Laura notices Thomas getting out of the house with Naomi. Some greedy hope slowly creeps into her heart. She then gets out of the car, thinking that Oliver must have bought the house for her.She even shows so much confidence to confront Thom
As if no longer having the strength to stand on two feet, Naomi lifelessly kneels down with a pitiful pale face. Her eyes are watery, and her two hands with trembling fingers covering her mouth.As an educated person, she knows so well that it’s already too late to save her father’s life. Not even the best doctor in the world can save Adam Saunders’ life.On the other hand, Mr. Chicote can no longer argue the two doctors anymore. He looks so stupid, gulping with a pale face, realizing how fuck up he is at the moment.“Now you realize how stupid you have been in my eyes?” Alfred, who has just come out of the isolation room, states coldly to Mr. Chicote’s face. “I don't care whether ghosts exist or not. But I can say for sure that you are just a swindler, taking advantage of other people's suffering to extort their money.”“Nonsense!” Mr. Chicote refutes. “She was the one who asked for my help, and I do what I can do based on my knowledge.”“Based on your knowledge? So what about the gho
Alfred looks so mad, but his eyes are red and sparkling with tears due to anguish and despair. And Mr. Chicote, like he doesn’t give a damn what causes Alfred’s sorrow, suddenly slaps him in the face and yells back.“Just because you can’t see them, doesn’t mean they don’t exist! It’s like your brain, no matter how stupid you are, you still have a brain even though you can’t see it. It’s either you are ignorant, or you know it but deliberately let the devil use you to lead people astray!”Alfred is stunned, his face looks baffled. Not because the word has succeeded in providing enlightenment, but because of the old man’s audacity in slapping him in front of other people.He grabs the man’s black robe with just his left hand and then pushes him hard against the wall, making the glass wall shake with it.The nurse tries to stop the fight, but Alfred ignores her and brings his face closer to Mr. Chicote.“How dare you slap my face? Even my boss never did that to me!” He croaks, his voice
Carefully, she starts tidying the bedroom without disrupting the arrangement of those strange objects. Until a few moments later, she feels a strange breezy softly blowing her beautiful hair.It could just be the wind coming out from the bathroom with an unclosed window. But she thinks it is some kind of bad premonition.Feeling eerie, she immediately gets out of the room while taking her phone out to make a call.[Immanuel Chicote here!]“Mr. Chicote! It’s me, Naomi Saunders!”[My child! How is your father’s situation?”“Um, could you come here, please? I don’t feel quite right about the situation in this house.”[Sure! I’ll be right there!]Not daring to be alone on that second floor, she hurries down to the kitchen to see the maids.“Matilda! Could you make lemonade tea for me?” She politely asks before taking a seat.“We've used all the lemons yesterday?” Matilda deplores. “It's something that Anastasia Nixon didn't like, and that Mr. Chicote used as a talisman to keep her away fro
After listening to Matilda's explanation, Naomi slowly turns her face to the direction where her father went. She no longer sees the car, but her face is now painted with worry.In the past few days, her father has often behaved strangely, always filled with excessive fear, worried about people who might be after his life.Adam even said that he was visited by Anastasia Nixon and her Chihuahua, both in his dreams and when he was conscious.And Naomi, who does believe in superstition, has also called a psychic to cleanse her house of all forms of negative energy. But it seems that wasn't enough.“Alfred! We need to call Mr. Immanuel Chicote back to cleanse my house.”Alfred is grimacing as soon as he hears what Naomi has just said. And of course, Naomi understands very well what his reaction means.“I know this sounds stupid to you,” Naomi continues impatiently. “But we have no other choice. I know for sure that my father is not crazy. Of all the hallucinations he has, he sees the ghost
The situation at the Saunders Properties Trust office is being made busy by Alfred. It’s about Naomi, who left the office without anyone knowing where she went. It’s been more than three hours, and she hasn’t come back.“How come no one knows? What are you guys doing here anyway?” He grunts.“Welcoming guests with greetings and a smile,” replies the receptionist.“Monitoring the people in this lobby,” says one of the security officers.Alfred squints at that man. “And you didn’t see her leaving?”“I did! But it’s not my place to question her, or even prevent her from leaving the office. She is the boss,” the security officer argues.“Oh, God! Don’t you even realize her situation?” Alfred deplores.All those employees can only show their oblivions. Alfred rubs his head in frustration, before coming back to the receptionist.“Have you tried to call her?” he asks.“I have! But it’s out of reach,” replies the female receptionist.“Call it again!” Alfred exclaims as he walks away. “Keep try
Feeling insulted, Alfred vents his anger by throwing a punch. Thomas evades it simply by taking his head away, and again, he responds to it with another slap.This situation continues to repeat, with Alfred continually trying to hit Thomas but never succeeding and always getting slapped in return.“Come on! Is this all you got?” Thomas taunts.Five minutes have past, and that tough looking face is now swollen on the left side. With both knees and hands on the ground, Alfred looks down with a frustrated face.“Is it the gun that you really want, or humiliation?” Thomas provokes coldly.But Alfred doesn't even dare to look back at Thomas anymore. It is a fair fight, one on one, with Thomas not letting anyone interfere with their affair. Yet, he really can’t do anything.Even with the anger filling his heart, he is now realizing how far the gap between him and Thomas is. This is the first time someone has made him so helpless. His self-esteem has been crushed so badly after receiving so m
- Two Hours Earlier, When Alfred Was Taking Erica to Visit Thomas -As before, Alfred's arrival at this dilapidated block is again greeted by several street thugs with unfriendly looks. At least, his car is no longer stopped by these thugs.It seems like they are already familiar with the car Alfred is driving, and they are just following with their BMXs and off road bikes.More than two dozen of them, and all of whom are holding weapons. Metal baseball clubs, big wrenches with some metal chains, wired wooden clubs, you name it. Some of them even have guns tucked into their waists.“Alfred! What are we doing in this place?” asks Erica, looking around with an awry face.“Didn’t you ask me to take you here?” Alfred replies rhetorically, still looking composed driving the car slowly.“What do you mean?” Erica shows her confusion.Alfred doesn’t say anymore. He simply stops the car on the side of the road, right in front of an old and humble apartment building.“This is where he lives,” ut
Some people might think that a woman’s mood can easily improve after a good night’s sleep. However, Naomi’s situation is different. Since ending her relationship with Thomas, she hasn’t been able to regain her usual self.Recently, she has been spending all her working hours inside her office. As she is engrossed with the amulet left by her late mother, a knock on the door suddenly interrupts her reverie.“Come in!”It turns out to be Erica, greeting spiritedly like always. “Yo, Naomi! Aren't you going out again today?”Naomi acts as if there’s nothing wrong. “Why? Is there something that I need to do outside?”Erica gives her a smile by shrugging a little, and approaches her. “Girl! You don't need to hide it from me. Everyone has noticed your changes.”“What changes?” Naomi looks baffled.“Come on! I admit he's a good guy. But you're Naomi Saunders. There are so many better men out there. You shouldn't be so fixated on him.”“Sigh! There’s nothing between us,” Naomi denies. “You shoul
Without saying much, Thomas decides to walk away. Naomi makes a pouting face, looking so dissatisfied.She is indeed upset. But deep down in her heart, she expects Thomas to defend himself, and tries to convince her. Carrying a feeling of disappointment, she gets into the car and starts it.Soon after that beetle car moves past the gate, Adam tilts his head a little like giving an order to Alfred. Knowing exactly what order Adam has given, Alfred hurries after Thomas.“Hey! You forgot something!”Thomas turns around, and instantly, a hard punch hits him in the face that causes him to staggering. As if that isn’t enough, Alfred punches him once more, sending him crashing on the ground.Adam approaches him composedly, and rummages all over Thomas’ body. He finds a roll of cash from Thomas’ pocket, and then gives it to Alfred.He doesn’t stop there! He keeps rummaging, to make sure whether Thomas brings any weapons with him or not.However, there’s no weapon to be found but only Thomas’ w