I'm so sorry, the chapter had been deleted halfway and I had to republish it.., please read it again along with the author's note, will you?

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The cold and intense gaze of my employer weighed down on me heavily until I was no longer able to avoid it. Giving me a genuinely apologetic look and a nod of acknowledgement, Karim turned to Mr. Ambrose.

"Sahib, I'll wait outside."

Without even sparing him a glance, Mr. Ambrose gave an imperceptible nod and Karim disappeared in two swift steps, shutting the battered door silently behind him.

A moment of silence ensued. Then:

"Mr. Linton."

My head shot up faster than his employees running when he gave them a day off, because, I think I had just heard his voice tremble. Just a little bit, almost undetectable, but still...

Come on Lilly, that's not even possible...

However when my gaze met his, even though his face remained stoic and expressionless, a storm so dangerous and intense and full of emotions was swirling in them, that I believed that it was possible. When something like that storm occured, nothing remained impossible anymore.

I gulped down the lump in my throat and gave him a small smile.

"Yes sir, reporting for duty sir." My voice turned out much smaller than it should have been, as he pinned me in my place with merely his eyes, raking me from top to bottom, taking in my appearance, which was when I realized just exactly how much like a homeless tramp I must be looking.

Who am I kidding, with my disheveled clothes and soot, sweat and grime all over me, a tramp would look more civilised than me. And to add to it, aching muscles and my worn out self didn't exactly make me feel any better about it.

Giving a small sigh, I started wiping my face with my non-bloody hand and on my sleeve when a pair of very familiar arms crushed me to his chest and I leaned into his touch willingly, allowing his smell of too much money, and...rainwater? Why was he wet?

It is raining outside, you moron!

Oh, right.

However all thoughts of rainwater and wet clothes left my mind when his lips covered mine in a searing, desperate kiss, moving in a frenzy and clashing like waves in a storm, devouring and dissolving in each other until they were inseperable. His grip on my waist tightened as his hands explored me like he was making sure that I was truly there, in front of him and not an illusion, and his hands cupped my face, his thumbs wiping away the soot and fingering my closed eyelids. I simply held him close and gave up myself to the kiss, letting the waves of emotions wash over me as I kissed him back with all I had.

When I had to pull back because the dizziness was starting to return, this time due to the lack of oxygen, he tilted my chin and leant his forehead against mine as I took in ragged breaths of air, the dizziness fading with every breath.

Finally when I could stand alright on my legs without leaning on him, I pulled away, but his firm grip kept me in my place, holding me tighter than iron shackles.

"You are thirteen hours and forty one minutes late for duty, Mr. Linton." He whispered almost inaudibly and I smiled. Had he really been counting the minutes since I was gone? But thirteen hours? No wonder I felt asleep on my feet.

"Will you be deducting this money for the leave and search from my account?" I whispered back, my eyes still closed, as I enjoyed the feeling of his hands caressing my face.

He softly pressed his lips on the corner of my mouth and I felt butterflies erupt in my stomach. That's strange, I distinctively remember not having any breakfast this morning, let alone butterflies."No. Not this time. But I'll be compensating for that from Dalgliesh, I can assure you of that."

Opening my eyes, I examined the dangerous storm of anger brewing in his eyes and spoke. "He wanted to know about the file. To be precise, the files." When he remained silent, I pressed again. "What is in the bloody files? Why can't you tell me?"

Pushing down my rising temper, I simply glared at him and took two steps back, my back touching the barrel and folded my arms on my front, while his fell to his sides.

My head was pounding again with another adrenaline rush and I put one hand on my head, trying to squeeze out the headache from it, but in vain.
"If you still can't trust me after everything, I'll....I'll resign." My stomach twisted at the thought of not seeing his stony visage everyday and not hearing cold, curt orders from him, but I had to push him to get out the answer from him. My voice had come out hardly louder than a whisper, but judging by the...panic flashing in his eyes, he had heard.

The next moment he was pressing me against the barrel, his hands on my shoulders and his eyes forcing me to look at him. My back pressed against the wood of the barrel and my aching muscles protested instantly. "You cannot resign. I won't allow you to."

Pushing against his hard chest muscles, I bristled at the thought of him forcing me to do something, even if deep down, I agreed with him. "Who are you to tell me that I can't resign? I can bloody resign if I want to! I can bloody slap the Duke of Wellington if I want to, and you are no one to stop me from doing it!"

The storm in his eyes only became more intensely freezing than before and I daresay that if I wasn't a fiery ifrit, all that would be left of me would be a frozen ice statue. Frozen Lilly. Sounds very interesting- not!

Well, how good that I was a fiery ifrit, and tired or not, I was not going to let him stop me from doing anything I want!

But you don't want to resign yourself! All you want is for him to trust you about the information about the file, about anything and everything which holds an important place for him.

I...You are right! I do want him to trust me! Why can't he?! I have proved myself as loyal to him, haven't-

"I'll show it to you tomorrow. Now let's go."

"Why- wait, what? Are you joking?" I think all this dirt in this grimy place has really got in my ears. Mr. Ambrose finally, finally trusting me? Am I dreaming?

"I'm not in the silly habit of making jokes, Mr. Linton, so do keep your ears open and use them. I said, I will show it to you tomorrow. Now let's go."

I gave him a tight, bearhug, even though my arms didn't reach all the way around his shoulders and grinned like women had been given the right to vote. He was actually, really trusting me!

My grin only widened when he pressed his lips to my forehead, fingering it gently, when he abruptly froze. I opened my eyes to see him take one step back, keeping one hand on my forehead, while the other curled up into an iron fist on his side.

It wasn't until he fingered the dried blood on the cut on my forehead that I understood. In the dim light of the bulb, his eyes flashed with a frightening fury and a single word left his lips, which curled up in distaste.

"Dalgliesh." It was not simply a name, but a declaration of war, a promise of revenge. And death and destruction until he would strike the final blow on him.

I instinctively took a step back.

"It wasn't him." The fury in his eyes did not lessen even a bit as he looked disbelievingly at me. Softly coaxing my hand into his big and warm ones, I lifted his hand from the cut and gently pried open his other hand which was fisted so tightly, it had paled even in the sparse light, but it refused to loosen even an inch. "I, uh, fell down."

Why are you lying for Dalgliesh? Tell him he tried to punch you!

Are you mad?! He already always wanted to murder Dalgliesh, and if I tell him the truth, he'll probably go and shoot him now!

So what? Are you afraid-

No! I'm absolutely not afraid of that miserable son of a bastard! If I would have had a gun, I myself would have killed him in a heartbeat!

-of him getting hurt then?

Uh. Ye-no? I don't know.

Admit it, you care for him, much, much more than you th-

Thankfully, that annoying, stupid inner voice of mine was cut off by Mr. Ambrose grabbing my hand in his and pulling me out of the door and into the rain, and I tried to pull my bloodied hand from his, but his firm grip only tightened more and pulled me into the rain.

It was nearly pitch black around the old cabin, or judging by the barrels, some sort of storage house, except for the flickering lantern Warren held under his umbrella, standing just outside. Not even sparing him a look, Mr. Ambrose simply signalled him to lead the way, which was only because he was the one carrying the lantern, and started marching forward.

Have you ever heard of the phrase 'raining cats and dogs'? Well that phrase is utter bullocks! 'Raining bricks and stones' would have been the more appropriate, was what I thought as I was more or less dragged forward by Mr. Ambrose through the drops battering me, while he was walking speedily on his long legs through the narrow paths between rows of what looked like deserted factories and warehouses.

Using the rain water to wash off most of the dirt, sweat and the blood from my face using one hand, I tried to pull him back with my other hand which was currently encased in his, but he did not even slow down, let alone stop. The water soaked my clothes to my skin and even seeped into my shoes, and I shouted at him over the noise of the rain.

"Mr. Ambrose! It's raining heavily!"

"Stop shouting, Mr. Linton. The rain has not affected my auditory abilities, I can assure you. And how kind of you to remind me of such an obvious fact," came the very surprising response, and I had the strong urge to whack his head.

"What I meant was why couldn't you have the sense to bring an umbrella with you like Warren?"

His grip on my hand tightened as the next cold reply came, colder than the freezing rain soaking me currently.

"For your kind information, that is my umbrella, which I had kept in the carriage. I have given it to Warren since he is carrying the lantern, and I have got my hands busy with something more important than holding the umbrella."

Soothing warmth spread throughout my body at his words, and for a moment, even in the freezing rain, I was not so cold anymore as I gave his hand a squeeze, and a moment later, he squeezed it back.

Well, well, who thought that the coldest man I know could make me feel so warm inside, even better than a furnace?

The pathways soon gave way to some kind of broader road having better lighting, which was only when I noticed the number of figures stealthily moving in the darkness, surrounding us from all sides as we moved towards the carriage.

I looked at Mr. Ambrose, who was acting as if those men did not exist and continuing towards the carriage, and reassured myself that these were indeed his men, and this was not another ambush. Thank the Lord. I was so not in the condition to prevent an ambush in my drenched and freezing clothes and tired limbs. Hell, I was even moving only because he kept on half pulling, half dragging me whenever I felt like collapsing on the spot.

To keep myself from falling asleep on my feet, I was busy trying to count the number of men around us, but they kept on disappearing and appearing in and out of the darkness, which was why I did not notice that Mr. Ambrose had stopped walking and walked straight into him.

Rubbing my already freezing nose, I snapped at him,"Are you and Karim trying to break my nose?"

Surprisingly, he replied in his calm and curt voice as usual, without even a trace of his earlier rage. "No. Get into the carriage." It was only when I looked closely into his eyes that I could unveil the fury, which was, safe to say, very much still there.

For once, I decided to obey his order without argument and got in the carriage, as he started giving out some orders to Warren and the men. As soon as I was out of the rain, I wiped the water out of my eyes and flopped down on the seat, not giving a damn whether I got them wet.

Ah! The bliss! Closing my eyes I leaned against the side of the carriage, and almost immediately I felt the exhaustion of the day take over me, and gave in to sleep.

Only before I was fully unconscious, I felt a pair of hands pulling me against something lean and cold, yet warm and comfortable. I snuggled into the comfortable pillow and gave a small smile when warm lips touched my forehead. Then there was nothing.

Ha. Ha. Just kidding.
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I felt something shake me and a voice...saying something? Ordering something? My eyes felt heavier than lead, and my worn out brain refused to process what was happening, so I gave up and let sleep take over again.

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A cold liquid was splashed on my face and jerked started my brain into waking up. A voice sounded like a buzz in my ears and I scowled at it for disturbing my sleep. My head was throbbing again, while my throat and lips felt more parched than the ground in the Sahara desert in a summer afternoon. Wiping the liquid from my face, I tried to open my eyes to see what was the voice saying, but the stubborn things refused to open. I finally pried them open with sheer will and squinted against a bright light. Not again!

"Mr. Linton!" The familiar figure of Mr. Rikkard Ambrose stood over me, concern apparent in his eyes. I glared at the glass of water in his hand, and then pointed my gaze at him accusingly.

"I have been trying to wake you up since the last seven minutes and forty three seconds, but you have refused to move even an eyelid."

"That doesn't mean you can pour water on me!" I glared at him, but one look at his eyes betrayed just how worried he had been and my anger faded away. And if Rikkard Ambrose had been worried, it only meant that I had been knocked out cold for too long. Blame that on Dalgliesh. And just about everything that happened today.

Sighing, I pulled up myself with the help of my hands and pointed to the glass of water in his hands. He handed it over to me and I gulped down the rest of the liquid in one breath. The water trickled down my burning throat and I closed my eyes to enjoy the soothing feeling.

"Don't close your eyes." I opened them in surprise at the strange order, but he simply took the glass and refilled it from a pot of water, avoiding my eyes as he handed over the glass. "You'll fall asleep again."

My sleepy stupor dissipated with each sip of water I took, waking up my brain fully. I observed the unfamiliar surroundings which more or less resembled some kind of prison, with the only furniture including the small single bed I was currently sitting on, a chair, table and a drawer. There was only one window, which was closed and a cooking stove on the drawer, just beside the window. The only source of light was a single light bulb, above the table and there was a door on the right.

That's it. His whole room had nothing else, nothing personal to indicate that someone had been living here for years. More than ten years of his life.

"You live here?" The incredulity in my voice was more than apparent as I raised a brow at him disbelievingly.

"Yes." He did not apparently notice my look or the disbelief in my tone, but knowing him, he was probably pretending to do so. Pulling out a towel and some clothes from the drawer, he set them beside me on the bed, giving me a look.

It was only when I saw the clothes that I realized that I was only in my shirt and trousers, which were still wet and clinging to me. And my shirt was white.

   My cheeks burned at the thought of him taking off my vest and tailcoat, but I also wanted to laugh at him. That was why he was not looking at me properly! Mr. Rikkard Ambrose was feeling shy!

   Grinning at him slyly, I picked up the clothes and went over where he was pulling out...vessels? From the drawer? Would a proper cupboard have cost him his life or what?

  I cleared my throat, trying to disguise my laughter as a cough, as he was pointedly not looking in my direction and ignoring me.

  "Mr. Ambrose, do you know where my absurd peacock vest and tailcoat disappeared? They seem to have vanished when I was sleeping."

  The tips of his ears turned red as he replied,"I, uh, removed them. They were wet and you would have got sick." I grinned as he refused to even look at me. "And I don't approve of sick and tardy employees, especially if they have been absent for two days."

  "Indeed, Mr. Ambrose?" He finally turned back and my grin widened looking at his slightly red cheeks. Glaring at me with some difficulty, he spoke,"Yes, now quit standing there like a spare lemon and go get a shower."

   "Yessir! As you say sir!" Giving him a mock salute, I marched over to the door. One hand on the handle, I pushed the door, but it wouldn't budge. Twisting the handle, I pushed again, but in vain. After two more tries, I turned to Mr. Ambrose who was looking at me with amusement apparent in his eyes.

  "Is the door locked?"

  A muscle in his cheek twitched as he replied,"No. It opens the other way. Pull it."

  I swear, if Mr. Ambrose hadn't been looking at me very, very observantly, the muscle in his cheek twitching every few seconds, I would have facepalmed myself. Hard. Where the bloody bell was my brain? On a mini vacation sipping hot chocolate, enjoying itself as I embarassed myself?!

  I gave him a small smile."Of course, I knew. I was only testing whether you knew it or not."

  Pulling open the door, I slipped through it and slammed it shut before I could embarass myself anymore.

  Facepalming myself, I hoped my brain would return from its vacation soon, and turned around to look at a very familiar room. Mr. Ambrose's office!

  I knew it! There was no way even a semi-human machine can be in the office at five in the morning, unless he lives one door away from it!

  Why would he ever waste money on an actual, normal house, when he could live just fine in a prison like quarter within office premises?! Richest man of Britain my generous behind! What was he going to do with all that money? Choke on it?

  Complaining to myself about his stingy, miserly ways, I braced myself for a mind numbingly freezing bath.

  "Achooo!"

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  Dear ladies and gentlemen,

  I'm so soo sorry! This chapter somehow got half deleted and unpublished and what not! When I had published it, all had been fine, god knows what happened to it overnight! I feel like beheading and strangling someone!

I would like to ask for a favour...*gives best puppy eyes* Can you please, please, pretty please with a chocolate on top, vote for it again? And if possible, comment on it?

  And, the author's note I had originally published:

  How was the Lambrose feeeels? Fine, or not bad or good? On a scale from one to ten, how will you rate it? If you didn't like a part, please dom't hesitate to tell me, I will make the necessary changes as best as I can in this chapter and write the next chapter accordingly!

  And if you liked it, do tell me which was your favourite moment...

  Don't forget to vote and comment! (Pleeeeeease?)

Yours truly,
Ifrit5789.

Edit: Yaaaaaaaayyyyyy! I have to discovered, to my immense relief and overwhelming delight, that all the votes and comments have not been deleted and I'm literally doing a victory dance, 'cause your comments are my most favourite part of writing a chapter, I love you all readers sooooo much, thank you soo much!!!❤