The first thing I did when I got home was shower and start dinner. Things I could have never done in peace a few days ago. And it was more than refreshing.

I didn't know having an empty house would, one day, make me happy. Maybe it's because I wasn't scared to move around the house. The more I think of this, the more I remember my mother's words about marriage being an eternal link. And Kaden would be back in a few weeks.

The fact that I was enjoying his absence so much could even make the time go faster.

But right now, the only thing on my mind as I moved around the kitchen was the few hours I spent talking today. I haven't talked so much in so long and Nickolas seemed genuinely curious about me and I was still wondering why.

Every time I slowed down, he would just ask more questions, making me talk more.

What exactly did he want from me? People don't just do things like that, right?

I weirdly like his company, but I'm not stupid enough to just believe that when the time comes he's not going to ask something from me. But I had nothing to offer to someone like him. I'm sure he could get anything he wanted with a snap of his fingers.

Although right now, I was just grateful. Just the fact that I was able to have a normal conversation with someone, other than Christine, was beyond price for me. And he listened, which only steered more questions in my head.

My movements were interrupted along with my thoughts when I heard loud voices.

More like someone screaming, so I didn't hesitate and immediately went out of the kitchen and followed the voices, which were coming from outside. I opened it slowly and looked outside and my confusion increased when I saw Steven yelling as he was held by two other men.

I furrowed my eyebrows and stepped out and his eyes immediately landed on me.

"Hey! Kaden wants you to call him." He yelled making my heart drop. "He's been trying to call you. You were probably busy taking his absence as an opportunity to whore around-" His sentence was cut as one of them threw a punch at him.

I jumped a little taking a step back and my whole body tensed up.

He's been trying to call me?

But I didn't receive any call.

"You were probably busy taking his absence as an opportunity to whore around."

But I wasn't. I didn't do anything wrong. I had my phone all the time.

Mike stepped closer and stopped at the bottom of the steps as I tightened my hands into fists to stop them from shaking.

"Don't worry about him, ma'am. We'll take care of him. You won't be bothered." He said and I looked at him and nodded slowly before looking up to see that Steve and the men that were holding him were not there anymore.

Where did they take him?

I quickly turned and walked back inside slamming the door shut before leaning against and my whole body shaking. I forced myself to take deep breath and my eyes slowly moved to the phone.

"He wants you to call him."

I slowly moved to it and looked down at it not moving.

You're fine. He's going to ruin everything. My mind screamed but I didn't move away and just kept staring at it.

I started reaching for it but paused again and took a deep breath.

"You're weak. You need me."

I looked at the phone again before slowly moving away from it and slowly went back to the kitchen.

I can call him tomorrow, right?

** Third Person**

"What were you doing near that house?" Nickolas asked the second Steven was pushed into his office by Sean. "I thought I relocated you."

Steven straightened up briefly sending a glare to Sean before turning to look at his boss, changing his expression. "I was told to go there a-"

"You were told. And by who?"

Steven placed his hands on his hand to force his posture straight when Nickolas placed a hand on the gun on his desk. "Kaden, sir."

That answer sounded wrong once it came out of his mouth, and he immediately started regretting doing what Kaden told him. But he kept his thoughts in.

"You don't follow my orders anymore?"

"I do. But he just asked me to go there quickly for updates. "

Nickolas nodded at the response, not once looking at him. "Do you want to die?"

Steven held his hands tighter on his back and as his eyes shifted from the weapon to his boss, again wondering why he always let Kaden drag him into his mess. He was lucky enough to not get involved with his stupidity when he stole the equipment a year ago, but now he was called into this office.

And that's something he really didn't want.

"Do you want to die?" Nickolas repeated when the man didn't respond.

"No sir." He simply said snapping out of his thoughts before looking at Nickolas.

"You know that there are some things that I don't take lightly. And you know what you signed for." He continued and Steven gulped with a nod.

"Yes boss."

"And who gives the orders?" Nickolas asked calmly, making Steven even more agitated.

It's the fact that Nickolas was always so calm and collected that made him uneasy. It made everybody, that angered him, uneasy. But everybody knew better than to get on his bad side. And Steve was starting to think that spending too much time with Kaden has made him lose some brain cells.

"You, sir." He then said.

Nickolas nodded placing his hand flat on his gun. "Then what made you think that it was smart to go against my orders?"

"I... It won't happen again, sir. Kaden just wanted me to check on his bitch to make sure th-" He stopped talking at the pain that cursed through his leg, the same moment he heard the gun shot, making drop on his knee with a cry.

The pain registered more as he sees the gun in Nickolas' hand that was pointed directly at him.

He bit his lip and let out whimpers and he looked at his boss in utter shock and confusion. His hand applied pressure on his bleeding leg and he fought back another groan by biting on his lip hard, feeling the stated of blood in his mouth. Small droplets of sweat were on his forehead as he fought back the pain that only worsened by the second.

Nickolas placed his gun back on the table looking down at the whimpering man on the floor.

"Her name is Maya." He simply said. "Now try again."

"H... He wanted me to check on Maya." He said in a hoarse voice, struggling to calm his breathing.

Nickolas nodded and watched as Steven slowly stood up, each of his movements followed by a small sound of pain. "If you get close to that house again, you'll have a personal problem with me. Now get out."

He held onto his leg and slowly limping out of the office, silently cursing at Kaden for putting him under their boss' radar.

He slowly made his way out in the hallway and went for the exit, as fast as his leg could let, occasionally looking around in case he was being followed.

"Son of a bitch." He groaned after opening to the door and stepping in the night.

"I hope you're not talking about our boss, Stevie." He heard someone say as soon as the words left his mouth making him tense even more.

He turned to see a group standing beside one of the car, most them smoking, and all their eyes turned to him.

"No. I was talking about Kaden."

"Good. It wouldn't be smart to call him out of his name in front of us." The same man nodded before pointing at his bleeding leg. "I see you have a souvenir from your trip to the big office." He smirked earning snickers from the others.

Steve clenched his jaw and walked toward his car without another word. He opened the door and slowly got in and immediately reached for a shirt he left on the passengers and ripped the sleeve, before tying it around his leg to stop the bleeding.

He just finished when the sound of his voice made him curse before he let out a loud curse.

He looked at the caller and his pain were forgotten and all his feelings were replaced with anger.

"What?" He snapped and he started the car, not wanting to stay here for another moment.

"Did you check on her?" Kaden said on the other line, ignoring the way Steve answered the phone.

"Fuck you." He snarled as he passed through the gates.

"What the fuck did you say to me!?"

"I said fuck you! I was moved, so I don't work at your house anymore, so I don't take orders from you anymore. I don't even know why I started taking orders from you in the first place."

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" Kaden groaned. "Whatever. Did you check on that little bitch? I can't reach that little cunt."

"No, I didn't see your little bitc-. I did not see Maya." He corrected himself cursing under his breathe.

"Why the fuck not? Isn't she home?"Kaden snapped.

"Now I'm gonna be under his radar just because I went to check on Maya." He said looking around the car slowly wondering if there was chance that there were microphones in the car, something he never bothered to wonder about before.

"What the fuck you mean you're gonna be under his radar? Why the hell does he care if I want you to check on my bitch?" He practically yelled, anger dripping from his voice.

"Her fucking name is Maya!" He yelled, surprising Kaden. "And if you want to know how she's doing, do your damn job, and come back to see for yourself. I can't help you anymore!" He snapped and hung up without another word.

"Bastard." He muttered and threw the phone on the back seat angrily while wincing as pain shot through his leg again.