Captive in Plain Sight

Treizecisipatru || Confrontation

Anger. All he could feel was red, fiery anger. Like an empty road in the desert, it felt endless.

Raul flanked his left side, ready. He'd offered to retrieve her in his stead, knowing he might react badly. But he needed to see for himself what his fiancé had been up to, so he could properly gage his response.

"Do you have something for me?" The boy asked. He was not at all surprised by his arrival, and spoke to him as if he expected something.

"I think you actually have something of mine," he replied.

The boy's face looked incredulous. He really was clueless. Mila must have hidden this part of her life well. Daniel was his name. Daniel Lee--Han's nephew. They'd studied every important face at HSG together in order to get Mila acquainted.

"What do you mean?" Daniel asked.

"My fiancé."

He could see when things snapped into place. What followed was an intense stare down, which managed to make him feel slight discomfort. 

Maybe Mila had shared more with this person than she ought to, which would be a horrible mistake on her part.

She jumped off the bed, trying to create a physical barrier between them. She was too small to actually do any good, and looked guilty as sin by the time they were face-to-face.

That's when he noticed they matched each other. Looked like a couple.

He was the big, bad, wolf in this situation.

How dare she do this to him again.

"This is my fault," she said.

Mila protecting him only made it worse. Daniel switched their positions, trying to do the same.

Cute. It wouldn't do either of them any good.

"So, you're the fiancé?" he said. His voice dripped with malice. He was sizing him up, and looked to be prepping for a fight.

"Daniel don't." she said, tugging at him.

"Alec, let me get my things, and we can leave." she said.

"Why leave so soon?" he asked. Daniel was still giving him an aggressive stance.

"I agree," Daniel said.

The boy had gumption, he thought.

That's when Raul stepped closer, holding him back. Reminding him fighting was a useless, foolish thing to do. But he wanted to hit him. He was sure it would make him feel better. This man touched his woman, and that couldn't go unpunished.

"So, you like hitting women?" he said.

This took him by surprise. He shot a look at Mila, and she cowered.

"That doesn't sound like a man to me at all." he said. "In fact, it sounds like a little bitch. A bitch who can only make himself feel bigger by picking on someone weaker than him. Why don't you try it on me?"

He smirked—done entertaining the kid. He had the girl, all Daniel could do was throw insults and fists.

"It's time to go." he looked at Mila. He was still a little irritated he couldn't handle it physically, but why would he fight when he could ruin his life without lifting a finger?

"Don't speak to her like that." Daniel said, "She's a person. Not an object you can order around."

Who did he think he was? Bold statements for someone who didn't know to whom they were speaking.

"Mila, I want you to stay here." he said, facing her. "Don't go back with him. You have no reason to. You can stay with me until we find you an apartment. I'll help you, just don't go with him."

For a good minute, it seemed like she considered it. It was clear she didn't want to go back to the manor with him.

Wait, did she actually love this person?

It was the moment he realized it had happened again. Mila was in love with someone else, right under his nose. The crushing reality clung to the back of his throat like a fishbone.

He had only himself to blame. How could she be happy in the prison he'd built for her?  Albeit a cushy one, it was a prison nonetheless.

She looked between the two and wriggled out of Daniel's grasp.

"I have to go." she said. "Thanks for everything."

"Smart choice."

Daniel looked perplexed and beaten. Something he was glad to see after his posturing. The boy managed to give him one last squinty-eyed glare before they were out of sight.

She came along silently with him, knowing she only had herself to blame for what came next. He buckled her and waited for Raul to give the signal he was ready to drive.

She knew the rules, and she'd broken them.

"How'd you find me?" she asked.

"Raul's been sitting outside of HSG for a while now." This was something he hadn't bothered sharing with her. It was a precaution they'd taken after being unable to locate her family, and it paid off.

"I swear I didn't tell him a thing." she said. "He guessed it a couple weeks ago, but I never confirmed it. Please don't hurt him."

She was still trying to protect Daniel.

Not much was said the rest of the ride home. Mila quietly looked out the window like she always did. Powerless to say or do anything that would change the outcome.

She kept her tears in.

When they made it to the house, she didn't want to get out of the car.

"Come," he said. Ushering her with a gloved hand. He wore them only for serious occasions. "You know what this is."

She still didn't move, until she heard barking coming from inside the house.

"Harrison!" she climbed out of the car past him.

He let them have their little reunion, it would be a short one anyway.

"I missed you!" She let the dog excitedly lick her face. "My baby!"

"Time to go," he said.

"Sir," Olga's face looked white as a ghost.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"She's here." she replied. "I-I didn't know what to do. I put her in the foyer. She's waiting for you."

"Who?" he asked.

"Mrs. Laurent. Your mother."

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As a thank you for getting me to 135,000 reads, I did a double chapter update! If you like this, please continue voting, commenting and sharing my work on your reading lists!

Happy Friday!

Shar