HUNTING

They're frozen, rooted to their place. Hands fly to chests. They were deeply shocked to hear a large amount of money drawn by the mysterious lady in red. Series of mutters and whispers reign the place. All eyes cast upon the maiden who releases such a tremendous amount like nothing. Sumire's smize is full of confidence and complacent enough that no one would dare to challenge her. Her red lips lifted mighty high.

The tanned man auctioneer looked in her direction and smirked. He once looked at the crowd again. "Who would dare to challenge for 1 billion from bidder 18? Anyone?" He asked, grinning from ear to ear.

From the second floor of the auction hall, a white-haired man masked in black hoisted the placard. The male auctioneer, who is Narco looked up to their place. With his golden eyes beneath the mask, Sumire fails to recognize him. Narco immediately noticed the giant hunk in his black half-mask man looking at the maiden from below, both legs crossed while sitting in a kingly posture in the spacious area. Mort sat in the place with no one occupying the seat near them. He sits there like a tyrant king that no one would dare to defy. When Mort tapped his index finger on the handrest of his chair, Narco immediately understood what he hint.

"2 billion from bidder 35," Narco said with a big grin. The audience gasped again. All were astonished at the double price.

Sumire immediately looked up, raising an eyebrow and squinting her eyes. 'The audacity of this white chimpanzee to challenge me' she said in the back of her brain and gritted her teeth. Her nostrils flare when she sees it was Klauss holding a placard. The white-haired clean freak stands and stares down at her. There was a streak of disgust flashed across his icy blue eyes.

'So it's him.' She utters and gave him a blank stare. A scene flashed in her mind where Mort has Death's painting in his office. Behind her red mask, pupils dilated, Sumire looked down at the man sitting next to Klauss. She gave a hostile glare when Mort's gaze locked on her.

Mort flashed his expensive smirk that Sumire gasped. She gave him a piercing look, lips squinted into a thin line. 'Oh, so you want a battle?' she scoffs in her mind. She was still annoyed when Mort ghosted her for so many days that she almost forgot his existence. "I gave you war." Sumire mouthed the last word once pointing to her neck and drew a horizontal line, indirectly warns him about not messing with her. 'Though I prefer the battle in bed with him, let's put aside the naughtiness first as I'm in the middle of winning the painting ...' she naughtily added and focused her gaze on the pedestal where the painting shines in her eyes.

Trevor, on the other hand, was stunned to see his beautiful companion who was wearing a lava gown now acting like a thug on the street. He looked at Sumire in complete astonishment.

"Can anyone dare to surpass 2 billion from bidder 18?" Narco ask the crowd once again but no one was brave enough to raise their placard but Sumire did.

"4 billion," Sumire utter loudly and look in Mort's direction from above. She smirks victoriously at him. Mort, on the other hand, grinned at Sumire's arrogant manner. In his eyes, she looked like a naughty puppy tigress trying her best to look high-and-mighty.

Mort tapped the handrest of his chair twice for the second time and Klauss raise the placard again.

"Another twice price. 8 billion from bidder 35." Narco said and the auction bidders were again shocked. The stunned expressions were evident on their faces.

Sumire fell into deep thought while the people around her whispered and exchanged glances. 'I know he's rich and so am I. But I have my pride. I would never use my family's treasure just for my obsession.' She utters to herself and looked up. 'If I put together all my acting career income, I won't be able to compete beyond the price.' Lower lip-bite, she added helplessly. She was so tense in her place as she wouldn’t let anyone have the painting she sought for a long time. Unconsciously, Sumire tap three times on the handrest of her chair that did not escape from Narco's sight.

"Wow! 36 billion from bidder 18 again," Narco said happily to Sumire's surprise. She never uttered a word but she knew that Mort was watching her, so she looked up again and met his eyes. She gave him a siren gaze.

Eyebrows lifted high, she smirked but the slight streak of doubt flashed in her midnight eyes and vanished in just a second. Mort's hawkish gaze caught that glimpse. His lip curved into a smirk.

She gave Mort a cold shoulder. Sumire felt very proud eyeing the crowd who were astounded at the large straw she drop.

"Boss, did you see her boastful smirk?" Klauss scoffs while contemptuously looking at Sumire but the maiden just rolls her eyes at them without erasing the smirk on her face like a brat. She almost sticks out her tongue at them.

"Clearly." Mort shortly replied. Behind his stoic face, he was amused at the maiden's childish action.

"She's really into that painting. Where did she get that huge amount? Knowing her she would never spend a single penny from her family's wealth."

Klauss added, eyeing the maiden in scrutiny. Mort just silently stared at Sumire. From the moment she entered the Viccini House, he didn't let the maiden escape from his eyes, not even for a single second.

Laurel and the twin next to them were silent, watching the movement of the suspicious crowd, remain sharp and their senses heightened.

"Who's crazy enough to surpass 36 billion?" Narco sneered, once again challenging the audience who were now overwhelmed by the huge amount of money Sumire had bid for the five bizarre paintings.

"49 billion." A deep voice from Mort thundered inside the auction hall that silenced everyone. Jaw-dropped, deafening silence reigns the place for a minute. They were now in awe at the man sitting majestically above them.

Sumire's eyes widened at what she heard. She was stunned and completely speechless in her seat. Her cheeky smile and expression quickly vanished before Trevor could blink. He stared at her expression. The man did not know whether he would laugh or feel sorry for her.

A few minutes later, waves of murmurs from the crowd filled every corner of the auction hall. They exchanged glances, looking back and forth at Sumire and Mort who had now a clash of intense gazes.

"What's in the painting that they need to fight with a tremendous amount of money, besides it's just a piece of cloth and soak in ink."

"Is it worth billions?"

"It's like I'm watching a battle between gods in Olympus. The money they bid is staggering."

"What am I even doing here?"

Panic-stricken on her face. Her nervousness overcomes her that Sumire's habit of biting her nail come off naturally. 'I really want that painting.' She helplessly utters that she wants to burst into tears but she is Sumire. What she wants is what she gets.

"I'll count to three to close the first deal." Said the female auctioneer who was with Narco on stage. Trembled, Sumire raised her placard one last time.

"50 billion?" Sumire said in a form of a question. The second time, the sound of silence flooded inside the hall. They were all overwhelmed at the happenings. This is the first bid and now they are having a second thought of boasting their money in their pocket. Narco's gaze went up at Mort whose head tilted on the side, resting his face on his palm and legs crossed. The godly hunk nodded to him for the go signal.

"50 billion it is. Congratulations, on making the first highest bidder win. You're making history."

The people applauded and Sumire stood up smiling confidently at the audience. She can't look in Mort's direction. She still doesn't know where the hell to get the remaining 10 billion. She has 40 billion saved in the bank.

'Do I need to sell my properties?' She bit her lower lip once again at the thought. As Sumire fell into a trance and planned to sell the properties she had set up in mind, when all of a sudden, the lights went out.

Trevor quickly stood up and covered the maiden with his body. He was cautious around and more alert for the possibly dangerous situation. Sumire, on the other hand, was surprised when the crowd was silent and have no reaction to the sudden light out. People should have panicked and caused a commotion when the lights were out but they were just calm and seem to know this would happen. Sumire remained calm despite the strong beating of her heart.

The darkness reigning where evil dwell inside, a sound of footsteps echoed, walking onto the stage and the mysterious man faking a cough into the microphone. Sumire knew that was no longer the host of the auction. A deep voice thunders inside when it spoke.

"May I have your attention. Oh, silly me. I forgot you can't see me because of the darkness ... but allow me to tell you a story ..." the stranger began, owning the microphone. The crowd remained so quiet that Sumire could barely feel the people around her. It was only Trevor's presence that made her untroubled despite the eerie and grim surroundings. She can hear his heart thumping so fast.

A dim light of red disperses inside the hall. It was so red as blood. Sumire could barely see the silent crowd inside.

"Once upon a time, a girl was born who loves to wish upon a star. One gloomy night, when all weights were heavy and dark. She wishes death to fall upon her lonely life. And now, on this very night, in her stunning red gown drips her own blood. And I shall say "Wish granted, my lovely lass ..." the mysterious man ended which, for some unknown reason, Sumire's nervousness doubled. She wasn't that stupid not to comprehend that she is the woman in the story the mysterious man referring to. She was the only one wearing a red gown tonight.

"Let the hunt begin."

After the unknown man utter the last word, a series of gunshots took the place. They only had one target; the dashing lady in red dress. Using their high-end guns and pistols, they were firing non-stop hitting the chairs, glasses, and walls. Cold bodies fall to the floor one after another. Two skilled assassin groups and independent assassins who received an order to kill Sumire had clashed inside the red hall.

A large hand possessively snaked over her small waist and she slipped out into Trevor's embrace. Sumire landed on the man's wide chest. From his massive body that almost covered her small frame, his big palms, and his undeniably intoxicating scent lingering on her nostrils. With his pair of emerald eyes glowing dangerously in the dark, she knows it was him.

"Mort ..." she utters between her lips. The hunk didn't answer her instead he put her on a bulletproof vest, tore her expensive lava gown up to her knee, and removed the killer heels she wore. She was left barefooted. Somehow, Mort's presence made her calm despite the chaos dominating the place. Sumire felt safe around his arms. While Mort helps her out, Klauss, Laurel, Leroy, and Lyric in a diamond position, exchange bullets with their enemies, protecting them against the perpetrators. They almost annihilate the wave of assassins and snipers who targeted the maiden. Mort immediately put his cloak on the maiden and held her hand.

They ran fast out of the venue and traverse down the red hallway. They were greeted by a horde of cold-blooded assassins. With a determined stare, Mort pulled the trigger with a reverberating bang. The enemy fell to his knees in shock as he clutched at his bleeding chest. He fired another bull-eye from the assassin's forehead whom they encountered in the hallway killing them instantly. Klauss and the others were firing against the assassins who were tailing them.

"Fuck these annoying motherfuckers!" Lyric loudly curses as he almost got shot in the arm.

"You're getting weaker, bro!" Leroy teases him as he shot the enemies down behind them.

"Focus you two damn twitter!" Laurel hissed at them while having a raw brawl with one of the enemies.

They soon arrived at the lobby where they greeted more enemies. Blood-eyes inflamed by fiendishness darted at the maiden, Mort hide Sumire behind him and goes into appalling carnage mode, killing large number of assassins and snipers in the place. Klauss, along with Laurel and the twins surrounded her and start firing. Lifeless bodies fall to the cold floor one by one before Sumire could blink her eyes. Being elite manslaughter, Mort and his team eliminate the foes in just a matter of seconds.

Sumire was weakened, fall on her knee, and could hardly stand in the middle of the pool of blood and mutilated corpses clasping her throbbing chest when Mort scooped her from the floor. He carried her in a bridal style and she encircle her arms around his neck. Sumire buried her face in his chest and from there, an orb of tears escape from her eyes. Mort, on the other hand, felt her cold hands and her body trembled even though she look so serene in the middle of chaos earlier. The maiden sobbed in silence that his suit get soaked and he felt the hot tears streaming down his chest. Jaw-clenched, his cold face expression darkened as the night.

Klauss, Laurel, and the twin felt Mort's tremendous bloodlust that menacingly disperses, overwhelming the entire place. They never dare utter a word nor talk to the Boss or they will meet their own demise in no time.

Piles of cold corpses filled the Viccini’s lobby as they strode out of the place. They all headed to their vehicles parked nearby. Laurel got into Klauss' car and the twins in their cars. Mort was about to get into his phantom car carrying the maiden in his arms when she suddenly glanced at him with her teary eyes. The corners of her midnight eyes sparkled with tears, eyebrows, and nose flushed, the maiden stared at Viccini House. The last word that came out of her lips clenched his jaw.

"Trevor ..."