As they walked inside the building, Jade hide at a dark corner, trying to eavesdrop into their conversation. About to enter her room, Ace turned to her with a crooked smile of satisfaction.

"I love everything about today's dinner. I see you're loving it here, already."

Sapphire smiled. Then she suddenly, she moved closer to him with an irritated look plastered on her pretty face.
"You are the green snake under the green grass, Mr. Mafia. I'm not surprised."

"No, baby. I see it the the other way round. I'm the guardian angel, saving you from the green snake under the green grass." Ace chuckled softly at her words. "You're my toy, now."

"So you kidnapped me just to tell me that? Listen, I'm not your toy." She pointed out. 
"Do I look like a Barbie doll to you?" Her slim, arched eyebrows knotted in unison.

"Kinda." He rolled his eyes at her.

"I'm the only one that can guarantee you freedom outside the four corner of these walls so, what if we work together and you let me out, as promised? I won't mention your name to anyone... Trust me." Her voice trembled, convincingly.

"I still have my freedom, Saph." He moved closer to her holding her hand into his. "Maybe it's true, you are my freedom. So, let's live here together as man and wife."

Ace placed her hand on his lips and planted a sweet kiss. Raising his gaze back to her trembling, yet, confused eyes. It turned glassy as she tried hard not to shed a tear.

"W...what?" Her lips quivered, dumbfounded. "W...when are you letting me go, Ace? When am I leaving this hell of a place?"

"Well, let's say next tomorrow. After our wedding."

A tear lingered down her eyes, but she wiped it off immediately. She jerked off from from his touch and gave him a hot, slap that echoed in the whole building.

'Twaaack!'

Sapphire swallowed hard on her throat with a feel tremor in her hand. Everyone turned to their direction with a sharp look. It was unexpected.

"I hate you, Ace! I can't even...manage to be your friend!" She assured, more tears washing down her eyes that had suddenly gone pink. 

With this, Jade aggressively grabbed her hand and twisted it to the back. She tried to pull away but he grabbed the other hand. With full force, he hit her face to the door while the two bodyguards watched with stunned faces.

Ace gritted his teeth at her, like the words were difficult to say.
"I love you, Saph! I can't even manage to be your friend.... But if you hit me again, you might never see daylight."

  His bold, baritone voice sounded with so much hatred that it came out, sounding like the devil's whisper. His hand clutched the curves of her waist and ended it with a kiss on the back of her shoulder. Bare skin.

Sapphire could feel the heat of his breath, brushing through her bare skin, but recoiled with a shudder. Her eyes closed as she controlled the racing beats in her heart, calmly.

Good night darling. Sleep tight." A mysterious smirk formed on his lips, before going into his room.

Sapphire felt a drop of sweat stroll down between her legs. Her hands covered her face in pain and shame. In defeated disgrace, she tried hard not to break down in tears but she couldn't.

Soft weeps escaped from her lips, she couldn't endure this any longer.

"Don't worry, my lady. All of this would end soon. Hopefully." Dylan muttered in concern before going downstairs. The inner corners of his eyebrows were angled up, as if her pain affected him too.

The bodyguards opens the door while Sapphire find walked into her room in tears. Immediately the guards closed the door, she walked to the front of the mirror and wiped off her tears. Looking at the mirror, she scoffed at her red, bulgy eyes in the reflection as a crooked smile formed on her red lips.

In an instant, Sapphire brought out the phone from under her dress and looked at it. She pressed the stop button and saved the audio she just recorded. It's about two hours now but that would be enough evidence. Looking at the battery, it was only 20 percent. Sapphire placed the phone into her drawer and closed it. Then she went into the bathroom to take a cold shower.

At the other side of the room, Ace remembered he placed a phone in his drawer. He pulled it's handle but it was locked.

"How is this possible?" He asked himself, puzzled.

He pulled out a bunch of keys from his pocket to unlock it. Opening it, he realized that the carton was empty. And only the phone was missing.

'Did I take it home with me?' He pondered over the thought. Unsure of where he'd kept it exactly. Irritated, the mafia boss closed the drawer and placed the keys back into his pocket.

"Awww!" Ace gently robbed his forehead in circular motions. A sharp pain ran through his head again, making him close his eyes to settle the noise crying his his head. Ace stumbled back, and gently took a seat by the edge of his master-sized bed.

His hands clutching the front of his head as he tried to calm down his nerves and think, straight-out. Vertical wrinkles appeared between his eyebrows as he pulled his hands down his face.

His eyes concentrated on the darkness of the blank wall. Finally, they brightened up as if he'd find a solution.

"I'd marry her and move to Thailand. No one would find us there." Ace concluded.

****

That very minute, someone threw a burning cloth of fire close to the door. It smelt like burning tires as the smoke filled up the space.

"What's that?" One of the body guards with bald head and plumpy body walked towards to check. Is if the cloud of smoke was toxic, he fell to the floor in one heavy thud.

Others turned to the direction to check what it was. And most of all, 'who dropped it there?' With curious faces, the thickness of the burning cloth increased and, the seven others had the same fate.

Noticing that they had all collapsed, Jade walked out of his hiding place. His plan was to sneak out with Sapphire, since he's taken down all the bodyguards. Jade had almost fixed the key to open the door when he heard a footstep behind him. He turned back to see who it was and it was Ace Damien, the mafia boss. With a gun, pointed directly to Jade. Before he could take the next move, Ace pulled the trigger.

'Kpaaaw!'

The golden bullet whizzed before Jade's dark eyes that widened as he freeze in place. 

As if everything was slow motioned, A bead of sweat dropped from Jade's forehead, making the bullet strick him hard on his calf of his left leg.

The bullet punched it’s way through his leg, causing a gaping hole in its wake that quickly filled with blood and gushed out.

"Arrrggghh!"

Jade fell to the ground, a pool of blood forming around him and soaked into his clothes. He suddenly choked to the thrilling pain that whelmed him like the cold hands of death.

The sound of the gunshot made Sapphire shiver immediately she stepped out of the bathroom.

Her poor heart raced fast and loud, as she held her chest in shock and fear. Hearing the painful moan in the background, she couldn't help but to feel nervous. Trying not to get close to the door, she heard "F...fire!"

Her eyes raised in total shock. It sounded exactly like Jade's voice. No, it was Jade's voice.

"F...fire." He called her name again but the pain submerged him totally.

Ace walked up to Jade as if he was boiling, with anger.

"Jade Alejandro!" Ace expantiated, with the gun still in his hand. "Is that your pet name for her?" He chuckled aloud, wickedly. Then stopped in between.
"If you say Fire again, I'm gonna shot you dead....So shut the fuck up, okay? I can't believe you traced me down here. You aren't giving up, are you?"

Ace's eyebrows raised at his last words.

"Nah, you aren't, right? Good thing I stepped out on time. I bet you'd have find your way in and fucked my wife to be. Or... What are you planning to do? Run away with her?" He scoffed in his usual manner but Jade managed to control his breath.

As if it wasn't enough, Ace kicked Jade on the face so hard like a ball.

"Arrrggghh!" It hurt so bad that he screamed out in agony.

With this, the mafia boss squatted to Jade's gaze. A cruel smile spread across his full, moisturized lips. He nibbled on it softly, taking a good look at his black, shiny gun in admiration.

"I'd have killed you right now, cousin... But let's say you came to save her. You want to be the hero? Well, to bad, we aren't shooting a movie." Ace took out his phone and dialed a number.

"Come upstairs right away." He commanded. His dark, eyes fell back to Jade's leg that was still shaking and bleeding. With this, he stood upright and placed the gun into his back pocket, then placing both hands to his side pocket, the the bossy way.

Hearing this, Sapphire rushed to the door and quickly pulled the door knob but the door was locked from the outside.

"Open this door Ace! Please... Let me out!" She cried and banged it as fast as possible.

"No... F..fire. Don't worry, I'd take you out of here." Jade hoarsed voice muttered, trying to gain a bit of strength. Although, he wasn't sure if she heard or not. The young CEO tried to stand up but he fell to the ground. All he could taste was his own blood.

Immediately, Dylan and ten others hefty looking guys in black leathered jackets, marched upstairs.

Although, Jade looked bold, there was a tint of fear in his bruised eyes and blood on the corner of his mouth.

The gang grabbed him in by the shoulders and took him into a dark room, underground.  They tied him to huge log of wood, making his leg hurt even more.

After tying him up, Dylan locked the iron door and left the place. Leaving four bodyguards to stand outside for security reasons.

Meanwhile, Sapphire was still hitting the door, aggressively with her fist. Till it began to hurt. Suddenly, she stopped and broke down to tears. In pain, she brushed her fingers, through her wet, auburn hair in devastation.

The tightening in her throat was unbearable, so was the pain she was going through right that moment. Her mind felt like a storm that wouldn't end end sooner. Still in her towel, she cried harder.

"It's my f...fault. It's all my fault Jade got shot. I c..couldn't even see him." Sapphire's voice shivered as she cried hard covering her mouth in her hand. Her mouth went wet, so was her nose and eyes. Yet, she swallowed her own tears, trying to calm herself down.

Going back to their boss, the gang tried to wake the others and they all stood up at once. Ace picked up the burnt cloth and wondered what it was, exactly.

"I must have overlooked Jade, all these while. Afterall, he's an Alejandro." Ace said as he focused his pupils on the burnt cloth once more.

"Call the maid to clean up this mess." He ordered Dylan and walked back into his room.

Ace chewed on his jaw, feeling so offended. He swallowed hard, wondering how much Jade knows already.

'How long as that motherfucker been in my mansion. I won't kill my own family this time around, but I could easily get anyone to do that. Wether he likes it or not, I would still have to take him out of the picture. But first, He'd be a grand guest at my wedding.'

Ace concluded as his jaw felt tensed. He gently jutted his head, backward to sleep.

That night, Jade couldn't sleep. There were four others guarding him from outside. His leg bleed throughout the night but his mind kept going back to Sapphire. His dilated pupils focused in the darkness. There wasn't any form of electricity in that room, except for an open space by the corner of the room. Which brought a bit of the moon's reflection above his head. Yet, all his thought, was.

'Fire was knocking on the door violently. She did she hear my voice just now?... She must have heard me, right?' He pondered on the disturbing thought, painfully.

Sapphire too couldn't sleep. She spent all night looking outside her window. All she could see was the thickness of the night cloud, going darker and darker. Till sleep took over her heavy eyes.

Chloe too was in tears. It was the first time for her, spending the night at the police station with the hope that the next day would be better and, probably brighter.

***

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