His Servant

I am your master now

He dismounted and helped me down. A female servant quickly ushered me away, but master Hooney held on to my hand. "Leave her with me for now."

The servant nodded and tucked her head. "As you wish, master," and withdraw backward. She disappeared back inside the house while I pressed closer to master Hooney's side.

We strode over to the mouth of the home when more men spilled out from the inside, prominent looking men dressed in elegant attires. Every one of them intimidating and I have never seen so many high-powered men lined up ready to kiss someone's ass.

My eyes landed on the youngest man, and I could not mistake a man I have known all my life. It was master Li He, dressed in an elegant white robe, his neat hair sleeked back, and I've never seen him this clean, and this formal before.

My shock took hold of me and I clung to master's Hooney's torso like he's a pole to hold on to while I steadied myself.

He jumped at the sensation of my fingers digging between his ribs and giggled. I found out by accident my master is ticklish. He let out satisfied sighed and turned over his shoulder, flashing me a teasing grin.

I released him immediately, my face reddened. Everyone stared at us and that's when I heard the soft mention of my name.

"Hui?" It was master Li He who finally recognized me.

"Master Li He!" I murmured, excited to see him again.

"You know this man?" Intervened master Hooney, his voice suddenly dropped heavily and the air within him thinned and darkened. Master Hooney can emanate quite a scary aura, and the man whom I thought was so kind this whole time was suddenly a different man. He was scary.

My throat bobbed, and I looked up at him, he met my eyes searching for my honesty. "Yes."

"You called him master." Master Hooney implored darkly.

"He was my master," I told him.

"I see." He groaned and sauntered over to master Li He without as much as another breath. Master Li He wore a combination of bewilderment and intimidation in his face, lost as what's going on.

Master Hooney towered him, his more pronounced stature is a lot bigger and terrorizing than Li He's slimmer built.

Without warning, master Hooney punched Li He in the gut, once, making him sucked air in his mouth. Twice, making him wobble on his knees. Master Hooney held on to Li He's clothes as he held him up, punching him in the gut the third time, making him spit out vomit on the floor.

Master Hooney let Li He go, letting him drop on the ground, rolling on his own barf.

I screamed and rushed to Li He's side who's currently crouched in the fetal position with his arms coaxing his gut, coughing and writhing in pain.

The other men were wide eyes with surprise, but none did anything to stop master Hooney. They stood back as to watch what the master of the manor was going to do next.

"Master Li He!" I crooned softly as I leaned beside him trying to see if he was okay.

"Get up, a man like him does not deserve your care or sympathy, Hui." Master Honey spoke sharply.

I remembered his words earlier, that conversation we had when we first met. I asked him if he was kind and he hesitated, trying to answer my question properly. He told me he can be cruel, but only to deserving people. Now, I understood what he meant. Master Hooney is quite a scary man after all. Although, I failed to see how Li He could be one of those men. He had always been kind, not only to me but to everyone else. He's a mild-mannered man who would never purposely harm anyone.

"Get up, Hui." Master Hooney said again with finality.

My head craned up, pleading.

"Don't forget how close to death you were when I found you, how badly beaten you were, starving of food and deprived of water. People like him don't deserve a place in this world. They treated you worse than an animal and he deserved to be beaten more than a few punches in the gut!" Enraged, he sauntered with heaviness in his strides. Master Hooney kicked Li He once more in the gut, and another on his jaw that made him whimpered in agony.

Master Hooney sneered, the anger on his face was overwhelming that when I looked at him, he looked like a different person I've grown to know these past few weeks.

He bent over, his wide palm closed around my arm and yanked me away from Li He. "Let's go, let me take you somewhere else where you don't have to witness any of this." He waved the men away and they all scampered away from the room.

I walked with him without a choice and unable to hide my distress. "You don't understand." I murmured.

He paused and faced me. "What is it I don't understand, Hui?" He whispered softly. "That you two held some special feelings for each other?" Both his eyebrows rose, his eyes shone, searching for confirmation.

I stared at his imploring eyes, my lips quivered, trembling unable to give him a response.

"Is that why your mistress beats you when he's away?"

I shook my head. "No, you got it wrong. Everyone got it wrong."

"Then what is it I got wrong?" He asked.

I closed my eyes and began to cry, even in front of my new master I could not stain Li He's name with mine. "Nothing, you got nothing wrong."

He loosened a sigh. "I've been around wealthy people with numerous servants and slaves. I've seen it all, Hui." He wiped my tears. "Masters impregnating their servants and getting rid of the child, worse, they kill the servant - all because they couldn't keep it inside their pants. You're beautiful, far more attractive than your mistress. I wouldn't doubt Li He is attracted to you. If there's secret you're trying to protect, you can rest assure they are safe with me, but that fool deserved what he got from me."

I lead him no more to what he assumed, master Hooney smiled kindly for me and rubbed my eyes dry with his sleeves. "Don't worry about him anymore, I am your master now." He said before urging me to walk down the corridor with him.