Shouldn't Have Dealt

by Mara Lynne

  “For me? Why would he do that?” Surely, Hunter does not think I am the kind of girl who likes to receive expensive gifts, let alone a house!

  “For security reasons, I presume. Now, let me take you to your room.”

  With how I look, Paul must be thinking that I am in dire need of a bath.

  “Where is Hunter?” I raise a brow at Paul, and he flinches the moment he’s seen me starting to get fired up.

  “I believe he’s in his room already.”

  Hunter might have hit the bed at this instant. The past week has been dreadfully stressful and traumatic for him, and his body is begging for an entire day of sleep. I would have been a bit understanding if I knew that tomorrow will be a completely different day, and the purpose of moving into a new house will indeed serve its use. But knowing Hunter Stone, I know he would get up early tomorrow morning to get Will and his drugs out of New Jersey, and I will do all I can to stop him from getting himself into more trouble.

  Will speaks of the man as if he is God.

  But Hunter is not one.

  There’s no assurance he could provide tricky Will a graceful exit. I am on edge about this. If Hunter gets caught, I don’t think Will has the balls to own up to his fault. He could push all the blame to Hunter while he runs away unscathed.

  I will have to talk sense to Hunter and prevent him from doing the worst thing he could do.

  “Lead me to his room, Paul.”

  “I’m sorry, Ms. Mohr, but Mr. Stone hates to be disturbed at night.”

  “If he marries me, he’ll have to put up with all my sermons, especially in the middle of the night,” I answer with my hands on my hips.

  Paul stands right in front of me with his arms in the air, blocking my way to the corridor.

  “Don’t forget your place, Ms. Mohr,” he whispers, his tone marked with a dash of warning, “You are just Mr. Stone’s employee. His words are still the law in this house and your marriage.”

  With that, I am instantly reminded of who I am in Hunter’s life.

  I am nothing but his paid pretend girlfriend, his former escort girl—his employee, and my services are timed and measured. My feelings for him—new and, I am afraid, beginning to dig a deeper hole in my heart—are unimportant.

  I like how Paul slaps me back to my senses. I immediately knew, right there and then, that I got lost somewhere in the course of getting to know Hunter. I did not know this would happen because I was so resolute about my perception and feelings for the man. I did not think my will could be bent, but look where it has put me—to foolishness once more.

  I’m just a paid servant whom he can order around to do things. We have a contract, and it says a lot of who I am to him.

  And the idea of that stings.

  But why?

  Why does it hurt me?

  Why do my tears start to erode my resolve?

  Why can’t I stop falling for him?

  And even if I get my point about the danger he’s walking through across to him, I don’t think Hunter will listen to me. He won’t listen to me because I am nobody to him.

  “Are you alright, miss?” Paul asks.

  “I feel a bit dizzy,” I say. “Won’t you mind showing me the way to my room now, Paul?”

  My cabinet is filled with so many new clothes that I could hardly find my old ones. I think Hugo single-handedly picked all these designer’s clothes because they speak so much of his style. Speaking of Hugo, he’ll definitely throw fits when he sees the Vera Wang gown’s train shredded into pieces.

  The shower did not do any good to my swollen knees and ankle although the lukewarm water did soothe the pain for a few seconds. I was still limping when I went out of the shower and into the walk-in closet to get dressed in my night shift gown. Hugo must have gotten rid of my old jammies and tank tops because they’re no longer there. I am left with no choice but to wear this thin, pink night dress that ends just in the middle of my thighs. With how short and small it is on me, I think getting pneumonia is not impossible. There are a couple of night dresses in there, and I knew what exactly they are for. Hugo left a small note on my dresser that says the nighties will come in handy on my wedding night.

  Stepping out of the walk-in closet, I get surprised instantly as I lay my eyes on the man standing with his back to me. Hunter turns on his heels as soon as he notices my reflection in the bedside mirror—my reflection all flustered and red as Hunter’s eyes briefly brush from my feet to my face.

  Right away, I feel the natural urge to cover myself. My outfit is revealing way too much skin, and it is making Hunter blush and be at the edge of his seat. His eyes flicker at the sight of me barely dressed, but surprisingly, I am not in the least way offended. Hunter must have been so surprised to see me like this that he is immobilized for seconds, and so am I. The shy boy in him surfaces as he scratches his head and turns away his gaze to far less stimulating objects in the couch.

  Withing milliseconds, my hands grab the silk robe laid on top of the bed. I tightly wrap it around me and cross my arms around my waist.

  I see him gulp as his gaze flies everywhere around the room.

  “Why are you here?” I ask. He was pissed off, that’s why he was treating me with deafening silence on our way here, and yet here he is, appearing in my room unexpectedly.

  “Just checking on you,” Hunter replies as he finally steadies his gaze on me. I could still see a shadow of awkwardness on his face, but I know it’s just surprise catching him off guard. I would like to believe that Hunter came into my room without the intention to see me in this state. Based on his reactions, I think he took the shock seriously.

  “To see if I run away again?”

  “No.” His voice is firm. “You were limping when I took you here. I came here to check on your condition.” There’s a tray of hot and cold compress bags on the table.

  So he is here to see my knees?

  “I’m fine now,” I answer. “I just need some rest. It looks like you need to go to bed as well, Hunter.”

  “Angel, I’m not mad at you.” His voice remains calm.

  “Oh, so that’s why you’ve been giving me the silent treatment the whole time?”

  “Okay.” He sighs. “Maybe I was a little mad, but that’s because you defied my orders.”

  “Defy you, Hunter?”

  “Yes! I told you to stay with Ray, but obviously, you did not. Why do you always love to challenge me, Angel?” I could feel Hunter putting too much effort to keep his calm.

  “I was not going to sit on my ass at Ray’s place when I know you’re up to something dangerous.”

  “And you think you could do something about it?” He forces out a laugh. “I can’t even stop it myself.”

  “You could if you just choose to ignore Will!” I raise my voice a notch higher. “Don’t deny it! I know why you’re working with him, and I know what you’ve been working on for weeks now. I know everything.”

  Will is threatening him with me as his hostage. The kidneys… the drugs… everything.

  “You could have gotten yourself killed, Hunter! What if the police and the FBI catch you? What if that happens?”

  What if something bad turns up? What if Will has something up his sleeves and tricks him? I don’t think I have the courage to face another heartbreak.

  “And you think barging into Will’s building is a classy act, Angel? Do you think it makes you braver? Do you think you are making yourself helpful to me by being reckless?”

  I was just scared for your life!, I wanted to say to his face.

  “What is it to you, Hunter? I am not a child not to know what’s dangerous,” I reply. “Unlike you, I know what is dangerous and what’s not!”

  “Clearly, you fail in that department!” Hunter Stone responds.

  “Nothing happened!” I am perfectly well. Where is this fury coming from?

  “That’s not the point here!”

  “And what’s the point, Hunter? Me refusing to comply with your o
rders? Because I can feel that’s the reason for your rage.”

  “Good thing you know!” he exclaims.

  “So you can just get mad and shout at me whenever you feel I am breaking your rules? Is that what you’re trying to tell me?”

  “I am not shouting at you,” he says with a deep sigh. “I was just expressing my disappointment.”

  I know this conversation is leading us nowhere.

  It’s me who’s going to end up butt-hurt and not Hunter Stone because it’s me who has fallen off the ship and is harboring unwanted feelings.

  If only I can cry now, I would have. My emotions are getting mixed up already, and the only way to relieve myself of this awful load is to break into tears.

  But I must not, or Hunter might know about the thing I have for him. He must not know that I have breached his contract… that I am not different with the other girls he paid before. I know for a fact that the only qualification he found attractive on my resume is my natural talent for feeling utter repugnance toward him. He knew I was not going to be distracted like his other girls did, and I swore to myself that he won’t be wrong about it.

  However, I am my own traitor. I walked into this arrangement with high confidence that I could walk out of this the same way I entered. But I was too naïve to see that Hunter has his own ways of attracting a woman—it was loathsome, and yet here I am now, crying internally because I know I made a mistake.

  “Right! Who am I to defy you?” I continue. “I just exist to make people believe you’re happy, to help you get what you want! So I have no right to be the subject of your disappointment. The moment I signed your damn contract, I didn’t know that my aim is to please you.”

  I confess that I roughly finished reading that stupid document. I did not even come half of it because I discarded it as garbage.

  “I am disappointed at what you did,” he says, taking slow, short steps toward me, “not you, Angel.” His voice almost a whisper as soon as he sees my tears breaking free from my control.

  “I couldn’t help it, Hunter.”

  “I’m sorry I raised my voice on you.” The air from his mouth caresses the side of my face like a gentle breeze of wind. Hunter holds me in his arms so tenderly like I am a fragile object.

  I feel that if he stays this close to me longer, I will not be able to control myself and entirely burst into tears. I resent myself. There’s no other way to explain how I feel. I easily gave into my feelings for him.

  “I’m sorry.” His voice continues to caress my deeply wounded ego.

  This is exactly the Hunter Stone I fell for, and this is what I should avoid.

  “What’s wrong?” he asks.

  I pull myself back an arm’s length away from him.

  After stumbling over words for a moment, I know what I just have to say.

  “Why? What’s wrong, Angel?” Hunter could have not been this worried. His eyes search for mine, but if I look into his, I know I will stumble and will not be able to protect myself from the pain. One wrong move on this one will kill me—heart, body, and soul.

  I just had too much of that before, and now that I have risen from the fall, I thought I could give myself some self-respect.

  “This is not what I signed up for, Hunter,” I say, wiping the tears away from my face. “This is just too much for me. Please stop being nice to me, Hunter.”

  I turn away from him, proceeding to the walk-in closet and shut the door behind me.

  It’s better for me this way—and for Hunter, too.

  This way, I can preserve my integrity as his employee.

  Hunter calls my name endlessly as he knocks on the door with all his might, but if I open it for him, it’s just like giving up myself to him entirely.

  The more I welcome this craziness, the more danger I am letting into my life.

  I should stop it before things get too complicated.

  And, I am reminded… Damien’s back.

  Chapter 33: Just A Scratch

  “Are you sick, sweetie?” Mom’s voice is comforting even through the phone.

  “No, Mom,” I answer as I watch the torrential rain take away the dryness of the landscape. It has been days after the last ice melted, and it’s officially spring season now, yet it’s raining heavily, and the skies have turned murky and dull.

  “You sound weak and lonely. Is Hunter treating you well?”

  “He is, Mom. It’s just that I miss you and Dad.”

  He even bought this excessively huge house with half a dozen housemaids and a battalion of security guards scattered all over the area.

  “How about you and Dad? How is he? How is Colombia?”

  Mom is obviously very keen to detect the melancholy in my voice. I’m as miserable as the weather. If only I could cry and wail like the thunderstorm, I would, just to free myself from all these conflicting emotions.

  “George is coping well. He got a private doctor here. We really have to thank Hunter Stone for this.” I could tell Mom is very satisfied with the arrangement. “Everything’s just right here. I only wish you could come and be with us, sweetie.”

  “Soon, Mom.”

  But I don’t know when that soon is. Right now, I just want to get rid of these unwanted feelings for Hunter and stay focused with my goal—to leave his side without compromising anyone. I am not thinking of running away, though, cause if I do, it’s my parents’ lives at stake. Hunter will do everything to find me, and what better way to draw me in than to use my parents as the bait?

  “I heard there’s a storm in there. Is everything okay, Angel?”

  “Everything is okay, Mom. It’s a strong one, but I will make it through.”

  I hear Mom chuckle.

  “I know you will.”

  “Kiss Dad for me, will you?”

  “I will. He’s currently enjoying the night breeze. Hunter’s house is near the sea. You’ll see the most wonderful things on earth here.”

  I wish I could visualize in my mind the delicate scenery Mom is telling me. I could only think about the sunny weather, the deep blue crystal water, the strong, huge waves, the powdery white sand that feels like silk in my feet, and the smell of nature.

  But thoughts of Hunter plague my head the whole day and is still lurking in my mind until now.

  When I woke up this morning, he’s already left. He’s gone to fulfill his duty to Will.

  Guilt is eating me up for not stopping him last night. I should have not let myself be overcome by my feelings. I should have stayed true on telling him off to stay away from Will. I should have just told him that even if he would not listen to me. It might have somehow lessened the guilt I am bearing today.

  Now, I have no idea where he could be.

  I can only wish to see his car pulling in on the car park and Hunter running through the rain, but that won’t be happening anytime soon, I guess. There’s no sign of him returning home soon, and I can only wait in vain and gaze at the pouring rain through my wide open window.

  “I’ll call you again tomorrow, Mom.”

  “Okay. Good night, sweetheart.”

  “Good night, mom.”

  It’s ten minutes past eleven. I’ve been waiting for Hunter for three hours since Mom called. Ruth, the housemaid, has already called me for dinner thrice, but I lack the appetite to eat. The rain has slowly subsided, and the sky seems to have calmed a bit.

  “Ma’am, it’s already eleven o’clock. I think it’s best for you to sleep now,” says Ruth. She is keeping me company as I wait for Hunter in the living room.

  “I don’t think Mr. Stone is coming home tonight,” she continues.

  “How can you say that, Ruth?”

  “When Mr. Stone’s not home by eleven, it means he’s not coming home. It has always been that way.”

  But he doesn’t have official business meetings to deal with tonight nor the need to pull an all-nighter for a special project. I know the danger he’s in so I cannot help but worry. I tried to call Paul many times, but he j
ust won’t answer his phone. Hunter’s phone is turned off as well, so there’s no way in this world I can contact him.

  Should I call the police and inform them that he’s missing?

  That would be a great mistake, I guess. Hunter’s dealing with a drug syndicate. He’s not a victim here. He’s a criminal for taking part in this illegal activities, and calling the police for this is just speeding up the man’s ruin.

  But unless I do something about this, I cannot put myself at ease.

  “You can leave me now, Ruth. I’ll stay here for just one more hour.”

  “But, ma’am…”

  “You had a long day. Retire for the night, okay?”

  “Okay, Ms. Grant.”

  Ruth walks out of the living room and into the maid’s quarter.

  It’s not until five minutes later that the gates open, and I hear men running, their feet thudding against the wet gravel road. A bunch of security guards in raincoats follows a car slowing down as it approaches the entrance of the house.

  Paul immediately comes out of the driver’s seat and begins to instruct his men with words I can’t hear.

  “What’s happening?” I run toward the car, rainwater drenching my silk robe. “Where is Hunter?”

  “Step aside, Ms. Mohr,” Paul says to me as he walks past me and approaches the front seat. He opens the door, and Hunter comes out. He’s wincing as he steps out of the car.

  “Why are you still awake?” he asks, his voice low but raspy.

  “I was waiting for you,” I answer.

  I try to find what’s wrong with Hunter. He’s not his usual self. There’s something off about him. His face is unusually pale, and his eyes look empty and lifeless.

  “I can go up by myself, Paul,” he tells Paul as he refuses Paul’s assistance.

  “Are you sure, sir? Do you really not need to see—”

  “I said, I can take care of myself.”

  “Yes, Mr. Stone, sir.”

  “You go now, Paul.”

  “Back to your posts, men!” Paul announces, and his men hurriedly follow.